Instant takes: Nebraska 28, Louisiana Tech 14
After a close first half, Nebraska pulled away to beat Louisiana Tech 28-14. Weather in the area forced a delay with 8:39 left in the fourth quarter. However, the Bulldogs came out of the breakdown to score a 20-yard touchdown to go up 28-14.
Here are my three instant takeaways from the Huskers’ second victory of the season:
Haarberg at QB again
Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg started his second consecutive game and the second of his career. Junior QB Jeff Sims is not 100 percent after suffering an ankle injury vs. Colorado. He missed the entirety of the Huskers vs. NIU.
Against NIU, Haarberg went 14-of-24 for 158 passing yards and led the team with 98 rushing yards. In the Louisiana Tech game, he was 8-for-17 for 107 passing yards. Again, he showed off his great running ability with 157 yards on 19 carries.
The Huskers’ first two offensive drives seemed a little stressed and were heavy on the pass plays. The two drives were highlighted by 14 and 13-yard catches by wide receiver Billy Kemp IV.
Haarberg sparked NU to start the third drive with a 43-yard run. The Huskers ended up going nine plays and 79 yards for a touchdown. However, the offense was saved by a fake field-goal attempt. Instead of holding the football for Tristan Alvano, backup kicker Timmy Bleekrode ran it up the middle for 10 yards and the first down.
Kemp scored on a sweep for his second touchdown as a Husker to take a 7-0 lead.
The QB had another great run in the second quarter. He ran 54 yards to the endzone, but it was called back after Kemp was called for holding. Haarberg was Nebraska’s run game. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry in the first half with 82 yards.
Haarberg got his long-touchdown run back with a 72-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to go up 28-7.
Nebraska put itself in scoring position at the end of the first half but couldn’t get into the endzone. They tried tight end Thomas Fidone twice with no luck. Alvano missed the 41-yard field goal wide left with six seconds left. The game was tied 7-7 at halftime.
The Huskers struggled in the first half, only scoring one touchdown and missing a field goal. Haarberg went 4-for-12 for 63 passing yards in the first.
After the weather delay, sophomore QB Chubba Purdy played the rest of the game. He went 0-for-1 and didn’t record a yard.
Haarberg had two fumbles that were both recovered by Nebraska. He recovered one and Nate Boerkircher fell on another. Overall, the Huskers had three fumbles but didn’t lose any.
Another ball security was an issue with this team.
Over the last few years, Nebraska has had many first halves like the one vs. Louisiana Tech. This included called-back touchdowns, very costly penalties and sacks. However, NU made some adjustments and pulled away in the second quarter. Last season, it was hard for the Huskers to overcome their mistakes and win. Nebraska did it today. It wasn’t perfect or even close, but it was a ‘W’.
Passing D
Nebraska’s rushing defense is one of the best in the country. However, their passing defense is No. 91 naturally, with an average of 238.3 passing yards per game. Louisiana Tech averages 225.5 passing yards per game. The Bulldogs had 292 receiving yards vs. the Huskers, its second-highest of the season.
NU talked about wide receiver Smoke Harris all week long. The senior averages 72 receiving yards per game. He had 73 yards on 10 catches versus the Huskers.
The Huskers’ secondary was typically all over Harris when or wherever he got the ball. However, they had several protect breakdowns with Smoke and others, especially in the first half. Smoke had a big second half after five catches for 26 yards in the second.
On a big third-and-seven, Cyrus Allen was wide open for a 28-yard gain with DeShon Singleton on the coverage. That drive led to a touchdown where Mikai Gbayor and Quinton Newsome missed their tackles.
The Bulldogs had 99 receiving yards on 12 catches and 33 rushing yards in the first half. They finished with 292 receiving yards and 46 rushing yards.
The Huskers’ rushing defense is one of the strengths of the entire team, but its passing defense could become an issue in the Big Ten. They have some great pieces who made some incredible plays vs. the Bulldogs.
Linebacker John Bullock and safety Omar Brown each led the team with eight tackles. Safeties Isaac Gifford and DeShon Singleton both had seven tackles. Singleton added a team-high 1.5 tackles for loss. The Huskers had four in general.
This pass defense wasn’t a bad effort at all. They were able to hold the Bulldogs to one score for the last majority of the game. However, Big Ten teams will take full advantage of breakdowns and missed tackles.
NU’s defense has been focusing on coming away with a turnover or two. They got one to end the game as Isaac Gifford snatched the ball as it was deflected off of a Louisiana Tech receiver. Instead of the Bulldogs ending the game with a score, they ended with an interception.
Nebraska run game
Against NIU last weekend, both Gabe Ervin Jr. and Rahmir Johnson suffered a season-ending injury. Ervin started two games for NU and Johnson started one.
Anthony Grant is back to being the Huskers’ No. 1 running back after being its leading rusher in 2022. Redshirt freshman Emmett Johnson and true freshman Kwinton Ives also took snaps for Nebraska vs. Louisiana Tech.
With Ervin, Johnson and Grant as the Huskers’ top running backs, Nebraska was the No. 21 rushing offense in the nation. However, NU’s quarterbacks have 337 of Nebraska’s 720 total rushing yards. Ervin added 204 rushing yards.
In the first half, Haarberg had 82 of Nebraska’s 125 rushing yards. The QB averaged 6.8 yards to carry. He ended the game with 8.3 yards per carry. In the first half, Grant had 26 yards on eight carries with an eight-yard long.
The Husker’s offensive line looked rough against Louisiana Tech. They greatly impacted Nebraska’s run game as Grant ran into wall after wall in the first half. NU allowed nine tackles for loss, three sacks and two quarterback pressures.
On the first play of the game, Haarberg was sacked for a loss of seven yards and that was the tale of the game.
During one drive in the second quarter, Haarberg was sacked for a loss of 10 yards. His helmet was ripped off, so by rule, he had to leave the field. Sims came in for one snap but had a miscommunication with the running back and was sacked for a loss of two yards. Nebraska had to punt on 4th-and-22.
After halftime, the offensive line shaped up to start the second half, but NU brought in blocking reinforcement.
On the first drive of the second half, Nebraska leaned into running the ball and had fullback Barret Leibentritt in for all but one play. Grant unleashed with 76 rushing yards during the Huskers’ first drive of the half. He had a 34-yarder with 19 and 14-yard rushes all in the same drive. Nebraska rewarded him with a two-yard touchdown carry.
Grant had a great game with 135 rushing yards on 22 carries. The senior averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
In the second quarter, NU started running to the right more often, which was much more successful. The left side of the offensive line has struggled this season and the Huskers are trying to work around the issue.
For the first game this season, Nebraska had over 300 yards of rushing. Before the game, they were No. 21 with 209 rushing yards per game. They run for 312 yards, with Haarberg and Grant both over 130 rushing yards.
While the run game was cruising in the second half, Nebraska’s passing game is still a big issue. They had 107 receiving yards and caught eight of the 20 targets.
