Nebraska starts off Matt Rhule’s fourth season with blowout victory

LINCOLN, Neb. — Not even the blazing heat could keep Nebraska fans from packing Memorial Stadium for the opener against Ohio, and Coach Matt Rhule didn’t want to disappoint them.

A sold out crowd of 85,577 witnessed how the Huskers responded to early adversity, and made adjustments in the second half to pull out a 49-21 win over the Bobcats. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea’s debut, along with Hall of Famer, and former Nebraska Coach Frank Solich in attendance, made the game memorable for Big Red Nation.

Rhule appreciates winning his fourth consecutive season-opener with the program, but understands there’s a lot of room for improvement moving forward. After all, the Huskers fell down 13-7 in the second quarter, and had six penalties in the first half.

“We’re happy with the win, but there’s a lot that we have to clean up, and that’s not good enough from start to finish,” Rhule said. “I think we gave up 170 yards on our first three drives, and then gave up 130 for the rest of the game, so we have to be a little bit more dialed in, but it’s game the first game, and we’re not going to make those excuses.”

All eyes were on Colandrea, but he handled himself like a seasoned-veteran in the scarlet and cream, and didn’t turn the ball over. He led Nebraska on seven scoring drives, and found his groove as the game progressed. The veteran signal-caller completed 18 of his 32 passes for 275 yards, three touchdowns, and rushed for another score.

The Huskers generated a touchdown in every quarter, and the offensive line dominated in the trenches. Colandrea clearly made others around him better, and his teammates were able to build off his energy. It was also a coming-out party for running backs Jamal Rule, and Mekhi Nelson. Rule eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards, and scored three touchdowns. Meanwhile Nelson posted a touchdown through the air, and on the ground. Nebraska ended up with 248 rush yards, and showed a deep backfield.

Besides a few dropped balls from the receivers, Rhule was glad to get everyone involved, especially wideout Jacory Barney, who showed versatility out of the slot. However, it was Rob Aurich’s defense that started slow out of the gates, and struggled to tackle at times. Ohio quarterback Nick Poulos used his dual-threat skills to slash the Blackshirts for 164 yards through the air, and 70 on the ground.

Although the Huskers eventually contained Poulos, Rhule thought he exposed some areas that raised his eyebrows. In Rhule’s mind the battle against the Bobcats was more than just a measuring stick, but also a reminder the team still has a long way to go.

“I truly believe that we needed some of those things to happen, I didn’t need this to be 70 to whatever, or like a glorified scrimmage, I just needed to play a good team,” he said. “We talk about owning the change-of-state moments, like how you handle a turnover, or when something bad happens, some people get sad, but all of the great ones get mad, and they respond.”

Defensive back Jamir Conn led the Huskers with nine tackles. Dexter Foster, Vincent Shavers and Rex Guthrie each tallied five stops. Not to mention Guthrie forced Nebraska’s only turnover of the game, when he picked off a pass from Ohio’s backup gunslinger Matt Vezza. Even defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel recorded a sack.

Special teams was also solid, and the Huskers didn’t miss a PAT on seven tries. Rhule was encouraged by the fact that Nebraska (1-0) racked up 523 yards of offense, while the defense allowed 303, and it resulted in a 28-point victory.

At the end of the day, the Huskers dominated on paper, and led the Bobcats in total offense, yards per play, first downs, third down conversions, plays, and time of possession. One aspect of the game that disgusted Rhule was the silly penalties, and Nebraska got flagged nine times for 65 yards. Which is why Rhule intends on emphasizing mental toughness in practice leading up to the next game against Bowling Green.

Despite battling the sweltering heat, Rhule appreciates the support from Husker fans, and proud of them for making the venue a Sea of Red for the 411th time.

“That’s what makes Nebraska special, coming out in the second half and seeing the people still there is absolutely amazing that people love their Huskers so much, and care for them.”