// This is the single game page 2026 Ohio at Nebraska football - HuskerMax game page

Nebraska 49
Ohio 21

Sep. 5, 2026 • 11 a.m. Central
Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE • FS1
1st 2nd 3rd 4th  F 
Ohio 10 3 0 8 21
Nebraska 7 7 14 21 49
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
First quarter
 OHIO: Neer 4 pass from Poulus (Hryszko kick) 13:49
 NEBR: Rule 1 run (Cunanan kick) 8:19
 OHIO: Hryszko 42 field goal, 3:16
Second quarter
 OHIO: Hryszko 45 field goal, 10:38
 NEBR: Rule 24 pass from Colandrea (Cunanan kick) 8:13
Third quarter
 NEBR: Colandrea 13 run (Cunanan kick) 4:41
 NEBR: M.Nelson 29 run (Cunanan kick) 1:17
Fourth quarter
 OHIO: Poulous 1 run (Poulus pass to Dorwart) 12:05
 NEBR: M.Nelson 51 pass from Colandrea (Cunanan kick) 9:10
 NEBR: Rule 11 run (Cunanan kick) 5:57
 NEBR: Gilmer 9 pass from Colandrea (Cunanan kick) 1:53

                       OHIO       NEBR
FIRST DOWNS ............ 17         28
  By Rushing ............ 9         13
  By Passing ............ 7         13
  By Penalty ............ 1          2
RUSHES-Yds ......... 33-139     42-248
PASSING-Yds ........... 164        275
  Comp-Att-Int .... 14-32-1    18-32-0
TOTAL OFFENSE ...... 65-303     74-523
Punt Returns-Yds ...... 0-0        1-9
KO Returns-Yds ....... 1-23        1-8
Int. Returns-Yds ...... 0-0       1-35
Punts-Avg. ......... 4-45.2     3-40.0
Fumbles-Lost .......... 1-0        1-0
Penalized-Yds ........ 2-30       9-65
Possession Time ..... 29:21      30:39
Third-Down Conv. ..... 6-15       9-15
Fourth-Down Conv. ..... 1-1        1-2
RED ZONE .............. 2-2        4-4
  Touchdowns ............ 2          4
  Field Goals ........... 0          0

RUSHING
  OHIO: Poulos 10-70; Brune 9-32; Brown 2-10; Bowman 2-9; Rosa 5-7; Taylor 2-6; Vezza 3-5.
  NEBR: Rule 15-122; M.Nelson 10-64; Mozee 6-31; Colandrea 10-23; Barney 1-8.
PASSING
  OHIO: Poulos 14-31-0, 164; Vezza 0-1-1 0.
  NEBR: Colandrea 18-32-0 275.
RECEIVING
  OHIO: Neer 6-104; Dorwart 2-21; Miller 2-18; Pugh 2-8; Rosa 1-5; Metzger 1-0.
  NEBR: Barney 5-60; Gilber 5-58; M.Nelson 2-65; Rule 2-47; Lindenmeyer 2-22; Hunter 1-17; Clark 1-6.

Attendance: 85,577

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Second-half surge tames the Bobcats

Someone forgot to tell Ohio this was paycheck game.

The Bobcats gave the Huskers all they could handle for more than 30 minutes on a toasty Saturday in Memorial Stadium. Eventually, the Huskers took control, thanks to big moments from Jamal Rule, Anthony Colandrea and Mekhi Nelson and a defense that finally seemed to figure things out.

True freshman Rule had a sparkling debut with three touchdowns, 122 rushing yards and 47 yards receiving. Nelson had 64 yards on the ground and 65 yards on receptions. Colandrea passed for 275 yards and three scores, but perhaps his most memorable play was a gutsy 13-yard keeper for a third-quarter touchdown.

Click below for a recap of how it all played out as Nebraska opened the 2026 season with a 49-21 win.

