Nebraska will be without one of its newest defensive leaders when it opens the season against Ohio.
Linebacker Owen Chambliss, who is wearing No. 0 this year, was not in uniform for warmups and will not play in Saturday’s 11 a.m. kickoff. Chambliss has been dealing with a hamstring injury for the past few weeks, and while there had been some hope he could work his way back in time, that did not happen.
His absence was not a total shock, even if Nebraska had kept the situation mostly quiet. The first public hint came on August 22, when defensive coordinator Rob Aurich said the transfer linebacker had not practiced all week.
A few days later, head coach Matt Rhule said the Huskers were “relatively injury-free,” mentioning only Kahmir Prescott as out for the year. That made it seem like Chambliss had returned.
He apparently was not fully ready.
The projected starters released before the game confirmed that Chambliss is not expected to be on the field. He was not listed among Nebraska’s defensive starters, even though he did receive one of the team’s single-digit jerseys. He did not get a Blackshirt.
Nebraska’s expected defensive lineup includes Cam Lenhardt and Anthony Jones Jr. at defensive end, Owen Stoudmire and Jahsear Whittington at defensive tackle, Vincent Shavers Jr. and Dexter Foster at linebacker, Donovan Jones at Nickel, Andrew Marshall at corner, Dwayne McDougle III or Rex Guthrie at one safety, Jamir Conn at the other, and Victor Evans II or Jeremiah Charles at the corner spot opposite Marshall.
The good news for Nebraska is that Chambliss missing the Ohio game should not change much in the opener, with the Huskers expected to handle the Bobcats without him. The bigger concern is what this means later in the season if the hamstring keeps lingering, which injuries like this often do.
Chambliss was one of Nebraska’s most important Transfer Portal additions this offseason. The former San Diego State Aztec arrived with a clear grasp of Aurich’s system and plenty of production to back it up, finishing with 109 tackles, 5 pass breakups, 4 sacks and an interception in 2025.
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