Nebraska’s offense has gone from promising to puzzling in a hurry.
Through the first five games, the Huskers looked like they had something real on that side of the ball. Over the last three, though, the whole operation has fallen apart. What once looked explosive in the Big Ten has turned into an attack that’s struggled to even get past 10 points, and the slide has put Matt Rhule and his staff under a brighter spotlight heading into Friday’s matchup with Illinois.
The biggest shift has been philosophical. Early on, Dana Holgorsen had an offense that made sense.
Anthony Colandrea gave Nebraska a quarterback who could run, throw with confidence and work the middle of the field. But the real engine was the ground game.
After true freshman Jamal Rule went for 122 yards and two touchdowns in the opener against Ohio, it looked like Rule and junior Mekhi Nelson would drive the offense.
For a while, they did. Even with minor injuries scattered through the running back room, Nebraska still leaned into the run during its 5-0 start. The Huskers were averaging 231 rushing yards per game at 5.8 yards per carry, scoring nearly three rushing touchdowns a game and running the ball just under 40 times per contest.
That’s not the team that has shown up during the losing streak.
Over the last three games, Holgorsen has largely moved away from the run. Nebraska’s rushing output has been cut nearly in half to 112.7 yards per game, and the average has dropped to 3.3 yards per carry. The Huskers are running it about 33 times a game now, while the passing game has climbed to more than 40 attempts per game despite a 54.5% completion rate.
The numbers get even harder to explain when you look at game flow. Nebraska has trailed for only nine minutes and 11 seconds across the last three games, so this isn’t simply a team forced to throw because it’s constantly chasing the scoreboard.
Against Washington on Saturday, Rule and Nelson combined for just two carries for one yard in the second quarter. Colandrea pushed the ball downfield more often, but the results weren’t there - on throws of 20-plus yards, he went 1-for-9, with the lone completion going for a 24-yard touchdown to Carter Nelson in the second quarter.
Maybe the competition has something to do with it. But that explanation only goes so far, especially against a Washington defense that sits outside the top 50 against the run. Rule still averaged 5.5 yards per carry, which makes Nebraska’s decision to drift away from the ground game even harder to justify.
If Holgorsen wants to keep this offense on track, the run game has to come back. Nebraska’s success depends on it over the final four games of 2026.
Colandrea’s play is part of the problem, too.
Nebraska knew what it was getting when it brought him in from the portal last offseason: a quarterback with juice, but also one who had thrown 29 interceptions over his previous three seasons. That shaky version didn’t show up over the first five games, but it has over the last three.
Rhule said Monday that he "felt an offense that was just trying to do too much” against Washington, and that description fits the recent stretch well. Colandrea has thrown five interceptions in the last three games, including three against the Huskies. His passer rating has dropped from 160 over the first five games to 100.8 during the skid, and he hasn’t topped a 60% completion rate in any of those three contests.
The mistakes haven’t stopped there. Colandrea has also taken 11 sacks over the last three games after absorbing just five over the first five. The increased emphasis on downfield shots has only made the offense less efficient.
Rhule said Monday there will be a change in how Nebraska handles play-calling this week. Against Illinois on Friday, Holgorsen and offensive line coach Geep Wade will call plays from the press box instead of the field, and safeties coach Tyler Yelk will also be in the box.
Whether that changes anything remains to be seen, but the staff is clearly searching for a spark.
There are also simpler answers available. Rule may need to be treated like the bell-cow back Nebraska has been missing. The offensive line has done enough at times to support a workable run game, though the absence of guard/tackle Gunnar Gottula didn’t help on Saturday.
And when Nebraska did find some rhythm through the air against Washington, the tight ends played a major role. Senior Luke Lindenmeyer and junior Carter Nelson combined for six catches and 85 yards.
Lindenmeyer, in particular, has often been Colandrea’s safety valve this season. If the quarterback can settle in, work the shorter routes and keep finding his tight ends over the middle, the offense has a better chance to string plays together.
At this point, Nebraska just needs points. That has to start against Illinois. If it doesn’t, the pressure on Rhule and the offensive staff is only going to grow.
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