Luke Lindenmeyer's Catches Are Down, But He's Just as Focused on a Stat That Doesn't Show Up in the Box Score

Luke Lindenmeyer's receiving numbers are down to start the 2026 season. After a breakout 2025 that included 29 catches, 312 yards and two touchdowns, the fifth-year tight end has just four catches for 38 yards through two games. Speaking with reporters after Tuesday's practice, though, Lindenmeyer spent much of his time on a different number entirely, one that never makes it onto a stat sheet.

Lindenmeyer said he's up to 28 knockdowns on the season, putting his knockdown rate at roughly 31% on any given play. Asked how much pride he takes in that number, his answer was simple.

"A lot," Lindenmeyer said Tuesday. "It's something that we've tracked ever since I've been here that they used to track back in the old days. And it's just something that sometimes just goes unnoticed."

The Knockdown Tally Luke Lindenmeyer Takes Pride In

The tracking is a two-man job. Lindenmeyer keeps his own count, and so does Coach Ron Brown, and the two numbers don't always match.

"I think he does it himself because just on Sunday, He'll tell me how many I got," Lindenmeyer continued. "And I'll also count and see how many I got as well. Sometimes he has me for more than I count for myself. I think he counts for after the catch, too, if you knock anybody down after the catch."

There's a payoff to the number beyond pride, too. Lindenmeyer said there's already been a moment this season where a knockdown of his sprung a teammate loose for a score, and it turned into one of his favorite parts of the day.

"There was a time from the first game and last game where we scored on one of my knockdowns, and I kind of just ran to the sideline and celebrated with the tight ends," Lindenmeyer continued. "It's kind of a cool thing that we can all watch together."

How Lindenmeyer Sees Nebraska's Screen Game

Both of Lindenmeyer's catches against Ohio went for first downs. He pointed to the blocking up front, not just the players catching the ball, as the reason Nebraska's screen game has worked early this season.

"We just got playmakers with the ball, and then our linemen are fast," Lindenmeyer said. "Justin's usually always getting out there and putting someone on the ground, and we just got guys who are good on the perimeter blocking. Just got to get our hands inside and get rid of all the holding calls."

He also credited quarterback Anthony Colandrea for setting the tone in the huddle.

"He's got a lot of juice," Lindenmeyer said. "He commands the huddle. Yeah, he's just so confident and you know, we all trust him, and he always finds a way to make a play."

Lindenmeyer on the Offense's Response to Adversity

Lindenmeyer also pointed to how the offense handled an interception on the opening drive of a recent game, calling out a shift from how Nebraska teams have reacted to mistakes in years past.

"Like even after the interception to start off the last game, nobody was worried at all, which, honestly, in years past, people would kind of freak out on the sideline," Lindenmeyer said. "But there's no sense of that with this offense at all."

That same steadiness came through across Lindenmeyer's answers Tuesday, whether he was talking about his own game or the offense as a whole. His catch total is down through two games, but between the knockdowns, the first-down grabs, and the trust he has in this offense, the numbers he chose to bring up on his own tell a different part of the story.

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