PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Anthony Colandrea passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to help Nebraska keep its post-season hopes alive with a 31-0 blowout win over Rutgers on Saturday.
The Cornhuskers (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten Conference) started the season 5-0, then dropped four consecutive games, with three of those losses decided by one score. In those losses, Nebraska averaged just 13.5 points per game and failed to score more than 17 points.
“If we had won last week (against Illinois) I’d still feel the same way right now,” said Nebraska coach Matt Rhule. “I love to win, hate to lose, that’s the only people we want in the program.
“Obviously this has been a tough stretch but as I told our players it makes it more of an opportunity to go out there and do something today that we wanna do.”
This was the Cornhuskers first shutout in conference play since 2003 and its first road in-conference shutout since 1997.
Rutgers (2-8, 1-6 Big Ten) has lost 13 of its last 16 Big Ten Conference games. The Scarlet Knights have dropped five of those eight games by at least 16 points and have allowed at least 28 points in nine of 10 games this season.
“I believe in the young players we have and the guys we have returning,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who it was announced earlier in the week will return next season. “A lot of reasons why things happened today. When it rains it pours.”
Colandrea was untouched as he passed for 188 yards and ran for 66 yards. Running back Jamal Rule rushed for 103 yards on 22 carries for Nebraska, which used two methodical drives of 94 and 90 yards to take a 14-0 halftime lead.
The Cornhuskers first scoring drive eclipsed 9:17 of the first quarter when they ran for 74 of the 94-yard drive that culminated in a 15-yard pass from Colandrea to Luke Lindenmeyer.
The takeaway
Nebraska’s switch to new offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas, the quarterbacks coach, proved beneficial. The Cornhuskers used a balanced attack (237 yards rushing, 192 passing) in averaging 6.3 yards a play. It was the most points Nebraska has scored in the past four games. Thomas replaced Dana Holgorsen, who was fired by Rhule after a 24-13 loss to Illinois last week.
“I think it’s just different,” said Colandrea of the new playcalling. “At the end of the day, plays are plays, just run the same plays and I think coach Thomas did a great job with that.”
Rutgers managed just 143 yards of offense with a combination of third-string quarterback Sean Ashenfelder, who was making his first career start, and second-stringer AJ Surace, who played with three broken ribs according to Schiano. The duo filled in for starter Dylan Lonergan, who was out with an injury. It marked the fewest yards for Rutgers since 2023 against Iowa. The Scarlet Knights were without star wide receiver KJ Duff, who had season-ending ankle surgery earlier in the week.
Up next
Nebraska hosts Ohio State next Saturday.
Rutgers is at Penn State next Saturday.
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By EVERETT MERRILL
Associated Press
