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Just two weeks remain before the 2026 season of Nebraska football officially begins.

Fall camp came to a close with Saturday's practice. Here's what Matt Rhule had to say at his final media availability.

The End of Fall Camp

Camp has wrapped up, but there is still plenty to get done before the Huskers host the Ohio Bobcats on Sept. 5.

"They've done a really nice job, so far, improving," Rhule said. "We still have a long ways to go, obviously. But really pleased with the growth I've seen."

Classes begin on Monday, which means the players will go through the adjustment of the day-to-day being just football, to the inclusion of the academic side of being a student-athlete.

"Integrating classes. Learning how to both be a student and an adult in season. They've done a nice job in the spring, obviously, but in season there's a whole different set of rigor upon it," Rhule said.

Monday through Wednesday of next week will still focus on player development. A mock game is set for the final Saturday before the season begins.

Scrimmage

Saturday's practice was focused around a scrimmage, which saw around 110 plays.

"All the sides did well," Rhule said.

Special teams were utilized in a scrimmage for the first time this fall. That's something Rhule is anxious to see the tape of.

The team worked on situations on Friday, which left Saturday for trying to keep the ball moving down the field.

"Just try to stack long drives together," Rhule said. "Even if you didn't get a third down or fourth down, we moved the ball up just to test our conditioning on offense and defense."

The Guy at Quarterback

As a surprise to absolutely nobody, Anthony Colandrea is the No. 1 guy at quarterback. Although Rhule was asked if that's who the starter was, the head coach stopped short of actually saying the word starter.

"Anthony would play for us right now," Rhule said. "All of the quarterbacks have done a nice job. Anthony, I think the biggest thing is he's very competitive, very fiery. He expects to win every play."

Rhule noted that Colandrea has done better with taking what's available to him, something that his tape and reputation as a gunslinger have shown him not to always do. Of course, the UNLV transfer is also a weapon with his legs.

As for the No. 2 guy, Rhule did say that both TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin would be in the mix behind Colandrea.

Running Backs

One of the biggest storylines of any Nebraska football preseason is at running back. This year, a whole host of guys continue vying to be the replacement for All-American Emmett Johnson. As of Saturday, we're still waiting to hear someone truly separate themselves.

"The backs have all practiced hard and played hard," Rhule said. "We have another week for them all to continue to accelerate their game."

Rhule said none of the running backs fumbled during the live work on Saturday. He'll need to watch the tape for how each player did in pass protection, though.

"We're not an offense where you can have a ball-carrying specialist," Rhule said. "You also need to be able to protect. Anxious to see the scrimmage tape and see who's where."

Battle at Tackle

It appears likely that Elijah Pritchett is going to continue to be the man at left tackle. Opposite him, however, is still in limbo.

South Carolina transfer Tree Babalade seemed like he would be walking into a great situation to own the right tackle spot. Instead, Gunnar Gottula continues to push for the starting spot.

"I think we all feel like, no matter what, at any position, Gunnar is one of the best five for us," Rhule said.

To add to the competition, Babalade did not practice on Saturday. Rhule said he hopes to get him back this week.

Other Notes

• Sophomore defensive back Kahmir Prescott is out for the year with a knee injury.
• Single-digit jerseys will be announced "soon".
• Captains are a year-by-year process for how the team decides to go about it.
• New staff has assimilated well, but the "true test will be what we do in the games".
• Specialists have performed well through camp.
• Ohio prep officially begins on Thursday to lead into game week.

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