Houston, We Have a Problem!

 

(Predictions are at the end if you don’t want to read the rest!)

You like touchdowns?  How about them touchdowns!

Nebraska did something they haven’t done in a long-time last week, exercising some demons along the way.  They pitched a shutout for the first time since 2009.  They scored the most points in a game since 2012.  They also had 728 yards of offense, the most since 2014.

It was cathartic to Husker fans as much as anything.  In the second half we were able to see players that many of us have heard of, but they simply haven’t played many snaps.  Against Akron, many of them played prominent roles.  Rex Guthrie, Kade Pietrzak, Gabe Moore, Caleb Benning and Sua Lefotu were all players on defense that shined at one point or another.  On offense, TJ Lateef, Isaiah Mozee, and Mekhi Nelson all made significant contributions during the game. 

Part of the reason it was so relieving was because Nebraska has not really put a team far enough away that the backup players are able to get so much playing time.  Even bigger though, the non-starters kept the pedal to the metal when they got in the game, scoring three touchdowns of their own.

It was a throwback, to a time when Nebraska fans knew each player at each position, sometimes eight deep on the running back chart, because they were able to play in games before they ever became starters.  They were rewarded for their work in practice and when they were able to show off, they made the most of their opportunities.

It’s the best way to show depth, but it also gives players that aren’t starters an incentive to get on the field.  It makes you work harder in practice and it makes it apparent to the coaching staff that if you are forced into a game, you will provide the same amount of effort and skill as a starter if you are given the opportunity.

It is a bit wild in this day and age of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) that you are forced to worry to a certain extent that teams will see that depth and try to poach it off your roster with promises of more money and playing time.  However, I believe that it’s the price you must pay to have a deep and talented roster to survive and give yourself a chance to make the playoffs.  It may cost Nebraska some down the road, but it’s a tradeoff that Husker fans are happy to see, with some blowout games, reminding them of the past Husker glory.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 42, Akron 10. The actual score was Nebraska 68, Akron 0.  Ok, this is when I love to be really, really wrong.  Nebraska struggled to finish at the goal line in the first quarter, and they gave up a drive right before halftime, blocking a field goal to keep Akron off the board.  Other than that, the offense and the defense had little to no trouble with the Zips.  Nebraska may still have a long way to go for improvement in this season, but you saw the potential against a lessor opponent that we haven’t seen for a long time.  I expect this week to be another showcase.  I’ll be curious to see if Nebraska calls off the dogs a bit earlier this game.

Quick Notes:

Emmett Johnson…Ok, I see you, Emmett.  I don’t know if EJ can carry the ball as often as he has against the Big Ten, but so far, he has been dynamic and is coming into his own.  He has always been a good receiving back, but he has started to break longer runs and his toughness does not need to be questioned.  Back-to-back career highs in rushing bode well for him as he develops.  He is playing at a high level, ready to lead the rushing attack.

Jacory Barney....If Barney is playing hurt, I’d watch out for him when he gets healthy.  He posted over a hundred yards receiving and another 87 yards in punt returns.  He has blossomed into a go-to player for Dylan Raiola and his special teams play has sparked him and the team this year.  He has more punt return yards already than the whole team has had per season in at least the last four seasons.  As weapons go, Barney combined with Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter gives the Huskers the best receiving trio in at least a decade.

DeShon Singleton...…Singleton so far has been as the Swiss army knife that Nebraska needs to make the 3-3-5 defense hum.  He has made purposeful tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage and he has been very good in coverage.  With his size and athleticism, he acts like a linebacker, but he plays a combo corner/safety type role as well.  He has been very successful so far and provides a hammer from the back end of the defense.

