Sacks, turnovers fuel Huskers’ win in East Lansing
Big plays on defense helped the Huskers to their fourth win of 2026 on a night when the offense had its ups and downs.
The 31-13 final in East Lansing wasn’t quite as easy as the 18-point might indicate. The Spartans matched the Huskers’ 22 first downs but couldn’t run the ball consistently after tailback Cam Edwards left with a leg injury early on.
The Huskers’ Jamal Rule also missed most of the game with an injury. In his absence, Mikhai Nelson got most of the carries, but Vincent Genatone became the story of the game. His first career touchdown came with just two seconds remaining in the first half, and he scored again in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin of victory.
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea was a difference-maker with his timely runs and elusiveness. He finished as the Huskers’ top ground-gainer with 66 yards on 10 carries while completing 15 of 27 throws for 212 yards and two touchdowns. The Huskers were turnover-free on offense and had three takeaways and six quarterback sacks on defense.
The 4-0 Huskers face Maryland next week at home.
1st half
After an exchange of punts on the teams’ opening possessions, the Spartans struck first, but their biggest play was costly. Running back Cam Edwards gained 23 yards on a screen pass but left the game with a leg injury. Helped by a pair of 10-yard penalties, MSU took a 3-0 lead with a 48-yard field goal 10 minutes into the first quarter.
Nebraska dodged a bullet on its ensuing possession when a blocked punt was nullified by a Michigan State penalty. Anthony Colandrea and Kwazi Gilmer made the Spartans pay, connecting on a 44-yard touchdown bomb several plays later. Gilmer’s diving catch in the end zone survived a video review.
After the Blackshirts forced a three-and-out, a pair of chunk runs by Colandrea and Mekhi Nelson totaling 36 yards got the Huskers rolling. Quinn Clark then went high to snare a pass from Colandrea for 25 yards, and Nelson scored from four yards out, stretching the ball across the goal line as he went down. Nebraska now had a 14-3 lead.
Then came the Huskers’ best defensive series of the half. After a 15-yard sack by Williams Nwaneri, an interception by Owen Chambliss gave Nebraska the ball at the MSU 29. The offense couldn’t fully capitalize, however, settling for Kyle Cunanan’s 32 yard field goal to make it 17-3.
The Spartans had just 22 yards of offense at this point. But they turned things around with a 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive to pull within 17-10.
A little over six minutes remained in the half. Nebraska moved to the Spartans’ 42 thanks largely to Colandrea’s 4-yard run on third-and-3 and an MSU personal foul a few plays later. A third-and-8 pass to Luke Lindenmeyer for 15 yards got the Huskers to the 25. With time running out, Colandrea connected with running back Vincent Ganatone on a screen pass for a 13-yard score. The Huskers had a 24-10 lead — with just two seconds to spare.
2nd half
The Huskers got the ball to start the half but were miserable on offense through most of the period: a pair of three-and-outs and turnover on downs.
The Spartans hit a 46-yard field goal to draw closer at 24-13, but a second potential scoring drive was snuffed by a third-down strip-sack by Jahsear Whittington and Nwaneri’s deflection of the Spartans’ 52-yard field goal attempt.
That’s when the NU offense finally broke out of its funk, driving 66 yards in a dozen plays. Genatone did the scoring honors again, this time on a one-yard plunge, and Nebraska had breathing room with a 31-13 lead
Ten minutes still remained, and the Spartans weren’t exactly finished. An impressive 72-yard drive, however, ended with Andrew Marshall’s interception inside the Nebraska 20, which all but sealed the win. A 38-yard pass from Colandrea to Gilmer on third-and-6 erased any lingering doubts.
