Nebraska Football Opponent Preview: Rutgers

On Nov. 14, Nebraska football will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey, for the first time since 2022.

Coming off a Friday night road matchup against Illinois, the Huskers will have an extra day to prepare before taking on Rutgers at SHI Stadium in their 10th game of the 2026 season.

Since the addition of the four former Pac-12 programs to the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights have gone 12-13 overall and 6-12 in conference. During that same span, NU is 14-12 overall and 7-11 in Big Ten play.

Here's a look at what Rutgers brings to the table in 2026, including key returners, transfer additions, and what the Huskers will need to do to secure a victory against a team they'll likely be favored to beat.

Previously covered: Ohio, Bowling Green, North Dakota, Michigan State, Maryland, Indiana, Oregon, Washington, and Illinois

Offensive Outlook

Athan Kaliakmanis has moved on to the NFL, leaving the Scarlet Knights with a quarterback competition heading into fall camp.

Competition isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, replacing one of the most productive quarterbacks in program history won't be easy. Kaliakmanis helped lead Rutgers to 407.1 yards of total offense per game (44th nationally) and 28.7 points per contest in 2025. The offense wasn't the issue a year ago. The defense was.

Now, the Scarlet Knights need to replace a quarterback who threw for 3,124 yards and accounted for 24 total touchdowns as a senior. That becomes even more important with a first-year defensive coordinator also taking over this fall.

Offensive Player to Watch: Antwan Raymond

Canadian-born running back Antwan Raymond is Rutgers' offensive player to watch in 2026. As a sophomore last season, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound ball carrier rushed for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns on 244 carries. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and won the 2025 Cornish Trophy, which goes to the most outstanding Canadian player in NCAA football

Through two seasons, Raymond has totaled 1,967 all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns. He's also proven, much like Emmett Johnson did at Nebraska in 2025, that he can handle a heavy workload while staying healthy throughout the season.

With a new quarterback taking over, don't be surprised if RU leans heavily on Raymond to carry the offense. The Scarlet Knights also return second-team All-Big Ten wide receiver KJ Duff, but there's little doubt Raymond, who averaged nearly 22 touches a game in 2025, will be the focal point of the offense during his junior campaign.

Travis Johansen with a microphone — South Dakota head coach Travis Johansen left Vermillion earlier this year to become defensive coordinator at Rutgers. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Defensive Outlook

Rutgers finished the 2025 season ranked 126th nationally in total defense, allowing 432.8 yards and 31.8 points per game.

After seeing his team allow the worst opponent yards-per-play average (7.60) by any Big Ten team this century, head coach Greg Schiano hired former South Dakota head coach Travis Johansen as his new defensive coordinator.

Johansen spent six seasons as the Coyotes' defensive coordinator before taking over as head coach. During that span, his defenses averaged 28.8 sacks per season (excluding the COVID year). The Scarlet Knights had only 11 in 2025.

It's certain that Rutgers will look to become significantly more productive in the pass-rushing department this fall. If the Scarlet Knights can do that while maintaining the offensive production they showed a year ago, they could take a significant step forward in the win column. Considering Schiano is entering the seventh year of his second stint in Piscataway, the time to improve is now.

Defensive Player to Watch: J'Dan Burnett

The Scarlet Knights added several transfer portal pieces along the defensive line this offseason, but Tulsa transfer J'Dan Burnett stands out the most. In 2025, the 6-foot-1, 255-pound lineman recorded 9½ tackles for loss and 6½ sacks, earning second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors as a result.

Burnett will almost certainly need to add weight to maintain that level of production in the Big Ten. Even so, he immediately became the most experienced player on Rutgers' defensive line upon arrival.

Heading into his final season of college football, Burnett has appeared in 42 career games with 12 starts. During that span, he's totaled 82 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 11½ sacks.

Bradley Weaver led the Scarlet Knights with just 2½ sacks a year ago. If Burnett can continue getting after opposing quarterbacks the way he has throughout his career, Rutgers' pass rush could take the step forward it needs.

Biggest Question Mark Heading in 2026

Senior Dylan Lonergan and junior AJ Surace are expected to compete for Rutgers' starting quarterback job this fall. The biggest question is: who will emerge?

To this point in his career, Lonergan has appeared in 13 games with nine starts. At Boston College in 2025, he completed 190 of 284 passes for 2,025 yards and 12 touchdowns. Before that, he was a Nick Saban recruit at Alabama. The Georgia native appeared in only three games for the Crimson Tide, but any player capable of earning a scholarship offer to Tuscaloosa undoubtedly has talent. If Lonergan can put it all together as a senior, the Scarlet Knights could be better than advertised this fall.

Surace committed to Schiano in 2024 and has appeared in just three games. Despite limited production thus far, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior did enough during the spring to remain in the competition for the starting job.

Fall camp will likely decide who earns the nod, and both quarterbacks will spend the coming weeks preparing to step into Kaliakmanis' role. Regardless of who wins, Rutgers' offense likely won't look drastically different. Still, having uncertainty at QB this close to the season is hard to ignore.

My Outlook for the Game

Over the last two seasons, Rutgers has gone 8-6 at home compared to 4-6 on the road. Neither mark is particularly impressive, but seeing Nebraska on the schedule likely gives the Scarlet Knights confidence they can defend home turf.

For NU, the goal should be to prove it's the better football team. The Huskers appear to hold advantages in resources, fan support, roster talent, and coaching. Now, they'll need to start translating those into wins.

November doesn't offer the Big Red a more favorable matchup, and this is one of the few road games the Huskers could enter as favorites. Taking care of business would go a long way toward building momentum for the following year.

If Nebraska hopes to continue climbing up in the Big Ten, Rutgers is a game they'll have to win.

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