Mekhi Nelson taking advantage of fresh start with Huskers’ offense

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska running back isn’t taking anything for granted as he navigates through his junior campaign, and constantly reminds himself to be grateful for a second chance with the program.

Back in June, Mekhi Nelson’s future as a Husker looked uncertain after his arrest of felony domestic battery charges down in Florida. However, Coach Matt Rhule never pulled the plug on Nelson’s scholarship, and waited for the court system to play out. With the case dismissed in July, Nelson shifted his focus back to football, changed his jersey number from 35 to 13, and hasn’t looked back.

The Pennsylvania native came out on a mission against Ohio in the opener, and proved to Big Red Nation that he’s a vital part of Nebraska’s backfield.

“Two months ago I didn’t even think that I’d be able to have the possibility of being back in Memorial Stadium,” Nelson said. “So I definitely did get emotional before the game, shed a couple of tears, just because it’s a blessing to be back in front of everyone, and playing the game that I love once more.”

Although Nelson had to split carries with Jamal Rule, and Isaiah Mozee, he made the most out of his touches, especially in the second half. The former three-star prospect rushed for a 29-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Not to mention Nelson later caught a pass from Anthony Colandrea in the fourth quarter, and plowed his way through three Bobcat defenders for a 53-yard touchdown.

It was arguably the best highlight of the game, and the six-foot, 200-pounder displayed great strength, physicality and speed on that play.

“I got out and saw there was no protection, did my litte route and I seen his eyes, so I knew the ball was coming to me, and I had to make the catch,” he said. “The rest is history after that, because I was running, trying to get as many yards as I could, broke free and I knew after I broke free that I had to score.”

The Huskers pounded the ball at the heart of the Bobcats’ defense until they couldn’t take no more. Once the smoke cleared, Nelson, Rule and Mozee combined for 31 carries, 221 yards and three touchdowns. Nelson was explosive too, and averaged 6.4 yards per carry. The former three-star prospect feels the performance by the running backs is encouraging, and the best is yet to come for the trio.

“I think it’s a brotherhood, guys who love football, to where I’m going to push Jamal, Jamal is going to push me, and Isaiah is going to push both of us, and vice-versa,” the junior rusher said. “So when you have a room like that, it’s just amazing day in, and day out that there won’t be a drop-off if either one of us goes into the game, because we look at the room like we’re the best in the nation.”

Knowing that each of them bring different styles and value to the offense, Nelson believes the sky’s the limit to what the unit can accomplish this fall. Nebraska’s stampede over Ohio’s defense is just the start in Nelson’s eyes, and he’s eager build on that momentum as the team approaches game two at home against Bowliing Green.

“It felt great going out there, putting routine plays together, one play at a time, one drive at a time, and we never wanted to take our foot off their neck.”