Husker/Hawkeye Pregame Report and Prediction

Ok. I accept that win against Wisconsin. I bet you did too. And I bet you weren’t thinking, “man, I bet Nebraska puts up 44 against the Badgers!”

What the hell did we just see? The offense, that felt like it was stuck in mud for about 6 weeks, trotted themselves out there like a filly headed to the best track she could find and raced back and forth across the green pasture with the glee of a three-year-old kid eating their own bowl of ice cream.

It was amazing. All that pent up anger, all that pent up frustration, poured over Wisconsin like the gravy that they cover their cheese curds in.

The offensive line was fantastic and the play calling was a well-orchestrated symphony.

Alright, enough with the hyperbole, what really happened?

For one, Nebraska was able to get out in front, which made the play calling easier, because it was less predictable. Second, Nebraska ran the football like it hadn’t ran in conference play. They made the line of scrimmage their own personal space, and then the outside blockers, including the tight ends blew up any extra blitzers or linebackers trying to hit run fits. It was a thing of beauty.  

On top of that, Dylan Raiola looked like he did the first five weeks of the season. A future first round draft pick. All of the bad mojo and anguish of a team that was out of bullets on offense fell to wayside. It seems like a small miracle. And yet, when Dana Holgersen arrived, it put an immense amount of confidence in the offense and has allowed players to flourish.

We probably won’t ever be able to put our finger on it all as fans, but it was clearly the best situation imaginable for Husker Nation. It was a season that seemed all but lost two weeks ago and now it seems as if the sky is the limit. Granted, nothing is completely solved and this week against Iowa could still be a heartbreaking affair, but for a week, all things seemed possible for Nebraska. And for Husker fans that realize that this episode with Dylan Raiola may be fleeting, it at least let you dream that the next couple of years could be magic.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 17, Wisconsin 16. The actual score was Nebraska 44, Wisconsin 25. In some ways Wisconsin did what Nebraska has done so many times before, making an untimely mistake. Giving up a touchdown to the Huskers right before half wasn’t great, but to compound that with a fumble that allowed Nebraska to kick another field goal at the end of the half and really push the lead had to be frustrating for the Badgers. Nebraska finished with points on almost every possession in the middle two quarters and Wisconsin couldn’t recover. It was the best offensive output in the Matt Rhule era.

Quick Notes:

Emmett Johnson…It’s hard not to start with Johnson who had a career game against Wisconsin. Johnson ran with fire, becoming the first running back of the season to go over 100 yards rushing, but he also complemented that with 85 yards receiving. Johnson couldn’t find the end zone in this game, other than that, he played almost perfect. Johnson is playing not only for this season, but to be a feature back next season as well.  

Jacorey Barney Jr.…Barney was the Big Ten offensive freshman of the week in the Big Ten. Barney set the tone in the game with a huge kickoff return at the start. He broke the receiving record for a true freshman as well at Nebraska. Barney has been unleashed, and to me has followed the prediction of Bobby Newcombe almost to a tee. Barney takes some unbelievable shots as well, making very difficult catches look routine. Teams make a big effort to pop him, and he just absorbs that and fights on. The future is bright at wide receiver in Nebraska.  

Nate Boerkircher.…Boerkircher played more snaps against Wisconsin than he had all season. He took advantage of it. Boerkircher has always been a very solid back up at tight end, but this game in a more prominent role, he responded with two big catches, but also with some huge blocks on the perimeter. Putting tight ends in motion, including Luke Lindenmeyer, brought a bit of uncertainty to the Husker plays because it wasn’t apparent if it was a run or pass. The tight ends made a big difference in the offense.

Dylan Raiola…When you put up 44 points against Wisconsin and secure a bowl game for the first time in 8 seasons as a true freshman quarterback, it’s hard not to understate the impact of Raiola’s play this season. He has had some “freshman” moments for sure, but he also has played at a level that no other passing quarterback in my lifetime has done at Nebraska. Raiola was close to a 300-yard passing game, but not only that, he looked in total control on each play. Raiola guaranteed a Nebraska bowl game prior to last week and he delivered. Hard to quantify his play in the overall resurgence of the Husker offense, but his ability to throw the football is one of the best in the country.

