Are the Huskers Done Winning?

Make no mistake, Saturday’s win over Wisconsin sent NU into a bowl game for the first time in eight years. This was a major step forward in Matt Rhule’s restructuring of the Husker football program.

The celebration began at Memorial Stadium minutes before the final shot. Fireworks started going off in my neighborhood in Omaha right after the game ended.

From where? The emotions had been building for eight long years. It was time for Husker fans to let loose and show their joy.

Will Nebraska players experience disappointment after becoming bowl eligible? Will they be content to just play in the bowl game? Will they have nothing left in their emotional tanks to win the next two games?

No way, Wade.

Don’t think for a second that Nebraska is done trying to win its next two games: Friday at Iowa and NU’s bowl game opponent. (Dang, I love saying Nebraska and the bowl game in the same sentence!)

If NU beats Iowa this Friday, it will finish the season at 7-5. Lose the game and the Huskers finish 6-6. It would be their first non-losing season since 2016, but winning in the regular season sounds a lot better. Bowl win could still give NU a winning season

What about the Huskers’ struggles earlier this year?

NU may have found its way out of the tunnel with a 44-25 victory over the Badgers.

Nebraska won a game at home, beat a team it should have beat, and got a win it absolutely needed. (The Huskers didn’t want to wait until Black Friday to get their sixth win of the season.)

What was more impressive was that path NU beat Wisconsin. A week ago, Wisconsin’s defense was holding Oregon to No. 1 with 16 total points. The Ducks escaped with a three-point win. NU put up 44 points on Wisconsin. Those points were also two more than Alabama earned at the Badgers earlier this year.

The 44 points were also the most points NU scored in any game all season.

Game Balls?

NU head coach Matt Rhule should be given a game ball for hiring Dana Holgorsen as the new offensive coordinator. And Dana should get one for working his magic in the last three games.

This Husker dog has a lot more hunting left in him.

Sod Double Game (NU@Iowa)

The states of Iowa and Nebraska have a lot in common. There are so many of them that I call them Sod Double. Both states have agriculture-based economies. Both grow a boatload of corn, drive a tractor, and call dinner instead of dinner. Both have unbearable climates: Death Valley in summer, Siberia in winter. There are no mountains or oceans in either state.

You get my point.

So how do the Sod Pair oppose each other?

First: Iowa will run the football (ranked 13th nationally), Pass on offense? Not really. Iowa ranks 129th out of a possible 132 teams in offense.

The Hawkeyes rank 12th in scoring defense and 17th in total defense.

In turnover margin, Iowa ranks 8th. The Hawkeyes rely on a stifling defense, good offense and great special teams play to win games. They will kick the ball and patiently wait for their opponents to make a mistake.

In my opinion, the keys to the game are:

1.) NU needs to stop the run and limit the Hawkeyes to 125 net yards rushing. If they can make Iowa one-dimensional, NU has a good chance of winning.

2.) Nebraska will need to drive the ball consistently to win.

3.) The Huskers need to win the T/O war.

4.) Dylan Raiola will need to be near his peak.

The last time NU visited Iowa in 2022, they had QB Casey Thompson and WR Trey Palmer. The pair helped NU take a 24-0 lead. In the game, NU held Iowa to 124 net yards rushing, won the TOP battle, and threw for 278 yards. Nebraska held on for the 24-17 victory.

Can Nebraska’s offense, led by QB Dylan Raiola and his fleet of receivers, upset the Hawkeyes this Friday?

Quotation: Don’t stop when you get tired. Stop when you’re done.

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