Ohio opened its 2026 season with a loss on the road against Nebraska, Saturday afternoon. The game left plenty to be desired for the Bobcats, but the first play from scrimmage should inspire optimism for fans in Athens.
Nick Poulos, a graduate student and quarterback, dropped back and found Riley Neer, a redshirt sophomore and wide receiver, across the middle of the field. Neer caught the ball and turned it upfield, evading Cornhusker defenders until being dragged down inside Nebraska’s 10-yard line.
Neer caught the opening score of Ohio’s season two plays later to cap off a drive John Hauser, first-year Ohio head coach, and his staff had worked on for months.
“The offensive staff saw the look they wanted, and Riley (Neer) did a great job running the route,” Hauser said. “Nick (Poulos) put it on the money, and that was a pretty good way to start the season, getting down there near the five. So I know we tried to get back to it a couple of times, but I think the look and those guys practicing for months now. It was a great execution by those guys.”
Poulos played with a ton of poise for a player with minimal opportunities to start at the collegiate level. Players overthinking at the line of scrimmage and making unforced errors is common, but Poulos knew it all would come down to that first snap, regardless of the outcome.
“It's nice to see the first play at work … most ballplayers would probably tell you, after the first snap you're good,” Poulos said. “There are no more butterflies and whatever led up to the game. You know, it's better when it works, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's that much of a difference versus just catching the first snap, handing the ball off, or completing the first pass.”
After the first drive, Neer remained Poulo’s main target throughout the day, tallying 6 receptions for 104 yards and the touchdown. Similar to Poulos, Neer had not seen many first-team reps, but as backups together in 2025, chemistry began to build throughout the last year of practice, and it was on full display Saturday in Lincoln.
“Riley (Neer) was a two last year and two and three for a while, so I've gotten a lot of reps with him,” Poulos said. “He's done a great job of understanding the offense. He has a really good feel in the zone, whether to sit down and get his eyes around. He does a great job, and man, when he’s one-on-one, he's someone that I'm very comfortable going to in that situation.”
Ohio is inexperienced, and even though they took a tough loss to start the season, Poulos feels the experience against a high-level opponent will only help the team's progression as it works through the rest of non-conference play and gets better acclimated for Mid-American Conference play to begin in a month.
“Reps can only help you, and not just me,” Poulos said. “There's a lot of guys on offense who really aren't experienced here at Ohio, whether transfers or have been backups. I think it was a great test. There's a lot that I liked, and there are some really small details that I think would have really altered, you know, the amount of yards and points we would put up. Hopefully, you know, this week we get to work and are able to iron out those little details completely.”
Ohio will return home for week two against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. The fans should be in for a treat if Saturday’s game in Lincoln is any indication of what the future of the Bobcats holds behind the combination of Poulos and Neer.
