UCLA football (2-5, 1-4 Big Ten) is returning from its bye week to face Nebraska (5-3, 2-3) in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday. With the Cornhuskers on the heels of a narrow loss and the Bruins fresh off of their first Big Ten victory, both teams will enter Saturday’s contest likely looking to boost their conference records. Here is this week’s scouting report from reporter Noah Massey – who had four midterms this week.

Nebraska’s Offense:
Offensive scheme: Pro-style
Run-pass percentage: 50.1% run, 49.9% throw
Strength: Completing passes
Weakness: Red zone scoring
X-factor: QB Dylan Raiola

After averaging 31 points per game over the first five contests this season, Nebraska’s offense hit a wall, only posting 38 over the last three combined.

One of the primary catalysts of this decline was true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who failed to throw a touchdown over the three-game stretch while racking up five interceptions.

The former five-star recruit, who beat out incumbent Heinrich Haarberg to claim the role of QB1 to begin the season, completed passes at a 70% clip while tossing for 1,224 yards and accumulating nine touchdown passes alongside just two interceptions prior to Nebraska’s game against Rutgers on Oct. 5. His production propelled the team to a 5-1 start – its best since 2016.

Under second-year offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, the offense features an even balance of passing and rushing without a clear edge in either respect, as the Cornhusker offense ranked 63rd and 103rd in passing and rushing yards per game, respectively.

The running back room is led by former Oregon transfer Dante Dowdell and Emmett Johnson, who have averaged a solid 4.7 yards per rush while amassing 671 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

The Huskers have also incorporated non-running backs in the ground attack. Though Raiola has amassed negative rushing yards, Haarberg – serving as an option quarterback – and wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. amassed 172 yards combined, only eight yards fewer than UCLA’s leading rusher, junior T.J. Harden.

On the receiving front, the Huskers spread the ball out between Jahmal Banks, Isaiah Neyor, Thomas Fidone II and Barney, who have all eclipsed 20 receptions and combined for 1,169 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Fidone, the lone tight end of the group, emerged as the most productive of the quartet in Nebraska’s last two games, amassing 146 yards – 38% of Raiola’s yards through the period.

Despite recent struggles against quality opponents, Raiola and the Huskers will look to rediscover their prior form against a Bruin defense that has allowed 29 points and 269 passing yards per game.

Nebraska’s Defense:
Defensive scheme: 3-3-5
Strength: Rush defense
Weakness: Pass coverage
X-factor: DL Ty Robinson

Husker defensive coordinator and UCLA alumnus Tony White was brought in from Syracuse in 2023 after three years of top-25 finishes in total defense.

At Nebraska, White continued to finish within the nation’s top 25. After last year’s defense finished the season ranked No. 13, he has continued to maintain the unit’s performance with a 16th-ranked unit this season.

Featuring a high-risk, high-reward 3-3-5 defense, White utilizes a scheme that excels against the run and manages to reach the quarterback while still holding its own in pass coverage. With opponents averaging a mere 3.12 yards per rush and managing only 203.9 passing yards per game this season, Nebraska can stop the run while limiting damage through the air.

Defensive lineman Ty Robinson has put together a tremendous season for the Husker defense, racking up four sacks, seven total tackles for loss and three pass breakups. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound interior lineman has been a crucial member of Nebraska’s excellent rush defense, which held then-No. 4 Ohio State to just 64 yards rushing on 31 carries last week.

While the Huskers’ pass coverage is the weakness created by White’s scheme, it has been mitigated by pressures brought by the defensive line – which has racked up 23 sacks this season, good enough for 15th in the nation – as well as quality play by the defensive backs.

Through the air, Nebraska is No. 45 in the nation in yards allowed per game while limiting opposing quarterbacks to ​​a 62.7% completion percentage and 133.6 passer rating.

With UCLA remaining as the worst rushing team in the nation, the strengths of the Nebraska defense will likely force UCLA to gain yardage through the air.

And if redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers struggles to make plays, the Bruin offense will follow suit against a stout Husker defensive unit playing on its home turf.