How Every Nebraska Defender vs. North Dakota Graded Out on PFF

The Blackshirts looked as good as they have this fall in Saturday's 27-point win over the Fighting Hawks.

Donovan Jones and Kade Pietrzak celebrate after a sack against North Dakota. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Defensive coordinator Rob Aurich turned up the heat on North Dakota on Saturday night.

Tasked with stopping a Fighting Hawks offense that entered the contest as the second-most productive unit in the FCS in terms of yardage, Nebraska's defense limited UND to just 205 yards in 60 minutes of play.

In total, 36 Husker defenders saw action in NU's 27-point win. Here are their final snap counts and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. (Go here for offensive grades.)

Cameron Lenhardt warms up before the season opener against Ohio. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Defensive Line

Player	Class	Snaps	Run Grade	Tackling	Pass Rush	Coverage	Overall
Jones	5th	35	70.6	78.0	52.7	73.7	69.2
Nwaneri	3rd	31	53.3	19.3	66.6	60.4	60.5
Whittington	3rd	29	73.2	71.9	60.1	-	71.2
Van Poppel	4th	28	62.7	69.7	59.8	-	62.4
Stoudmire	5th	28	60.7	70.2	62.3	-	62.5
Pietrzak	2nd	16	69.3	71.1	61.2	-	69.4
Lenhardt	4th	14	70.2	71.5	56.9	60.2	58.0
Terry	2nd	10	61.7	-	58.1	-	61.1
Jones	2nd	9	70.1	72.2	58.1	-	70.7
Goldman	4th	9	61.0	-	57.7	-	59.9
Hoffken	3rd	6	60.0	-	56.5	-	57.5
Berymon	1st	4	66.5	-	69.7	-	69.5
Parrott	5th	4	55.2	-	-	-	55.7
Lefotu	4th	1	-	-	-	-	-

Nebraska went deep into its defensive line rotation in Week 3, playing 14 players along the line of scrimmage. To the group's credit, they performed at their highest level that they have all year.

Pitt transfer Jahsear Whittington, Boston College transfer Owen Stoudmire, and fourth-year interior defender Riley Van Poppel all recorded sacks. That came against an offensive line that had surrendered just four sacks through its first three games.

They also helped the Big Red limit UND to 99 rushing yards, averaging only 2.8 yards per carry. Overall, it was a complete performance reminiscent of the Huskers' 2024 defense that featured Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher up front. That fall, Nebraska totaled 30 sacks and finished the season allowing an average of just 101.2 rushing yards per game.

It will be hard to replicate this level of success in Big Ten play, but Week 3 provided a shot of encouragement for a fanbase that had reason to worry about the group after an underwhelming season-long performance last fall.

North Dakota quarterback Jerry Kaminski is sacked by Owen Chambliss. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Linebackers

Player	Class	Snaps	Run Grade	Tackling	Pass Rush	Coverage	Overall
Chambliss	4th	44	75.9	82.6	66.6	66.3	76.1
Shavers	3rd	29	75.2	77.9	56.7	64.2	70.4
Foster	3rd	28	72.9	77.8	66.2	62.4	73.9
Merritt	2nd	8	60.4	73.1	72.3	50.3	58.3
Wacker	3rd	6	61.6	-	-	61.0	64.0
Mooberry	2nd	3	61.1	-	-	-	62.9
Jones	2nd	1	-	-	-	-	-
Rogers	4th	1	-	-	-	-	-

Led by San Diego State transfer Owen Chambliss, otherwise known as "The General," NU's linebacker room got after it against the Fighting Hawks. Chambliss played 44 snaps and looked every bit the part of the First-Team All-Mountain West defensive selection he was in 2025. While recording six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and a half sack, the Huskers' Mike linebacker looked as if he was everywhere on the field at once.

Oregon State transfer Dexter Foster and sophomore linebacker Dawson Merritt continue to impress as well. Foster recorded two tackles and a quarterback hurry, while Merritt added a highlight-reel sack despite playing just eight snaps.

It now appears Nebraska has a clear-cut group of four linebackers it trusts. They've arguably performed better in every game they've played this fall, with their physicality and versatility standing out. They'll need to take another step next Saturday on the road against a Michigan State team that's undoubtedly going to be their most difficult opponent yet.

Nebraska defensive back Andrew Marshall grabs an interception in front of USC wideout Ja'Kobi Lane last season. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Defensive Backs

Player	Class	Snaps	Run Grade	Tackling	Pass Rush	Coverage	Overall
Marshall	4th	49	71.4	76.2	-	64.3	66.8
Conn	4th	49	67.3	81.2	-	50.5	55.5
Jones	3rd	46	58.3	45.8	69.8	71.1	70.2
McDougle	5th	39	86.4	83.2	-	67.0	76.9
Evans III	4th	27	65.2	77.0	-	59.9	56.1
Odem	1st	25	64.6	54.0	61.6	50.6	53.9
Benning	3rd	12	60.0	-	-	62.9	63.6
Charles	4th	6	62.8	74.2	-	61.8	65.2
Shiggs	3rd	4	60.0	-	-	-	60.0
Buford	3rd	4	62.8	74.3	-	-	63.8
Bauer	3rd	4	60.0	-	-	-	60.1
Guthrie	3rd	3	60.0	-	-	61.6	61.3
Rhett	4th	3	62.4	73.1	59.9	60.0	69.3
Prude	3rd	1	-	-	-	-	-

I was high on the Huskers' secondary after its performance last week, when Nebraska allowed just 84 passing yards against Bowling Green. Yet even after North Dakota passed for 106 yards, I'm even more impressed.

North Dakota's senior quarterback, Jerry Kaminski, had thrown for more than 800 yards and 11 touchdowns through UND's first three games. However, Nebraska shut down UND's air attack outside of three completions that combined for 64 yards. Oddly enough, Andrew Marshall was the defender who allowed North Dakota's lone touchdown. It was the first score he had allowed in coverage in 11 games.

Aurich also sent Donovan Jones, Danny Odem, and Justyn Rhett on blitzes. Jones was the only defender who managed to get home, though the other two were able to affect the quarterback on their pass-rushing attempts. For the most part, the group is versatile, deep, and trustworthy when it comes to filling their role. They'll need to continue showing those qualities as the season progresses.

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