A Different Nebraska? Fitzgerald Praises NU's Evolution as Big Ten Play Arrives

Pat Fitzgerald has spent nearly two decades coaching in the Big Ten, long enough to know that a September record doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story about a football team.

So when the first-year Michigan State football coach described Nebraska this week, his most revealing assessment was not that the Cornhuskers were 3-0, or that they had scored 139 points in their first three games, or even that they had entered Big Ten play among the nation's statistical leaders on both sides of the ball.

It was that Nebraska looked different.

“They're completely different in my opinion after watching the tape last year to watching the first three games (this year),” Fitzgerald said. “They're all in sync. They're operating at a very high level. This is as good of a Nebraska team as I've seen in a long time.”

Fitzgerald's assessment is just an opposing coach's assessment after studying three games, and it certainly doesn’t establish what Nebraska will look like once the schedule becomes entirely Big Ten starting Saturday. However, there is enough statistical evidence behind the 3-0 start to explain why Fitzgerald arrived at that conclusion, and enough from Nebraska coach Matt Rhule to show that at least some of the changes Fitzgerald noticed were deliberate rather than accidental.

NU’s entering Big Ten play averaging 46.7 points and more than 520 yards per game, ranking among the nation's leaders in scoring, rushing and total offense. They also surpassed 200 yards both rushing and passing in each of their first three games, the first time Nebraska had done that in three consecutive games in a decade.

What it truly shows is that the production has remained consistent, even if the opponents have been a bit more inferior out of the gate. NU received a tough test from Ohio before steamrolling Bowling Green to the tune of 56-7. In the blowout, the Huskers racked up 546 yards of offense compared to just 169 from Bowling Green. A week later against North Dakota, Nebraska finished with 493 yards, including 277 on the ground.

The Fighting Hawks may not have been expected to upset Nebraska a week ago, but they entered Lincoln ranked No. 6 in the FCS and left with 205 total yards. The Blackshirts produced five sacks, while freshman running back Jamal Rule rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns, which included a 55-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the second half that pushed Nebraska's lead to 24-0.

Those numbers may not prove Fitzgerald's larger conclusion, but they provide evidence for one part of it – Nebraska has looked dominant in the games they’re supposed to.

So far this season, the Huskers have produced 23 offensive plays of at least 20 yards, which is tied for second nationally. Furthermore, the team’s top three running backs have combined for 278 yards from scrimmage per game.

“It's a very impressive offense,” Fitzgerald said of what offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has cooked up in Lincoln. “If you stop this, he'll go to that. If you stop that, he'll go over there. He's in complete control.”

Fitzgerald has known Holgorsen for years, but his assessment was also an explanation for why Michigan State believes Nebraska presents a different problem this season. The Huskers are not relying on one concept, one player or one way of creating offense. Fitzgerald sees an offense capable of moving the ball to different areas and making a defense repeatedly adjust, and it starts under center.

Fitzgerald was emphatic when asked about NU’s Anthony Colandrea, describing the Nebraska quarterback as an “elite-level” player while pointing to his arm strength, athleticism, decision-making and ability to create problems as a runner.

“He's very athletic,” Fitzgerald said. “He's dynamic, to be quite honest with you. He could take it to the house if you're not gap-sound and not rush-lane conscious.”

Colandrea enters East Lansing Saturday having completed 68.8% of his passes for 692 yards and eight touchdowns while adding two rushing touchdowns, but Fitzgerald's praise went beyond the numbers.

“He's a complete dual-threat quarterback,” Fitzgerald said. “He presents problems with his legs, he presents problems with his arm, he puts them in the right plays. They've got weapons everywhere. This is as good of a Nebraska team as I've seen in a long time.”

Rhule has seen the same evolution from inside the program, although his public assessment has remained considerably more measured, mainly because the team hasn’t faced a test like they’ll face against the Spartans Saturday.

“We haven't played in the Big Ten yet, right?” Rhule said. “At Media Days, people asked me what will this team be measured by. I just think it's every week.”

Nebraska's nonconference schedule revealed some of the changes involved in this 2026 edition of the Big Red, but it hasn’t answered every question about the team. Ohio challenged Nebraska with zone-read and option concepts and produced explosive plays early. North Dakota presented another schematic challenge, particularly with its run game, and forced Nebraska's defense to execute its responsibilities consistently.

By the end of the nonconference schedule, Nebraska was allowing just 11.7 points per game. The defense's improvement may be the clearest example of the difference Fitzgerald has noticed. Rhule says that transformation has been a conscious effort to build a defense better suited to the Big Ten.

When he arrived at Nebraska, Rhule admitted the team didn’t have the defensive-line depth he wanted, and it was noticeable when staring across the field at the opposition.

“I love the way Iowa plays defense,” Rhule said. “I love the way Minnesota and Michigan State play defense. Let's get something that's at least close to that.”

New NU defensive coordinator Rob Aurich has his own approach and has continued to evolve the system since arriving in Lincoln, and Fitzgerald has taken notice.

“They're flying around,” Fitzgerald said. “They're creating a ton of havoc. They're really well-coordinated on defense, too, just like on offense. There’s a toughness, there’s a grit, there’s definitely an identity to the way they want to play. They’re very confident; they’re very well-coached.”

The high praise stands out, as obviously it comes from an outside perspective. It’s not evaluating Nebraska from the inside, where optimism is naturally part of the process. He’s evaluating it as the opposing coach preparing a game plan, and his conclusion is that the Nebraska on his film now bears little resemblance to the Nebraska he studied while leading Northwestern.”

For Rhule, the important question is not whether Nebraska looks different in September. It’s whether the players continue to improve when the margin for error becomes smaller, as it will in East Lansing on Saturday.

“Great organizations, they do everything right every day,” Rhule said. “We've done our job for three weeks. It hasn't been perfect.”

The stats have been there, and Nebraska’s shown balance, explosiveness, a productive running game and a defense that has become increasingly difficult to move. Now, it’s time to see if it can stand up to the praise it’s receiving from Fitzgerald.