Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI<\/a>, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube<\/a>, and visiting HuskerMax.com<\/a> daily.<\/p>\n
The Huskers took care of North Dakota in fine fashion Saturday night in Lincoln, winning 34-7.\u00a0\u00a0 As Matt Rhule said during the week before the game, North Dakota was going to be Nebraska\u2019s toughest opponent in the non-conference schedule.<\/p>\n
Some fans weren\u2019t buying it.\u00a0 How could an FCS-level opponent be more of a challenge than the previous two MAC teams the Huskers faced this month?<\/p>\n
After all, weren\u2019t the Hawks allowing over 23 points per game on defense?\u00a0 The Huskers were going to easily lay at least 40 or 50 points on them, right?<\/p>\n
Well, no.\u00a0 Matt Rhule was right.\u00a0 The Hawks did put up a good fight.\u00a0 But Nebraska took control of the game early and was never seriously threatened.<\/p>\n
Jamal Rule ran, Anthony Colandrea passed (and ran), the Husker O-line blocked, the receivers caught passes and the Husker defense recorded five sacks.<\/p>\n
Nebraska looks like a team that\u2019s getting better each week.<\/p>\n
And remember, Rhule hired a few new coaches in the offseason, including O-line coach Geep Wade, running game coordinator Lonnie Teasley, D-line coach Corey Brown, edges coach Roy Manning, defensive coordinator Rob Aurich and safeties coach Tyler Yelk. Brett Maher was promoted to special teams coordinator.<\/p>\n
All those new faces had to blend together and be able to coach as one unit this fall.<\/p>\n
Rob Aurich brought with him from San Diego State a 4-3-5 defensive scheme.\u00a0 The Husker defense had to learn it in the offseason and be able to implement it this fall.<\/p>\n
And did I mention there is a new quarterback and a new starting running back who also had to find their way?<\/p>\n
Considering all the offseason changes, Nebraska needed to have a less challenging non-conference schedule this fall.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
And they got one.\u00a0 A game with the Tennessee Volunteers was replaced with a home game with Bowling Green University.<\/p>\n
So the Huskers stand at 3-0 through the first quarter of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
This Saturday, the \u201creal\u201d Husker schedule begins.\u00a0 Each week will be a battle, with many games going down to the wire.<\/p>\n
The next three games (Michigan State, Maryland and defending national champion Indiana) should tell us more about just how good Nebraska is.<\/p>\n
Hang on to your hat, everybody,\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be a bumpy ride.<\/p>\n
So should Husker fans at least sip the Kool Aid?\u00a0 <\/p>\n
The Huskers seem to be more talented and deeper at every position this year.\u00a0 Clearly, this is Matt Rhule\u2019s most talented team he\u2019s had in his four seasons at Nebraska.<\/p>\n
This team is fun to watch on both offense and defense.\u00a0 If the Husker special teams can stop beating themselves, they are going to be explosive.<\/p>\n
So go ahead and sip the Kool Aid.\u00a0 It tastes great in September.<\/p>\n
Details and more stories on the game page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI<\/a>, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube<\/a>, and visiting HuskerMax.com<\/a> daily.<\/p>\n
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