Nebraska spent the first half Saturday giving its fans a serious jolt.
Ohio came out and landed the first punch, scoring on its first three possessions and briefly making this look far less comfortable than anyone in Lincoln wanted to see from a defense that was supposed to be rebuilt under new coordinator Rob Aurich. The Bobcats, who are a strong Mid-American Conference team, grabbed an early touchdown and two field goals and held a lead until late in the second quarter.
That was the kind of start Nebraska did not spend the offseason imagining.
“I think we gave up 170 yards on the first three drives and then gave up 130 yards for the rest of the game,” Huskers coach Matt Rhule said.
“We have to be a little bit more dialed in and we are not going to make those excuses. At the end of the day you can’t give up a 75-yard play on the first play; a kid had a missed assignment. It is what it is, but we’ll correct that.”
After that rocky opening, Nebraska settled in and eventually took command on both sides of the ball in a 49-21 win. Most of the scoring avalanche came late, with 21 points in the fourth quarter.
The final margin was comfortable, but the film won’t be. Nebraska’s defense showed plenty of energy, flying around and tackling with force once it steadied itself.
The exception was Ohio quarterback Nick Poulos, who kept creating problems and finished with 70 rushing yards on 10 carries. Still, after those first three drives, the Huskers largely locked things down until Ohio put together a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that trimmed the lead to 28-21 and briefly tightened the atmosphere again.
For Nebraska, that creates the central question coming out of Week 1: was the shaky start the real story, or was the stretch that followed the better indicator of what this defense can be?
Junior defensive back Donovan Jones was one of the standouts, breaking up several passes, including one that likely prevented a touchdown. He finished with four tackles and looked like a player whose ceiling keeps climbing. Senior defensive back Andrew Marshall also got involved with one pass breakup and two tackles.
Nebraska finished with eight pass breakups, its most since recording nine against Rutgers on Oct. 5, 2024.
“We did a good job of responding more so than thinking about the bust,” Marshall said. “It happens.
The first game. Things that happen that we have to work through.
“I felt like we did a great job of responding, especially in the second half we did a great job of finishing.”
Marshall also said Aurich addressed the rough opening directly.
“Obviously he [Aurich] wants to get it corrected, but he understands that everybody just has to do their job,” Marshall said.
“I think it was more so the first-game jitters rather than us completely going out there and messing up. He came to us and kept it real with us that that’s not our process, that’s not how we play, that’s not our standard.
“It’s nothing that we can’t fix. Everything that we had we gave to them.”
There’s no hiding the issue, though: Ohio went 2-for-2 in the red zone. That’s the kind of stat Nebraska cannot afford to normalize after last season, when opponents scored on 37 of 38 red-zone chances against the Huskers, including 30 touchdowns and seven field goals.
Now comes the part where Week 1 turns into teaching tape. Nebraska gets Bowling Green next Saturday, and Aurich and his group should have a demanding week ahead of them. The defense is supposed to be a foundation piece for this program, and Saturday offered both the warning signs and the flashes of what Nebraska wants it to become.
With quarterback Anthony Colandrea making noise as a passer, runner and decision-maker, and true freshman running back Jamal Rule showing his brilliance, the spotlight will stay on the defense. That made the opening minutes against Ohio all the more startling.
The good news for Nebraska is that the Huskers did enough to win. The next step is making sure they don’t spend another half learning the hard way.
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The list ran through 11 players, and the spread of responses underscored how little consensus exists this far out. Nebraska supporters are clearly trying to sort out where the production will come from, and for now the conversation is centered on skill-position players who could help shape the offenses identity. It is early, of course, but the survey offered a useful snapshot of where expectations are landing as the Huskers look ahead. [Read more 🡒]