LINCOLN—Nebraska is headed on the road for a true away game for the first time all season this week.
The Huskers are 4-1 after a 38-27 WEIRD contest against Michigan State. Now, the Big Red are off to Maryland for a Saturday afternoon affair.
See the full depth chart below and continue reading for observations from the latest order.
Offensive line movement
Buckle up, because we’ve got moves across the offensive line for the first time in a few weeks.
At left tackle, Elijah Pritchett is now on top, followed by Turner Corcoran. Left guard is unchanged with Henry Lutovsky followed by Jason Maciejczak. The center spot sees Jake Peters ahead of Sam Sledge for the No. 2 position behind Justin Evans. Right guard now goes Rocco Spindler, Tyler Knaak, and Grant Brix. With Knaak moved inside, right tackle is now Gunnar Gottula followed by Teddy Prochazka.
For those keeping track, the left-to-right starters are Pritchett, Lutovsky, Evans, Spindler, and Gottula. While Pritchett ultimately started against Michigan State, the depth chart for the last few games noted a left-to-right offensive line of Gottula, Lutovsky, Evans, Spindler, and Prochazka.
Head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen had spoke during fall camp that there wasn’t just a left tackle position battle, but rather up to five guys fighting for two spots. Heading into game six, Pritchett and Gottula are the two tackles to have the bulk of the coaches’ trust.
Changes for the Blackshirts
The red pen came out on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Defensive end and nose guard remain unchanged, but defensive tackle has a new third-man. David Hoffken, who got some action against Michigan State, replaces Sua Lefotu behind Keona Davis and Jaylen George.
At jack, Jordan Ochoa and Dylan Rogers have been dropped from their second and fourth spots, respectively. Dasan McCullough remains the starter, now followed by only Willis McGahee IV.
Backing up Javin Wright at one of the linebacker sports, Dawson Merritt has jumped Jacob Bower.
Jstyn Rhett enters the depth chart at the No. 2 position behind DeShon Singleton. That was held by Rex Guthrie last week, with Derek Branch as the third guy there. Branch is off the depth chart completely, while Guthrie has moved to safety ahead of Caleb Benning and behind Marques Buford Jr.
The nickel position still has Malcolm Hartzog Jr. listed as the starter, with Jamir Conn at backup. Hartzog has missed the last four games. On Monday, Rhule said he would like his starting nickel to be with them at Maryland but he doesn’t know yet if that will be possible.
Running back stability?
The running back position has been a hot topic, particularly in who is backing up Emmett Johnson and his heavy usage. The order remains the same this week on paper: Johnson, Mekhi Nelson, Isaiah Mozee, and Kwinten Ives.
Against the Spartans, Johnson had the bulk of the work with 13 carries for 83 yards and three touchdowns. He also had six receptions for 37 yards.
Nelson notched just a single carry, but he took that for 11 yards. Mozee had three carries for just nine yards.
Ives has not been seen since getting 16 carries for 119 yards against Akron and Houston Christian. As the fourth man listed at the position, he appears to be a distant fourth.
Rhule noted on Monday that he was expected to have more than 70 plays against MSU, instead of the 55 they ended up with. While that likely played into some of the distribution, it is just as likely that the distribution doesn’t stray too far from the current path this weekend for which running backs get touches or how many they each get.
Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.
Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule
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