Nebraska Pulls Away from Ohio for a 49-21 Opener
Ohio led 13-7 in the second quarter, and then Nebraska scored 42 of the next 50 points. That is the whole story of a 49-21 game that was closer than it looks for about half of it.
The Bobcats got the first punch: Nick Poulos found Riley Neer from 4 yards out, and two Will Hryszko field goals (42 and 45 yards) made it 13-7. Jamal Rule's 24-yard catch from Anthony Colandrea at 8:13 of the second quarter gave Nebraska its first lead at 14-13, and it never gave it back. Colandrea added a 13-yard run, Mekhi Nelson broke a 29-yarder, and it was 28-13 entering the fourth. Poulos pulled Ohio to 28-21 with a 1-yard run and a two-point conversion, and Nebraska replied with 21 straight: Nelson from 51 yards, Rule from 11, Kwazi Gilmer from 9.
The yardage backed it up. Nebraska had 523 total yards, 275 passing and 248 rushing on 42 carries, and gave the ball away zero times. Ohio managed 303 and threw an interception. Colandrea was 18 of 32 for 275 yards and three touchdowns, and ran in a fourth.
For fantasy, three Cornhuskers went over 26: Colandrea at 37.3, Rule at 36.9 (122 rushing yards, two rushing scores and a receiving score) and Nelson at 26.9. Nebraska is 1-0, Ohio 0-1.
Ohio did not go quietly in the box score. Poulos was 14 of 31 for 164 yards and a touchdown and ran 10 times for 70 yards and another score, and Riley Neer caught six passes for 104 yards. That adds up to 25.6 and 22.4 fantasy points, which would be a good week on most teams.