Nebraska Football Downs North Dakota 38-17

The Huskers did what was anticipated of them Saturday within the residence opener.

They beat an FCS opponent, the North Dakota Preventing Hawks, by a number of possessions. However in the event you had been to solely take a look at the field rating, it could be deceiving as to how the sport really performed out.

The Huge Purple drew first blood on their first drive, scoring on an environment friendly eight play, 87-yard drive that led to a 19-yard speeding landing for Anthony Grant.

However that may be the one vivid spot for the Husker offense within the first half. NU would solely have three extra drives with a complete of 16 extra performs, together with a turnover and a missed subject purpose.

North Dakota would be a part of the Huskers in a struggling offense and each groups would commerce three-and-outs and sloppy errors.

The Huskers led 7-0 till North Dakota’s gritty 16-play, 87-yard drive that took practically seven minutes off the clock and virtually ended the primary half and tied the sport up at 7-all.

Scott Frost was not happy together with his offense on the finish of the half.

“It is dangerous, man,” Frost informed the Huge Ten Community. “We don’t have something going. We obtained a pair sacks that value us drives.”

The Huskers got here out firing on all cylinders to start out the second half. Their first drive led to a landing cross from Casey Thompson to tight finish Nate Boerkircher.

On the following possession, Blackshirt captain Garrett Nelson stepped up for NU in an enormous manner, producing a strip-sack fumble that may flip into three Husker factors through a Timmy Bleekrode subject purpose.

However simply 90 seconds later, after a Casey Thompson interception and an enormous run that was attributable to a blown blitz from the secondary, North Dakota tied up the sport at 17.

The Huskers bounced again large break day the stellar play of Anthony Grant. Grant broke off a 46-yard landing run with below 3 minutes to go within the third quarter, placing the Huskers up 24-17.

From that time on they’d by no means look again. With a mix of nice complementary runningback play from true freshman Ajay Allen and a few actually clutch throws from Thompson, the Huskers picked up a 38-17 victory over the Hawks.

Allen scored his first collegiate landing within the fourth quarter, and tight finish Chancellor Brewington picked up a landing with two minutes left within the sport.

Grant was the star of the sport. He ran for 189 yards on 23 makes an attempt and totaled two touchdowns.

Thompson might not have had the Memorial Stadium debut you dream about, however he had a strong sport, going 14 of 21 throwing for 193 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The offense totaled 437 yards. 244 of them courtesy of the run sport. The offensive line allowed three sacks, one in every of which resulted in a turnover. Trey Palmer led all receivers with 82 yards on 4 receptions. The Blackshirts held North Dakota to 306 yards of complete offense and compelled one turnover. Garrett Nelson was tied with Isaac Gifford with eight complete tackles. Ochaun Mathis totaled his first sack of his Husker profession; the protection had two complete.

“This workforce might be nice a workforce,” Frost stated after the sport. “It isn’t proper now, and that was my message to them.”

Frost isn’t unsuitable. That is what the story of this workforce has been. This workforce has numerous proficient gamers and extremely regarded coaches, however it additionally has numerous new items for a program to deal with without delay. Will probably be a course of for this workforce to get the place they finally wish to be.

There was some carryover of some errors that had been made within the season opener towards Northwestern in  Eire. The Blackshirts missed a number of open-field tackles and had a blown blitz that prompted the lengthy 63 yard run. The offense at occasions appeared out of rhythm and had a few drops.

However for each detrimental you wish to level to, a constructive might be rebutted with. Contemplating the place the sport was performed and the standard of the opponent, you may take this sport with a grain of salt.

However a win is a win, one thing Nebraska hadn’t completed in 11 months.