“I’m Not Dumb. I Can Tell When They’re Good”: Matt Rhule Expected Nebraska to Perform at This Level Through Week 3

Despite a 104-point scoring differential between Nebraska and its opponents, Matt Rhule knows the Huskers haven't proved squat.

The Big Red's head coach said he wasn't surprised by NU's hot start or its 3-0 record in 2026. Meeting with the media Monday, Rhule discussed the biggest takeaways from Nebraska's undefeated nonconference slate and previewed the Huskers' trip to East Lansing to take on Michigan State.

It was an offseason riddled with doubt for the Big Red in 2026, a stark contrast to previous years, considering Nebraska has grown nationally to be regarded as the “offseason national champions” as of late. Yet Rhule and his staff did little to change the fanbase's minds. Instead, they put their heads down and went to work.

Apparently, so did his team, which added more than 600 pounds of lean muscle mass since NU's last contest on Dec. 31 and currently boasts top-12 units on both sides of the ball through Week 3 of the college football season. Despite the success that has defined the first quarter of the Huskers' 2026 campaign, Rhule said the mood inside the locker room hasn't changed.

“We’ve never had a bad mood,” Rhule said. “I think that’s maybe outside the building. People were asking about the running back room; we felt pretty good about our team, since, probably, January… I’m not that dumb; I can tell when they’re good.”

“We’ve got a quarterback that can make plays,” he continued. “We’ve got dynamic wide receivers. We’ve got a big time offensive line. We’ve got Luke Lindenmeyer, who’s like, if he’s not one of the best tight ends in the country, I don’t know who is… But we haven’t played in the Big Ten yet.”

Pat Fitzgerald, Kenny Soares Jr. and the Spartans get fired up before the game against Eastern Michigan. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

That changes Saturday afternoon, when the Huskers take on Michigan State (2-1), which is coming off a 27-10 loss to No. 3 Notre Dame. Led by first-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald, the Spartans will look to make a statement against Rhule's team.

Rhule, however, is well aware of what his team is about to face. When identifying the characteristics of a Fitzgerald-coached team, he didn't hold back in giving the Spartans praise.

“They’re going to be committed to winning the physical battle,” Rhule said. “His guys are going to execute at a really high level. They’re going to win the turnover battle; they’re not going to have penalties. I mean, they have half as many penalties, through three games, as we do. They’re going to run the football… They’re going to have a powerful offensive line. They’re going to play great special teams… It’s a really good formula.”

Matt Rhule, Kwazi Gilmer, and Jacory Barney Jr. stand with teammates during the Nebraska Hall of Fame induction ceremony. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, through three weeks of play, NU seems to have found a successful formula of its own: get old, stay old. The Cornhuskers are one of the most experienced teams in college football this fall, and that has shown in the box score.

Even so, Nebraska has also seen valuable contributions from its underclassmen.

“The benefit of having an experienced team is, they’re usually more confident,” he said. “Because they’ve been through a lot. They’ve been through getting beat on a rep, they’ve been through winning a rep. I don’t think there’s any doubt that older, more mature teams, typically, win.”

“As the paradigm has changed in college sports, we’ve tried to adapt to it as best we can with the resources given,” he continued. “But to me, I’ll play the best player. I’m excited about Dawson Merritt, I’m excited about Jamal Rule… But I think for us, we wanted to have some guys that we could see on tape, you know, they’ve played… Find a quarterback that we felt like was a veteran, who had played a ton, I think that was probably as important as anything in all of this.”

Anthony Colandrea passes against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

UNLV transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea has been operating at an elite level through the first three games of his senior year. However, it's been the Husker ball carriers who have arguably been the stars of the show.

Rhule knows that too. Even so, he understands that while the offense around them is largely experienced and proven, NU's running back room cannot say the same. For the Huskers' young ball carriers, it's about building off each performance every week.

“I think, for Jamal, it’s just stacking weeks,” Rhule said. “We’ve been very intentional about not over-running him early. The unique thing about Jamal is, he has great running back instincts, and he’s got great burst… Every week is just learning from what he did the week before.”

“Most freshman running backs are kind of like ball carrying specialists,” he continued. “You put them in, they run the football, and they come out. Jamal’s been able to go in on third down and know where to go, then also win physically. Then also, Isaiah and Mekhi, they’ve had a ton of explosive plays as well and great runs. We don’t have to overuse anybody.”

Carter Nelson celebrates after a touchdown against the Bowling Green Falcons. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The same can be said, largely, about any position group on Nebraska's roster. Against North Dakota on Sept. 19, NU played 45 players on offense and 36 on defense in a 27-point win. Still, injuries have occurred despite the Big Red largely managing to stay relatively unscathed through the first three weeks.

Most notably, junior tight end Carter Nelson suffered an injury against the Fighting Hawks. Rhule said he knows the nature of the injury but didn't offer a timeline for recovery.

“He’s out for this week,” said Rhule. “How long it will be, we’ll have to wait to see… He hurt his knee, but it’s not an ACL or anything; I don’t know how long. I just don’t want to put that pressure on him.”

As the Huskers prepare to travel to East Lansing for their fourth contest of the 2026 season, they'll have to do so without one of the most highly touted recruits on their roster.

Still, NU enters the matchup as the favorite to win. According to ESPN's matchup predictor, Nebraska has a 71.5% chance of leaving Spartan Stadium 4-0. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. CDT.

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