In the end, Rob Aurich's defense bowed up.
Though Nebraska allowed 300 yards and 23 points to the Terrapins through the first 30 minutes, the Huskers limited Maryland to just 95 yards and zero points after halftime. By the game's conclusion, they had also forced three turnovers, something Aurich has identified as a goal
for his unit in every game.
It was far from pretty and left plenty to be desired for fans, yet NU is 5-0 for the first time since 2016. In total, 27 Husker defenders saw action in NU's 25-point win . Here are their final snap counts and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. (Go here for the offensive grades.)
| Player |
Class |
Snaps |
Run Grade |
Tackling |
Pass Rush |
Coverage |
Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whittington |
3rd |
54 |
73.2 |
71.9 |
59.3 |
58.8 |
65.8 |
| A. Jones |
5th |
49 |
54.3 |
29.5 |
59.9 |
63.5 |
50.0 |
| Nwaneri |
3rd |
44 |
67.1 |
44.1 |
55.5 |
44.9 |
54.1 |
| Van Poppel |
4th |
44 |
65.9 |
70.2 |
57.9 |
- |
63.1 |
| Stoudmire |
6th |
22 |
61.8 |
- |
55.4 |
- |
58.1 |
| Pietrzak |
2nd |
17 |
60.9 |
- |
54.9 |
69.8 |
70.1 |
| Goldman |
4th |
16 |
51.1 |
- |
63.0 |
- |
53.4 |
| Lenhardt |
4th |
13 |
65.3 |
72.7 |
63.0 |
68.8 |
76.6 |
| Simpson |
2nd |
9 |
60.5 |
- |
64.9 |
60.0 |
66.1 |
| J. Jones |
2nd |
9 |
61.9 |
78.4 |
56.1 |
61.0 |
61.2 |
| Ochoa |
3rd |
6 |
- |
73.0 |
54.3 |
60.0 |
56.5 |
| Hoffken |
3rd |
5 |
59.4 |
- |
58.4 |
- |
48.4 |
| Lefotu |
4th |
4 |
- |
- |
65.0 |
- |
65.6 |
Despite sacking Maryland quarterback Malik Washington just once, NU's defensive line accounted for nine of the 14 pressures the Huskers generated Saturday. While Washington finished with just 16 rushing yards, he proved to be the elusive signal-caller Aurich described him as before the game.
Even so, Nebraska was able to give him fits. Outside of the 207 yards the Huskers allowed in the first quarter, Maryland totaled just 188 yards for the remainder of the game. A large part of that had to do with the defensive front.
After flashing at times in 2025, Kade Pietrzak dropped into coverage and secured the first interception of his career, while Williams Nwaneri recorded three quarterback hurries on his own. Riley Van Poppel added two more, while Mason Goldman's 16 snaps were his most since September 2024.
| Player |
Class |
Snaps |
Run Grade |
Tackling |
Pass Rush |
Coverage |
Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chambliss |
4th |
57 |
85.2 |
81.2 |
62.1 |
78.0 |
84.2 |
| Foster |
3rd |
34 |
42.4 |
40.5 |
66.8 |
81.6 |
75.2 |
| Shavers |
3rd |
33 |
62.4 |
55.0 |
65.6 |
70.2 |
71.5 |
| Merritt |
2nd |
16 |
61.0 |
73.2 |
57.2 |
55.7 |
55.4 |
| Wacker |
3rd |
6 |
60.0 |
- |
57.8 |
61.4 |
61.1 |
The Huskers' linebacker rotation was only five-deep for the second straight week, with Owen Chambliss, Dexter Foster, and Vincent Shavers accounting for the vast majority of snaps, while Dawson Merritt and Derek Wacker provided spelling roles.
Chambliss again graded out as the team's top tackler . He has totaled 16.0 tackles over the past two weeks while playing a combined 112 defensive snaps. He's by far Aurich's most trusted linebacker, based on his workload, and he's been a welcome addition to the Blackshirts' defense.
Shavers accounted for the Big Red's only sack while also being credited with four additional tackles and a forced fumble. From a production standpoint, it was the best game of his junior season to date.
| Player |
Class |
Snaps |
Run Grade |
Tackling |
Pass Rush |
Coverage |
Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jones |
3rd |
67 |
65.3 |
55.9 |
53.6 |
62.3 |
62.4 |
| Marshall |
4th |
66 |
62.6 |
72.6 |
- |
68.4 |
68.7 |
| Conn |
4th |
64 |
50.0 |
55.9 |
60.0 |
65.1 |
61.4 |
| McDougle |
5th |
64 |
40.9 |
27.1 |
60.0 |
84.8 |
75.5 |
| Odem |
1st |
41 |
61.0 |
47.3 |
- |
63.1 |
63.4 |
| Evans |
4th |
39 |
55.9 |
78.5 |
65.7 |
68.4 |
69.1 |
| Benning |
3rd |
12 |
60.9 |
78.9 |
59.7 |
42.2 |
47.7 |
| Shiggs |
3rd |
6 |
60.0 |
- |
57.8 |
61.4 |
61.1 |
| Rhett |
4th |
6 |
60.0 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
63.5 |
Dwayne McDougle was undoubtedly the star of the show, as the San Diego State transfer recorded the first pick-six of his collegiate career. It came at a pivotal time, too. Malik Washington and Maryland led the Huskers 23-14, with the ball at NU's 25-yard line, when the fifth-year senior defensive back jumped in front of a pass attempt on a slant pattern and returned it 81 yards for a score.
He turned a potential drive that could've given the Terrapins a 16-point lead into one that provided NU the exact kind of spark it needed to ultimately win the game. As a result of McDougle's play, Nebraska found the momentum it needed to enter halftime with a five-point lead, one it took and never gave back.
Missed tackles, however, were a concern. Six of the Huskers' nine missed tackles were charged to defensive backs. Against the better teams on Nebraska's schedule, namely Indiana this week, that could lose them the game. McDougle and Donovan Jones accounted for two each, while Jones also allowed receptions on each of his nine targets for a total of 75 yards.
There's room to improve within the group, but at the very least, the Huskers have now faced a potential All-Big Ten-caliber wide receiver in Chris Durr Jr. Hopefully, that experience will better prepare them to step up against Indiana's wideouts on Saturday afternoon.
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI , subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/nebraska as How Every Nebraska Defender vs. Maryland Graded Out on PFF .
