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Former Nebraska football defender impresses coach in NFL debut

By Oliver Vandervoort

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 12: Donovan Edwards #7 of the Michigan Wolverines looks for extra yards during a first half run in front of Ochaun Mathis #32 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Michigan Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 12: Donovan Edwards #7 of the Michigan Wolverines looks for extra yards during a first half run in front of Ochaun Mathis #32 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Michigan Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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One former Nebraska football defender finally got on the field for his new NFL team after missing the start of the season with an injury.

Had Ochaun Mathis been a member of a Nebraska football team that was better than 4-8, it’s likely he would have been a bit more of a fan favorite. It’s hard to think of a quieter season where as Husker linebacker record 48 tackles and 3.5 sacks, and then followed that up by getting drafted by and making an NFL team.

That Mathis played his first four seasons with TCU certainly impacted how much Nebraska football fans were able to get to know him. There was a hope that his fifth and final college season was going to be anchoring a Huskers defense that would finally get the Nebraska football team back to a bowl. It didn’t happen.

However, Mathis has now started the next stage of his career, and in his first NFL game, the Los Angeles Rams defender impressed new head coach Zach McVay. He impressed his new coach despite that fact that he saw limited time and didn’t actually record a stat.

“I thought it was good to be able to get his feet wet,” McVay said, according to Rams Wire. “He played a handful of snaps. There were some rush situations where you could see the length and the overall ability. It was obviously a great challenge with Jalen (Hurts) doing such a good job of being able to extend and create some things off schedule.”

Former Nebraska football standout catches coach’s eye

McVay added that considering Mathis started the season on the IL, he believed the rookie took a big step in the right direction.

Mathis played in 10 total snaps for the Rams against the Philadelphia Eagles. While he didn’t record a stat, it’s clear the team sees him as someone who will play more on pass rushing downs. 7 of his 10 snaps were in a pass rush capacity.

While the former Nebraska football defender didn’t get a stat, he did record two quarterback hurries. It seems this past week was a bit of a tryout and he’ll see more action moving forward.

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