Nebraska (2-0) returned to Lincoln following their nail-biting win over Cincinnati for the home opener against Akron (0-2) on Saturday night. The Huskers didn’t need to worry about a close game this week, blowing out the Zips with a commanding 68-0 win.
Nebraska set the tone on the opening drive when Emmett Johnson took off for a 47-yard touchdown. Even after two straight redzone drives resulting in no points, the Huskers’ offense appeared nearly unstoppable for the rest of the night. Nebraska tallied 728 yards on offense, its first 700-yard game since 1995 when it toppled Iowa State 73-14. The Huskers’ 68 points scored is also their highest scoring game since 2012, when they demolished Idaho State 73-7.
Nebraska’s defense also completely shut down the Zips defensively. The Huskers, for the second week in a row, held the passing game to under 70 yards, allowing just 62 on the night. Though it did cough up 113 yards on the ground, it did come off 36 total carries.
Akron almost scored twice, on both field goal attempts, but neither resulted in points. Nebraska even blocked the second field goal, helping the team pitch its first shutout win since 2009, when it knocked off Arizona 33-0. Freshman Kade Pietrzak even put two points on the board for the Blackshirts after blowing up a run play in Akron’s own endzone for a safety in the first quarter.
Dylan Raiola pitched a big game on the night, tossing 24-of-31 for a career-high 364 yards and four touchdowns, earning a rest partway through the third quarter. TJ Lateef took over from there and even cracked a hundred yards passing, going 6-of-7 for 128. He also carried the ball in for a score and rushed for 17 yards on two attempts.
Johnson led the ground game, racking up a career-high 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns off 14 carries. He did fumble in the red zone on the second drive of the game, but it didn’t overshadow his career night. Kwinten Ives took a few carries in the win, including a 28-yard score for his first career touchdown. Mekhi Nelson also punched in his first career touchdown, taking in a one-yard run in the fourth.
Jacory Barney led the aerial game, hauling in seven catches for a career-high 132 yards. He also racked up 87 yards off four punt returns, which included a 39-yard slicer in the third quarter. Dane Key, meanwhile, caught three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.Nyziah Hunter snatched four catches for 82 yards while freshman Izaiah Mozee tallied three catches for 65 yards. Luke Lindenmeyer and Quinn Clark each scored their first-career touchdowns in the win. Lindenmeyer grabbed three catches for 44 yards while Clark collected one catch for 37 yards.
The Huskers remain home for their next matchup, taking on FCS opponent Houston Christian next Saturday morning. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on FS1.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Nebraska football defeats Akron 68-0
