Nebraska’s 34-7 win over North Dakota on Saturday night had its rough edges, but the bigger picture was hard to miss: this team keeps looking the part.
The Huskers closed out nonconference play with a 27-point win over a North Dakota squad that came in with plenty of momentum, and they did it by leaning on both sides of the ball. Nebraska finished with more than 200 yards rushing and more than 200 passing, while Anthony Colandrea went 16-of-21 for 195 yards through the air and added 19 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
There were mistakes along the way. The special teams had issues.
Nebraska also left room on the table when it got into plus territory. But even with those blemishes, the result never really felt in doubt.
Jamal Rule was again central to the offense. His 55-yard touchdown run pushed him past 100 yards for the second time in three games, and he has topped 88 rushing yards in all three.
Through three games, Rule has 38 carries for 329 yards and five rushing touchdowns, and he has broken off a run of at least 39 yards in each outing. The freshman has been better than expected, and while the offensive line deserves credit too, Nebraska appears to have found a major piece in the backfield.
The defense may have been even more impressive.
North Dakota entered the night averaging 52 points per game and more than 500 yards of total offense, but Nebraska shut that down in a big way. Jerry Kaminsky finished 9-of-18 for 106 yards and was sacked five times. The Blackshirts held North Dakota to 1-for-12 on third down and kept a team that had been rushing for more than 250 yards per game under 100 on the ground.
That kind of performance stood out even with the offense piling up 493 total yards. Nebraska has started 3-0 before, but this group looks dramatically different from a season ago on both sides of the ball.
And the explosiveness Nebraska talked about all offseason showed up in full. The Huskers had eight plays of 20 yards or more, with five different receivers and three different runners contributing at least one chunk gain. Colandrea’s mobility gives Dana Holgorsen a quarterback who can truly run the offense, and the line has given Nebraska a chance to control the game at the point of attack.
Big Ten play will tell the next part of the story, but through three games, this offense looks like the best of the Rhule era. Not close, either.
In Other News...
Nebraska Commit Trae Taylor Just Delivered Another Eye Catching Statement
Trae Taylor kept adding to his already considerable reputation Friday night, and the Nebraska commit put on another show in Millard Souths 55-40 win over Cardinal Ritter. The five-star quarterback was everywhere for the top-ranked Patriots, throwing for 350 yards and five touchdowns while also running for 143 yards and three more scores as Millard South moved to 4-0.
For Nebraska fans, it is another reminder of why Taylor has become such a prized part of the class. Millard South has now won 16 straight, and with Taylor driving the offense at this level, the Patriots keep looking like a team built to play deep into the fall. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Handled Business But One Big Ten Concern Still Lingers
Nebraska took care of business against North Dakota, rolling to a 34-7 win in a game it controlled from the opening stretch. The Huskers piled up 496 total yards, held North Dakota to 205, and spent most of the afternoon looking every bit like the more physical, more organized team. Jamal Rule set the tone on the ground with 119 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Nebraska scored on five of its first eight drives before the reserves finished things off in the fourth quarter.
Still, even in a comfortable victory, there was one Big Ten-sized question lingering in the background. North Dakota did not cross the 200-yard mark until the final play, which speaks well of Nebraskas defense, but the bigger concern is whether this kind of efficiency and control will translate once the competition tightens and the margin for error disappears. The Huskers handled this one cleanly enough, but the real test of how far they have come is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Defense Shows A Pregame Twist Fans Will Want To See
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade were among the familiar faces at Memorial Stadium as Nebraska took the field, but the more interesting pregame note for Cornhuskers fans came on the defensive side. Edge defender Jordan Ochoa was out because of injury, while Caleb Benning is expected to be available on special teams after working his way back from his own injury, giving Nebraska a little more stability in one area and a notable absence in another.
Beyond that, the defensive lineup had a mix of starters and rotation pieces worth watching, including Williams Nwaneri, David Hffken, Dexter Foster, Owen Chambliss, Vincent Shavers, Dawson Merritt, Victor Evans, Andrew Marshall and Danny Odem. For Nebraska, those names matter because the front and the depth behind it have become a weekly test, and the way that group settles in before kickoff can shape how the game unfolds long before the offense gets a chance to make its mark. [Read more 🡒]