Nebraska football’s sellout streak has become the kind of annual conversation that never really goes away. The worry usually hangs in the background, but this year there’s a little more noise around it than normal. The empty seats have been visible for years, even if the athletic department has been able to keep calling it a sellout by leaning on donors and businesses to absorb the extra tickets and keep the stadium number climbing.
That kind of workaround is apparently starting to wear thin, and Nebraska is not the only place trying to get creative with ticket sales. Minnesota, for one, has its own unusual promotion going on. That made Dave Feit’s rejected Husker ticket promotions especially funny, including the idea of a free game of bowling with the purchase of a Bowling Green ticket.
The bigger football news out of Lincoln came Saturday, when Matt Rhule made it official after Nebraska’s second fall scrimmage: Anthony Colandrea is the starting quarterback. Rhule said Colandrea would be the starter if the team played today, and that settles the biggest question of camp heading into the opener against Ohio on Sept. 5.
Colandrea arrives with real experience, having started 31 games across three seasons at Virginia and UNLV. Nebraska now knows who will open the season as the signal-caller, and Rhule’s announcement gave the staff and team a clear answer before the games begin.
Rhule also confirmed another long-discussed tradition is returning. Asked whether the single-digit numbers would come back, he didn’t leave any room for doubt: “Single digits.
Yes. Yep.”
There was more from the football side Saturday, too. Rhule talked about the kind of leadership he wants from the team, saying, “As a leader, you have to lead and be willing to be led.” He also laid out how Nebraska’s defense is trying to generate pressure this season, and Addison Williams spoke about the cornerback competition and where things stand as fall camp moves into its third week.
On the women’s volleyball side, Nebraska’s senior class is already shaping the conversation for 2026. Harper Murray, Andi Jackson, Bergen Reilly, and Laney Choboy are the names at the center of it, and the Huskers have what looks like one of the strongest rosters in the country when you factor in the starters, the bench, and the incoming recruits.
Teraya Sigler is also positioned for a bigger role. KOLN reported that she is in line to play all six rotations this season after spending her freshman year mostly in the back row.
Nebraska softball had a notable coaching nod as well, with Lori Sippel and Diane Miller named among the top 25 finalists for D1 Softball’s 2026 Assistant Coach of the Year.
Elsewhere in Husker athletics, Nebraska applied pressure but could not cash in Sunday in soccer, falling 2-0 to No. 18 Alabama at Hibner Stadium in non-conference play.
In Other News...
Nebraskas Rutgers Streak Suddenly Looks A Lot Less Safe
A November trip to Rutgers has looked manageable on paper for Nebraska in recent years, but the Scarlet Knights are making sure that matchup comes with a lot more uncertainty now. Rutgers has already settled on Dylan Lonergan, the Boston College transfer, as its starting quarterback for 2026, giving the offense a clear direction well before the season arrives.
Lonergan brings a rsum that suggests Rutgers may have found more than just a placeholder, and he will not be working alone. Antwan Raymond gives the Scarlet Knights a run threat, KJ Duff adds another target on the outside, and that combination could make the November 14 meeting a tougher ask for Nebraskas defense than it once appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Could Get Caught In The Big Tens Next Eligibility Fight
The Big Ten is preparing to draw a harder line on a wrinkle that has already started to surface across college football: former NFL players trying to work their way back into the college game. After recent examples like LSU bringing in a player with NFL experience and Dae'Quan Wright briefly winning the right to play after a legal challenge, the conference is expected to announce a rule aimed at stopping that path for its member schools.
For Nebraska, the bigger issue may be less about any one player than about how the league chooses to enforce the change. Instead of simply barring the players themselves, the Big Ten is considering penalties for schools that sign former NFL players, a move designed to keep control in the conference office while sidestepping some of the legal fights that have already popped up. How strict that rule becomes, and how it holds up once a school tests it, is the part worth watching next. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Fans Finally Heard From Mekhi Nelson As Backfield Questions Linger
Mekhi Nelson spoke to the media for the first time since his June arrest on suspicion of aggravated battery, a case that was dismissed in July, and the Nebraska running back said he was thankful for the support he received from his coaching staff during that stretch. The third-year Cornhusker also framed the experience as part of his own growth, putting his focus back on football as the team works through the final stages of preseason preparation.
The backfield remains one of the more interesting position battles on Nebraskas roster, and Nelsons return to public view only adds another layer to it. He said the running back room is competitive as the season approaches, leaving the Huskers with plenty to sort out even as one of the players in that mix reenters the conversation after a long silence. [Read more 🡒]