Nebraska’s Offense Looks the Part — Now Comes the Real Test

· Yahoo Sports

Three games. Three wins. Plenty of points and, perhaps most importantly, an offense that finally looks like it has multiple ways to hurt a defense.

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Nebraska cruised through its non-conference schedule at 3-0, averaging 46.7 points and more than 520 yards of offense per game. For the first time since 2016, the Huskers have produced at least 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in three consecutive games.

Those numbers are impressive.

Now comes the real test.

Nebraska travels to East Lansing for its Big Ten opener against Michigan State, and this is where we begin to find out just how much of the Huskers’ offensive improvement is real.

The most encouraging part isn’t necessarily Anthony Colandrea throwing touchdown passes or the explosive plays Nebraska has produced through the air.

It is what is happening behind him.

Nebraska can run the football.

And that might be the ingredient that allows Dana Holgorsen to truly open up his offense — both now and for a future that is starting to look increasingly exciting.

The Run Game Changes Everything

Nebraska entered the season with a sizeable question hanging over its backfield.

How do you replace Emmett Johnson?

Three games later, that concern has largely disappeared.

Freshman Jamal Rule has exploded onto the scene with 329 yards and five rushing touchdowns on only 38 carries, an extraordinary 8.7 yards per attempt. He enters the Michigan State game averaging 109.7 rushing yards per game and has already produced touchdown runs of 59 and 55 yards.

Rule isn’t doing it alone.

Mekhi Nelson has 166 yards on the ground while also contributing 106 receiving yards, and Isaiah Mozee has added another 126 rushing yards. Against North Dakota, Nebraska piled up 277 yards on the ground, with Rule leading the way with 119 yards and two touchdowns.

It is becoming increasingly clear that this isn’t simply Rule carrying Nebraska’s running game.

It’s a stable of backs.

And that’s where things get interesting for Holgorsen.

Pick Your Poison

When Nebraska struggled to consistently run the football in previous seasons, defenses could dictate terms.

That’s much harder when Rule is averaging nearly nine yards per carry and has demonstrated that one missed tackle can turn into six points.

Safeties have to respect the run. Linebackers can’t immediately drop into passing lanes. Defensive fronts have to remain disciplined rather than simply pinning their ears back and attacking the quarterback.

Every extra step toward the line of scrimmage creates something Holgorsen loves:

Space.

And Nebraska has receivers capable of exploiting it.

We saw that against Bowling Green. Rule ripped off a 59-yard touchdown on the ground, but Nebraska was simultaneously attacking the Falcons vertically. Jacory Barney Jr. caught touchdown passes of 35 and 32 yards, while Kwazi Gilmer caught two more scores as Colandrea threw four touchdown passes.

That’s the version of Nebraska’s offense that should excite Husker fans.

Load the box to stop Rule, Nelson and Mozee and Holgorsen can attack outside.

Back the safeties up to prevent Barney and the receivers from beating you deep and Nebraska can hand the football to a freshman averaging nearly nine yards per carry.

Pick your poison.

Recruits Are Taking Notice

It isn’t only Nebraska fans noticing what is happening.

The North Dakota game brought another significant recruiting contingent to Lincoln, including three highly regarded 2028 receivers in Malachi Lee, Carter St. Junious and Derrell Hines Jr.

All three got an opportunity to watch Nebraska’s offense firsthand.

For St. Junious and Hines in particular, what they saw appears to have resonated.

St. Junious, a four-star receiver from Manvel, Texas, came away from the visit talking about how closely he watched Nebraska’s receiver room, including how different players were used and whether the offense could put him in position to develop and showcase his ability.

Perhaps even more encouraging was Hines.

The four-star Florida receiver said after the visit that he could envision how his game would fit into Nebraska’s offense. He specifically noticed the physicality of the receivers and the opportunities they were being given to make plays.

That’s important.

Nebraska isn’t merely telling elite receivers that Holgorsen can build an offense around their skill sets.

They’re beginning to see it.

The running game is a huge part of that sales pitch.

Elite receivers obviously want targets, but they also want space. They want favorable coverages. They want safeties worrying about something other than helping over the top.

