Nebraska didn’t have one back carrying the load in its season-opening win over Ohio. It had three.
In the Huskers’ 49-21 victory Saturday, freshman Jamal Rule and sophomores Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee all flashed as Nebraska answered the questions left by Emmett Johnson’s departure for the Kansas City Chiefs. Rule, listed first among the group here, set the pace with 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns, then added two catches for 47 yards and another score.
That kind of debut doesn’t come around often. The last freshman to rush for 100 yards in an opener was quarterback Adrian Martinez in 2018 against Colorado, when he ran for 117. The last freshman running back to do it was Tierre Green in 2004, when he piled up 112 against Western Illinois.
Rule said he “expected myself to have a pretty good game.” Even he didn’t see this much coming.
Nelson added 64 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while also catching three passes for 54 yards. One of those receptions went for 51 yards and an early fourth-quarter score.
Mozee didn’t have the same volume - six carries for 31 yards - but he opened the game and made his mark, too. “They all made explosive plays,” said Coach Matt Rhule.
The burst was everywhere. Nelson scored from 29 yards out.
Rule broke free for a 39-yard run. Mozee ripped off a 24-yarder.
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea got in on it as well, taking one in from 13 yards.
Colandrea finished 18 of 32 for 275 yards and three touchdowns. His third touchdown throw came late, a 9-yard strike to Kwazi Gilmer on third down with 1:53 left.
Why go to the air with a 42-21 cushion? Rhule said Nebraska still needs work in the red zone.
By then, the Huskers were moving the ball so well that even a run likely would have found the end zone. Nebraska had only 65 rushing yards in the first half, then surged for 183 in the second and finished with 523 total yards. On the final 21 carries, the Huskers ran for 204 yards.
Rule pointed the credit toward the offensive line as much as the backs.
Nebraska was only up 14-13 at halftime, and Rhule said the answer wasn’t some dramatic halftime adjustment. “We just quit shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said.
Seven of Nebraska’s nine penalties came before the break. One of the biggest wiped out a 57-yard Colandrea touchdown pass to Nyziah Hunter after Jacory Barney Jr. was flagged for a blindside block. The call looked questionable, with Hunter already well beyond Barney and the Ohio defender.
Still, the night belonged to the backs.
Rule is in his first college season after being recruited out of Charlotte Christian in North Carolina, and Nelson made it clear this wasn’t just any freshman coming through the door. “Jamal’s not your average true freshman,” he said.
Rule’s energy was obvious before kickoff, so much so that Nelson told him to save it for the game.
Afterward, Rule said the second-half surge came from Nebraska’s ability to keep hitting and wearing down Ohio. “We just like to say we’re giving them body blows,” he said.
The emotions were there, too. Rule teared up when he stepped onto the field and saw the Husker crowd - the consecutive sellout No. 411, officially 85,577. Many didn’t stay to the finish in the heat, with the game-time temperature at 91 degrees and the heat index climbing to 105.
Rule said Tuesday’s practice was even worse.
Nelson had his own emotional moment before the game. In June, an off-the-field issue in Florida raised questions about whether he’d be able to play.
The matter was resolved with no repercussions, and Nelson said he felt “blessed.” He also said he had tears beforehand.
For now, Nebraska’s answer at running back looks like a trio.
Saturday “was not the Big Ten,” Rhule said. “But I like the backs.”
And Colandrea? He may belong in that conversation, too. “I think Anthony’s a baller,” said Rhule.
In Other News...
Nebraska Opens With A Defensive Concern Fans Werent Expecting
Nebraskas season opener against Ohio arrives with a defensive wrinkle the Huskers were hoping to avoid. Linebacker Owen Chambliss will not be available because of a hamstring injury, and what once looked like a possibility of a late recovery has given way to a tougher reality after he missed several practices and was left out of the projected starting lineup.
Chambliss absence forces Nebraska to lean on other players at linebacker and across the defense right out of the gate, a less-than-ideal setup in a game where early-season continuity can matter as much as talent. It is the kind of opening-week setback that does not define a season by itself, but it does make the first few defensive rotations worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Just Lost A 2027 Pledge That Once Felt Safe
Nebraskas 2027 recruiting class took a hit when wide receiver Antayvious Tay Ellis and the program mutually agreed to part ways, ending his commitment. Ellis had been part of a class that looked like it had a promising early foundation, and his departure is the kind of development that can ripple through a long recruiting cycle even before a player has taken a college snap.
Ellis said he plans to stay at Millard South High School for the current season, keeping his focus local for now. The reasons behind the split have not been publicly disclosed, which leaves Nebraska in the familiar position of having to reset on a target it once seemed safe to count on. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Fans Just Sent A Clear Message About The 2026 Offense
A fresh fan survey has already given Nebraska a pretty clear early read on how people are viewing the 2026 offense. Among 100 Huskers fans polled, junior wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. came out as the top pick to lead the team in touchdowns, with transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea next and wide receiver Nyziah Hunter also drawing notable support. The choice says as much about the fan bases confidence in the passing game as it does about the uncertainty surrounding the current roster.
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 🡒]