Nebraska has a little more breathing room now for its November 14 trip to Rutgers, and the reason is simple: the Scarlet Knights looked rough in a 37-21 home loss to UMASS on Thursday night.
That result wasn’t just a bad opener. It was the kind of game that forces people to rethink a matchup fast.
Rutgers didn’t merely lose to a MAC team; it lost to a UMASS team that hadn’t beaten an FBS opponent since 2023 and had gone 0-12 in 2025. Before Thursday, the Minutemen had not beaten an FBS team since 2023, and they had never beaten a Power 4 program.
Now they do.
For Nebraska, that matters because a game that had some bite to it during the offseason suddenly looks a lot more manageable if Greg Schiano is still coaching on November 14.
A former Nebraska quarterback commit helped expose some of the cracks, too. Pop Watson, now UMASS’s new starter after transferring from Virginia Tech, was recruited hard by Nebraska and then-offensive coordinator Mark Whipple as part of the 2023 class. Watson committed to the Huskers in February of 2022, then backed off 10 days before National Signing Day and ended up with the Hokies.
He hadn’t done much in three years at Virginia Tech, throwing just 63 passes, but he looked like a different player in Amherst. Watson completed 19 of 22 passes for 197 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing for 40 yards. It was the kind of performance that jumps out immediately in Week 1.
Rutgers’ defense, meanwhile, had talked up its new look all offseason after a poor 2025 campaign. UMASS answered by piling up 200 rushing yards, with plenty of that damage coming right through the middle.
And if the defense wasn’t bad enough, the quarterback situation was a mess too. Dylan Lonergan, the Boston College transfer who reportedly won the job, got the start and immediately struggled. In his first game for Rutgers, he finished 16 of 29 for 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, then added another turnover by fumbling on a sack.
Schiano pulled him late in the fourth quarter and turned to AJ Surace, who helped move the offense enough to make the score a little less ugly. But the damage was already done, and the loss to UMASS is one Rutgers will be feeling for a while.
In Other News...
Matt Rhule Just Set The Standard For Nebraska Year 4
Matt Rhule is heading into his fourth season at Nebraska with the kind of perspective that usually comes only after a full rebuild has been lived through, not simply talked about. The comparison to Fred Hoibergs fourth year on the basketball side is hard to miss, especially with both coaches taking over programs that needed major repair and then being asked to steady them in front of a restless fan base.
Troy Dannen has already made clear how difficult the football job looked when Rhule arrived, describing the program as fairly well broken, and Rhule has acknowledged the weight that comes with that reality. He has also pointed to Hoibergs perseverance as something he respects and can draw from, while making it clear the next step for his team is to finish better in late-season games and turn the rebuild into something that lasts. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Season Opener Puts Immediate Pressure On A New-Look Backfield
Nebraskas backfield will be one of the first real tests of the 2026 season, and the opener against Ohio arrives with both programs trying to reload on the ground. The Huskers have to move on from All-American Emmett Johnson, while Ohio is also reshaping its rushing attack after losing Sieh Bangura and the ground production Parker Navarro brought at quarterback. It is the kind of early matchup that can say plenty about how quickly a team has plugged a major roster hole.
For Nebraska, the intrigue is in who actually carries the load. Mekhi Nelson, Isaiah Mozee and true freshman Jamal Rule are the leading options, but none has entered college as a featured running back, which makes the first few weeks especially important. Ohio has more continuity with Duncan Brune back after meaningful playing time last season and UConn transfer Victor Rosa in the mix, so the Huskers new-look group may have to grow up fast if they want to keep pace in a game that could hinge on which backfield settles first. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Lindenmeyer Is Pushing For A Bigger Final Husker Role
Luke Lindenmeyer is heading into his final season at Nebraska with a clear sense of purpose, and it starts with the little things. The senior tight end has been working on his stiff-arm technique while also building chemistry with quarterback Anthony Colandrea, part of a larger push to make himself more useful in a Huskers offense that wants to become more explosive. Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has challenged the tight ends to raise their level, and Lindenmeyer has taken that as a cue to sharpen his game rather than settle into a familiar role.
For Nebraska, the interest goes beyond one player adding polish to his skill set. Lindenmeyer is trying to do more than just fill snaps in his last run through the program, aiming instead to bring leadership and a steadier presence to a group that needs it. If that work translates, the Huskers could get more from the tight end position at a time when every bit of offensive growth matters, and Lindenmeyer's final season might end up carrying a larger imprint than expected. [Read more 🡒]