1st half

The game’s very first snap served notice that the Bobcats would be no pushover. A 68-yard pass down the middle set up a TD that put Ohio up 7-0 with scarcely a minute gone. The Huskers responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive to tie it up, but the visitors’ next two possessions resulted in field goals and a 13-7 Ohio lead. Quarterback Nick Poulus’ running was giving the Husker defense trouble.

Five minutes into the second quarter, Kwazi Gilmer’s acrobatic catch for 21 yards got the Huskers out of a hole inside their own 10. Jamal Rule and Anthony Colandrea then got cooking, first on a 23-yard completion and then a 24-yard catch and run down the right sideline for a touchdown.

Now with their first lead, 14-13, the Huskers were looking for more and almost got it late in the first half. However, a 57-yard touchdown catch by Nyziah Hunter was negated by penalty, one of a slew of first-half Husker miscues. The half ended with a Hail Mary pass by Ohio that overshot the end zone.

2nd half

The third quarter began ominously for the Huskers, who received the kickoff and went 21 yards in reverse in three plays. On the ensuing punt, Ohio got the ball at midfield and drove inside the NU 30. The Bobcats’ 44-yard field goal try sailed wide right, and that seemed to serve as the home team’s cue to seize the momentum.

Starting from their own 27, the Huskers began clicking with Jacory Barney’s catch and run for 16 yards. Four carries by Rule netted 40 yards, including a 13-yarder on fourth-and-1. Colandrea finished things off with a 13-yard keeper, dodging tacklers around the left side and crashing into the end zone. With just under five minutes left in the quarter, the Huskers led 21-13.

After an Ohio three-and-out, Nebraska’s offense picked up where it had left off. Mekhi Nelson’s 29-yard touchdown jaunt down the right sideline capped an eight-play, 69-yard drive that extended the lead to 28-13.

Ohio wasn’t quite finished. The Bobcats marched 70 yards in 10 plays, then converted the two-pointer despite a bobbled snap. It was now a 28-21 game with 12 minutes left.

The gap didn’t stay at one score for long. Six plays later, Mekhi Nelson took a short pass over the middle, somehow eluded a pack of Ohio defenders and raced into the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown and a 35-21 Nebraska advantage with nine minutes left.

Ohio’s ensuing possession was a quick three-and-out, thanks to back-to-back pass breakups by cornerback Victor Evans III. After taking over on its own 30 with 8½ minutes left, Nebraska made it look easy. Jamal Rule got it started with a 39-yard rush and wrapped things up three plays later with an 11-yard TD run. Six minutes remained, and the Huskers were up 42-21.

Rex Guthrie’s interception of a deflected pass ended any remaining doubts about the outcome. Three plays after the Huskers took over at Ohio’s 17, Colandrea found Kwazi Gilmer alone in the end zone for the score that made it a 49-21 final.

Frank Solich, former head coach at both Nebraska and Ohio, is honored at the game. | Nebraska Athletics

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Commentary

Stryker

At least on the season’s opening weekend, Geep Wade’s move from Georgia Tech to Nebraska made a big difference.

Tad Stryker
HuskerMax/On SI
Feit

Rule stole the show, but don’t sleep on Nelson’s impressive day.

Dave Feit
HuskerMax/On SI
Christopherson

The fourth-quarter finish kept it from being a day when the takes matched the sizzling weather. A cool freshman sure helped.

Brian Christopherson
Husker247
Shatel

I hope ‘Run The Damn Ball’ guy didn’t head for the parking lot at halftime. He missed the show.

Tom Shatel *
Omaha World-Herald
Just

Nothing is ever perfect in season openers, but the sloppiness Nebraska showed at points on Saturday was notable.

Amy Just *
Lincoln Journal Star
Berry

I’ve seen enough. True freshman running back Jamal Rule is the top guy.

Alex Berry
Daily Nebraskan
Sherman

There were too many new pieces on Saturday for the Huskers to look smooth

Mitch Sherman *
The Athletic
Johnston

Owen Chambliss being unavailable disrupted things. After three straight scoring drives, though, the defense calmed down and did its job.

Jon Johnston
Corn Nation
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