3 takeaways from Nebraska football’s impressive start to Big Ten play

How does the Kool-Aid taste now, Nebraska football fans?

After an expected 3-0 start in non-conference play, Matt Rhule and the Nebraska football team went on the road to take on Michigan State for the Big Ten opener.

One week after the Spartans lost a 27-10 decision to Notre Dame on the road, the Huskers put a 31-13 whipping on MSU in a game that didn’t even feel that close.

Anthony Colandrea completed 15-of-27 passes for 212 yards. He added 66 on the ground and wasn’t sacked a single time. Jamal Rhule only managed four rushing yards. Nebraska still 157. Michigan State, which lost leading rusher Cam Edwards early in the game, finished with 39.

The Blackshirts had three takeaways and six sacks. Nebraska didn’t turn the ball over and avoided any major errors on special teams.

4-0 is 4-0. Maryland is up next, but looking back at an 18-point road win to open Big Ten play, here are three takeaways.

Anthony Colandrea was the same QB he’s been all season

Nebraska football fans wondered how Colandrea was going to play in the Big Ten. It was fair to wonder. The Huskers had an easy non-conference schedule.

All Colandrea did was account for 278 total yards and two touchdowns. The offense took a minute to get going, but a touchdown pass to Kwazi Gilmer opened the floodgates.

Mekhi Nelson had the second touchdown before Colandrea added another to Vincent Genatone, who caught a 13-yard touchdown pass and scored on a one-yard run.

Colandrea wasn’t as sharp throwing the ball as he has been, but he makes things look easy. He always feels in control, and through four games, he feels like an All-Big Ten-caliber quarterback.

The Blackshirts look legit

It might be too early to say that the Blackshirts are back to being an elite defense, but they sure looked like it against Michigan State.

Losing Edwards was a huge blow for the Spartans. I doubt it would have mattered, though. One running back wouldn’t change the fact that the Huskers dominated in the trenches.

Michigan State managed just 39 rushing yards and 257 total yards. The Spartans were sacked six times and turned it over to Nebraska three times. It was a dominant effort. Rob Aurich feels like the home-run hire we said he was this offseason.

Huskers are living up to the hype

It felt like some Nebraska fans wanted the team to fail against Michigan State, so they would be proven correct about their assumptions that Matt Rhule isn’t a good coach or that this team wasn’t actually that good.

For one, those critics didn’t have anything to say. Some will say that Michigan State isn’t very good, and they are right compared to the rest of the Big Ten.

Still, people were singing a different tune earlier in the week. Anyone would have taken a 31-13 win and been impressed by it. With a Maryland team coming to Lincoln fresh off a 56-3 loss, it feels like the Huskers are steamrolling toward 5-0 with Indiana coming to town.

You can’t ask for more than that as a Huskers fan, at least right now. Everything has gone as expected this season. Sit back and enjoy.

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