Nebraska rushers rule the second half to race past Ohio 49-21

On a weekend where Nebraska honored Frank Solich with a Legends Award for the great impact he had on the Cornhuskers fortunes over the years as a coach and player, Solich, I am sure, was proud of the efforts of both of his former squads on this sunny, hot, opening weekend.

Ohio (0-1) and Nebraska (1-0) battled in the first half to a virtual draw. Yet, the Cornhuskers were ultimately rewarded for their early commitment to an offensive grounded in the running and short passing game as the hosts pulled away late on the strength of great games by running backs including true freshman Jamal Rule and Mekhi Nelson.

The 'Cat's 2026 season started with a bang, however, on a three-play, 75-yard touchdown on the opening drive. Reports of great play during spring and summer camp by new starting slot receiver Riley Neer were confirmed as QB Nick Poulos hit a wide open, slanting Neer for a 68-yard catch and run on the opening play. A play later, Neer made a much more contested catch, an over-the-shoulder beauty of a grab in the right corner of the endzone for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Nebraska did not execute perhaps as well as they would like on either side of the ball in the first half against a very tough Ohio team, but Nebraska found a way to tie the score on its opening drive, a 12-play odyssey, aided by a personal foul and fortunate fumble recovery by the home team.

On the drive, the Huskers had some success establishing the run, led by a 24-yard Isaiah Mozee run to start the drive. Jacori Barney had a heck of an red zone jet sweep for 12 yards to set up Rule and company for his first career score, a one-yard rush.

After Mozee's run, the Ohio run defense settled in, allowing just 4 yards rushing (including sack losses) over the next 10 Husker attempts.

Ohio's offense ultimately scored on its first three drives, following Neer's touchdown with two field goals of 42- and 45-yards courtesy of Kent State transfer kicker Will Hryszko. Overall, Ohio's offense was on track for most part of the first half, punting for the first time of the game halfway through the second quarter.

Down 13-7, Nebraska's offense reemerged, starting a 92-yard drive with a tough play on a throw by Huskers' QB Anthony Calendrea on a boot pass to transfer Kwazi Gilmer for 21-yards. Now out of the shadow of its own goalpost, what followed was the Jamal Rule Show, as the running back had a few notable plays capped with 24-yard touchdown on a play action score as the Husker got behind the Ohio defense as Colandrea rolled to his right.

The game would go into the half 14-13 Nebraska– but not before some additional drama. The home team had a 57-yard screen for score wiped out by a blindside block call which was, at best, a questionable call as it looked neither blindside nor likely to have impacted the outcome of the play.

Back to the drawing board, the Huskers moved into Ohio territory but were ultimately stopped on fourth-and-three at the Ohio 44 when JACK defensive end Tyler Gillison knocked away a short pass by Colandrea. The Bobcats had less than a minute and drove the ball into Nebraska territory but were off the mark on the Hail Mary toss to end the half.

Ohio started the second half the way they did the first, with a dominant series– this time on defense. The 'Cats stuffed the run for a three-yard loss and on second down forced an intentional grounding call as the defensive line marched with discipline and boxed in the cagey quarterback, benefiting from the blanket coverage provided by the back end.

However, Ohio's execution in all phases evaporated at times in the second half in the Memorial Stadium heat as the game turned in favor of the home team with its running backs largely deciding the affair.

Colandrea and company took a 21-13 lead on a drive sandwiched between two Ohio drives that had a chance to thrive but came up short.

After Ohio missed a 45-yard field goal, Rule and the offensive line took center stage, driving deep into Ohio territory keyed by a fourth and short conversion. Colandrea did the heavy lifting in the redzone, on nifty 13-yard yard keeper for score.

Ohio had a chance to respond on the next drive with an explosive downfield play, but opportunity slipped through their fingers as a receiver with a step could not corral a tough but catchable ball as Huskers cornerback Andrew Marshall distractedly waived his raised arms above the Bobcat wideout. It is not entirely clear that Nebraska's start cornerback Marshall did not get a small piece of the ball.

Having made concerted efforts all afternoon to establish the run, the Huskers probably reached the point they wanted late in the third on a drive capped on a spectacular run, this time a 29-yarder by Mekhi Nelson.

Down 28-13 to start the fourth quarter, and with full Nebraska momentum, Ohio showed why it won 40 games in four years as they fought their way back in it with a determined 10-play, 70-yard, odyssey of its own, overcoming two failed snaps and an off-the-mark throw in the endzone to bring the game to 28-21 on a one yard keeper by Poulos. Ohio added the two-point conversion on a tough grab by wideout Dom Dorwart.

The Huskers fire play on offense continued as they scored two straight on chunk plays to extend the lead to 42-21.

In a sign of the times, a hard-fought, honorable game ended in familiar, modern football fashion. Starters on the field with less than two minutes remaining closed out the scoring for the home team with a nine-yard touchdown pass to capitalize on a tip drill interception the Huskers made against Ohio's second team offense to extend the final score to 49-21.

Notes

Ohio Offense:

• With a completely new opening day lineup than last season, Ohio showed against a tough opponent it has a lot to build on including the play of QB Nick Poulos and WR Riley Neer, who had six catches for 104 yards and a score.
• Poulos' running ability looked very serviceable, as he he rushed for 70 yards on 10 attempts. On the day, the completely revamped line, mostly against a four-man front, only allowed two sacks and the first team did have a turnover.
• Hats off to center Job Mavrick for being good enough to start versus Nebraska on the road in his first game as a true freshman.
• Ohio did a good job of getting several of its playmakers involved early: WRs Preston Bowman, Neer, Dorwart, Victor Rosa, and Duncan Brune all got early touches. WR room looks promising based upon things like Domwart getting behind and a step in man coverage on players like NFL-caliber cornerback Andrew Marshall.

Ohio Defense:

• The crew showed its potential from front to back, playing a competitive game against some elite athletes for more than two quarters.
• Nebraska native redshirt freshman Ike Ackerman recorded a sack.
• Safety JT Haskins and linebacker Jack Fries led the club with eight tackles each.

Nebraska Offense:

• Nebraska faced a tough and determined Ohio defense but clearly were able to get what they wanted to see by game's end out of their running game and short passing game.
• Running back Jamal Rule had a breakout true freshman game with 169 yards rushing and receiving and three touchdowns (2 run, 1 pass). Rule and fellow running back Mekhi Nelson showed toughness and determination and another gear to outrun defensive angles.

Nebraska Defense:

• The defense took a quarter or so to settle in but solid job against the run and pass in defensive coordinator Rob Aurich's debut, allowing just 303 yards total, and just 228 total yards after the opening drive.
• The Huskers finished with eight pass break ups and DB Jamir Conn led the team with eight tackles.

Next up, Ohio returns to Frank Solich Field to host Jacksonville State at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, while Nebraska hosts another MAC foe, the Bowling Green Falcons at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.