Kade Pietrzak…The true freshman from Fargo, North Dakota blasted onto the scene making a tackle for a safety in the first quarter.  Pietrzak is explosive off the line of scrimmage and you can see why Nebraska had to fight off Oklahoma and Kansas State to get him to come to Nebraska.  He weighs in at 260 pounds according to the roster, but he plays bigger than that.  I don’t believe that he will redshirt this year, and he looks like he will be a big piece of the defensive line.  This kid is the type of top recruit that Matt Rhule needs to continue to land if Nebraska wants to get to the playoffs.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 59, Houston Christian 6

If this game goes half as well as last week, I suspect Nebraska won’t play their starters as long in this game.  Not that Houston Christian is as bad as Akron, they seem to be a heavy run team, which will be good for the defense to see and play.  On the flip side, they are an FCS team, and their talent level is at least two rungs below Nebraska.  I expect Nebraska to come out and score as much as they can in the first half so they can rest their starters for the start of Big Ten play.  Early morning games are always a bit sleepy, so if you are going to the game, be loud, be proud and GBR!!!

Akron Game Preview

Ok, so I went to Kansas City to watch Nebraska play Cincinnati.  Outside of the game a couple of items.

First, Arrowhead Stadium is old, someone told me it is the third oldest in the NFL, and since I know that Soldier Field and Lambeau Field are the oldest, I would guess that is accurate.  The stadium itself is built to hold in crowd noise, and I must admit, it was really…..really loud.  Probably as loud as I can remember hearing a sporting event.

Second, the scoreboards are awful.  The ribbon board never showed any statistics and it was nearly impossible to find the two places where they kept the game clock and play clock from where I sat in the lower bowl.  To top it off, the video boards are smaller than the ones at Nebraska high schools.  

On the flip side, it really felt like an old school game.  There weren’t 25 ads playing during commercial breaks for Aker Farm Equipment, Bryan Health or any other Nebraska commercialized and monetized item the University can throw on the video board.  I know it takes a lot of money to run the University and the athletic department, so I’m not upset, but the in-game experience with just a college band and few other distractions was a welcome break from the normal home Husker games.

Finally, I cannot stress this enough, it is hard to digest what is going on in a game when you are at the lower level of the stadium and you can’t get a bird’s eye view, like on TV, of what is really going on.  I thought Nebraska’s defensive line was bad, and for the most part they were, but not bad for the reasons I thought.  In watching the game, I thought they were getting manhandled, but rewatching on TV, they were getting up field, and they seemed to be winning their battles way more against the O-line, they just were not assignment sound.  After the review I felt much better about the future of the defensive line than I did leaving the stadium.

It also looked like Nebraska should be able to throw deep and I couldn’t figure out why we didn’t try to go over the top against the Bearcat defense.  What I couldn’t see is that they were playing mostly with a three-safety high cover that kept our offensive players in front of them and that they weren’t letting us go past without making sure Nebraska’s wide receivers were covered in full.  After the rewatch, it made me appreciate Dylan Raiola’s efficiency in the passing game.  He continuously hit open receivers, didn’t force much and played well.  It was difficult to see all that in person.

I say all of this as a reminder, not just to anyone reading this, but to myself as well that it was game one.  The biggest improvements should come between week 1 and week 2.  If that happens, and the team continues to improve week to week, it should be a very fun season.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 34, Cincinnati 17. The actual score was Nebraska 20, Cincinnati 17.  Nebraska dominated the middle two quarters of the game, and it was enough to come home with a victory.  The reality is, they should have probably scored at least one more touchdown, but they just as easily could have given up a free touchdown on an almost interception by Raiola on a swing pass on fourth down.  I felt like the offense could have played better, there were multiple times when beating one more defender would have been the route to a long touchdown.  Nebraska needs to make more big plays on offense.

Quick Notes:

Emmett Johnson…If you were looking for a player of the game, Johnson was it.  He carried the ball a career high 25 times and was targeted 10 times in the passing game.  It was an unusually large load for a running back but considering the youth and the minimal experience behind him, it was probably necessary.  Johnson is the bell cow at running back for sure, but he will need to be efficient and have about a third of the carries this week and next, so he has a chance to survive the Big Ten gauntlet.  If you were to tell me that there was a top three players Nebraska would struggle without, Johnson would be in the top three, easily.

