5 things learned from Nebraska’s controlling win over North Dakota

Nebraska football fans should have a lot to feel good about after three games.

Fans will scoff at the non-conference schedule, which is fine. If you can’t see or believe that North Dakota is a quality ballclub because they play FCS football, that’s a you problem. That team could beat many in the FBS, especially the G5.

However, the Huskers handled them with ease. The final score was 34-7, but the game was never even that close. Nebraska football rolled up 493 yards of total offense. North Dakota, a team that came in averaging over 500 yards of total offense and 52 points, was held to 205 yards and one touchdown.

There were some penalties. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but there isn’t a place to care about perfect or pretty on the scoreboard. They only keep score; it read: Nebraska 34, North Dakota 7.

Here are five things we learned about the Huskers.

Jamal Rule keeps impressing

I don’t know how many times we have to say it; Jamal Rule just doesn’t look like an ordinary freshman. The kid carried the ball 15 times for 119 yards on Saturday night, ripping off his second 50-yard run of the season thanks to a 55-yard touchdown run.

On 19 carries, Rule didn’t have a single negative play. UND’s run defense was giving up fewer than 100 yards per game on the ground, but Rule’s touchdown run was a work of art. The blocking was beautiful, too.

Through three games, Rhule has 42 touches for 405 total yards and six touchdowns. He’s third in the Big Ten in rushing yards and second in yards per game (109).

We’ll see what it looks like in Big Ten play, but what a find Jamal Rule has been for Nebraska football.

Anthony Colandrea is cooler than the other side of the pillow

The game might have looked boring from a fan perspective. However, that’s what can happen when a defense plays a bunch of two-high safety.

That’s exactly what North Dakota did. They wanted death by a thousand paper cuts, and that’s what they got at the hands of Nebraska. Colandrea, a veteran quarterback, was 15-of-21 for 195 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t put the ball in jeopardy and simply took what was given.

There was a dart to Jacory Barney, though. That was what throwing someone open looks like. That was good for 29 yards. Outside of that, the explosive plays mostly came in the running game.

Through three games, Colandrea is passing for 230 yards per game, completing 68 percent of his passes, plus 79 rushing yards and two scores. He’s turned the ball over once in three games, and that turnover should have been a reception. Barney didn’t secure the catch, and it was right in his hands (last game).

Just like Rule, Colandrea has exceeded every expectation.

Blackshirts deserve a tip of the cap

North Dakota is a team capable of winning the FCS national championship. Jerry Kaminsky is good enough to play quarterback at the Power-4 level.

However, Rob Aurich has him so turned around that he didn’t know what he was seeing. People saying Nebraska football was vanilla clearly didn’t watch the defense.

Aurich and the Huskers limited Kaminsky to 9-of-18 passes for 106 yards. He was sacked five times. The dual-threat QB gained 51 yards rushing, with a long of 22, but lost 48 yards on sacks. He finished with just 109 total yards.

North Dakota rushed 36 times for 99 yards. Nebraska allowed three explosive plays. The Huskers had allowed just one in the previous two games, but this was an A effort by the defense. It was their best work so far this season.

And after 14 QB pressures last week, plus five sacks this week, the pass rush is starting to get home consistently.

Donovan Jones is having a hell of a season

Moving Jones to the nickel role was genius. To say that he has thrived would be a massive understatement.

In the opener against Ohio, Jones had four tackles and two pass breakups, a career high. Against Bowling Green, Jones had five tackles, one tackle for loss, and an interception.

This week, Jones had three tackles (2 solo), a sack, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup. So in three outings, that’s 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups, and an interception.

Andrew Marshall came into Saturday’s game ranking eighth in the FBS in terms of fewest passing yards allowed in coverage. He was solid again, and with Danny Odem coming on, this cornerback room could be one of the best in the Big Ten.

As good as advertised

Through three games, this Nebraska football team is as good as advertised. The Huskers are scoring 46.3 points per game. They have passed and rushed for over 200 yards in all three games. Anthony Colandrea looks like the real deal, like an All-Big Ten quarterback.

And Jamal Rule hasn’t just met the hype; he has exceeded it.

Mekhi Nelson had a 24-yard run. He’s had one carry of at least 20 yards in all three games. Five different players have at least one run of 24 yards or more.

Special teams have had some penalties. But they also had a blocked punt in Week 2. There was another long field goal missed, but that’s nothing to worry about at this point. Barney had a solid return, and the coverage units have been as good as they were last season.

This team has been exactly what Matt Rhule said it was going to be. It looks and feels like his best Nebraska team through three weeks.

The real test starts next Saturday in East Lansing. That’s when we really start to learn something about the 2026 Nebraska football team.

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