Kwazi Gilmer’s first big grab of the night changed everything for Nebraska, and the Blackshirts handled the rest.
Nebraska left East Lansing with a 31-13 win over Michigan State on Saturday evening at Spartan Stadium, leaning on a defense that swarmed from the opening whistle. Rob Aurich’s unit piled up six sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two interceptions, a pass breakup, two quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. That kind of pressure is the kind of formula that can carry a team a long way if it shows up again and again.
The Huskers needed a jolt early on offense, and Gilmer delivered it. After Nebraska had managed only nine yards on its first seven plays, the junior wideout hauled in a 17-yard sideline catch for the first real spark of the game. Two plays later, he went over the shoulder in the back of the end zone, eyes trained straight into the bright sunlight, and came down with a 44-yard touchdown that gave Nebraska life for the rest of the half.
Nebraska built on that momentum enough to take a 24-10 lead into the second half, but the game never really settled into a clean rhythm. The Huskers had a chance to blow it open in the third quarter, then watched the margin shrink to 24-13. It could have been even tighter after an overturned completion and a missed field goal, though Nebraska still steadied itself and pushed the lead to 31-13 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
The night was messy in spots. Penalties kept showing up for Nebraska, which was flagged seven times for 60 yards. Michigan State helped out with its own costly mistakes, but that kind of sloppiness is going to need cleaning up before Nebraska runs into Big Ten powerhouses like Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon.
Before kickoff, the two programs honored former Husker punter Sam Foltz and former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler with a commemorative coin for the pregame toss.
Anthony Colandrea’s start got shaky right away. In his 35th career collegiate start, the Nebraska senior quarterback was under duress on the opening drive, scrambling away from pressure twice in three plays and firing two passes out of bounds, one of them nearly drawing an intentional grounding call. He settled down after that, and Nebraska’s offense did enough in the first half to give the defense a cushion.
Dana Holgorsen’s group produced two runs of at least 10 yards, four completions of 15 yards or more and 24 first-half points. The Huskers also went 4-for-7 on third down before halftime, and that mattered. Surviving the Big Ten requires those conversions, and Nebraska got them when it needed them most.
After the break, though, the offense went quiet. Nebraska opened the half with two drives that totaled minus-5 yards, and the Huskers also drew back-to-back illegal formation penalties. Those are the kind of mistakes that won’t get forgiven later in the season.
Colandrea also showed off his legs in a way Nebraska fans hadn’t really seen in the non-conference portion of the schedule. With true freshman running back Jamal Rule leaving in the first quarter because of a lower-body injury, Colandrea became the team’s leading rusher in the first half with 39 yards on six carries. One of his biggest plays came on third-and-10, when he ran for 17 yards and set up a four-yard touchdown by junior running back Mekhi Nelson.
North Platte native and senior running back Vincent Genatone also had a career day, finishing with two touchdowns.
But the story of the night was Nebraska’s defense, and the Blackshirts kept making plays whenever Michigan State tried to build something. The Huskers had four sacks, a pass breakup and an interception in the first half alone. Then, after the offense stalled coming out of halftime, sophomore defensive back Donovan Jones delivered a strip sack to give Nebraska another lift.
Michigan State’s offense took a hit when senior running back Cam Edward was hurt after a 23-yard gain in the first quarter. The UCONN transfer spent the rest of the game on the sideline in street clothes and crutches.
That left more of the load to Spartan senior back Jaziun Patterson, who came in with just 46 yards on 10 carries. The former Iowa Hawkeye averaged 3.4 yards per carry, but six of his runs went for fewer than three yards.
Without Edward, the Spartans did not get the run-game production they needed.
Nebraska returns home to Lincoln on Oct. 3 for a 3 p.m. CT matchup with Maryland on FS1.
In Other News...
Nebraskas Secondary Suddenly Has A Pregame Question Before Kickoff
Nebraskas Friday availability update brought a little more clarity, and a little more concern, for a secondary that already had some pregame uncertainty hanging over it. Edge rusher Jordan Ochoa moved from questionable to probable, but the notable shift came on the back end, where safety Rex Guthrie was upgraded from doubtful to questionable while cornerback Bryson Webber was listed as out.
The Big Tens new availability format has turned these late-week reports into a bigger part of the game-week rhythm, with teams now required to submit them three days before kickoff and then update them daily through game day. Michigan States report added its own layer of uncertainty, with linebacker Brady Pretzlaff and special teamer Jay Coyne out and cornerback Tyran Chappell questionable, but Nebraskas biggest concern is still the state of its defensive backfield as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Offense Faces Its First Real Test In Big Ten Play
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Now comes the harder part, with Big Ten play set to ask different questions of the same attack. Holgorsen has already stressed the need to spread the ball around and keep multiple players involved, a reminder that what worked in September has to hold up when defenses get faster, more physical, and far less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Undefeated Start Faces Its First Real Test At Michigan State
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Saturday should tell a lot more, though, especially with linebacker Brady Pretzlaff likely out and running back Cam Edwards appearing available. Nebraskas defense has looked sturdy and the offense has found enough rhythm to keep the pressure manageable, but road games in conference play usually bring a different level of stress. Anthony Colandrea could end up being one of the swing pieces in how smoothly that transition goes. [Read more 🡒]