Effectively avoiding theatrics, Nebraska football achieves first 3-0 start in eight seasons
Enough of the drama already. When you don’t shoot yourself in the foot, things seem a lot more normal, and Nebraska is thriving on normality to open Matt Rhule’s second season.
UNI , which kept the ball on the ground much of the night, balanced its offense enough to keep the Blackshirts off balance and moved the ball fairly effectively between the 20s, hung its hat on an impressive 10-minute first-quarter drive that ended in a field goal, seemingly satisfied to leave town with health and pride intact.
The Blackshirts recovered from a first half of sloppy tackling and did the “bend-but-don’t-break” routine that most people were anticipating last week against Colorado, allowing 301 total yards but no touchdowns. The Panthers’ main goal appeared to be avoiding getting pushed around by the Big Red, and they seemed content to burn clock in the second half even while trailing by three scores.
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield appears to be willing to risk using Raiola as a ball carrier on a limited basis when the reward is high enough. Raiola crossed up the Panthers when he pulled the ball on a read option and dashed 15 yards and out of bounds for a first down on the opening play of the second quarter, just before throwing an 18-yard scoring pass to Neyor on a crossing route.Raiola completed 13 of 16 passes in the first half and four of seven in the second.
Still, there are concerns for Nebraska, which likely will be a slight favorite when it hosts Illinois in a rare Friday night home game that most likely will be a four-quarter battle.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tad Stryker: Huskers Must Pass to Run in 2024Passing early, running late could be effective for Nebraska football and coach Matt Rhule.
Read more »
Tad Stryker: Stress-Free Start for Husker Nation in Nebraska Football's 2024 DebutFreshman quarterback Dylan Raiola shines as the Huskers win their first season opener in five years
Read more »
Tad Stryker: Nebraska Football's Blackshirts Pack a PunchThe Huskers bolt to a 28-0 halftime lead on the way to suffocating the high-powered Colorado offense
Read more »
Stryker Pregame Perspective: Who Will Lead Nebraska Football's Running Game?Dante Dowdell is the fans’ choice in a pregame survey about Nebraska football’s four-way battle at running back.
Read more »
Stryker Pregame Perspective: One if by Land, Two if by Air for Nebraska FootballA majority of fans surveyed Saturday morning think the Huskers will become more pass-oriented in 2024.
Read more »
Home prices just dropped significantly in these 3 cities: ReportHomeownership recently got a tad more affordable in these three US metros, according to Realtor.com.
Read more »