PFF Grades and Snap Counts from Nebraska's 28-21 Win Against Northwestern: Defense

Fresh off a one-score win over Northwestern, Nebraska now sits at 6-2 (3-2 Big Ten), securing bowl eligibility in October for the first time since 2016. In a game where the Huskers allowed 331 total yards, the defense came up with timely turnovers and key stops on multiple occasions to help seal the victory.

And because it’s always more fun to rewind after a win, here’s a closer look at the final Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades and snap counts for every Nebraska defender who saw the field in Saturday’s 28–21 win over the Wildcats.

Defensive Line PFF Grades, Snap Counts against Northwestern. | Trevor Tarr

For the first time all season, senior defensive tackle Elijah Jeudy led all defensive linemen in snaps, taking over that top spot from redshirt freshman Williams Nwaneri. Whether by design, Northwestern’s approach, or simple circumstance, Nwaneri had one of his quieter games in recent memory, finishing with just two tackles and the second-lowest overall defensive grade for Nebraska on the day.

The Huskers once again rotated their front with purpose, marking the second straight week that double-digit defenders saw time along the line of scrimmage. Of the Blackshirts’ nine total pressures, five came from the defensive line, though the unit failed to register a sack.

Nebraska allowed 172 rushing yards on the afternoon, including a 56-yard touchdown run that inflated the total. Outside of that explosive play, the Huskers held Northwestern to four yards per carry, but the damage was done, with the Wildcats ultimately averaging 5.7 yards per rush.

Linebacker PFF Grades, Snap Counts against Northwestern. | Trevor Tarr

Sophomore Vincent Shavers led the linebacker unit in both snaps (51) and tackles (6). He also earned the group’s highest tackling grade, followed closely by a strong run-defense mark.

Of note, senior Javin Wright did not start the game, for the first time all season, but still made a significant impact. In just 22 snaps, Wright posted the Huskers’ highest overall grade and filled the stat sheet with a tackle, an interception, and a quarterback hit.

As a whole, the linebacker corps combined for just 11 total tackles, a noticeable drop-off from last week when both Wright and Marques Watson-Trent individually hit that number or higher. It was a relatively quiet afternoon statistically, but Wright’s timely interception provided a crucial spark, setting up the offense’s eventual game-winning touchdown drive.

Defensive Back PFF Grades, Snap Counts against Northwestern. | Trevor Tarr

The Huskers entered the matchup allowing just 123 passing yards per game, and that number ticked up only slightly to 127.5 after Saturday’s win. Northwestern’s top receiver, Griffin Wilde, came in averaging 73.7 yards per game (516 total) but was limited to just three catches for 52 yards on the afternoon.

While the Wildcats don’t boast a prolific passing attack, Nebraska’s secondary still put together an efficient performance. The Huskers held senior quarterback Preston Stone to 51.7% completions and forced two interceptions on the day. A major contributor to that effort was redshirt freshman Donovan Jones, who posted seven tackles (four solo) and recorded the defense’s first interception of the game.

Fellow redshirt freshman Rex Guthrie tallied a team-high eight tackles (five solo), marking the most productive outing of his young career. Meanwhile, Ceyair Wright, recently named a second-team midseason All-American, followed up the honor with another lockdown performance. He allowed just one reception on four targets, added a pass breakup, and notched four tackles.

An eye-popping stat: Wright has surrendered just 13 catches on 28 targets (46.4%) this season. Across 386 defensive snaps, he’s allowed receptions on just 3% of the plays he’s been on the field. That’s elite-level efficiency, and the kind of consistency worthy of All-American status.

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