Dave Feit: Is Nebraska's Pass Defense for Real?

The Blackshirts have been dominating the airways, but potential asterisks abound. Maryland will offer the first true test.

Malcolm Hartzog breaks up a fourth-quarter Cincinnati pass. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

I have been cautiously subscribing to the idea that Nebraska's pass defense is one of the best in the nation.

The stats through five games are ridiculously impressive.

Husker opponents are combined 60-119 (50%) for 459 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in 2025.

For comparison, Iowa's Mark Gronowski is 68-106 (64.2%) for 636 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions through five games.

Only two teams (Michigan and Michigan State) have surpassed 100 yards. The Spartans didn't do it until late in the fourth quarter with the Huskers leading by 17 points.

Nebraska's 91.8 yards per game makes them the best pass defense in the nation. Second-place Oklahoma is almost 27 yards per game behind NU. The Huskers are also first in pass efficiency defense.

Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby passed for just 69 yards in the Bearcats' season opener against Nebraska but has averaged 237 in the four games that followed. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Every quarterback Nebraska has faced had his worst passing day of the season against the Huskers. Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby had just 69 yards against NU. That's 168 yards less than what he has averaged in his four other games. The four other QBs were anywhere from 58 yards (Houston Christian's Jake Weir) to 124 yards (Akron's Ben Finley) below what they've averaged in their non-Nebraska games.

It's not just quarterbacks who are struggling against the Blackshirts. Wide receivers are also finding the going very tough. Cincinnati's Cyrus Allen and Michigan State's Nick Marsh have the best statistical performances against the Blackshirts secondary so far. Each had 41 yards receiving. Allen got his on five receptions. Marsh had only four catches. Neither scored a touchdown. MSU's Jack Velling is the only player to score a receiving touchdown against Nebraska in 2025.

Nebraska is doing this without a dominating pass rush. The Huskers average just 2.0 sacks per game (tied for 74th in the nation with Akron, Boston College, Kennesaw State and others). Defensive coordinator John Butler deserves a lot of credit, as does his veteran secondary featuring players like Ceyair Wright, DeShon Singleton and Andrew Marshall. All have played at a high level this season.

But with all of that said, there are some lingering questions. Is this real, or is it a mirage? An objective observer could point out some possible asterisks on each of Nebraska's shutdown performances:

Cincinnati: Holding Brendan Sorsby to 69 yards passing continues to age like fine wine, but cynics will point to it being the first game of the season in a de facto road game for Cincy, as well as the success the Bearcats had running the ball against Nebraska. Sorsby had 96 yards rushing and scored both of Cincinnati's touchdowns.

Opponents have avoided throwing in the direction of Nebraska's Ceyair Wright so far this season. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Akron: The Zips (2-4) are one of the worst teams in the FBS. They have scored a total of 59 points in five games against FBS competition.

Houston Christian: A Big Ten team should dominate an FCS opponent. Period. Especially one like HCU, whose lone win came against Arkansas Baptist College, an NAIA team with an enrollment of 525 students.

Michigan: Given the success the Wolverines had on the ground (286 yards rushing and three touchdowns), there was no reason to throw it. True freshman Bryce Underwood looks like a star in the making, but his passes had only one setting: fastball. That led to a few incompletions on short throws.

Michigan State: It was a very windy day, which impacted both teams' passing attacks. There was speculation that quarterback Aidan Chiles sustained a mild concussion after a second-quarter sack, but he returned to the field. Backup quarterback Alessio Milivojevic (6-for-7, 71 yards and a touchdown) had success in relief of Chiles. Milivojevic led the Spartans down the field for a late score.

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington is averaging a little over 250 yards per game passing on a 60% completion rate. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

I'm really excited for Nebraska's game at Maryland. It will be a true test of Nebraska's passing defense without any potential asterisks.

The early forecast for Saturday's game in College Park looks ideal: dry, little to no wind and a high of 72 degrees.

Terps quarterback Malik Washington is having a strong season, averaging 251.4 yards per game with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. He completes 60% of his throws. He's not a dual-threat QB like Sorsby, Underwood or Chiles. He's going to throw it, and the Huskers will have to stop it if they want to win. Maryland has a strong receiving corps, so multiple Nebraska DBs will be tested.

Maryland will not be the stiffest test Nebraska's passing defense faces this year. That comes Nov. 1 against Southern Cal. But the Terrapins offer a legitimate challenge. And for the first time this season, there should be no "yeah, but…" excuses if the Blackshirts once again rise to the occasion.

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