Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 3 | 1078th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 3 | 519th / 2112 |
| Run stops | 1 | 2852nd / 3422 |
| Sacks | 2 | — |
| Pass breakups | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 7 | — |
Charting
Where Merritt's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
Career
2 seasons since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far |  Nebraska#20 · 5-3 | 5 | 25% | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2025 | Nebraska#61 · 7-6 | 4 | 10% | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Dawson Merritt's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Dawson Merritt's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 |  Ohio | W 49–21 | 6.3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 |  Bowling Green | W 56–7 | 5.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 3 |  North Dakota | W 34–7 | 6.3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 | @ Michigan State | W 31–13 | 6.6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 |  Maryland | W 48–23 | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 |  Indiana | L 17–20 | — | no stats recorded | |||||||
| 7 | @ Oregon | L 14–17 | — | no stats recorded | |||||||
| 9 |  Washington | L 10–17 | — | no stats recorded | |||||||
| 2026 · 5 games | 6.0 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 11 | 2210th / 5664 |
| Solo | 6 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 3 | 596th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 2 | 309th / 1383 |
| QB hurries | 0 | — |
| Passes defended | 1 | 898th / 1772 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Ohio | 65 | ~31 (3–56) | 4 | 48% |
| Wk 2 · Bowling Green | 47 | ~25 (3–45) | 2 | 53% |
| Wk 3 · North Dakota | 55 | ~9 (0–51) | 1 | 16% |
| Wk 4 · Michigan State | 60 | ~24 (2–44) | 2 | 40% |
| Wk 5 · Maryland | 69 | ~32 (3–58) | 4 | 46% |
| Season | 477 | 121 (47–159) | 13 | 25% |
Position Room
11 LBs on the Nebraska roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Owen Chambliss | LB | SR | 53 | 4 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | Vincent Shavers Jr. | LB | JR | 30 | 4.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 |
| 24 | Dexter Foster | LB | JR | 23 | 3.5 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 40 | Dawson Merritt | LB | SO | 11 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 |
| Derek Wacker | LB | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 56 | Pierce Mooberry | LB | SO | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 35 | Christian Jones | LB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Will Hawthorne | LB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 45 | Dylan Rogers | LB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 52 | Jase Reynolds | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 54 | Jacob Bower | LB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Nebraska depth chart →