It wasn’t simple. It wasn’t fairly, both.
Video games towards FCS opponents are alleged to be tune-ups for convention play the place backups see the sphere and the fourth quarter is stress-free.
It was hardly that straightforward for Nebraska on Saturday, because the Huskers traded blows with FCS opponent North Dakota all recreation lengthy earlier than pulling away late for a 38-17 win at Memorial Stadium.
Anthony Grant was the workhorse for Nebraska (1-1) within the win as he totaled189 yards on 23 carries to associate with a pair of touchdowns. His success helped counteract a large time of possession benefit for North Dakota (0-1).
Very like its season opener, the Nebraska offense got here out firing on all cylinders in its first drive of the sport. Trey Palmer, Marcus Washington and Alante Brown all caught passes throughout a drive the place Casey Thompson went 5-of-6 for 68 yards.
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Grant capped the drive by scooting away from a pair of North Dakota tacklers for a 19-yard dashing landing — and a 7-0 lead — in a drive that took simply over two minutes.
For the remainder of the primary half, Nebraska by no means discovered the identical offensive rhythm. North Dakota broke by means of the Nebraska offensive line for a pair of first-half sacks, together with a compelled fumble that despatched Thompson into the medical tent.
And even when Grant ran the ball six occasions in a 12-play offensive drive, it didn’t finish in factors. Timmy Bleekrode’s 37-yard area objective try sailed broad left with seven minutes left within the first half, and the Huskers didn’t run one other offensive play till a kneel down to finish the half. After the stellar first drive, Thompson tried simply three passes for the remainder of the half, finishing two.
After 4 punts in its first 4 drives of the sport, North Dakota broke by means of with a seven-minute landing drive the place the Hawks, not the Huskers, exerted their will on the opposing line of scrimmage.
Quarterback Tommy Schuster continued his success of getting the ball out rapidly and forcing Nebraska to deal with within the open area, a problem the Huskers failed most of the time. Left with a alternative of a area objective try close to the five-yard line or a fourth-down strive, North Dakota head coach Bubba Schweigert opted to go for it on fourth down, and the Hawks transformed.
Schuster delivered the 1-yard TD cross to Adam Zavalney simply earlier than halftime, and a smattering of boos rang out from Memorial Stadium because the Huskers went into the break tied 7-7. North Dakota ran 16 extra performs than Nebraska within the first half and held the ball for 20:38, in comparison with the Huskers’ 9:22 time of possession.
Nebraska’s begin to the second half was identical to the primary as Thompson marched NU down the sphere for a landing in underneath two minutes of recreation time. Thompson started the drive with a 34-yard chunk play to Trey Palmer and capped it with a 19-yard landing cross to Nate Boerkircher that put the Huskers up 14-7.
Instantly following the landing drive, Garrett Nelson compelled a sack-fumble from Schuster, which defensive lineman Stephon Wynn pounced on. NU’s photographs towards the top zone fell brief, resulting in a 46-yard area objective strive which Bleekrode transformed for NU’s first made area objective of the 12 months and a 17-7 lead.
Nursing a 10-point lead, Nebraska might have rolled to victory if it prevented turnovers and giving up chunk performs on protection.
First, the Husker protection was caught off-guard when North Dakota operating again Isaiah Smith blew previous the road of scrimmage and into open area for a 63-yard run deep into the purple zone. Nevertheless, a third-down cross breakup from Marques Buford Jr. saved the Hawks out of the top zone and saved the lead at 17-10 in Nebraska’s favor.
Then, Thompson didn’t see North Dakota linebacker Wyatt Pedigo lurking in the midst of the sphere when he fired a cross deep in his personal territory, and Pedigo’s interception return arrange the Hawks on the eight-yard line.
One five-yard run from Tyler Hoosman later, and North Dakota tied the sport at 17-17 with four-plus minutes left within the third quarter.
Fortunately for Nebraska, Grant nonetheless had lots left in his tank. The Husker operating again rumbled for a 46-yard dashing landing that put NU again forward 24-17 and marked the fifth scoring play in 10 minutes of in-game motion.
NU did what it wanted to do late with a view to stroll away with a win, because the Husker offense went 89 yards in simply over 4 minutes on its ultimate landing drive of the sport. Thompson linked with Palmer for a key 31-yard cross on third down that saved the drive going, and NU saved the ball on the bottom the remainder of the way in which earlier than Ajay Allen punched in a 14-yard dashing rating.