Nebraska Football Opponent Preview: North Dakota

Nebraska football cannot afford to overlook September 19, when North Dakota visits Memorial Stadium.

Widely viewed as one of the top teams at the FCS level heading into 2026, the Fighting Hawks are coming off a second-round playoff appearance and will arrive in Lincoln expecting to emerge with a win. This isn't the type of matchup the Huskers can sleepwalk through.

Here’s an early look at what North Dakota is expected to bring into Lincoln this fall, including key returners, transfer additions, and what Nebraska will need to do to avoid losing to a program being paid more than half a million dollars to play them.

Previously Covered: Ohio, Bowling Green

Offensive Outlook

The Fighting Hawks turned out to be one of the better offenses at the FCS level in 2025 and came close to breaking through as a legitimate national title contender. North Dakota lost five one-score games last fall, including a 38-35 defeat at Kansas State. The others came against fellow FCS playoff teams in North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and Montana.

In total, the offense averaged 387.3 yards and 32.9 points per game. Most impressive was the balance. The Fighting Hawks nearly mirrored their production on the ground and through the air, totaling 2,978 rushing yards and 2,694 passing yards on the year.

Somewhat surprisingly, North Dakota managed to retain starting quarterback Jerry Kaminski. However, the program lost its leading rusher and top wide receiver to the transfer portal. Replacing a running back who accounted for 13 rushing touchdowns, along with the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year at receiver, will not be easy.

Offensive Player to Watch: Jerry Kaminski

In 2026, North Dakota will likely go as far as fourth-year junior quarterback Jerry Kaminski takes them. After starting 14 games a season ago, he's already proven himself at the FCS level and pushed a bowl-eligible Kansas State team to the brink in last year’s season opener.

Similar to Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea, Kaminski is a true dual-threat playmaker. As a sophomore, the Wisconsin native threw for 2,570 yards while adding another 607 on the ground. He posted a 26-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio and completed nearly 60 percent of his passes. In total, Kaminski accounted for 34 touchdowns in 2025.

Nebraska’s defense, now under first-year coordinator Rob Aurich, will have its hands full. Kaminski’s supporting cast may look different, and arguably less explosive than it was a season ago, but there's little doubt about his ability to produce. Limiting his impact both through the air and on the ground will be one of the biggest keys to the game for the Big Red.

Defensive Outlook

For as consistent as the Fighting Hawks were offensively in 2025, their defense is what truly anchored the team. North Dakota allowed just 309.9 yards per game last fall, a mark that would have ranked 21st at the FBS level. Most impressive was how dominant the unit was against the run, reminiscent of Nebraska’s 2024 defense led by Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson. North Dakota surrendered only 102.7 rushing yards per contest while competing in the best conference at the FCS level.

Fortunately for Nebraska, the Fighting Hawks must replace several key contributors from that group, including their top two tacklers from a season ago. Even so, this is not a program expected to change its identity on that side of the ball. North Dakota plays a physical, relentless style of defense and will not be easy to push around. The Huskers will need to match that intensity and prove they are the more imposing team at the line of scrimmage.

On average, the Fighting Hawks surrendered just 19.9 points per game, another figure that stands out heading into 2026. With Nebraska breaking in several new pieces offensively, particularly along the offensive line, many of the questions surrounding the unit will need answers before September 19 if the Huskers want to avoid a four-quarter battle. It will likely be the key to the game.

Lance Rucker (@11LLR33) is running it back with North Dakota 👑 #familybusiness pic.twitter.com/KVRH6z4lOK
— Dream Makers (@DreamMakersTM) December 28, 2025

Defensive Player to Watch: Lance Rucker

Rising senior edge rusher Lance Rucker is sure to present a major challenge for Nebraska’s offensive line. Fortunately for the Huskers, they return Elijah Pritchett and added Tree Babalade from South Carolina at tackle ahead of the 2026 season.

In 2025, the Millard South (NE) product led North Dakota with 10.5 sacks while adding 63 tackles, four forced fumbles, and two pass breakups on his way to earning First-Team All-Missouri Valley honors. In short, Rucker is one of the best edge defenders the Big Red will face all season and easily the most talented player on the Fighting Hawks’ roster.

How the Huskers let him leave the state coming out of high school remains a mystery. Through three collegiate seasons, Rucker has totaled 112 tackles, 13.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and five pass breakups. If he builds on that production in 2026, the Nebraska native will almost certainly get a shot at the NFL.

Biggest Question Mark Heading in 2026

North Dakota lost second-team All-Missouri Valley running back Sawyer Seidl to the transfer portal following the 2025 season, and how the Fighting Hawks replace that production could have major implications this fall. In an effort to do so, the program added Matt Lawson, formerly of Illinois State. However, Lawson is coming off a 2025 season in which he redshirted.

Lawson appeared in all 12 games for Illinois State in 2024, totaling 447 rushing yards while averaging 4.3 yards per carry as a true freshman. Now entering his redshirt sophomore season, the 200-pound back will likely be counted on to take on a much larger workload.

Quarterback Jerry Kaminski can help add to the rushing attack, but against the Huskers, North Dakota will probably want to limit how often he exposes himself to a Big Ten defensive line. Keeping him healthy throughout the season is critical to the program’s success, so expecting the same level of rushing production from him as last year may be unrealistic. Even so, the Fighting Hawks’ ground game remains its bread and butter. And the opportunity to take down a Power Four team will likely mean they show up ready to use every tool in their bag to get the job done.

My Outlook for the Game

The last time Nebraska faced North Dakota came in 2022, when the Huskers earned a 38-17 win in what ultimately became the final victory of the Scott Frost era. However, the Fighting Hawks are in a much different position as a program now, reaching the FCS playoffs in two of the three seasons since that meeting.

Head coach Eric Schmidt holds a 13-13 overall record, though North Dakota appears to be significantly better than that mark suggests. A marquee road win against the Big Red would only strengthen that belief, and the Fighting Hawks are likely to arrive in Lincoln expecting to compete for four quarters.

This is not a game Nebraska can simply coast through. The Huskers will have to prove they are the better team from the opening kick. Arguably, it will be NU's toughest non-conference matchup of the season, and North Dakota will do everything possible to reinforce that narrative. Still, the Big Red possesses a significant depth advantage across the roster, and over the course of four quarters, that should eventually show itself. Whether the win comes pretty or ugly ultimately will not matter. Against a Dakota school, nothing is handed out, and Matt Rhule will need to have his team ready to earn it, regardless of the final score.

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