Black Friday At Bleed Husker Red Tees!

Score Prediction: Nebraska 27, Iowa 20

I said it last week, but it really felt like Nebraska was either going 2-0 the last two weeks or 0-2. I still believe Nebraska will win this game. The offense won’t put up 44 on Iowa, but they have shown that they have a resiliency, and the play calling has been masterful. That’s not to say that Iowa won’t be primed to keep their foot on Nebraska’s neck again this year. It will be cold, and I expect a special team’s disaster on a punt for the Huskers, but Nebraska’s ability to bounce back has shown this team has the fight to absorb adversity and drive on. Iowa has a lot of injuries on offense, hopefully the Blackshirts show up and win this game on their own, GBR!!!

Badger Cheese

Dan Holgersen showed up in Lincoln about three weeks ago, but this week we finally got to hear from him in person.

And did we hear a lot!

Holgersen started calling out players for poor performance based on what he had watched on film.  Wide receivers not blocking and running backs not hitting an open hole against USC were a couple of items he mentioned.  He basically said the wideouts were blocking like “crap” in their previous games.

It made a lot of Husker fans happy to hear, because to be quite honest, most Husker obsessed fans were saying the same things.  It felt a lot like therapy to hear him talk about effort and the fact that he expects more.

It became even more obvious that a lot of the offensive players at skill positions simply had tuned out the other offensive coaches.  Who knows why, but it was disheartening to hear that either, A: Nebraska wasn’t playing as hard as they could, or B: They weren’t being coached well enough to understand what maximum effort is.

Matt Rhule has said all along that the standard is the standard.  To me, that means that he expects that standard to be high and those that don’t meet that standard won’t be playing.  Of course, after the last four losses, fans could tell that the standard wasn’t being met.  And for whatever reason nothing was changing.  

For the first time, it’s been hard to trust that Coach Rhule understood what that means to Husker fans.

Nebraska fans, for the most part, truly understand what it’s like to watch great football.  When they keep hearing that the coaching staff tell us that what we are seeing isn’t what we are seeing, it gets harder for fans to trust the process.  

Hiring Holgersen to come in and light a fire under the offense and bring in a new method of play calling shows that Rhule does see that the standard isn’t being met.  Hearing from Holgersen this week, we finally heard a coach tell everyone that the standard is much higher that what we have watched, and that he is looking to make changes to make that work.  It was a refreshing change for Husker fans.  Hopefully it resonates on the field the final two games of the season.

Bleed Husker Red Tees

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was USC 31, Nebraska 20.  The actual score was USC 28, Nebraska 20.  Nebraska was burnt by bad luck.  At least three passes could have, or should have, depending on your view, been intercepted.  All three of those plays either ended in a touchdown or extending drives to score touchdowns.  Even so, the defense and special teams did their part.  The offense continues to let the team down.  The defense has been so snake bit lately though, it’s hard to trust that they can get a stop when they need to.  Nebraska continues to play well enough to get beat by one score.

Quick Notes:

Ceyar Wright…Of all the newcomers to Nebraska in the offseason, Wright has made the most impact.  His play against his former team was inspired and kept Nebraska in the game until the end.  Wright has played at the level that we expected Tommi Hill to play at.  Speaking of Hill, he has been shut down for the last two games of the season, so it’s such a big deal that Wright is playing so well, Nebraska needs him to play at a high level.

Emmett Johnson…Johnson had a nice touchdown catch and run and made some nice inside runs, spinning himself into 5.5 yards per carry.  Dante Dowdell was banged up, so Johnson received the lion’s share of playing time.  He continues to be the most consistent running back on the roster.  If Nebraska has any chance to beat Wisconsin or Iowa, Johnson needs to have big games.  

