Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule is keeping his guard up ahead of Saturday night’s game against FCS program North Dakota in Lincoln, Neb.
When asked this week about the Big Ten opener against Michigan State on Sept. 26, Rhule turned the conversation back to Saturday’s opponent for the Cornhuskers (2-0). He knows the Fighting Hawks are a formidable foe, one that reached the second round of the playoffs last year.
North Dakota (3-0) ranks sixth in the FCS Coaches Poll, off to its best start since 2020. The Fighting Hawks won their first four games in that campaign en route to capturing the Missouri Valley Football Conference title.
High-octane North Dakota has erupted for 151 points this season with quarterback Jerry Kaminski at the controls.
“The offensive line is probably one of the best, well-coached offensive lines I’ve seen,” Rhule said. “They’ve got good players, and they play really well together. The quarterback, Kaminski, makes the whole thing go. They’ve got wideouts who can get open.”
Kaminski has completed 77.2% of his passes for 801 yards and 11 touchdowns, with three scoring strikes coming in a 47-23 win over Portland State last Saturday.
Korey Tai has four touchdowns to lead the receiving corps, while four running backs essentially have shouldered the load in the ground game.
North Dakota’s Charles Langama was named the MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second consecutive week on Monday. He produced 284 all-purpose yards against Portland State, highlighted by a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea has done well in his own right, completing 38 of 56 passes for 497 yards with seven touchdowns.
Last year’s Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year at UNLV, Colandrea threw for a career-high four touchdowns — all in the first half — in a 56-7 rout of Bowling Green last Saturday. Two days later, he was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
“I think their quarterback … a veteran guy, has really done a good job with their offense,” North Dakota coach Eric Schmidt said of Colandrea. “Taking care of the football, they’re running it, they’re throwing it. They’re making plays with his arm and his feet.”
