Husker Doc Talk: Has Nebraska Been Tested?

Nebraska is in a familiar place, 3-0 after the first three non-conference games of the season for the third straight year. The Huskers beat North Dakota 34-7 last Saturday. Three straight 3-0 non-conference sweeps is the Huskers' longest streak since 1997-2001.

On this edition of the Husker Doc Talk Podcast presented by Strategic Solutions Sanitation, Travis Justice and former Husker Dr. Rob Zatechka look back at Nebraska’s latest win. The offense was impressive: 493 yards, including 277 on the ground. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea continues to impress: 15-of-21 passing, 195 yards and a touchdown. The transfer also rushed four times for 19 yards and a touchdown.

Building momentum for what's to come, freshman running back Jamal Rule is solidifying himself as the number one running back: 15 carries, 119 yards and two touchdowns. Rule's longest run from scrimmage was a 55-yard touchdown in the third quarter that put Nebraska up 24-0.

Maybe the most impressive part of the win over North Dakota was the defense. Sure, North Dakota is an FCS team, but it is one of the best in that division and came into the game with a high-powered offense. The Blackshirts sacked Jerry Kaminski five times. The Fighting Hawks could only muster 205 total yards, more than 300 yards below their season average.

Do we really know how good Nebraska is? The short answer is no. We only say this because of the level of competition they've faced so far. The first real test comes on Saturday when the Huskers go on the road for the first time and open up Big Ten Conference play at Michigan State.

The Spartans are 2-1 on the season; they lost last Saturday at Notre Dame, 27-10. The score suggests the game was closer than most people thought. The stat sheet tells a different story. But we all know the only thing that matters is the final score.

Michigan State is coached by Pat Fitzgerald, the former Northwestern Coach. Fitzgerald is 6-6 against Nebraska. His last win against the Big Red was in 2022, 31-28 in a game played in Dublin, Ireland.

Michigan State has won two of the last three games with the Huskers; Nebraska hasn’t won in East Lansing since 2012.

Is this a MUST win for the Huskers? That’s a strong way to put it, and a loss wouldn’t be the end of the world. But a win would mean Nebraska has passed its first major test of the season, building even more confidence as the schedule gets tougher week by week.

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