Rutgers vs. Nebraska: Game Grades, Analysis for the Cornhuskers

After nearly a month away from home, Bo Pelini and No. 16 University of Nebraska (7-1) returned to Memorial Stadium and treated their fans to a 42-24 demolition of Rutgers University (5-3) Saturday afternoon.

The Cornhuskers backfield of Tommy Armstrong and Ameer Abdullah fueled an offense that piled up 455 total yards against a solid Rutgers defense. Pelini's squad is surging after the Michigan State University loss and has re-established itself as a contender in the West Division.

How did the Cornhuskers grade out from their impressive 18-point victory?

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	C-	B
Run Offense	A	A
Pass Defense	B-	A-
Run Defense	A+	B
Special Teams	B	B+
Coaching	A	A

Nebraska Cornhuskers Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Armstrong got off to a slow start, connecting on just six of his first 14 passes for 76 yards and an interception in the first half. He rebounded in the third quarter, through, throwing perfectly placed touchdown passes to Sam Cotton and Jordan Westerkamp on back-to-back drives. He finished with 163 passing yards and those two touchdown passes, completing 63.6 percent of his passes on the day. 

Run Offense: Abdullah paced Nebraska’s offense once again, running for 225 yards on 19 carries, averaging 11.8 yards per carry. He added three touchdowns on the ground, bringing his season total to 17. The Cornhuskers rushed for 292 yards total, completely overwhelming a solid Rutgers defensive front.

Pass Defense: It was a shaky start for Nebraska’s secondary as Gary Nova threw for 129 yards in the first quarter, highlighted by a 71-yard touchdown pass to Leonte Carroo. But the Cornhuskers settled in, allowing just 27 passing yards in the second quarter before Nova was knocked out of the game with a knee injury. Backup quarterback Chris Laviano didn’t have much success through the air, and Rutgers finished with just 205 passing yards Saturday afternoon.

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Run Defense: Rutgers running back Desmon Peoples had a big game against Ohio State University last week, rushing for 83 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries. But the sophomore struggled against Nebraska, gaining just 32 yards on 12 carries. Laviano provided a spark in the second half, running for 54 yards on five carries. But the Scarlet Knights were largely held in check. 

Special Teams: Nebraska dominated all three phases of the game, including a big edge in special teams. While Drew Brown misfired on a 42-yard field-goal attempt, the Cornhuskers came away with a blocked field-goal kick in the second quarter, and Abdullah busted an impressive 76-yard kickoff return in the second half.

Coaching: Pelini's staff called a good game on both sides of the ball. The defense adjusted nicely to Nova's fast start in the first half by completely shutting him down in the second quarter. The coaches also did a good job of tweaking the defense to limit Laviano's running ability in the fourth quarter. The offense maintained its identity throughout the game, which wisely highlighted Abdullah. 

This team is getting better every week, and that's a credit to the coaching staff.

All stats via NCAA.com.