Janiran Bonner…Bonner didn’t lead the team in catches or yards, and he didn’t score a touchdown, but he made a couple of plays that certainly got your attention.  He runs hard and is explosive.  If Holgersen is planning on playing some different guys and getting the ball to them, Nebraska could do worse than Bonner as he just seems to make positive plays.

Brian Buschini…Buschini has certainly had his ups and downs in his Husker career, but this season he has been fantastic.  He averaged 46 yards per punt against USC and pinned them back and took out a big part of their weapons on return.  Wisconsin and Iowa play field position games better than anyone in the country.  If Nebraska continues to struggle on offense, Buschini could be the difference between winning and losing.  So far, he has delivered.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 17, Wisconsin 16

Everything about this game screams that Nebraska should beat Wisconsin for the first time in over a decade.  They have been so close the last three seasons.  Last year’s overtime loss was particularly devastating because they led by two touchdowns early in the game only to watch it slip away in excruciating pain.  Nebraska has so many demons right now, it’s hard to tell which one is the most glaring, but beating Wisconsin would certainly show a ray of light that has been sorely missing.  If Nebraska is going to win a game, this one is the best opportunity.  I feel like it’s either 0-2 to close out, or 2-0.  This game sets the tone, so GBR!!!

New Husker Offensive Coordinator: Is Dan the Man?

So where were we?  Ah, yes, gearing up to play a losing UCLA team at home, after going toe to toe with Ohio State.  And then Nebraska had the ball once in the first 17 minutes at home versus the Bruins.  The crowd was out of the game, the defense couldn’t stop the Bruins and Dylan Raiola played his worst game of the season, putting a nail in the Huskers’ own coffin throwing a pick six to start the second half.

Man, what a swing of emotion coming out of Columbus.

But wait…there is more!  Unless you were living under a rock out in Rock County, you probably heard that Nebraska brought in a new offensive coordinator in Dana Holgersen.  Holgersen, formerly the head coach at Houston and West Virginia, comes in highly accomplished as a play caller and has been a head coach or offensive coordinator for many NFL quarterbacks and players in his career.

Bleed Husker Red Tees Sale!

So, what does that mean in Lincoln?  Well big picture, it allows Holgersen to have a shot to get to know Dylan Raiola before the offseason.  It also allows Nebraska to have a head start in replacing the offensive coordinator job before all the other teams in the nation start looking to make changes.  

Small picture though, I don’t know that it will mean much this fall.  Holgersen is said to be keeping the same playbook that Marcus Satterfield uses so that only he must learn it, and not the entire team.  How will that affect communication when he is trying to call plays?  If he wants a certain pass package, but isn’t sure of the name during the game, it could be costly in the tensest of situations.  Also, I don’t know that Holgersen will be able to figure out which players are cut out for pushing the Husker offense into the upper tier of the Big Ten, because the current cast of characters has them at the bottom.

It's possible that going on the road is a good thing coming out of this bye, because there has been so much distraction this week, the Huskers being away from Lincoln may allow them to shelter themselves from people that are certain to want to question them about the changes.  Head Coach Matt Rhule has kept the players away from the press this week, simply because he knows how distracting this change has to be in the midseason.

Throw in that this really hasn’t been tried before.  Bringing in a new play caller that isn’t already on staff just isn’t done in college football.  NFL?  Sure, but those are professional players that have the opportunity to work 18-hour days.  College kids can’t do that.  And will Holgersen help the running backs hit the right hole better?  Can he help the offensive line move the line of scrimmage better?  How about the wide receivers block better?  All of those are items that need fixed and Holgersen won’t be able to do that in two weeks.

If you include the special teams that continues to confound with inconsistencies, and this isn’t a scenario that screams “Nebraska wins in L.A!”  The Blackshirts are in for a mighty challenge this week as well, as USC has as good of offensive talent as anyone in the Big Ten.