Nyziah Hunter....Of the transfer receivers, Hunter really impressed me.  He made an acrobatic catch early in the game that if he had stayed on his feet, was an easy touchdown.  He then made a spectacular contested catch in the end zone for a touchdown right before halftime.  Dane Key is clearly a veteran that is going to be a big part of the offense, but having Hunter as the opposite outside receiver along with Jacory Barney in the slot gives Nebraska as good of a set of wide receivers as they have had in at least a decade.  This group should be enough for Dylan Raiola to have a big year in the passing game.  Hunter is really fun to watch, and he will score some big touchdowns this season.  

Ceyar Wright..…As I listened to Husker talk radio this week, it was great hearing everyone talk about how people weren’t sure that Wright even played.  That’s how great he was in coverage against the Cincinnati wide receivers.  Wright and Andrew Marshall shut down the passing game for the Blackshirts on the back end.  Throw in the great play of Donavan Jones and the pick by Malcom Hartzog and the defensive cover backs had what I would consider an excellent game.  Nebraska has some issues up front, but they certainly have the guys in the back end of the defense to keep them in any game.

Vincent Shavers Jr…Shavers wasn’t always where he should have been, but he made the play of the game by forcing a fumble in Cincinnatti territory right before half, recovered by Williams Nwaneri, that turned into a touchdown to give the Huskers a 10-point lead at halftime.  Shavers is the best linebacker on the team.  The thing that holds him back the most is experience.  The more he plays, the better he is going to get.  He plays fast and when he makes mistakes, he makes those fast as well which allows him to recover.  The Blackshirts inexperience showed up in Kansas City, but the potential is high with many of them.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 42, Akron 10

As an opening home game goes, you couldn’t ask for a better opponent to get healthy with.  I don’t mean to bag on the Zips, but Akron lost 10-0 to Wyoming last week and it wasn’t pretty.  Nebraska needs to put up some points in this game so their back up players can get valuable experience before conference play.  Nebraska’s youth clearly showed in the opening game.  It’s true, the starters are veterans in a lot of places, but there are so many young players in new roles and new situations, the repetitions are the biggest benefit of playing a team that isn’t that great.  Nebraska should dominate from the get-go, and I hope the offense opens it up and goes for the throat early so they can work on their game going forward.  As always, be loud, be proud and GBR!!!

Goin’ to Kansas City, Kansas City Here I Come!

Since I last wrote a blog, Nebraska has won their bowl game, dropped their spring game, brought in a huge transfer class, had fall camp, handed out Blackshirts and single digit jerseys, and had recruits take pictures with a huge bull.

Talk about a full offseason!  

Now Nebraska gets to kickoff the season in Kansas City against the Cincinnati Bearcats, a game that was supposed to be played in Cincinnati but conveniently was moved to Kansas City to provide more revenue for the Bearcats.  Husker fans will be helping them out, filling out at a minimum 90% of the stadium on Thursday night.  

And what do our wandering eyes get to see on Thursday night?  A lot of change, but a lot of the same things as well.  

Dana Holgerson is now the full-time offensive coordinator.  John Butler is now the full-time defensive coordinator taking over for Tony White.  And you can also toss in Mike Ekeler as the new special teams coordinator as well.

On the flip side, it is the same thing as last season that could have the biggest change and impact on the Huskers.  It’s no secret that Dylan Raiola, playing as a true freshman, came with some bumps and bruises.  Now, the hope is that Raiola will blossom in year two, into the beacon of light that the program has been searching for since Bo Pelini left Nebraska.  

As much money as Nebraska poured into his surrounding cast mates, the time for Raiola to become a budding star is now.  Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter at wide receiver, Elijah Pritchett and Rocco Spindler on the offensive line are just a taste of the new players on the Husker roster.  Bringing back Emmett Johnson at running back and Jacory Barney at wide receiver, along with a strong tight end group should provide enough options for Raiola to open up the offense and keep teams guessing at which way the team will move the ball.

The Blackshirts added new players as well, although not all of them will play right away.  Linebackers Marques Watson-Trent and Dasan McCullough, along with cornerback Andrew Marshall headline a group that should provide immediate input for the defense, that must replace the likes of Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher to continue to have an impressive defense under Head Coach Matt Rhule.

