How Every Nebraska Defender Graded Out Against Illinois on PFF

Nebraska's defense looked vulnerable for the first time all season.

Sure, the Blackshirts had surrendered some big plays in previous games, but the overarching takeaway heading into Week 10 was that NU clearly had one of the better defenses in college football. Illinois gave Husker fans reason to second-guess just how good this unit really is, totaling 24 points, the most the Big Red have allowed all season.

In total, 23 Nebraska defenders saw the field in Champaign during the Huskers' 24-13 loss Friday night. Here are their final snap counts and grades. (Go here for the offensive grades.)

Player	Class	Snaps	Run Grade	Tackling	Pass Rush	Coverage	Overall
Whittington	3rd	49	57.6	28.5	72.7	59.3	66.6
Nwaneri	3rd	43	70.0	71.5	66.5	-	71.7
Lenhardt	4th	43	65.9	77.4	66.5	48.1	61.4
Stoudmire	6th	33	55.7	22.7	61.7	-	58.1
Van Poppel	4th	27	63.8	-	55.9	-	60.6
Pietrzak	2nd	26	62.8	-	58.5	60.0	61.6
Ochoa	3rd	21	61.0	71.1	71.3	61.3	71.8
Goldman	4th	12	60.0	-	55.0	59.9	55.2
Terry	2nd	10	59.8	69.7	66.5	-	65.0
Berymon	1st	1	-	-	-	-	-
Jones	2nd	1	-	-	-	-	-
Hoffken	3rd	1	-	-	-	-	-

Defensive Line

The Huskers generated 21 pressures Friday night, with the defensive line accounting for 16 of them. Additionally, the group was credited with both of NU's sacks (Cam Lenhardt and Jordan Ochoa).

Despite being without Anthony Jones for the second consecutive week, Nebraska's defensive line responded well. The Blackshirts held Illinois to 84 rushing yards on 29 attempts, an average of 2.9 yards per carry. Considering the Fighting Illini entered the game averaging more than 164 rushing yards, that was more than enough to have a chance to win. However, it was the plays Illinois made through the air, and on special teams, that proved to be the difference.

Player	Class	Snaps	Run Grade	Tackling	Pass Rush	Coverage	Overall
Shavers	3rd	57	47.2	71.5	57.1	72.6	62.8
Chambliss	4th	31	60.0	76.5	66.5	45.7	50.3
Foster	3rd	30	81.7	80.8	58.3	70.8	81.1
Merritt	2nd	17	57.5	27.4	56.4	37.9	37.2

Linebacker

When Owen Chambliss is off the field, NU's defense suffers. As concerning as that may be, it speaks to how impactful the veteran linebacker has been.

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After Chambliss left the game with an injury, sophomore linebacker Dawson Merritt saw his largest workload since the season opener against Ohio. However, on 17 defensive snaps, Merritt received the lowest overall grade of his collegiate career.

On the other hand, junior linebackers Vincent Shavers and Dexter Foster played very well. Shavers was credited with three quarterback hurries and a team-high seven tackles. Foster played his most snaps since the Maryland game and earned the highest overall grade of any Husker defender.

Player	Class	Snaps	Run Grade	Tackling	Pass Rush	Coverage	Overall
Jones	3rd	67	65.3	78.2	55.6	66.5	66.0
Marshall	4th	67	55.7	67.1	-	54.6	51.6
McDougle	5th	67	51.7	38.3	64.3	61.8	60.0
Benning	3rd	66	75.7	84.4	-	51.1	58.7
Evans	4th	62	50.4	47.4	59.4	65.8	62.8
Odem	1st	5	60.0	-	-	44.5	41.0
Shiggs	3rd	1	-	-	-	-	-

Defensive Backs

Jamir Conn's potential return never occurred. The senior defensive back had been playing at a high level before suffering an injury against Indiana, but despite expectations that he would return Friday night, he never saw the field.

Andrew Marshall was having one heck of a senior season. However, in recent weeks, opposing teams haven't been afraid to target him on passing downs. The Midseason All-American has been targeted 24 times over the last three games, allowing 13 receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Nebraska's defensive backs also struggled to bring Illinois' players down. Of the Huskers' nine total missed tackles, five were charged to the secondary. Dwayne McDougle was responsible for three of them.

In total, NU's defensive backs were targeted 25 times against Illinois. The Fighting Illini completed 15 of those passes for 228 yards and three scores. It was a collective struggle from the secondary. Still, I fully expect the group to rebound against Rutgers next week.

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