5 things learned from Nebraska football’s win over Ohio

Nebraska football opened the 2026 season with a 49-21 win over the Ohio Bobcats. There were some impressive moments and some concerning ones.

Ohio scored the first three times it touched the ball. The Blackshirts were a little out of sync early, before eventually getting things figured out.

Anthony Colandrea accounted for 298 total yards. That’s the same amount of total yards Jamal Rule and Mekhi Nelson accounted for on just 29 touches combined.

Ohio is a good team. The Bobcats will be one of the better teams in the MAC this season, and the Huskers scored 21 unanswered points to put the game away. Looking back at the win, here are five things we learned.

Jamal Rule isn’t a normal freshman

Nebraska fans have known that for months. Rule looked outstanding in the spring game. CBS Sports listed him as a breakout candidate as a true freshman.

Saturday, Rule lived up to that hype and more. He carried the ball 15 times for 122 yards, becoming the first freshman in 22 years to rush for over 100 yards. Rule added two receptions for 47 yards to wind up with 169 yards on 17 touches and three touchdowns.

It was the best Nebraska football player debut since Taylor Martinez back in 2010. It was one game. You don’t want to overreact, but it feels like Rule will rush for 1,000 yards this season.

Most importantly, it feels like Nebraska has its next great running back. What a boon that would be.

The offensive line buzz was real

All the chatter about how Geep Wade’s unit was going to be drastically improved was accurate. There were some missed blocks and missed assignments. It’s the first game of the season, after all.

But the offensive line only allowed two sacks. It also paved the way for the Huskers to run for 248 yards with an average of 5.9 yards per attempt

The protection was good. There were huge holes at times, and it was great to see the offensive line meet expectations in Week 1. They were as good as advertised. 

The defensive line is a work in progress

Ohio ran for 139 total yards. However, most of that was quarterback Nick Poulous scrambling, which he did effectively, to the tune of 70 yards. Take that away, and Nebraska football held Ohio running backs to just three yards per rushing attempt.

Duncan Brune managed 32 yards on nine attempts, which is less than four yards per carry for the All-MAC preseason running back. The Huskers allowed 4.2 yards per carry total. They will have to figure out how to deal with QBs who can scramble.

Yet, the run defense was better. The pass rush needs to show more improvement. Nebraska got two sacks, and there was some decent pressure in the second half, but Nebraska needs to be more disruptive up front, or I would have expected more disruption against a MAC team.

Two sacks and four tackles for loss isn’t good enough.

Anthony Colandrea is the upgrade Nebraska needed at QB

We heard all offseason about how Colandrea was going to transform the Nebraska football offense. Well, after one game, that all checks out.

Colandrea was spectacular. He didn’t come close to throwing an interception, completing 18-of-32 passes for 275 yards. He added 23 on the ground for 298 yards and four touchdowns (3 passing, one rushing).

Even when the game was competitive, Colandrea was as cool as the other side of the pillow. The Huskers scored touchdowns on their last four possessions. And on a key third-and-seven in the fourth quarter, leading 28-21, Colandrea rushed the Huskers to the line of scrimmage and calmly ran for the first down.

The transfer quarterback threw a touchdown pass to Mekhi Nelson a few plays later. All day, he made it look easy, like he was playing point guard. The decision-making was good. The arm was great, and the mobility added an X-factor that this offense desperately needed.

Rob Aurich can adjust

Jeremiah Charles had a coverage bust on the first play from scrimmage. It looked like he stopped, like maybe he heard a whistle. Regardless, outside of that mistake, which allowed 68 yards, the Huskers allowed one explosive play (2o yards or more) the entire game.

Ohio completed another pass for 20 yards. That was it. The Blackshirts allowed just three plays of 15 yards or more. There was one takeaway, two sacks, and four tackles for loss.

Those numbers all need to improve. The pass rush has to get better. That still feels like the biggest thing holding this defense back. The coverage was stellar, though, especially after that first drive.

It didn’t look great after allowing 13 points on the first three possessions. Yet, Ohio didn’t score again until the fourth quarter, after five straight possessions without anything. The Bobcats gained 12 yards or less on seven of their last nine drives.

You can’t ask for more than that. Every coordinator has a plan, but what do they do when that plan doesn’t work? Aurich got things figured out on the fly, which is what Nebraka fans should take away from his first game as DC.

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