LINCOLN, Neb. — The time to talk is over. For Nebraska football this offseason, it never really began.From the inside, chatter since the Huskers last played on New Year’s Eve was reduced to a minimum. A subdued month of August brought Matt Rhule’s team to this week and the 2026 opener, Saturday at Memorial Stadium against perennial MAC contender Ohio.Nebraska’s depth chart has four starting positions unsettled. The start of Week 1 did not include an unveiling of the single-digit jersey recipients — selected by their teammates for traits of toughness and leadership.“We’ll see it on Saturday,” Rhule said of the jersey numbers.Rhule is 19-19 at Nebraska in three years and after a stumble to the finish in 2025, he is ready to turn the final page on the chapter that comes before this season.Here are five thoughts after his first game-week news conference on Monday.Can Nebraska compete with the top teams in the country?Mitch ShermanRhule feels strongly about his QBIt didn’t sound like coachspeak. Senior Anthony Colandrea has won over Rhule since arriving in January as a transfer from UNLV.Colandrea threw for 7,542 yards and 49 touchdowns in three seasons — one with the Rebels and two at Virginia. The lone knock on his game? He takes too many risks: Colandrea has thrown 29 interceptions in 33 games.Rhule is not concerned.“Anthony has earned my respect and trust,” the coach said. “He’s a lion. He’s a winner. He wants to win every play. And I love it. It’s exactly what … it’s supposed to look like — a fiery quarterback who plays with passion on his sleeve and who backs it up.”The Baker Mayfield comparisonColandrea, in his lone August meeting with the media early in camp, said he modeled his style of play after Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel, a pair of Heisman Trophy winners at Oklahoma and Texas A&M, respectively.Colandrea is a gunslinger and he likes to run. Asked about Mayfield, a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rhule doubled down on the comp.Mayfield played for Rhule with the Carolina Panthers in 2022 before the coach was fired five weeks into the season. Mayfield still showed love to Rhule and his family.“The guy is the ultimate competitor,” Rhule said of Mayfield. “He’s one of the guys. He’s brash but not cocky. He just wears his emotion on his sleeve. His teammates love him.”Mayfield plays with a chip without forcing others to carry it, according to Rhule.“That’s who Anthony is,” Rhule said. He’s not going to back down from anything.”And Nebraska will position him to succeed, Rhule said.“Anthony Colandrea is free to go play,” the coach added. “He’s put the time in. Something bad happens? We’ll laugh it off and go play the next play.“We’re going to let our quarterbacks let it rip.”Quarterback Anthony Colandrea, seen playing last year for UNLV, has modeled his game after Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel. (Tim Heitman / Getty Images)A callout to fansRhule didn’t hold back in calling for Memorial Stadium to get more hostile. The place can provide one of the best home-field advantages in all of football.“When we’re at our best in that stadium, you can’t even hear a play call in the headset,” he said.But on Saturdays when a Group of Five or FCS opponent visits — as will happen each of the next three weeks — the stadium is known to lose some of its juice. It’s common at Power 4 venues, but Rhule wants Nebraska to be different.“This should be the hardest place to play in college football,” he said.Of course, the Huskers must play a role in energizing the stadium for games against non-marquee opponents.Nebraska’s 410-game sellout streak (an NCAA record) appears safe this month, though thousands of tickets remained unsold a few weeks ago for each of seven home games in 2026 — including Indiana in October and Ohio State in November.Frank Solich will loom large on SaturdayFrank Solich played as an undersized fullback for legendary coach Bob Devaney at Nebraska in the 1960s. Solich then served as an assistant coach for 20 years before taking over the program from Tom Osborne, and led the Huskers to a 58-19 mark over seven seasons. He was fired after the 2003 season, took one year off and coached Ohio for 16 seasons. He retired in 2021.Rhule, along with then-Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts, brought Solich back to Nebraska for a spring game in 2023. Solich, 81, has since moved to Lincoln to be near his daughter and has attended games and practices to see the Huskers.“Coach has been unbelievable to me,” Rhule said. “He is just a wonderful man and a tremendous example to all of us coaches of always attacking what’s next.”Ohio retains Solich’s “DNA of being a tough football team,” Rhule said. He expects Solich to attend Saturday — and to take a “very neutral” stance.On the numbers, and the depth chartNebraska’s leadership pool is deep. On the subject of single-digit jersey recognition, Rhule said, “there’s more guys than I’ve had in a long time who deserve it.” In fact, he said, Nebraska will likely repeat a couple of single digits on offense and defense. He has not done that in three years with the Huskers.“Our guys who’ve been here have been through a lot,” Rhule said. “Or they’ve been other places and seen a lot.”Players vote on single digits knowing that the jerseys can’t go to offensive linemen, per NCAA rules. Still, center Justin Evans received more mention than any offensive lineman Rhule has coached.Why? “He’s an alpha. And he cares about everyone,” Rhule said. Evans was named to the preseason All-Big Ten first team and as a second-team preseason All-American by The Athletic.As for the depth chart, here are Nebraska’s four undecided positions as of Monday:• Running back, Isaiah Mozee, Mekhi Nelson and Jamal Rule listed as even• Linebacker alongside Owen Chambiss — either Vincent Shavers Jr. or Dexter Foster• Cornerback opposite Andrew Marshall — either Victor Evans II or Jeremiah Charles• Safety alongside Jamir Conn — either Dwayne McDougle III or Rex Guthrie.