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Nebraska Football Beats Michigan State 31-13: The Stat Scorecard, the Pass Rush, and Why I’m Not Predicting Anything

Nebraska opened its conference schedule with a 31-13 victory over Michigan State on the road, improving its overall record to 4-0. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea completed 15 of 27 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, including a 13-yard scoring strike to Vincent Genatone just before halftime to build a 24-10 lead.

Colandrea also rushed 10 times for 66 yards to lead the team on the ground, while Mekhi Nelson stepped into a heavier rushing role in place of the injured Jamal Rule as the offense totaled 157 rushing yards.

Despite the comfortable win, the offense fell slightly short of several performance benchmarks set by the tracking staff, including missing its targets in total points, yards per play, yards per pass attempt, explosive plays, and red zone touchdown rate. The unit did succeed in avoiding sacks and converting 46.2 percent of its third downs.

Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi's pass rush created pressure at times, prompting cautions about relying too heavily on the quarterback as the primary runner moving forward in conference play.

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