Four Storylines to Watch in Huskers' B1G Conference Opener Against Michigan State

Conference play has arrived for the Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0), and it begins on the road in East Lansing against the Michigan State Spartans (2-1). Across the sideline will be Pat Fitzgerald, former longtime Northwestern head coach, the new face for the Spartans, and he knows a decent bit about facing Nebraska.

To get you ready for it, here are four storylines to watch for Saturday.

Saturday afternoon in East Lansing.

🗓️ 9.26.26
⏰ 4:00 PM CT
🏟️ Spartan Stadium vs Michigan State
📺 @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/NgZAVrF36Y
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) September 21, 2026

Can Nebraska's Offense Travel?

Through three games, the Huskers' offense is averaging 520.7 yards per game, which ranks in the top 10 in the country. Led by true freshman running back Jamal Rule, over half of that number comes from Nebraska's rushing attack, which is averaging 263 yards per game.

A question now is whether the Huskers keep this up, heading on the road against a defense that stayed within striking distance of No. 3 Notre Dame going into the fourth quarter.

On Monday, head coach Matt Rhule acknowledged his team's challenge in a hostile environment.

"They're going to play great special teams, they're going to play great defense, take away the run," Rhule said.

On the other side, Fitzgerald has talked highly about how the Nebraska offense is looking. The Spartans' head coach said in his Monday press conference that the Huskers offense is completely different from last season.

"They're all in sync. There operating at a very high level," Fitzgerald said. "The O-line's playing very good. The young back reminds me of Lawrence Phillips. Big, explosive, athletic. He's had incredible runs. They've got multiple guys."

The former Northwestern head coach is aware of what Nebraska's offense could bring Saturday. Now it will be up to quarterback Anthony Colandrea and the rest of the offense to take advantage of the opportunity to continue their strong start to the season.

Huskers' New-Look Run Defense Will Be Tested

Michigan State is a program that has liked to run the ball and has had some great backs. Even recently, you can think of names like Kenneth Walker and Le'Veon Bell.

The 2026 Spartans have a rushing attack that will challenge the Rob Aurich defense. Led by former UConn standout back Cam Edwards, the Spartans average 121 yards per game on the ground. Edwards leads the team in rushing with 288 yards and three scores.

However, Michigan State's rushing attack struggled against the Fighting Irish defense last week, only rushing for 44 total yards as a team. The Spartans will look to improve that number Saturday against the Huskers.

Who Wins in the Trenches and Early Downs?

An interesting battle that Saturday will be on the line of scrimmage.

Nebraska's offensive line has looked sound so far, giving Colandrea an ample amount of time in the pocket and opening up running lanes for the running backs.

On the flip side, the Huskers' defensive line has looked good, especially last week against North Dakota. The Huskers pressured the Fighting Hawks' quarterback multiple times, leading to five sacks.

Notre Dame did well at pressuring Spartans quarterback Alessio Milivojevic into making tight throws, which led to his first two interceptions of the season. Pressuring the quarterback has improved through the first three games, and the Huskers will look to continue to improve in that aspect.

Another important storyline for the Huskers is to win on early downs. Nebraska is averaging 7.4 yards per play, and it has done well on early downs. Winning on these early downs will lead to success for the Huskers, especially on the road.

Can the Huskers Get First Win in East Lansing Since 2012?

Nebraska has struggled on the road in the past few seasons. During the Matt Rhule era, the Huskers have a 4-10 record in road games, and on top of that, Nebraska has lost its last three games in East Lansing.

The Huskers' last meeting against Michigan State in East Lansing was in 2023 during Matt Rhule's first season in Lincoln, when the Huskers lost 20 to 17. The other two losses to Michigan State on the road were in 2021 (23-20 OT) and in 2014 (27-22).

It will be important for the Huskers to end that streak Saturday in the Big Ten opener.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Add us as a preferred source on Google