Scouting Report: How Nebraska’s Offense Can Pick Apart Akron’s Defense

Date: September 6, 2025

Kickoff: 7:35 p.m. ET

Location: Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE)

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Setting the Stage

Nebraska returns to Memorial Stadium tonight looking to build on the momentum of its season-opening win. The Huskers enter as overwhelming favorites, and for good reason: Akron’s defense is young, thin on experience, and still searching for an identity. While the Zips kept Wyoming to just 10 points last week, the underlying numbers paint a different picture. They surrendered over 400 yards of offense, including six explosive plays of 20 yards or more, and relied more on red-zone grit than consistent execution.

On paper, this is a mismatch. But let’s peel back the layers and see exactly how Nebraska can dismantle Akron’s 4-2-5 defense.

Akron’s Defensive Landscape

The Zips underwent a near-total rebuild on defense in the offseason. They return only 15 combined starts from 2024, with weakside safety Justin Anderson accounting for nearly half of that total. Their five leading tacklers from last year are gone, either via graduation or the transfer portal, leaving the unit light on continuity and chemistry.

A few names stand out as potential anchors. Linebacker Shammond Cooper, a preseason All-MAC selection, recorded 10 tackles in the opener and looks like the closest thing Akron has to a tone-setter. Safety Justin Anderson brings experience on the back end, while Kent State transfer Alex Branch has already stepped into a starting role and posted nine tackles against Wyoming. But beyond that trio, the defense is largely unproven.

The scheme itself is a 4-2-5 under defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar, designed to handle spread looks while keeping extra speed on the field. The downside? A light box, inexperienced defensive line, and potential mismatches in the slot if the wrong personnel are forced into coverage.

How Nebraska's Offense Can Attack the Akron Defense

Nebraska doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel here. The path to dominance is clear: tempo, spacing, and exploiting Akron’s lack of depth.

1. Stretch the Field Early

After a week-1 game against Cincinnati in which the Nebraska offense lacked explosive downfield plays, the Huskers should attack vertically right out of the gate. Akron’s zone coverages leave seams vulnerable between the safeties and linebackers, and Nebraska has the speed outside to test that space. Play-action off the run game could create huge chunk plays if Akron’s linebackers and secondary bite down.

2. Own the Trenches

The biggest mismatch is up front. Nebraska’s offensive line should control the line of scrimmage against Akron’s inexperienced defensive front. Look for a steady diet of zone runs, both inside and outside, to wear down the Zips. Running back Emmett Johnson’s combination of patience and burst makes him the perfect candidate to exploit this. In particular, the weakside B-gap (to the boundary-side of the field) in a 4-2-5 defense is especially susceptible to attack with the run.

3. Force Safeties to Make Open Field Tackles

In Tibesar’s 4-2-5, safeties are responsible for running the alley to come up and make tackles on the edge. Expect the Nebraska offense to test this with sweeps, stretch plays, and perimeter screens to put Akron’s tackling ability under pressure.

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Final Word

Expect a fast start, explosive plays in the passing game, and a steady ground attack that breaks Akron’s will by halftime. The second half should be about giving younger Huskers valuable reps while the scoreboard takes care of itself. Prediction: Nebraska 49, Akron 7.