Change has been on the table for the Huskers since the 5-1 start that is a distant memory at this point.  Unfortunately, it may have come too little, too late.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 31, UCLA 17.  The actual score was UCLA 27, Nebraska 20.  When the Huskers look back at 2024 this loss will burn the most.  UCLA played great and offensively, they really took the Huskers apart in the first half and on one drive in the third quarter.  Defensively, they blitzed Dylan Raiola mercilessly and Nebraska looked like a deer in the headlights.  Even with all that, Nebraska had a chance to tie the game on the last drive.  It’s games like this one that Huskers fans have endured over and over again the last decade.  Sometimes you wonder if it’s ever going to stop.

Quick Notes:

Dante Dowdell…Dowdell continues to find the end zone on offense, and sometimes it feels like he is the only one.  The issue is, between the 20’s, Dowdell is 2 yards and a cloud of dust way too often.  It almost seems like Dowdell is so focused on not fumbling that he misses holes and I’m not sure he is capable of making guys miss at the second level.  Dowdell has a big game this weekend.  USC is not a great run stopping team.  He needs to step up if Nebraska is going to have any chance to win.

Isaiah Neyor…Neyor hasn’t been perfect, but he at least is catching the ball when it is thrown to him.  Neyor is a mismatch, but too often he doesn’t run his routes with the intent that he needs to.  He still isn’t getting the separation that he needs early in the route.  Throw that in with below average blocking and Neyor has a long way to go.  That said, he is the best target on the outside and Nebraska needs to continue to give him chances down the field.  

Ty Robinson…I have to give Robinson a lot of credit.  He could have transferred to Oregon, Alabama, Michigan, you name it, this offseason, but he chose to stay a Husker.  He has been the most consistent player on a defense that runs really hot and then cold.  Robinson should be up for all conference honors this season, but probably won’t because Nebraska’s win total isn’t as high as it could be.  Don’t worry about that, enjoy Robinson, he has given his all for the program.  Hopefully he is rewarded at some point.

Tommi Hill…UCLA picked on Jamal Charles from the outset, and it really set them up for early success in the first half.  Hill had to come in, and it looked like he was as close to healthy as he has been since the Colorado game.  Hill is an NFL player, and it has really hurt the Blackshirts that their best defensive back has been out so much.  Hill will be needed against USC; they have the best wide receiver talent the Huskers will play this season outside of Ohio State.

Bleed Husker Red Tees Sales

Score Prediction: USC 31, Nebraska 20

Even coming out of a bye, I just don’t think the Huskers offense is up to the challenge this week.  They clearly have confidence issues, and you can tell that they don’t have anything that they run that they know they can have success.  Maybe I’m way off and Holgersen will waive his magic play calling wand and all will be well, but I don’t see it this week.  It doesn’t mean that all is lost, it just means that Nebraska will have two other chances to get bowl eligible.  They need to figure out what works this week and prepare it for Wisconsin at home the following Saturday.  It’s dark early in Nebraska, but it will always be GBR!!!

Husker Nation Needs Bowl Eligibility

As the Huskers took Ohio State into the fourth quarter and led on the road in Columbus, I started to get a little twinge of, “are they actually going to do this?”

Nebraska has been rather mercurial as of late. Just when I thought they were ready to go show the world that they are ready to go to another level against Indiana, only to be blown out, I thought for sure they would get hammered by Ohio State, and yet, they played toe to toe with one of the best rosters in the country.

So goes an actual real life rebuild, I guess. Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. (With apologies to Forrest Gump fans).

One thing I feel confident in as UCLA comes to Lincoln, is that the Blackshirts are for real. They may not be dominant, but they should carry Nebraska through November and hopefully help Nebraska become bowl eligible for the first time in eight seasons.

I feel much more confident about this November than the last one. Last season against Michigan State, you could tell the offense was out of gears. They really were limited to running the football and the passing game was almost nonexistent. This season is a lot different. As much as Dylan Raiola’s statistics haven’t been great in October, I honestly think he is improving. His decision making on audibles seems to be playing out as the coach’s hope. If he starts to hit open receivers a little more consistently, he will start to see a big jump in touchdown throws.

