Early Husker Struggles but a Solid Day Overall for Nebraska

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The
day couldn’t have started any worse for the Huskers.

Ohio’s first snap was the
game’s biggest play by EPA. It took just three plays for the Ohio Bobcats to
throw for more yards against the Blackshirts than Cincinnati, Akron, or Houston
Christian did in their entire games against Nebraska in 2025. Nebraska had a
golden opportunity to put the game out of reach on a late first-half drive and to
get another score by receiving the second-half kickoff. The Huskers’ offense
bookended halftime with backbreaking penalties, which led to a Bobcat
opportunity to take the lead with a field goal on its first drive of the second
half.

And then the script flipped.

Ohio wouldn’t keep the Huskers out of the end zone for
another drive all game. It was an answer to one of my biggest frustrations with
Rhule-era Nebraska football. Too often, Nebraska would jump out to a lead and
then just try to hold on for a victory. The Huskers punted on their first five
drives of the second half against Colorado in 2024 (the game ended on the 6th).
In this game, Nebraska turned up the heat on the Bobcats late.

In my preview, I called for Nebraska to return to its
old-school identity with its dual-threat quarterback, Anthony Colandrea. On its
second drive of the third quarter, Dana Holgorsen did just that. After a
penalty, Holgorsen called 8 runs on the next 9 plays, picking up 61 yards on
the ground. Three different Huskers ran the ball on the drive, capped off by
Anthony Colandrea’s 13-yard touchdown run.

In total, the Huskers ran the ball on nine of eleven plays
on that drive. That’s 81.8% of the plays on that drive being running plays. The
Huskers had just one drive in the 2025 season that was more than 80% running
plays. That was the drive that put the Huskers up 21-7 late in the first half
against UCLA. Rhule and Holgorsen have a clear new identity post-Raiola.

Nebraska finished with 248 rushing yards – the second-most
yards on the ground of the Rhule era (2023 Louisiana Tech, 312 rushing yards).
No player shone brighter than true freshman Jamal Rule. He had the best debut
game of any Husker offensive player in at least the past 30 years.

Rule
had an impact both on the ground and in the air. Isaiah Mozee started, and
Mekhi Nelson provided quick relief at running back. Rule saw action on the
first drive as the goal-line back, scoring the Huskers’ first touchdown of the
season. Later in the first half, Rule was on the receiving end of Colandrea’s
first passing touchdown in Lincoln. A fourth-quarter touchdown capped his
historic Huskers debut. He led the Huskers in total EPA on both rushes and
receptions.

My
preview also suggested Ohio might expose areas where the Huskers would struggle
this season, and I believe this game did just that. Nebraska did plenty to hurt
itself against the Bobcats. Jeremiah Charles didn’t look ready on the first
play of the game, which led to a 68-yard gain for Ohio. A (perhaps ticky-tack)
block in the back call took 7 points off the board right before halftime.
Brendan Black, a player making his 31st career start, committed two
big false starts. These issues were almost entirely self-inflicted. They are
entirely within the coaches’ ability to fix. The success of the season will
depend on Nebraska cleaning up these areas.

Nebraska
also struggled to contain the QB run game. Nick Polous was the Bobcats’ leading
rusher and accounted for over half of their rushing yards in this game. I don’t
think it’s fair to judge Rob Aurich’s defense, which was without one of its
most important players, Owen Chambliss. His veteran presence could help the
entire unit once he returns. Time will tell whether this is an Achilles’ heel
for the Blackshirts for a second straight season.

Nebraska
is just 10-6 in opening games since joining the Big Ten. The 28-point victory
is Nebraska's sixth-largest margin in those games. The five teams
Nebraska beat by larger margins combined to win just six FBS football games
over those five seasons. I expect Ohio to win at least that many in 2026. The
Bobcats are a good football team, and the overall result of this game is
positive. 

The
next two weeks are crucial for Nebraska football. They can play a sloppy game
and still win both games easily. However, a trip to East Lansing is just three
weeks away. Spartan coach Pat Fitzgerald has beaten Nebraska despite a talent
disadvantage in six of his last 14 meetings with the Huskers. Nebraska needs to
play more disciplined football, or it could be a long October and November in
Lincoln.

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