Nebraska
A Look at Nebraska’s Best-in-Nation Numbers on Pass Defense
Not only is Nebraska leading the nation in pass defense, it’s not even close.
The Huskers are No. 1 by a mile, allowing only 91.8 passing yards per game. Alabama is second, 26.6 yards behind, with 118.4 yards per game.
Yards allowed per game is how the NCAA pass-defense rankings are determined.
Another impressive Nebraska stat: The Huskers have allowed only one touchdown pass all season — the same number of touchdown passes thrown by Nebraska backup quarterback TJ Lateef. Michigan State backup quarterback Alessio Milivojevic completed a 2-yard TD pass to tight end Jack Veiling to cut Nebraska’s lead to 14-7 in the second quarter of a 38-27 Huskers win.
Huskers cornerback Ceyair Wright talked about what makes Nebraska’s pass defense click: “I think it’s just every week, being intentional about development.
“I think we’re a very tight-knit group. We always make sure to get extra work in whenever we can, go over film, concepts, stuff like that. It’s just about trying to get better every week.”
In addition to Nebraska’s imposing numbers, its secondary saved the Huskers in Week One when Malcolm Hartzog Jr. intercepted a likely game-winning pass in the end zone with less than a minute to play to hold off Cincinnati, 20-15.
Nebraska (4-1) ranks 11th in total defense with 247.4 yards allowed per game. The Huskers have allowed 10 offensive touchdowns in five games. Oklahoma leads the nation at 193 yards per game.
Nebraska also is 11th in yards allowed per play with 4.25. Oklahoma leads the nation at 3.50 yards per play.
The Huskers have intercepted seven passes, tied for 73rd nationally, a low number of picks for a team ranked No. 1 in pass defense.
Nebraska is fourth in the nation in third-down conversion rate, holding opponents to 14 first downs in 64 attempts, a .219 percentage. Again, Oklahoma is No. 1 at .174.
Nebraska, stung by three long Michigan touchdown runs in September, is tied for 88th in rushing defense at 115.6 yards per game. Missouri leads the nation at 62.4 yards per game.
Excellent pass defense doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The stronger a team’s pass rush, generally, the better the pass defense. If a defense corners an opponent into obvious passing downs, that sometimes plays into the hands of a good, opportunistic pass defense.
Nebraska’s defensive schemes obviously are causing problems for offenses.
Another factor: Quarterbacks don’t like being hit. After taking a few shots, many quarterbacks get happy feet, look to bail out on plays and sometimes fling the ball haphazardly.
On rattling the quarterback, Nebraska redshirt freshman defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri said: “You can really just tell by the energy on the field. By their language. How he’s reacting in the pocket. How he’s moving and how the ball’s coming off his hand.
“You know we’ve affected him just by those things. After the first drive, we got to him [Michigan State’s Aiden Chiles]. I feel like that’s really all it takes. Get to him and keep getting to him as much as we can.”
The Huskers have 10 sacks for 89 yards on the season. Nwaneri has 1.5 sacks, second on the team, and 15 tackles, seventh on the team.
On the pass rush, Nwaneri said: “Really just focusing on it in the bye week we had. Focusing on getting to the passer, getting off the ball, and affecting the quarterback.
“We really just emphasized it in practice. I feel like it translated to the game.”
Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler came to Lincoln in 2024 after six seasons as the Buffalo Bills’ defensive backs coach. Before Buffalo, Butler was the Houston Texans’ secondary coach from 2014-17.
He knows ball. He knows a dominant defensive line can help the entire defense to flourish.
“I think they continue to improve,” Butler said about the Huskers’ defensive line.
“Obviously the results show that we hit the quarterback. We created more havoc and made more plays. So, from a results standpoint, you can see that we got some rewards there.”
Butler last week said three of his defensive backs were “our better players on defense.” Butler specifically cited Wright, Andrew Marshall and Donovan Jones.
Against Michigan State, DeShon Singleton had two interceptions, earning the East-West Shrine Bowl Defensive Player of the Week, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
Against Michigan State, here are Nebraska’s snap counts for the secondary:
* Andrew Marshall: 72
* Donovan Jones: 68
* DeShon Singleton: 64
* Ceyair Wright: 61
* Rex Guthrie: 58
* Marques Buford: 22
* Justyn Rhett: 15
* Jamir Conn: 4
Here’s how each starting quarterback has fared against Nebraska this season:
Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati:
13-of-25 for 69 yards, 1 interception, 0 sacks
Ben Finley, Akron:
7-of-21 for 54 yards, 1 interception, 0 sacks
Jake Weir, Houston Christian:
11-of-18 for 67 yards, 0 interceptions, 3 sacks
Bryce Underwood, Michigan:
11-of-22 for 105 yards, 0 interceptions, 1 sack
Aidan Chiles, Michigan State:
9-of-23 for 85 yards, 2 interceptions, 4 sacks
Chiles’ backup, Alessio Milivojevic, was 6-of-7 for 71 yards, 0 interceptions, 0 sacks and 1 touchdown pass.
The Huskers next face Maryland (4-1) and talented freshman quarterback Malik Washington.
Washington leads the Big Ten in pass attempts with 183. His stats: 110-of-183 passes (60.1 percent) for 1,257 yards, nine touchdowns and only two interceptions.
“He looks like he’s very well coached,” Butler said. “He obviously hasn’t been sacked and he really hasn’t made many mistakes on tape so he knows where to go with the ball based on what the coverage looks like pre-snap and what the coverage looks like post-snap.
