How Every Nebraska Offensive Player Graded Out Against Washington on PFF

Nebraska's offense seemingly disappeared for the third straight week.

It's not for a lack of yardage, though. Instead, the unit just can't seem to get out of its own way. The Huskers haven't been able to make plays when they need them most, and they're now 5-3 (2-3 Big Ten) as a result.

Just 18 players saw offensive snaps in NU's 17-10 loss to Washington. Here are their final snap counts and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. (Go here for the defensive grades.)

Player	Class	Snaps	Pass	Run	Overall
Colandrea	4th	77	51	4	66.5

Quarterback

In his first game since it was learned that he will return to Nebraska for the 2027 season, senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea looked more underwhelming than at any point since arriving in Lincoln. Playing all 77 offensive snaps, the St. Petersburg, Florida, native completed 24 of 44 pass attempts for 255 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.

The offense struggled to find any consistency against a middling Washington defense, yet the game plan seemed to call for Colandrea to push the ball downfield. Frankly, it didn't work. He completed just one of nine passes traveling at least 20 yards downfield. The lone completion was a 24-yard touchdown to Carter Nelson.

Colandrea seemed to be out of sync from the very start. Two of his first five pass attempts were intercepted. Washington also did a good job containing him on the ground, although Colandrea didn't do much to help himself. He rarely looked to scramble on passing downs, and none of his seven carries resulted in a first down.

It's been hard enough for the Big Red to score when he's been playing well, let alone when poor decision-making and mistakes start to mount. NU will need him to play better down the stretch to have a chance at avoiding a complete disaster to end the year.

Player	Class	Snaps	Run	Pass	Overall
Mozee	2nd	36	2	25	59.3
Rule	1st	23	13	4	67.3
Nelson	3rd	18	6	5	63.4

Running Back

NU's running back room may have been healthier coming out of the bye week, but that didn't do much to change the flow of the offense. The Huskers' top three ball carriers combined for just 102 yards on 21 rushing attempts, which simply isn't enough production to consistently win.

Regardless of who's responsible for the lack of success, the position has handicapped this team in a significant way. This year's Nebraska squad doesn't have an Emmett Johnson-type player who can consistently make defenders miss. Instead, the Huskers are relying on three relatively inexperienced, banged-up backs who have underwhelmed.

Jamal Rule showed flashes of making positive plays, but his 72 yards on 13 carries weren't enough to help Nebraska get the win. Despite Mekhi Nelson arguably being the healthiest of the trio, he saw the fewest snaps. Meanwhile, Isaiah Mozee saw action on nearly half of the Big Red's plays, but 25 of those came on passing downs.

The ground game never seemed to be a priority for Nebraska on Halloween. We'll see if that changes in the final four games, yet the run blocking grades we've gathered this fall suggest it likely won't.

Player	Class	Snaps	Targets	Catches	Drops	Run Block	Overall
Barney	3rd	71	11	6	1	75.9	60.4
Gilmer	3rd	70	11	4	1	89.0	57.8
Hunter	4th	46	6	6	-	77.8	61.0
Clark	3rd	20	2	0	-	91.5	62.4
Bell	4th	13	-	-	-	60.0	52.4

Wide Receiver

Colandrea targeted Nebraska's wide receivers 30 times but connected on just 16 of those attempts. Some passes were intercepted, while others were simply uncatchable. However, perhaps the biggest missed opportunity of the night came on a dropped pass: a would-be touchdown from Colandrea to Kwazi Gilmer on the Big Red's opening drive. The very next play resulted in a turnover, which stings even more.

Against the Huskies, NU's pass-catchers earned respectable run-blocking grades, but the offensive line struggled in that area, which matters more. Regardless, this group didn't do enough to help the Huskers win. Gaining yards is great, but it means little when those drives don't result in points. Let alone not being able to make the biggest of the Huskers plays. Ultimately, that proved to be the difference in Week 9.

I have faith that the group can recover down the stretch, yet what once looked to be the most exciting position group, perhaps on the entire team, has now become a unit that has just flat-out underachieved.

Player	Class	Snaps	Targets	Catches	Drops	Run Block	Overall
Lindenmeyer	5th	62	9	5	-	60.7	66.8
Bonner	5th	10	-	-	-	57.7	47.5
Nelson	3rd	8	1	1	-	58.8	70.8
Hammerbeck	2nd	8	-	-	-	60.4	62.1

Tight End/Fullback

Luke Lindenmeyer, by all accounts, played well, but his overall performance was overshadowed by the one play he didn't make rather than the several he did. Colandrea's final interception, the pick-six, was something Lindenmeyer took responsibility for. He had stopped running his route.

Even Lindenmeyer wasn't quite sure why he stopped, which doesn't make the mistake any easier to stomach. But here we are.

On a positive note, Colandrea's lone touchdown pass went to Nebraska native Carter Nelson. It was Nelson's first receiving touchdown since the Northern Iowa game in 2024. Although he was targeted just once, it wouldn't surprise me to see him become a bigger factor in the offense down the stretch, considering he's one of the few offensive skill position players who took advantage of his opportunities in this game.

Player	Class	Snaps	Sacks	QB Hits	Hurries	Penalties	Run Block	Pass Block	Overall
Evans	5th	77	-	-	-	-	66.8	87.1	73.5
Pritchett	5th	77	-	-	-	-	52.1	91.6	67.6
Babalade	4th	77	-	-	1	-	55.3	79.1	65.1
Black	4th	77	-	-	2	-	57.4	43.6	56.3
Mubenga	4th	77	-	-	1	2	57.7	52.7	54.7

Offensive Line

The five players who started along Nebraska's offensive line were the only ones to see action against Washington. Each played all 77 offensive snaps, which may help explain the pedestrian rushing numbers the Huskers posted in Week 9.

At least, that's what I'm telling myself. Sure, the group is banged up, but on paper, there's no reason for this unit to have struggled so much in the run game all year. Unless, of course, a lack of depth has left the starters exhausted. Rarely does NU generate much of a push up front, and the guard play leaves a whole heck of a lot to be desired heading into the final four games.

Eight contests into 2026, Justin Evans has yet to allow a single pressure on the quarterback. Even so, the Big Red surrendered four total against UW. The unit was not charged with a sack. In many respects, the Huskers' pass protection has been as solid as it has been in years. Unfortunately, the run-blocking grades are trending in the opposite direction.

Hopefully, this unit can figure things out. If Nebraska can't consistently generate a push against Washington, I'm not sure things will get any easier against Illinois, Ohio State or Iowa. Maybe Rutgers, but that's not exactly something to hang your hat on.

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