How Every Nebraska Player on Offense vs. North Dakota Graded Out on PFF

Dana Holgorsen's unit continued to do its thing Saturday night.

Against the 13th-ranked defense in the FCS, Nebraska's offense totaled 493 yards and 34 points while controlling the ball for 35:45 in the Huskers' 27-point win over North Dakota (3-1).

In total, 45 players saw the field on offense against the Fighting Hawks. Here are their final snap counts and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. (Defensive grades coming soon.)

Anthony Colandrea passes against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks during the second quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Quarterbacks

Player	Class	Snaps	Pass	Run	Overall
Colandrea	4th	56	23	2	89.0
Lateef	2nd	10	3	0	62.2
Kaelin	3rd	5	3	0	60.8

It was another efficient outing for NU's QB1, Anthony Colandrea, who completed 15-of-21 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown while adding 19 rushing yards on four carries and another score on the ground. His 71% completion percentage would've climbed to nearly 81% had Nebraska's pass-catchers not dropped two of his throws.

For the third straight week, Colandrea was not charged with a turnover-worthy play and operated with relative ease, thanks in part to a Nebraska offensive line that was not charged with a pressure, quarterback hit, or sack. Colandrea led the Big Red on five scoring drives against UND and did a good job distributing the ball to a variety of players. In total, 11 different offensive players recorded a reception. That number is likely to go down as conference play begins, but the Big Red showed they're more than willing to spread the wealth around whenever they can.

Both TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin saw action in the game. Combined, the two completed 3-of-5 passes for 21 yards. Kaelin added four rushing yards in his 2026 debut.

Mekhi Nelson celebrates after a first down in the first quarter against North Dakota. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Running Backs

Player	Class	Snaps	Run	Pass	Overall
Rule	1st	32	15	16	75.9
Nelson	3rd	16	9	5	75.2
Mozee	2nd	15	10	4	67.3
Ives	4th	3	1	2	-
Genatone	5th	3	2	1	-
Booth	2nd	2	1	1	-

Jamal Rule continues to exceed the expectations of Husker Nation during his true freshman campaign. In the third game of his collegiate career, the North Carolina native totaled 154 all-purpose yards and two scores, highlighted by a 55-yard touchdown run to start the second half. He now has 411 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns through three games.

Through Week 3 of the college football season, Rule is the third-leading rusher in the Big Ten behind only Wayne Knight (UCLA) and King Miller (USC). Knight (39 attempts) and Miller (64 attempts) are no more than 16 rushing yards ahead of Rule.

Mekhi Nelson also did his thing, taking nine carries for 54 yards while adding one reception for seven yards. Despite Isaiah Mozee earning the start in NU's season opener, he has clearly become the Huskers' third option out of the backfield. All three are capable, but we're beginning to see some semblance of a pecking order heading into Big Ten play.

Kwazi Gilmer catches a pass against North Dakota. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wide Receivers

Player	Class	Snaps	Targets	Catches	Drops	Run Block	Overall
Gilmer	3rd	54	3	3	-	68.5	63.5
Barney	3rd	49	3	2	-	60.5	67.1
Hunter	4th	33	6	3	1	60.1	53.7
Clark	3rd	18	2	2	-	61.7	75.2
Smith	3rd	10	1	0	-	61.1	56.1
Mills	2nd	5	-	-	-	60.0	55.8
Mangini	5th	4	-	-	-	-	-
Miles	1st	3	1	1	-	-	-
Bell	4th	2	-	-	-	-	-
Carpenter	2nd	1	-	-	-	-	-
Singleton	3rd	1	-	-	-	-	-

Nebraska's wide receiver room was considered deep heading into the year, and Saturday night showed that Holgorsen and Husker wide receivers coach Dakiel Shorts still have plenty of confidence in the group. Eleven different pass-catchers saw action against the Fighting Hawks, with six of them seeing targets.

Notably, senior wide receiver Nyziah Hunter was the focal point of the passing game. At the very least, there seemed to be a concerted effort to get him going. He caught three of six targets for 24 yards but was also charged with one drop.

Quinn Clark scored the Huskers' only receiving touchdown of the game, his first score of 2026. Overall, Nebraska seemed intent on emphasizing the run game in Week 3, but the wide receiver room did a good job of helping move the ball down the field.

Carter Nelson celebrates after a touchdown against the Bowling Green Falcons. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tight Ends/Fullbacks

Player	Class	Snaps	Targets	Catches	Drops	Run Block	Overall
Lindenmeyer	5th	47	2	1	1	59.6	58.0
Bonner	5th	19	1	1	-	55.4	64.8
Ingwerson	3rd	15	-	-	-	55.9	53.6
Nelson	3rd	14	1	1	-	55.6	53.6
Echternach	4th	3	-	-	-	-	-
Sorensen	1st	2	-	-	-	-	-
King	3rd	1	1	0	-	-	-
Jones	5th	1	-	-	-	-	-
Whittington	3rd	1	-	-	-	-	-

Luke Lindenmeyer might've caught just one pass, but it was one of the most highlight-worthy plays of the game. He ended the play with a 33-yards gain, showcasing an ability to continue fighting for additional yardage and to be an asset in the passing game.

Janiran Bonner also caught a pass for a nine-yard gain. He played 19 snaps and earned the highest overall grade of any Husker tight end/fullback. Carter Nelson left the game after suffering an injury in the second half. He appeared unable to put weight on his left leg, but the extent of his injury remains unclear for now.

Anthony Colandrea looks to pass against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks while Brendan Black h blocks a defender. — Anthony Colandrea looks to pass against North Dakota while Brendan Black blocks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Offensive Line

Player	Class	Snaps	Sacks	QB Hits	Hurries	Penalties	Run Block	Pass Block	Overall
Gottula	4th	56	-	-	-	-	64.6	82.1	69.9
Evans	5th	56	-	-	-	-	67.3	62.3	69.3
Black	4th	56	-	-	-	-	70.5	76.5	68.8
Mubenga	4th	56	-	-	-	-	63.5	77.1	65.9
Pritchett	5th	46	-	-	-	-	60.8	84.6	67.2
Babalade	4th	19	-	-	-	1	53.2	48.1	52.4
Knaak	5th	11	-	-	-	-	56.9	73.4	58.1
Ainsworth	1st	10	-	-	-	-	66.6	75.0	68.2
Taumua	3rd	10	-	-	-	-	59.8	73.3	61.7
Sledge	4th	10	-	-	-	-	57.7	72.9	58.6
Pyle	3rd	10	-	-	-	-	57.2	73.4	58.3
Mpouma	1st	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Hammerbeck	2nd	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Brix	3rd	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Peters	3rd	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Knutson	4th	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The Big Red's offensive line helped pave the way for a dominant performance by the Huskers' running backs. On 45 rushing attempts, Nebraska averaged more than six yards per carry.

The protection unit also did its best job yet of keeping NU's quarterbacks clean. Husker quarterbacks were not pressured, hit, or sacked a single time.

Elijah Pritchett, Tree Babalade, and Gunnar Gottula continued to rotate at the tackle spots throughout the game. After three contests, the Big Red will likely begin to settle on a true five-man unit. However, according to the season-long PFF grades, all three have been relatively serviceable to start the year.

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