Miami vs. Nebraska: Game Grades, Analysis for Hurricanes and Cornhuskers
In a game that occasionally showed us shades of those great Miami-Nebraska bowl matchups from the 20th century, the Huskers came out on top, 41-21, to take the lead in the all-time series against the Hurricanes, 6-5. The Huskers also move to 4-0 all time against the 'Canes in Lincoln.
The story of the night surrounded the two teams' running backs, and Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah clearly had the better of things. We'll take a look at every facet of both teams' performance in our game grades for Nebraska and Miami.
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| Passing Offense | B- | B- |
| Rushing Offense | C+ | D+ |
| Pass Defense | B | B |
| Run Defense | B- | C |
| Special Teams | Inc. | B |
| Coaching | B | C- |
Miami Passing Offense
Through the first half, Brad Kaaya completed 11-of-17 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw a very costly pick. As the game wore on, the true freshman acquitted himself nicely, finishing with 359 yards and three touchdown tosses.
But a very costly late pick hurts Miami's final grade in this category, dropping it to a "B-."
Miami Rushing Offense
This is where the 'Canes were expected to shine but ended up being the most disappointing aspect of Miami's performance.
Nebraska's stout run defense is definitely in for some credit later, but Miami running back Duke Johnson still looked good for at least 100 yards heading into the game. On 18 carries, Johnson had 93 yards (5.2 yards per carry). I thought Johnson should've gotten more touches, but that's a coaching issue—which, again, will be addressed a little bit later.
Miami Pass Defense
Nebraska doesn't throw the ball much, so Miami's pass defense numbers look pretty darn good as a result. But the 'Canes still gave up 113 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 pass attempts—not great but certainly not terrible.
The interception Miami came up with also helps, and we'll give the team a "B" for its effort.
Miami Run Defense
There haven't been many teams anywhere in the nation that have had success containing Nebraska's Abdullah. But Miami did a particularly poor job on the evening.
Abdullah rushed for 229 yards and Nebraska called 54 run plays to just 13 pass plays. Even knowing that the Huskers were going to run the ball, the Hurricanes still gave up 345 on the ground.
It could be argued that a "C-" is overly generous.
Miami Special Teams
Miami didn't return a single punt in the game, so it's hard to reward or punish the team for that. On three kick returns, the Canes averaged less than 18 yards.
Again, nothing special. But unblemished place-kicking—Michael Badgley went 1-of-1 on field goals and 4-of-4 on extra points—was a bright spot, so the special teams gets a solid "B" grade.
Miami Coaching
In the first half, Miami did little to impress in terms of adjusting to Nebraska's run-heavy play-calling. The safeties didn't come up in run support, and the Huskers exploited the mismatches up front.
The second half was no different, as Ameer Abdullah continued to run roughshod over the Canes. As things began to get ugly, we really wanted to see Al Golden do more to take control of his team. The fact that Miami was flagged eight times for 82 yards, including three personal fouls over a two-play stretch, was very disappointing.
Golden and his staff are very lucky to escape with a "C-" and no player ejections.
| Passing Offense | B+ | B |
| Rushing offense | ||
| Run Offense | A | A+ |
| Pass Defense | B- | B- |
| Run Defense | A- | A |
| Special Teams | A- | A- |
| Coaching | B+ | B+ |
Nebraska Passing Offense
It's hard to give too much credit to a pass offense that throws just 13 passes, one of which is picked off. But two of those throws did go for touchdowns, and there were 113 yards in there, too.
Plus, expectations were low in regards to Tommy Armstrong throwing the ball, so it's hard to be disappointed. Not impressed, not disappointed equals a ho-hum "B."
Nebraska Rushing Offense
Tell me why the Huskers don't get an "A" for tonight's performance. In the first half, Ameer Abdullah ran for 121 yards on 19 carries. By the time the night was over, he had extended those numbers to 229 yards on 35 carries and a pair of scores.
Add in the 96 yards from Tommy Armstrong and a team total of 345 yards on the ground and in the end, I won't give the Huskers an "A."
We'll give them an "A+."
Nebraska Pass Defense
Nebraska knew full well that the 'Canes had their own Abdullah-esque running back in Duke Johnson, so the Huskers are to be excused for selling out against the run from time to time. What can't be overlooked, however, is the pass defense giving up a whopping 359 yards and three touchdowns.
Miami had five receivers with over 40 yards and did a find job of spreading the field. However, as much the bad can't be ignored, the good shouldn't be dismissed either.
The two interceptions (Joshua Kalu and Jamal Turner) were critical in this win, and are a good excuse for me to give the Huskers pass D a "B-."
Nebraska Run Defense
Nebraska's porous pass defense encouraged Miami to stick with moving the ball through the air. Duke Johnson is no slouch in the Miami backfield, and the Huskers still held him to under 100 yards.
Randy Gregory was a beast from start to finish, and the defensive line for Nebraska frequently got the better of Miami's big uglies. Despite Johnson's 93 yards, the 'Canes were held to 76 rushing yards and a single rushing touchdown. Miami is 13-0 in games in which Johnson rushes for 100 or more yards. When he doesn't hit the century mark, things like tonight happen.
That's easily good enough for an "A" grade.
Nebraska Special Teams
Nebraska's special teams got into the action a little bit more than Miami's. Drew Brown was 2-of-2 on field goals and 5-of-5 in points after attempts. The lone punt from Sam Foltz went for 49 yards, and the Huskers averaged 20.3 yards on four kick returns.
Arguably, the only negative for the Huskers was a middling 5.5 yard-per-return average on two punt returns.
Nebraska Coaching
Bo Pelini had a definite game plan on offense, and it was executed to near perfection. There weren't too many adjustments made to contain Miami's passing attack, but a win is a win, and it's hard to penalize the coaching staff for winning a football game.
We will, however, give Pelini extra credit for the way he handled the chippiness late in the game, and sending Randy Gregory to the showers a few seconds early, as Gregory was the focal point for Miami's angst during several scuffles. That turns a coaching performance otherwise worthy of "B" into a "B+."
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
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