“Looks like he has some really good blitz answers. He’s a decisive kid and makes the throws. You just look at the numbers through the year. Every game he’s throwing for over 200 yards.
“He throws a nice ball. I think it’s definitely a challenge. And then he has some skill around him at receiver, some skill guys that can run. A tight end that can get open and catch the ball.
“So, it’s definitely a challenge for us. Probably one of our biggest challenges at this point in terms of the overall passing game, the operation of the passing game, how well he’s coached by their offensive staff. It’s definitely a huge challenge.”
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Nebraska
Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari wanted in Lincoln, accused of assaulting pregnant woman
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari is wanted in Lancaster County on suspicion of assaulting a pregnant woman in May.
An arrest warrant was filed for Ferrari on Thursday. He faces three felony charges which include first-degree false imprisonment and assault by strangling a pregnant woman.
According to an arrest affidavit, a woman from California contacted police in Lincoln on May 8 just after midnight. She told officers her daughter called for help and pointed them to Ferrari’s apartment.
Police arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door. A pregnant woman came out after several minutes of knocking with no answer. Officers said the woman was visibly upset.
She told officers that Ferrari tried taking her phone away after an argument, but she wouldn’t let him take it. The arrest affidavit shows Ferrari then dragged her off a bed by her feet.
Police think Ferrari then got on top of her and strangled her, likely until she was unconscious. The woman told police that she felt as though her throat “collapsed” and that she was “breathing through a straw.”
Once regaining consciousness, police said the woman tried hiding in a closet and contacting her mother on another device. But Ferrari followed her, pushed her onto a bed and sat on her until she apologized, according to the affidavit.
She apologized in order to be released, police said. The woman then tried to leave the apartment, but police said Ferrari dragged her by the arm back inside. She found her phone and contacted her mother, yelling “help!”, prosecutors wrote.
Ferrari grabbed the phone and hung up, according to the affidavit. The woman’s mother tried calling several more times before calling police.
Authorities transported the woman to Bryan West for treatment. Officers said she sustained injuries consistent with strangulation, including bruising around her neck and other abrasions.
Last weekend, Ferrari was arrested in Lincoln County on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving and obstructing the police. He was cited after a trooper chased a Corvette in the North Platte area.
Lincoln County authorities told KOLN that Ferrari is out on bond. His current whereabouts are unclear.
Court records show that the woman has filed for a protection order against Ferrari. A hearing has been set for July 7 to give him an opportunity to show the court why one should not be issued.
Previously, Ferrari was booked in Lancaster County, Nebraska for an outstanding warrant in January of this year, but those charges were dismissed later that week.
Ferrari parted ways with the Huskers in April of this year.
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The Nebraska State Fair is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a special 72-hour flash sale on Season Passes.
From July 3 through July 5, fans can purchase a 2026 Season Pass for just $50—a significant discount from its regular value of $132.
The pass includes one admission per day for all 11 days of the 2026 Nebraska State Fair, making it ideal for visitors who plan to attend multiple days.
Fair officials say the promotion is one of the biggest Season Pass discounts offered in years and will not be extended.
After July 5, Season Passes will remain available at a higher discounted price.
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Legalizing online sports betting has met with resistance in the Nebraska Legislature for years.
Tax Relief Nebraska, a group backed by Nebraska casinos and online sports betting groups, took the issue to the people of the state through a petition drive.
Those petitions are now in, and casino officials say they expect to have enough signatures to make the November ballot — but also expect pushback through Election Day.
The case for online betting
Currently, legal sports bets cannot be placed on a phone in Nebraska. Casino operators say people who choose to wager are finding other ways to do it.
“They’re just doing it illegally through a virtual private network, or they’re driving over to the first exit between Iowa and Nebraska, placing a bet and then driving back to their home,” said Lynne McNally of Warhorse Casino.
Nebraska casino operators say the state has already collected millions of dollars in state taxes and property tax relief from casino gambling, and that online sports betting would add to that total.
A majority of Nebraskans voted for casino gambling to enter the state in 2020, and casino operators expect similar support if the online betting petition makes the November ballot.
“As you know, we got 65% on the constitutional amendment and actually got nearly 70% on the tax portion of the statute when the casinos were legalized in 2020. I think that we’ll be in that area, if not maybe a little higher than that,” McNally said.
“There’s always going to be a sector of the public that doesn’t want to gamble. They don’t want to go to our facilities and that’s just fine. I guess I have an objection with trying to tell other people what to do,” McNally said.
The opposition
The Nebraska Family Alliance stands against online gambling and plans to campaign against the initiative across the state. The nonprofit group issued a statement that reads in part: “Online sports betting has been a massive public policy failure that benefits national sportsbooks at the expense of kids, student-athletes, families and businesses. While they have more money, they don’t have the truth.”
Pat Loontjer, director of Gambling with the Good Life, has opposed expanded gambling in Nebraska for 30 years.
“They’re telling the same lie — property tax relief. Well in Nebraska you say property tax relief and everybody says where do I sign,” Loontjer said.
Loontjer also raised concerns about the impact on young people.
“Sports betting on the phone is the most addictive thing for young people, young men especially. You’ve got kids that are going to lose their scholarships, lose their future,” Loontjer said.
What comes next
If enough signatures are verified and the issue is placed on the November ballot, Warhorse Casino officials say Nebraskans could be able to make sports bets on their phones by spring of next year.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
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