Nebraska Football
Postgame Quotes vs. Ohio
Sept. 5, 2026 (Lincoln, Neb.)
Nebraska 49, Ohio 21

Opening Statement
“I appreciate everyone being here. I am proud of our guys and especially the way they played in the second half and came back. Like I told our team all week, that's a proud football program. It was 13-7 or 13-6 against Ohio State last year and a close game against Rutgers so I just have a lot of respect for Ohio and the way that they play. I think their quarterback was a flat dude, but you watch him against Kentucky and Ohio State and you can see a semblance of what he did. I am proud of the guys for getting a win and responding the way that they did and finishing the way that they did. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank the people that came out to that game, probably tougher than me. If I could have coached that game from my couch I might have; it was really really hot. That’s what makes Nebraska so special. We really appreciate coming out in the second half and seeing the people still being there. It is absolutely amazing that people love their Huskers that much and care so much for them. It was really cool to see Coach (Frank) Solich and to see Lavonte (David) and congratulations to all of the Hall of Fame recipients, but I was able to see those two guys on the field. Obviously we are happy with the win, but there are a lot of things we need to clean up. It’s not good enough from start to finish. I think we gave up 170 yards on the first three drives and then gave up 130 yards for the rest of the game. We have to be a little bit more dialed in and we are not going to make those excuses. At the end of the day you can’t give up a 75 yard play on the first play; a kid had a missed assignment. It is what it is, but we’ll correct that. Offensively we just beat ourselves a lot in the first half with penalties, a touchdown called off the board for a block behind it, catch a kickoff return and take it to the 20. A lot of things that aren’t our training and we need to trust our training more. That was really the challenge at half time. Everything we said, the way that they would play, we had it dead right. We knew how they would play and it’s a really good system that they have. We have to have more poise early on. What I did like was that the three backs combined for 330 yards of all purpose yards. They found a way to make explosive plays. I think our last 21 carries equated to 204 yards. Coach (John) Hauser, a really good man, talked to me after and said you guys just wore us down. We knew this would be a war of attrition. We didn’t need not to be challenged. This team needs challenges and they need to learn how to handle challenges. That was a challenge, they were a challenge, the heat was a challenge. A lot of guys played on defense, but moving forward we’ll have to make a step coming out of this game. We always believe that our best improvements come between game one and game two, but I do like the grit of the team to hang in there and the way that they finished the game.”

On Anthony (Colandrea) locking in the second half  
“I think the thing is the running game in the first half, wasn't like we weren't running it well. They were getting our ankles. Our first play was a 25-yard carry. The penalties get you so off track. I think we were 5-for-14 on first down efficiency. Our first down efficiency we use an advanced metric, a lot of people say four yards, we believe it's five. When we were good on first down we moved the football. When you have two false starts in a row, it kills the drive. We protected the ball. I don't think it was Anthony (Colandrea). We had a protection error that left the defensive end on the tight end, that was the one sack. The tight end isn't expecting to have a defensive end in his face. I thought there were a couple of times where we just threw and caught a little better. But also that backed up corner route, talk about big plays in the ball game. That was a big play in the game. That was a big play while the game was still back and fourth. It was good, these kids have all played different places. At halftime, just a very calm message of lets just go back to doing what we do. When you guys did it we scored, when we did it they didn't score. That's the message.”

On challenging the running back room
“He (Jamal Rule) was going to be the short yards goal line back, and I said something to Dana (Holgorsen), I was like, I bet you his first play is going to be on short yards for a touchdown, and it was. I like the explosive nature, I like the way he carried the football. I challenged the guys at halftime, too many tackles, we should take it to the house, and then all of a sudden, you follow it up with, he has a long run, Mekhi (Nelson) has a long run. I like those things, you know, we’re up by 14. He takes one 40 or 50, and as I said to him, there are eight minutes left but it’s kind of four minute mode, like we don’t want to run out of bounds. There’s a lot of football to continue to teach, I’ve been asked that question a lot, but it’s the first game. It’s not the Big Ten, but I like the backs. It’s a good start for them, and now we’ll just have to build off it with them. Just keep chipping away, but Jamal (Rule) had a great start for a freshman.” 

On running back room being more established
“I was never concerned with it, that was kind of an outside narrative. It’s a good first step for them. They’re young, they’re talented. It was a good defense, that defense doesn’t usually run the football against them. When the plays weren’t there, it wasn’t them. You think about (Isaiah) Mozee starting the game off with that pin and pull down the right side, making somebody miss. He doesn't maybe have as many yards or touches as other guys do, but they all made explosive plays, which I think is really important. Luke made explosive plays, (Luke) Lindenmeyer, catching the ball. Those things are vital in this type of game.”

On (Anthony) Colandrea and big moments
“You know, they blitzed us a lot, so we kept the back end a little, so those checkdowns weren’t always there. There were some moments like there were a couple hitches, let’s just put it on him and catch the football. But he looked composed, he made the right checks, he’s just got to play. I’m not a run the score up type of guy, but we need to execute in the red zone. That was our achilles heel last year, right. We’re going to run plays down in the red zone. We got the ball to Jacory (Barney), got the ball for a touchdown. He needs as many plays in our system as possible, but I love the way he handles things, the way he competes, the way he takes stuff. You know, we ran a couple quarterback draws. I think we just have started to scratch the surface with what we think Anthony (Colandrea) can do.”