How Every Nebraska Player on Offense vs. Michigan State Graded Out on PFF

At times, it was ugly; at times, it was really good.

Nebraska (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) totaled 369 yards and 31 points in its opening game of Big Ten play while simultaneously passing its biggest test to date. As Michigan State fell to 2-2 (0-1 Big Ten), the Huskers continued to show that their offense has life. However, it's not without holes either.

In total, 25 players saw the field against the Spartans. Here are their final snap counts and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. (Go here for the defensive grades.)

Nebraska’s Anthony Colandrea runs for a gain against Michigan State. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Quarterback

Player	Class	Snaps	Pass	Run	Overall
Colandrea	4th	68	35	2	83.5

Having seen a significant increase in competition from the week before, Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea looked arguably as good as he has all year against Michigan State. The senior signal-caller totaled 278 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, completing 15-of-27 passes for 212 yards and two scores while adding 66 additional yards on the ground.

Notably, he was not sacked against the Spartans on Saturday evening, despite being blitzed on north of 41% of his dropbacks. He also went a perfect 3-of-3 on passing attempts of 20-plus yards downfield, gaining 107 yards on those plays, including a 44-yard touchdown pass to Kwazi Gilmer.

Through four games, Colandrea has not yet been charged with a turnover-worthy play, according to Pro Football Focus. He had two passes batted down and two drops by wide receivers. Still, he's operated at an elite level and will remain in contention to be the highest-graded collegiate quarterback entering Week 5.

Nebraska’s Mekhi Nelson runs for a touchdown against Michigan State. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Running Back

Player	Class	Snaps	Run	Pass	Overall
Nelson	3rd	42	15	22	65.3
Mozee	2nd	13	7	4	67.1
Rule	1st	8	4	3	61.4
Genatone	5th	5	3	2	70.0

In the absence of Jamal Rule, Mekhi Nelson and Vincent Genatone stepped up. Together, the two combined for 78 all-purpose yards and three scores on 19 total touches. Genatone had a career day after spending the previous four years primarily filling a special teams role while earning end-of-game reps at linebacker for the Big Red.

Regardless, the former Omaha World-Herald Male Athlete of the Year (2022) proved capable of being a game-changer for the Big Red. In large part, his role increased due to an undisclosed injury suffered by freshman ball carrier Jamal Rule. Matt Rhule declined to go into detail regarding the extent of his injury, but fans should expect to hear more about it Wednesday, when NU releases its first availability report of Week 5.

Despite having its top back out for much of the game, Nebraska still found a way to figure things out on the ground. Colandrea's legs surely helped take pressure off the inexperienced group, but Dana Holgorsen still clearly trusts them to get the job done.

Andrew Brinson IV breaks up a pass intended for Kwazi Gilmer during the fourth quarter. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Wide Receiver

Player	Class	Snaps	Targets	Catches	Drops	Run Block	Overall
Gilmer	3rd	52	8	4	1	61.1	67.9
Hunter	4th	41	1	1	-	68.9	59.1
Clark	3rd	40	3	2	1	85.8	62.2
Barney	3rd	21	2	1	-	60.6	41.8
Mangini	5th	7	-	-	-	61.1	60.8
Bell	4th	6	-	-	-	75.0	62.1
Smith	3rd	1	-	-	-	-	-

UCLA transfer Kwazi Gilmer is now Nebraska's leading receiver following a 101-yard, one-touchdown performance Saturday night. While he looked like a player capable of continuing to impact games in Big Ten play, the biggest takeaway from East Lansing in the pass-catcher group may have been the absence of Jacory Barney Jr. for a good chunk of the game.

Barney played just 21 offensive snaps before leaving the contest. As a result, Quinn Clark was asked to step into his role. He caught two passes for 34 yards, and aside from that, it was a quiet performance, with only 24 yards on three catches from Barney and Nyziah Hunter combined.

Gilmer led the way in overall grade, while Clark notched an impressive 85.8 grade in run blocking. At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, that's exactly what Nebraska needs from the junior when he's not making plays through the air.

Nebraska’s Luke Lindenmeyer, center, celebrates after a catch against Michigan State. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Tight End/Fullback

Player	Class	Snaps	Targets	Catches	Drops	Run Block	Overall
Lindenmeyer	5th	66	5	4	-	55.7	62.0
Bonner	5th	21	1	1	-	41.1	51.8
Ingwerson	3rd	10	-	-	-	56.3	56.1
Jones	5th	2	-	-	-	-	-
Whittington	3rd	2	-	-	-	-	-

Luke Lindenmeyer had his most productive game of 2026 in Nebraska's 18-point win over the Spartans, catching four of five targets for 25 yards. Most impressive, arguably, was that 19 of those yards came after the catch.

The Huskers would be wise to continue using Lindenmeyer through conference play. In the Big Red's first three games, they seemed intent on figuring out what they had on the ground. Now that they've established that, the former All-Big Ten honorable mention selection should begin to see his targets increase as the season goes on.

Eric Ingwerson has essentially solidified himself as NU's third option in the room, especially after Carter Nelson suffered an injury against North Dakota. The Papillion, Nebraska, native had the highest run-blocking grade of any tight end/fullback in Week 4.

Michigan State’s Kenny Soares Jr. rushes Anthony Colandrea. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Offensive Line

Player	Class	Snaps	Sacks	QB Hits	Hurries	Penalties	Run Block	Pass Block	Overall
Evans	5th	68	-	1	-	1	64.4	60.2	61.7
Pritchett	5th	68	-	-	3	-	59.0	71.6	63.4
Mubenga	4th	67	-	-	3	1	54.4	52.1	51.7
Black	4th	59	-	-	-	-	61.4	85.0	65.2
Babalade	4th	37	-	-	-	-	51.1	81.0	58.5
Gottula	4th	32	-	-	-	2	53.9	83.0	45.9
Pyle	3rd	9	-	-	-	-	59.8	83.8	61.6
Knaak	5th	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Michigan State had a good defensive game plan through Nebraska's first two drives, forcing Colandrea and the Huskers to go three-and-out on both before a defensive holding call gave the Huskers a free first down. To Holgorsen's credit, he recognized the pressure the Spartans were willing to bring and dialed up a 44-yard touchdown pass from Colandrea to Gilmer, forcing MSU to respect the Big Red's ability to beat them over the top.

Even with the Spartans' early success, NU's protection unit did well enough to keep Colandrea from getting sacked throughout the entirety of the contest. However, that likely had just as much to do with the quarterback's legs as it did with the offensive line winning one-on-ones on passing downs.

NU's offensive line was charged with four penalties against Michigan State. Against more talented teams, that will kill drives and deplete the Huskers' chances of coming away with a win. That will need to be cleaned up moving forward, but the unit has ultimately performed above expectations to this point in 2026.

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