Nebraska Football: 3 takeaways from upset loss vs. Northern Illinois

3. Tre Bryant loss really hurt the Nebraska offense Saturday

Nebraska struggled to pass the ball effectively, in part, because they struggled to run the ball effectively. The Cornhuskers managed just 2.4 yards per carry, finishing as a team with 85 rushing yards on 36 carries. It was an ugly performance by the backfield that illuminated just how much Tre Bryant meant to Nebraska’s hopes for a successful 2017 campaign.

Bryant had ran for over 100 yards in each of his first two games of the season. But against Oregon, Bryant injured his knee and was forced to leave the game early. Unable to start in Week 3, the Nebraska running game struggled to gain purchase against a MAC front seven without their star running back in the lineup.

Mikale Wilbon wasn’t terrible after getting the start for the injured Bryant, running 24 times for 90 yards. It was the rest of the team that failed to pick up the slack. Tanner Lee managed to run for two touchdowns, but also took several sacks that dropped his rushing averages for the game. The bench got only five carries in relief of Wilbon, as the Cornhuskers were forced to pass the ball as they played catch-up against the Huskies.

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If Bryant cannot come back to the field any time soon, Nebraska will be in real trouble heading into Big Ten play.