With all the turmoil around the Nebraska football program, the only thing that could make things worse for Matt Rhule and the staff would be a loss to Rutgers on Saturday morning. The good news, in that regard, is that a top Scarlet Knights weapon, KJ Duff, will miss the game and the rest of the season.
On Wednesday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Duff underwent season-ending high-ankle surgery.
Duff finished his eight-game season with 45 catches for 774 yards, a career-high nine touchdowns, and 17.2 yards per catch. Over 33 games in three seasons, Duff had 132 catches, 2,283 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 17.3 yards per catch for the Scarlet Knights. The wide receiver would have been a frightening weapon, especially if Nebraska cornerback Andrew Marshall also has to miss Saturday’s showdown.
Duff went into the season as a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He started the season by living up to that hype, even as his team got off to a horrendous start in 2026.
Nebraska football catches major break as Rutgers star KJ Duff undergoes season-ending surgery
In the Scarlet Knights’ season-opening 37-21 loss to UMass, Duff did everything he could to carry his team, catching 9 passes for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns. He followed that up in a 28-21 loss to Boston College with 8 catches for 137 yards and 2 TDs.
As Duff started to get banged up, his production slipped, but he bounced back with 9 catches for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns in Rutgers’ only Big Ten win, a 37-30 victory over Maryland, the final game of Maryland head coach Mike Locksley’s tenure.
However, last week against Northwestern, Duff had just 3 catches for 33 yards before suffering the injury that has now ended his season.
The Scarlet Knights entered the season with some decent offensive weapons, but Duff is now out, the quarterback situation has been hampered by injuries or ineffective play, and running back Antwan Raymond is also battling several bumps and bruises. It’s clear Saturday’s game is one Nebraska simply cannot afford to lose.
Head coach Matt Rhule seems to understand just how dangerous a loss to Rutgers would be for his career in Lincoln. He fired offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen after another game that many felt was a must-win against Illinois, whose defense has been so bad that the program fired its defensive coordinator earlier in the year.
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Nebraska an 87.2% chance of winning. Not only is that a massive gap between the Huskers and Scarlet Knights, but Rutgers is also the final regular-season game NU is expected to win, according to the same game-prediction software.
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