Vincent Genatone spent the week leading up to the Michigan State game on the Nebraska football scout team. He “played Cam Edwards,” Coach Matt Rhule said following the 31-13 victory.
Cam Edwards is Michigan State’s top running back, by far. But he didn’t play the final 54-plus minutes of the game because of an injury after a 23-yard pass reception in the first quarter.
Edwards was among several Spartans who left the game with injuries. More about that later.
Genatone is the subject for now. Though he played on the scout team, he got an opportunity Saturday and made the most of it. He scored two touchdowns, the first on a 13-yard pass from Anthony Colandrea with 2 seconds remaining in the first half, to cap a 14-play, 74-yard drive. The second was from 1 yard out with 10:05 remaining in the game — the Huskers’ only touchdown in the second half.
Genatone said he had “just been praying a long time for this.” Scoring the touchdown “was just an amazing feeling,” he said. He “just took the opportunity that was given to me.”
He was also quick to credit running backs coach E.J. Barthel, as well as his teammates.
Being on the scout team, he hadn’t run the play in practice. But he had been in the meeting room and paid attention. “Everyone in the room’s got to know what to do,” Genatone said.
Genatone, a fifth-year player — “hard-nosed, blue-collar,” said Rhule — has played on special teams the last two seasons, after transferring from Montana. He’s a walk-on from North Platte, Neb. After his first season at Nebraska, he switched from linebacker to running back. The first carry of his career came last season against Houston Christian. He gained 1 yard.
Genatone’s high school resume included winning the 220-pound state Class A wrestling championship and running 10.5 in the 100-meter dash.
“I was probably more excited for his touchdowns,” said Mekhi Nelson, who carried 15 times for 61 yards and a touchdown early in the second quarter on a 4-yard run.
Vince Genatone (30) scores on of his two touchdowns against Michigan State. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Jamal Rule, the starter at running back, carried four times for 4 yards, before watching the rest of the game while limping on the sideline. His absence, no doubt, figured into Genatone’s opportunity.
Colandrea, who also complimented Genatone, was Nebraska’s leading rusher, with 66 yards on 10 carries. He completed 15-of-27 passes for 212 yards and another touchdown, 44 yards to Kwazi Gilmer late in the first quarter, after Michigan State had opened the scoring with a field goal.
As mentioned, Edwards left the game early with an injury. And he wasn’t the only Spartan sidelined by injury during the game. Three cornerbacks, the starting left guard and linebacker Jordan Hall all went to the sideline with injuries. Hall, maybe their best defender, left on the first play of the second half.
Despite the defensive injuries, Michigan State shut down the Huskers in the third quarter, allowing one first down, 25 yards of offense on 13 plays, and no points. The score going into the fourth quarter was 24-10. But Rhule said he “never felt our guys panicked,” they “just kept attacking.”
And the defense maintained the pressure, with a “we got y’all” attitude, according to Husker defensive tackle Jahsear Whittington, among the team captains for the game.
Nebraska had six quarterback sacks, including two by defensive end Williams Nwaneri and one by nickel back Donovan Jones, forcing a fumble he also recovered.
Linebacker Owen Chambliss was the Huskers’ leading tackler with eight, and he also picked off a pass.
Offensively, the “early struggle in the second half, we gotta clean that up,” Colandrea said.
Credit Michigan State for some of the problems. Rhule praised the Spartans. He didn’t “want to minimize who we won against,” he said. “We faced a good team on the road.”
He also said he wasn’t looking ahead to Nebraska’s next opponent at home, Maryland.
For the record, the Terrapins lost at home to UCLA 54-3 Saturday.
The Huskers could go “all-in” with players down the depth chart again, like Genatone.
