Nebraska’s opener started with a jolt, veered into the kind of unease that sends social media into overdrive, and then settled into a second-half avalanche that left Ohio behind in a 49-21 Husker win.
At halftime, Nebraska had already clawed back from an early hole to grab a 14-13 lead, but the first 30 minutes were messy enough to invite plenty of grumbling. The first quarter, in particular, was rough from the outset.
Ohio struck first when Nick Poulos hit Riley Neer on a deep shot after Jeremiah Charles was left stationary, and Andrew Marshall chased the play down at the Husker 7. Charles, playing after earning his first Blackshirt, recovered and finished with a solid game, but the opening snap clearly wasn’t his cleanest moment.
Ohio cashed that in for a 7-0 lead, and after Nebraska answered with a 75-yard march capped by Jamar Rule’s 1-yard touchdown run, the Bobcats kept punching back. They added a field goal to go up 10-7 after the first quarter and actually owned the early yardage edge, 138-84.
The middle of the game looked more like Nebraska’s speed and depth starting to assert itself, even if the scoreboard didn’t fully reflect it right away. The Huskers outgained Ohio 139-52 in the second quarter and eventually finished with a 439-167 edge after that opening quarter swing, good for a 523-303 advantage overall.
Ohio stretched its lead to 13-7 with another field goal, and then Nyziah Hunter turned a kickoff from the goal line into a messy, winding return that had the 411th consecutive sellout crowd groaning. The return ended with Nebraska backed up to its own 8, which only added to the tension.
Instead of folding, Anthony Colandrea led a 92-yard drive in seven plays. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 68 yards on the march, including a 24-yard touchdown to Rule.
Colandrea also connected on throws of more than 20 yards to Kwazi Gilmer and Rule. Nebraska appeared to add another score moments later when Hunter turned a short pass into a 57-yard sprint to the end zone, but a penalty on Jacory Barney wiped it out and the touchdown came off the board.
The game turned for good after halftime. Nebraska opened the third quarter by losing 21 yards in two plays, including an 18-yard sack on Colandrea, and Ohio moved into position to take the lead. The Bobcats missed the field goal, and that was the opening Nebraska needed.
From there, the Huskers rolled. They scored touchdowns on five straight drives, covering 73, 69, 75, 70 and 17 yards.
The last of those was set up by Rex Guthrie, who intercepted a tipped pass from the Ohio backup quarterback and returned it 34 yards. Colandrea, Mekhi Nelson, Rule and Kwazi Gilmer all found the end zone as Nebraska put up 35 points in the second half.
Ohio managed one touchdown after the break, but it was the only score it got over its final eight possessions.
Colandrea finished 18 of 32 for 275 yards with no interceptions, three passing touchdowns and one rushing score. He added 48 rushing yards on eight carries, sack-adjusted, and his ability to escape trouble and still turn broken plays into positive yardage stood out.
Rule was the headline on offense. The true freshman rushed 15 times for 122 yards and three touchdowns, and he added two catches for 47 yards.
His 169 total yards led the team. Nelson was just as productive in his own way, finishing with 64 rushing yards on 10 carries and 65 receiving yards on two catches for 129 total yards.
He scored twice.
Jacory Barney Jr. and Kwazi Gilmer were Colandrea’s top targets with five catches apiece, though the passing game left room for more. There were drops, and the penalty on Barney erased what looked like another explosive touchdown. That part of the offense will need cleaning up quickly.
The ground game, though, was sharp. Nebraska ran for 270 yards on 40 carries, sack-adjusted, for a 6.8 yards-per-carry average.
Defensively, the Huskers had enough answers to survive the shaky beginning. Poulos picked up 70 rushing yards on scrambles, while Ohio’s other backs were held to 69 yards on 23 carries. Nebraska finished with two sacks and had a few more near-misses in the backfield.
Jamir Conn led the defense with eight tackles, four of them solo. Riley van Poppel recorded one of the sacks.
Guthrie’s interception stood out not just because of the turnover, but because of how fast he looked taking it back. Donovan Jones broke up two passes and was moving at full speed.
Dexter Foster had three quarterback hits, and Vincent V9 Shavers added five tackles alongside Guthrie.
For all the first-half nerves, Nebraska came out of the opener with a big offensive number, a defense that showed signs of life, and a freshman back in Rule who looked ready to matter right away. The game was ugly at times, but the Huskers pulled it together and finished with the kind of second half that changed the whole feel of the afternoon.
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