This has been one of the most exciting off-season’s in the last decade for Nebraska.  Coach Rhule seems to have the culture in place that he wants, and the players and coaching staff that he worked so hard to put together.  They say hope springs eternal, but for the first time in a long time, I start to see the full picture coming into focus for Nebraska.  The question is, will this year be another small step, or a big leap?  Dylan Raiola probably has the most to do with answering that question. 

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 30, Boston College 27. The actual score was Nebraska 20, Boston College 15.  The game felt closer than it was, and Nebraska’s special teams continued to haunt the team, even in their bowl game.  That’s why Mike Ekeler was brought in to shore up that unit.  Nebraska arguably lost at least two games due to poor special teams last season.   It’s time for them to at least make that part neutral in 2025.  Getting the bowl win, and the “no postseason” monkey off of the teams back should free them up as well moving forward.

Quick Notes:

Emmett Johnson…Johnson entered the portal, oh so briefly, after last season.  Along with Dante Dowdell, Nebraska had a solid two headed monster by the end of 2024, but Dowdell also entered the portal and took the money that Kentucky offered and left Lincoln.  Despite all of this, Johnson decided to come back and should be the main leader of a backfield that is VERY young going into this season.  That doesn’t mean they don’t have options, they have plenty, but it does mean that they will have a lot of inexperience beyond Johnson.  Players like Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee will be forced into action and how they perform may tell us early if Nebraska will have depth to run the football to close out games.  Also, keep an eye on Wahoo native Conor Booth, I have a feeling he may end up getting carries as well this season.

Dylan Raiola....There are so many reasons why this year could be the year that Raiola blows up and becomes an All Big Ten player.  He has weapons around him, a top-notch offensive coordinator, a veteran offensive line and a year of playing in the Big Ten under his belt.  I remember Eric Crouch’s sophomore year in 1999, and how much he improved from his redshirt freshman season.  Raiola won’t have the team around him that Crouch did, but he could have just as much offensive success.  This team will reflect so much of what Raiola does, if you predict a big season from Nebraska, it will require a big season from the sophomore quarterback. Raiola continues to stir the Husker’s drink, and as he plays, so will go the Huskers.  

Keona Davis..…If the Blackshirts are going to be able to stop the run this year, Davis will need to be at the forefront of that effort.  Losing Robinson, Hutmacher, Jimari Butler and John Bullock will leave big shoes to fill for the defense in the run game.  I’m confident that Nebraska will be able to play the pass, and their pass rush should have more athletes than last season but being able to clog the middle was such a vital part of the defensive success.  Players like Davis, Riley Van Popple and Elijah Jeudy must leave a mark on this defensive season to continue any of that success.  It will be interesting to see how they start, as I feel like they will be much better as the season progresses.

Season Prediction…If you believe in the Matt Rhule third year jump, then folks, this season should be a great one for Husker fans!  I think Nebraska is still a season away from really blowing up, but that doesn't mean that this year won’t be a good one.  Despite all the NIL transfers and having Raiola back for a second season, this team is crazy young with around 90 total players that are sophomores, redshirt freshman or freshman.  If Nebraska improved their special teams play last year, they were likely 8-4 instead of 6-6.  I think this season, while maybe not at first, will have a much better special teams by the end of the year.  The downside is the defense will likely take a step back in league play.  If the offense improves enough to score 28 points per game, that will likely push Nebraska to 8 regular season wins.  Anything above that number would be gravy. If you go beyond that, you could be in playoff contention at the end of the season.  I’m going with 8-4 and another bowl game for the Big Red.  It’s not quite the leap Rhule normally has, but it might be the final push to the top of the hill that the Huskers need to get back into college football royalty.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 34, Cincinnatti 17

I could see this game being relatively close in the first half, but I’m guessing Nebraska enjoys the lead at halftime.  Cincinnatti is a good Big XII team, but Nebraska is and should be better than the mid-level team in a conference that is clearly a notch below the Big Ten.  Nebraska will be breaking a lot of opening day skids by beating a Power four conference foe.  The offense should be able to show off all their new toys and I expect to see some fireworks from the new punter/kicker combo.  I think Nebraska uses the Husker energy that will take over Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday and put an exclamation on the first game of the season.  It should be packed with Husker fans, hungry to push Nebraska to a big win. GBR!!!