Here are the final snap counts and grades for Nebraska’s offense against Buffalo, courtesy of PFF.
QUARTERBACK
Quarterback grade out
HOL take: Adrian Martinez was under pressure on 14 of 24 pass dropbacks and Buffalo only brought more than four on five of those plays. The key stat of the game was he was 2-of-2 on his two throws over 20 yards, and both went for 68-yard touchdowns.
Of Martinez’s eight runs, four were scrambles on pass plays, while two were zone reads and two were gap runs. 91 of his 113 rushing yards were on scramble runs. His overall grade seems much lower than it should be considering the impact he had on this game.
It was also great to see Logan Smother connect on the long pass late to Chris Hickman.
RUNNING BACK
Running back grade out
HOL take: Nebraska continues to try to figure out it’s running back room. Gabe Ervin produced three runs of 10+ yards on Saturday, which was the highlight. He also had a 21-yard run, which is the longest by an NU back all season.
Of the 31 tailback runs, 11 were on zone reads and 20 came on inside gap plays.
The running backs were targetted 3 times and had three catches for 6 yards.
WIDE RECEIVER
Wide receiver grade out
HOL take: There were just seven total wide receiver targets on the day for Nebraska, but Samori Toure, Zavier Betts and Brody Belt made the most of them.
Betts had a long touchdown catch waived off after a penalty. You would like to see him on the field for more than 18 snaps.
Toure had one of the best games we’ve seen from a NU wide-out in quite some time producing two 60+ yard touchdowns.
TIGHT END
Tight end grade out
HOL take: The tight ends were targeted the same number as the wide receivers. Chris Hickman had a breakout type performance. Hopefully, this turns things on for the third-year freshman from Omaha.
Nate Boerkircher showed he is a good blocker on the edge and had a nice catch. He was a pleasant surprise as well.
Will NU get Austin Allen and Travis Volkolek back next week?
OFFENSIVE LINE
Offensive line grade out
HOL take: NU’s starting offensive line allowed 13 QB hurries and Buffalo only blitzed five total times, but had Martinez under pressure on 14 of 24 dropbacks. The good news is they didn’t sack Martinez or give up a QB hit.
The run blocking grades still leave a lot to be desired as well.
The backup group came in and graded out very well in pass protection compared to the starters.