Instant Takes: Nebraska 10, Penn State 37
Nebraska (7-4, 4-4) got rolled in prime-time 37-10 against Penn State (5-6, 2-6) in State College, Penn., as head coach Matt Rhule fell to his alma mater. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 23-3 lead in the first half and didn’t let off in a commanding win over the Big Red.
NU’s defense had no answer for PSU’s physical rushing attack that averaged 5.9 yards per carry for 231 total yards on the ground. Offensively, the Huskers couldn’t capitalize on big plays to finish off drives.
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Here are three takeaways following Nebraska’s brutal loss:
No answer against PSU’s elite backs
Defensive coordinator John Butler rolled out four- and five-man fronts from the first snap in attempting to counter Penn State’s formidable rushing attack. However, led by the duo of NFL-caliber running backs – Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton – the Blackshirts couldn’t stop either from making explosive plays.
Allen exploited NU’s run-defense issues immediately, breaking off a 50-yard run on Penn State’s opening drive to set the tone. Meanwhile, Singleton found his way off a quick screen that went for 50 yards on the final play of the first quarter. The two tailbacks combined for 175 yards from scrimmage in the first half alone.
From there, the Blackshirts never found an answer, as the Nittany Lions controlled the line of scrimmage and marched down the field at will. In fact, PSU had seven 10-plus-yard runs, which accounted for 137 of its 234 rushing yards.
Singleton finished with 95 all-purpose yards, while Allen totaled 160 (6.4 ypc) rushing to become Penn State’s all-time leading rusher. A lingering issue that had plagued the Huskers all season was exemplified on Saturday night in Happy Valley.
Secondary crumbled
NU’s defenders missed several tackles that allowed Penn State to enforce its will on the ground. In doing so, Nittany Lion quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer tormented Nebraska’s secondary with big plays through the air.
In fact, the redshirt freshman went 11-of-12 (92%) for 181 yards and one touchdown pass – he only had 689 yards and a four-to-four TD-to-INT ratio entering Saturday. Of those 181, 158 came on only five plays. The Huskers kept getting sucked in on play-action passes, expecting the run, which led to allowing explosive plays.
The Nittany Lions entered ranked No. 15 in the Big Ten in passing yards per game. While PSU made the largest dent on the ground, Nebraska’s secondary didn’t provide any favors.
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Johnson & Lateef provide a silver lining
Silver-lining-wise, NU found a spark from its backfield.
Running back Emmett Johnson had another strong outing with 103 yards on the ground, which marked his fourth consecutive 100-yard performance and became the first back to reach that mark since Ameer Abdullah did in 2014. The junior Doak Walker Award semifinalist sprang off a 52-yard run on his second carry of the game that appeared to set the tone for a monumental night for the Big Red.
However, Nebraska couldn’t punch it in on its opening drive, getting stuffed on fourth-and-one at PSU’s two-yard line – the first of five failed fourth-down conversions.
Johnson posted 151 total yards from scrimmage on 27 touches, making him a near-lock for receiving the Big Ten running back of the year award.
Meanwhile, making his second start under center, TJ Lateef faced a significantly tougher challenge than his first start at UCLA. The true freshman QB had himself some rookie woes, as he completed only 9-of-16 passes for 56 yards in the first half.
Yet he provided a spark late in the third quarter by leading a seven-play, 59-yard TD drive, where he went 3-of-3 for 40 yards passing and capped it off with his 11-yard score on a scramble. In fact, Lateef went 12-of-21 for 131 yards in the second half. He finished 21-of-37 (57%) through the air for 187 yards.
Nebraska looks to bounce back on Black Friday (Nov. 28) at 11 a.m. CT for its annual Heroes Trophy showdown against rival Iowa to cap off the regular season. The game can be seen on CBS or heard on the Huskers Radio Network.
