What Ohio coach John Hauser said after loss to Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhuskers opened the 2026 season with a 49-21 victory over the Ohio Bobcats. After the victory, Ohio coach John Hauser met with the press to discuss his team's loss. The Huskers had a strong running game in the victory. Nebraska had 42 carries for 248 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Freshman running back Jamal Rule finished the game with 15 carries for 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His 100-yard rushing game was the first by a freshman in a season opener since quarterback Adrian Martinez had 117 rushing yards against Colorado in the 2018 opener.

Mekhi Nelson accounted for 129 all-purpose yards, including 10 carries for 64 yards, and a 29-yard rushing touchdown. He caught two passes for 65 yards, including a 51-yard fourth-quarter touchdown.

While speaking with the press, Hauser had nothing but praise for Nebraska's running backs and the effectiveness of the running game.

“13 (Mekhi Nelson) ran hard too, (Isaiah) Mozee to 25 (Jamal Rule). I know Lamar Conard, our running back coach, knows his dad really well, and we recruited him. I thought he ran more physical than we expected. We knew he's a fast electric guy. I thought he did a better job running physically. Same with 13 (Mekhi Nelson), and then you know they got some size up front that we had to deal with, and we were trying to move and create some TFLs, and they caught us a couple times, but a good job by them establishing the run for sure.” 

Ohio returns home to Athens, Ohio and will play host to Jacksonville State next Saturday. Nebraska remains home and will face Bowling Green on Saturday night.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: What Ohio coach John Hauser said after loss to Nebraska