How Every Nebraska Player on Offense Against Michigan State Was Graded on PFF

Sometimes it was ugly; sometimes it was really good.

Nebraska (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) totaled 369 yards and 31 points in its Big Ten opener while simultaneously passing its biggest test yet. As Michigan State fell to 2-2 (0-1 Big Ten), the Huskers continued to show their offense had life. However, it’s not without holes either.

In total, 25 players took the field against the Spartans. Here are their final tallies and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. (Go here for defensive notes.)

Strategist

After seeing a significant increase in competition from the previous week, Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea looked arguably as good as he has all year against Michigan State. The senior signal caller totaled 278 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, completing 15 of 27 passes for 212 yards and two scores while adding another 66 yards on the ground.

Notably, he was not sacked against the Spartans on Saturday night, despite blitzing north of 41% of his losses. He also went a perfect 3 of 3 on pass attempts 20+ yards downfield, gaining 107 yards on those plays, including a 44-yard touchdown pass to Kwazi Gilmer.

After four games, Colandrea has yet to be charged with a turnover-worthy play, according to Pro Football Focus. He had two passes caught and two passes by wide receivers. Still, he’s playing at an elite level and will remain in contention to become the highest-rated college quarterback entering Week 5.

Run back

In the absence of Jamal Rule, Mekhi Nelson and Vincent Genatone stepped up to the plate. Together, the two combined for 78 all-purpose yards and three scores on 19 total touches. Genatone had a career day after spending the previous four years primarily filling a special teams role while also earning late-game reps at linebacker for the Big Red.

Regardless, the former Omaha World-Herald Male Athlete of the Year (2022) proved capable of being a game-changer for the Big Red. Largely, his role increased due to an undisclosed injury suffered by freshman running back Jamal Rule. Matt Rhule declined to go into detail about the extent of his injury, but fans should expect to hear more on Wednesday, when NU releases its first Week 5 availability report.

Even though he was out for much of the game, Nebraska still found a way to figure things out on the field. Colandrea’s legs surely helped take some pressure off the inexperienced group, but Dana Holgorsen still clearly trusts them to get the job done.

Wide receiver

UCLA transfer Kwazi Gilmer is now Nebraska’s leading receiver after a 101-yard, touchdown performance Saturday night. Although he looked like a player capable of continuing to make an impact in Big Ten games, East Lansing’s biggest takeaway in the pass-catching group may have been the absence of Jacory Barney Jr. for much of the game.

Barney only played 21 offensive snaps before leaving the contest. As a result, Quinn Clark was asked to take on his role. He caught two passes for 34 yards, and other than that it was a quiet performance, with just 24 yards on three catches from Barney and Nyziah Hunter combined.

Gilmer led the way in overall grade, while Clark earned an impressive 85.8 grade in run blocking. At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, that’s exactly what Nebraska needs from the junior when he’s not playing through the air.

Tight End/Back

Luke Lindenmeyer had his most productive game of 2026 in Nebraska’s 18-point win over the Spartans, catching four of five targets for 25 yards. Most impressive, arguably, was that 19 of those yards came after the catch.

The Huskers would do well to continue using Lindenmeyer in conference. Through the Big Red’s first three games, they seemed determined to find out what they had on the field. Now that they’ve established that, the former honorable mention All-Big Ten selection should start to see his goals increase as the season goes on.

Eric Ingwerson essentially solidified himself as NU’s third option in the room, especially after Carter Nelson was injured against North Dakota. The Papillion, Nebraska native had the highest run-blocking grade of any tight end/fullback in Week 4.

Offensive line

Michigan State had a good defensive game plan during Nebraska’s first two drives, forcing Colandrea and the Huskers to go three-and-out before a defensive call gave the Huskers a free first down. To Holgorsen’s credit, he recognized the pressure the Spartans were prepared to apply and composed a 44-yard touchdown pass from Colandrea to Gilmer, forcing MSU to respect the Big Red’s ability to beat them over the top.

Even with the Spartans’ early success, NU’s protection unit did well enough to keep Colandrea from being sacked for the duration of the contest. However, that probably had as much to do with the quarterback’s legs as it did with the offensive line winning one-on-ones on passes.

NU’s offensive line was charged with four penalties against Michigan State. Against more talented teams, this would kill drives and reduce the Huskers’ chances of coming away with a win. This will need to be cleaned up in the future, but the unit has ultimately performed better than expected so far in 2026.

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