Tad Stryker: Husker Offense Heats Up, Wears Ohio Down

Like many of their fans who made their pilgrimage to Memorial Stadium on a beastly hot Labor Day weekend, the Nebraska Cornhuskers found themselves stuck in traffic in a confusing maze of construction, sweating their way to a 14-13 halftime edge over lightly regarded Ohio. The Bobcats returned only six starters from last season, just one of them on an offense that ranked dead last among 138 teams in ESPN writer Bill Connelly’s returning-production metric.

Eventually, a crowd announced at 85,577 made its way into the stadium for the 411th consecutive sellout, keeping alive a streak which seemed to be in doubt for the last few weeks. And eventually, the Nebraska offense started to find its way behind a rushing game that got stronger as the heat index climbed above 100 degrees.

The Huskers’ season-opening 49-21 win was encouraging in some ways, concerning in several others, but it checked some important boxes for the offense, which piled up 248 rushing yards behind Jamal Rule, who ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries and became the first true freshman running back to reach the century mark in a season opener since Tierre Green in 2004. Transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea introduced himself to Memorial Stadium with 275 yards through the air, three touchdown passes and no turnovers, although in the first half, it was Ohio’s Nick Poulos who held the spotlight.

Ohio quarterback Nick Poulos gets a pass off before Nebraska's Jahsear Whittington can take him to the ground. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was not an auspicious start for the Big Red, who committed six first-half penalties and seemed less than inspired by a rare pregame appearance by Frank Solich. Meanwhile, team from Athens, Ohio, looked like the more focused and better-prepared team, intent on making their former coach proud. Poulos stung the Huskers on the first play of the game, hitting Riley Neer on a quick slant, which Neer took all the way to the Husker 7-yard line. Two plays later, Poulos hit Neer again, this time at the front pylon, to give the Bobcats a 7-0 lead.

Poulos, a fifth-year senior, was dialed in and effective throughout the first half, passing for 124 yards and a touchdown and running for 38 more. He had better pass protection than did Colandrea in the first half, and he routinely confounded defensive coordinator Rob Aurich and his Husker defense that used multiple platoons of substitions throughout the game.

The Bobcats had 188 total yards at halftime and finished with 303. For most of the game, Aurich’s defense was a revolving door of inconsistency. It was obvious he was auditioning a large cast to see exactly what he had and to keep from wearing down in the heat.

It was a mixed bag for new special teams coordinator Brett Maher, whose players generally did a good job covering kicks, but had two offside penalties on kickoffs and a poor decision by Nyziah Hunter, who retreated 13 yards on a kickoff return and was caught inside his own 10-yard line. There were no field goal attempts for the Big Red.

Mekhi Nelson carries the ball during the second quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That’s mainly because in the second half, another of NU’s new coaches took prominence.

At least on the season’s opening weekend, Geep Wade’s move from Georgia Tech to Nebraska made a big difference.

After averaging 197.5 rushing yards a game in 2025, the Techsters looked like a Rambling Wreck Thursday night against Colorado’s defense, managing just 51 yards on the ground and allowing three sacks in a 14-13 home loss to the Buffs.

In Lincoln Saturday, although the Huskers had some pass-blocking issues early, they rushed 42 times for 248 net yards, and closed out a game with an exclamation point. NU ran the ball 10 times for 95 yards in the fourth quarter. It was the first time since September 16, 2023, that the Huskers had at least 75 yards rushing in the fourth quarter (75 yards against Northern Illinois in a 35-11 victory).

Is it the long-deferred beginnings of a “physical identity” that Matt Rhule promised when he was hired in December 2022? At that time, Rhule said the 75-yard mark in the fourth quarter would be a benchmark to aim for. So he’s done it twice in 39 games. And Wade is one-for-one. Tougher tests await, certainly, but the Huskers couldn’t get it done against relatively week nonconference opponents the last two seasons.

Then again, Scott Frost’s Husker teams never accomplished it. Before 2023, there was a near seven-year gap since the Huskers managed the feat, rushing for 81 yards in the fourth quarter of a 24-17 win over Minnesota on Nov. 12, 2016 — Tommy Armstrong’s 30th and final victory as a Nebraska starter.

Wade brought in some highly touted transfers to help center Justin Evans, left tackle Elijah Pritchett and right tackle Gunnar Gottula. Guards Brendan Black and Paul Mubenga meshed well as the game wore on, although Black had a pair of false start penalties on a drive early in the game.

Anthony Colandrea with Gottula and Clark — Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea (left) celebrates with offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula and wide receiver Quinn Clark after his third-quarter touchdown run. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the second half, NU finished drives. The Huskers punted on their first drive of the third period, then scored five consecutive touchdowns, finishing the game with 21 unanswered points. We haven’t seen that sort of thing much recently.

Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen didn’t outsmart himself. He stuck with the run game when he needed to and wore down the Bobcats. A 42-run, 32-pass game is a pretty good mix for this team. And Rule, along with Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee, all had their moments at running back.

“It’s not the Big Ten, but I like the backs,” Rhule said after the game. “It’s a good start for them, and now we’ll just have to build off it with them. Just keep chipping away, but Jamal (Rule) had a great start for a freshman.”

Lots of construction work remains, and there is no shortage of opinions about how long it’s taking. Should the City of Lincoln have finished its downtown street projects earlier than it has? Should it have taken Rhule 39 games to reach the 20-win mark in Lincoln? Both could be quickly forgotten if the pace of progress escalates.

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