Huskers Use Their A.C. and the “Golden” Rule to Beat 'Cats 49-21

Anthony Colandrea’s nickname is A.C. because of his ability to stay cool under pressure.

And he was cool today.

The Huskers showed few effects of the 90 plus temps at game time by scoring seven TDs in the game. NU limited Ohio to two TDs, two
field goals and a questionable two point conversion that was ruled successful.

As it turned out, those eight points would be the only ones Ohio could muster in the second half. Conversely, the Huskers laid 35 points on the ‘Cats in that half.

But things were really dicey for Nebraska in the first half. Ohio drove down the field in the opening possession of the game to lead 7-0. They also led 10-7 and 13-7. NU finally took a 14-13 lead at halftime on Jamal Rule’s 24 yard TD pass from Anthony Colandrea.

For the game Jamal “Golden” Rule had 47 yards receiving with one TD and rushed for 122 yards on 15 carries and two TDs.
Colandrea, who played the entire game, had 23 yards rushing and one TD and threw for 275 yards and three TDs.

The game was a story of halves. NU was favored by 25 points, but went into halftime leading by only one, The Bobcats had to be feeling pretty good about their chances of upsetting Nebraska. Lucky for the Huskers, Nebraska improved their play and picked up a four TD victory.

So what does Nebraska take away from the win?

The Huskers:

1.) Won a game it should have won.

2.) Protected its home turf.

3.) Are 1-0.

4.) May have found Emmett Johnson’s successor in RB Jamal Rule.

5.) Must feel comfy that QB Anthony Colandrea is their man.

6.) Now have a 20-19 record with Rhule at Nebraska.

7.) Know they have things to fix.

8.) Had to love Colandrea’s gritty 13 yard TD run in the third quarter.

Game Stats

1.) NU edged Ohio in TOP 30:39 to 29.21.

2.) NU out-gained the Bobcats 523 to 303 in total offense.

3.) NU averaged 7.1 yards per play.

4.) Colandrea had zero interceptions.

5.) Neither team lost a fumble.

6.) NU outscored Ohio in the second half 35-8.

Game Summary

If you were expecting the Huskers to be perfect in the season opener, you’re probably upset with Nebraska’s performance. What was
supposed to be a blowout win for Nebraska was a nail-biter clear into the third quarter.

But we all need to take a deep breath. This was the first game for the six new Husker assistants. Two of them are coordinators. (Rob Aurich DC and Brett Maher ST). On top of that, Aurich brought with him a new defensive scheme (4-2-5). There was also a Husker QB making the first start of his Nebraska career.

Oh, and did I mention there were blast-furnace temps at game time? All things considered, the Huskers were able to bounce back from a
tight first half and win the game by 28 points. I hope winning in that fashion never gets old.

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