Nebraska sort of figured out the run game in the second half of Ohio State as well. Nebraska should use more stretch plays and continue to have a lead blocker in for Dante Dowdell. I could do with less screen plays of course, but they also have a time and a place. Throw in Thomas Fidone becoming a security blanket for Raiola and Jacory Barney leading the team in catches and all of a sudden Nebraska has found an identity on offense. If John Hohl keeps kicking field goals, Nebraska might just find themselves with a winning record in November.

First, they must get this 10,000-pound bowl game gorilla off of their back and it starts this Saturday against UCLA. I’ve said it before, Nebraska continues to knock on the door. This week they need to blow it off its hinges.

Bleed Husker Red Tees

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Ohio State 38, Nebraska 14. The actual score was Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17. Nebraska’s defensive line was the story of this game. I was as shocked as anyone with how well they handled Ohio States offensive line. If I was a Buckeye fan, I’d be a little worried that Nebraska exposed them. Nebraska gambled a few times to try and score touchdowns and turned the ball over on downs, but to be honest, some unbelievably bad spots of the ball probably cost Nebraska that game. It’s always going to be a little suspect playing in Columbus, but the refereeing was about as bad as I’ve ever seen it. Hard to pull off a big time upset going against something you have little control over.

Quick Notes:

Jacory Barney…Barney has established himself to be the go-to receiver on the offense. He clearly is getting the most opportunities each game and has quietly started the lead the team in catches. Barney gives Nebraska an edge on offense because of his quick feet and his toughness. If the rest of the team can follow his lead, the offense can take another step forward these last 4 games.

MJ Sherman…When Sherman transferred in from Georgia, I thought he would play immediately and probably provide instant production. When he didn’t last season, I thought he was just another in a long line of SEC transfers that busted at Nebraska. I was wrong on both accounts. Sherman has figured out what his role is at Nebraska and now as he plays free, he has started to make the game changing plays we all hoped he would. He tormented the Buckeyes in the backfield last week.  

Jimari Butler…Butler had about three plays against Ohio State that he looked unstoppable. One of them he was basically tackled, and he didn’t even get the benefit of a holding call. Butler can change the dynamic of the defensive line when he is healthy. Teams can’t afford to double team both Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher if Butler is disruptive. Ohio State couldn’t handle him with a tackle alone and Nebraska’s defense feasted. Maybe Butler is finally healthy.

John Hohl…The Lincoln native showed up big time in a national televised game, on the road, against a top ten team. And WOW what a difference it made for Nebraska. For the first time this year, I thought Nebraska should have just had Hohl attempt a field goal rather than going for it after Malcom Hartzog’s interception had the offense inside the Ohio State 10. It makes the offense’s job a lot easier knowing they have 3 points in their back pocket moving forward. Hohl has had some bad luck this season, but him putting it together might propel Nebraska into an extra win this year.

Malcom Hartzog…Just when you think the Blackshirt should have a seat on the bench, he makes a game changing interception. Hartzog is likely out against UCLA this week. Normally, I would say that’s ok, but Hartzog has a knack for finding picks as evidenced by his team leading total of four. He led the team in 2022 as well. Hartzog gets picked on a lot because of his size, but pound for pound he really is an asset for the Blackshirts. They will miss him while he is out.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 31, UCLA 17

I don’t know what to do. I’ve been so far off on score predictions lately; I should just put down that Nebraska will lose by a field goal and then they might win by three touchdowns. Nebraska is primed to break out on offense eventually and while I don’t know that UCLA will comply, I think the Husker fan base and this team are aching to get their sixth win of the year this week. I also think the Huskers found themselves in Columbus and will finally make it pay off at home. I also predict Dylan Raiola will throw three touchdown passes this weekend. A lot of the recent past will get buried in Lincoln this weekend, so GBR!!!