A dangerous running game can provide exactly that.

And Trae Taylor Is Waiting

Then Nebraska can add another pretty attractive piece to the recruiting pitch.

Trae Taylor.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Nebraska commit has developed into one of the elite quarterback prospects in the country. The current Rivals Industry Ranking has Taylor as a five-star, the No. 14 overall player in the 2027 class and the No. 1 quarterback nationally.

That matters enormously when Nebraska is sitting down with Lee, St. Junious, Hines or any other elite receiver in the 2028 class.

They aren’t simply being sold on what they’re watching Colandrea do today.

Nebraska can point toward who could be throwing them the football tomorrow.

Taylor was actually back in Lincoln for the North Dakota game, meaning the visiting receivers had an opportunity to spend time around Nebraska’s future quarterback. St. Junious spent time with both Taylor and Hines during the visit.

Hines has an even stronger connection. He and Taylor have played on the same 7-on-7 circuit with 24K, and after the North Dakota visit Hines specifically discussed being able to picture himself in Holgorsen’s offense catching passes from Taylor.

That’s about as good a recruiting pitch as Nebraska could hope for.

The Weapons Are Already Coming

The intriguing part is that Nebraska doesn’t have to wait until 2028 to start surrounding Taylor with talent.

Khalil Taylor is already committed.

The four-star Pine-Richland receiver is around 5-foot-11, 190 pounds and brings legitimate speed to the class, having run the 100 meters in 10.83 seconds. He is currently a national top-100 prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking.

He was also back in Lincoln for the North Dakota game alongside Trae Taylor.

Nebraska therefore already has the beginnings of the offensive core it hopes to build around its five-star quarterback.

And then there is Tory Pittman III.

Pittman is generally listed as a safety and is one of the most highly regarded defensive prospects in Nebraska’s 2027 class, but simply calling him a defensive back doesn’t really explain the type of athlete Nebraska is getting.

The 6-foot, roughly 190-pound Pittman is an explosive two-way player for Millard North who has been tearing up Nebraska high school football with the ball in his hands. Through his first three games this season, Pittman had 15 catches for 462 yards and six touchdowns, an incredible 30.8 yards per reception.

He can line up at receiver, carry the ball, return kicks and play at an elite level in the secondary.

Nebraska may ultimately have a decision to make about where Pittman can make the biggest impact at the college level, but his offensive production makes the possibilities fascinating.

Imagine Holgorsen having a player like that to move around.

Receiver. Slot. Backfield. Jet motion. Screens. Return game.

Get the football into his hands and let an elite athlete go to work.

Whether Pittman’s long-term future is primarily on defense or Nebraska finds ways to utilize him offensively, he represents another level of athleticism being added to the roster.

From Recruiting Pitch to Reality

Nebraska suddenly has the makings of a very interesting offensive recruiting pitch.

It has Trae Taylor, an elite quarterback prospect around whom an offense can be built.

It already has a dynamic receiver committed in Khalil Taylor.

It has an extraordinary athlete in Tory Pittman III who could potentially provide another offensive weapon depending on how Nebraska ultimately decides to use him.

And now the Huskers are chasing the next wave.

Lee.

St. Junious.

Hines.

Those players aren’t being asked to commit to a hypothetical offense.

They can watch it developing.

The running game is producing explosive plays. Colandrea is taking care of the football. Holgorsen is finding space for his receivers. And Nebraska has one of the country’s best quarterback prospects waiting in the wings.

Saturday at Michigan State is therefore about more than moving to 4-0.

It’s another piece of evidence.

If Nebraska can establish the run against a Big Ten defense on the road, force Michigan State to commit bodies to stopping it and then punish the Spartans through the air, Holgorsen will have demonstrated that this offense isn’t simply built to overwhelm non-conference opponents in Lincoln.

It can travel.

And when Nebraska next sits down with an elite receiver and explains how he fits into this offense, the coaches won’t have to rely on a projection.

They can turn on the film.

The foundation has been laid.

Now it’s time to show that Nebraska’s offense — and the recruiting vision being built around it — is ready for the Big Ten.

GBR

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