While the new year has begun, HuskerOnline is looking back at the previous season and taking a deep dive into each of Nebraska's positions, how they graded, their trends and other observations.
To wrap up the series is a two-part breakdown of Nebraska's special teams. Part one took a look at specialists such as placekickers, punters and longsnappers. This part will dive into special team's coverage and kick/punt returners.
Coverage observations:
Special teams grade:
Nebraska's overall special teams grade is 75.4 and is tied for 60th in the FBS with Charlotte and Alabama, the College Football Playoff runner-up. The Huskers are tenth in the Big Ten with Purdue (No. 67), Indiana (No. 80), Maryland (No. 103) and Michigan State (No. 128 out of 130) behind them.
The 20 players listed above scored an average of 65.34. The Huskers are losing Marquel Dismuke, who has the highest special teams grade on the team, and Cam Taylor-Britt who has the fourth highest.
NU's special teams grade improved from a 68 in the 2020 season when they were ranked No. 91 in FBS and 13th in the Big Ten with Michigan State at No. 100. NU has made a huge jump from 2019 when they were ranked No. 125 with a 59.3 grade.
Return Defense:
Nebraska's kickoff return defense was ranked No. 116 in the 2021 season with an average of 25.3 yards per kickoff return. They are 11th in the Big Ten in that category with the Top 10 Big Ten teams in the Top 50 of the FBS.
As for punt return defense, the Huskers are ranked No. 86 with an average of 9.08 yards per return but bring up the rear in the Big Ten. Indiana (No. 78) and Northwestern (No. 84) sit just above Nebraska.
Costly mistakes:
Nebraska's special teams allowed two blocked kicks and one blocked punt in 2021. Iowa blocked a punt, caught the deflected ball and ran it in for a touchdown against the Huskers. Oklahoma blocked one of Kelen Meyer's extra point attempts and ran it back for two points.
On the blocked kick against Oklahoma, offensive lineman Ethan Piper was laid out on the line allowing for a Sooner to get his hand up for the block. Piper had the lowest special teams grade of all of the 1,044 players who played a snap on special teams in the Big Ten in 2021. He earned a 29.4 grade after playing two snaps.
There were several games where a big special teams mistake changed the momentum and the course of a game.
As previously established, Michigan State had the worst special teams grade in the Big Ten and one of the worst in the FBS. They ran back a punt 63 yards for a touchdown against Nebraska, one of their two in 2021.
The list of Husker special teams mistakes could go on for a while but the bottom line is they need to stop allowing the third phase to lose games and use it to win games.
Kick/punt returner observations:
Muffs:
Nebraska's kick/punt returners muffed four balls in 2021. The Huskers are tied with four muffed balls in the Big Ten with Minnesota. Michigan led the league with six and Maryland had five.
Taylor-Britt muffed two punts. He tried to catch one at the one-yard line against Illinois in the Huskers' season-opener and slipped into the endzone resulting in a safety. He muffed another punt against Fordham, giving the Rams the ball at the Nebraska 35.
Taylor-Britt's 27.9 punt return grade is ranked last (No. 267) in the Power Five and No. 335 out of 337 in the FBS.
Brody Belt also muffed a punt out of bounds against Fordham. Alante Brown muffed a kickoff against Wisconsin which pinned NU at their own six-yard line.
Nebraska tired four kickoff returners and four punt returners but have yet to find one that excels at that position.
Return yardage:
Nebraska averaged 15.58 yards per kickoff return in 2021, ranking them No. 124 out of the 130 FBS teams and 12th in the Big Ten with Northwestern at No. 127 and Purdue at No. 129.
The Huskers ranked No. 128 out of 130 with a punt return average of 2.70 yards per punt return. NU is last in the Big Ten with Wisconsin as the closest team at No. 122.
NU's returners were inconsistent with catching the ball and once they caught it, they did a poor job of returning it for positive yards.
Help wanted: electric kick returner:
The Huskers haven't returned a punt/kickoff since JD Spielman ran back a punt for a 76-yard touchdown against South Alabama to open the 2019 season.
In 2020, Nebraska played four fewer games and had 274 kickoff return yards and 83 punt return yards. Brown had 197 kickoff yards and Taylor-Britt had 76 punt return yards. In the 2021 season, NU had 183 kickoff return yards and 29 punt return yards.
Wide receiver Trey Palmer transferred from LSU during the off-season and was a solid kick returner for the Tigers. Whoever goes back for the kickoffs/punts, Nebraska needs someone they can trust to catch the ball and make plays.
