LINCOLN, Neb. — The last time before Saturday that the Fox broadcast crew of Jason Benetti, Brock Huard and Allison Williams called a game at Memorial Stadium, Nebraska almost got shut out.
The Huskers scored on a 74-yard run in the final five minutes of a 45-7 loss last year against Michigan, the eventual national champion. A member of that crew described Nebraska on offense as “a disgrace.” Word got back to Matt Rhule, which is the least surprising thing ever, and the second-year Nebraska coach reminded the broadcasters of it when they met with him last week ahead of the season opener.
He said he was not offended.
“We were (a disgrace),” Rhule said. “The thing I didn’t do was overreact. I didn’t fire Satt and fire everybody.”
Rhule said he expected that offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, afforded time, would design and develop an improved product in 2024. The Huskers opened with a visually pleasing 40-7 win Saturday against UTEP, accumulating 507 yards.
Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola provided the fireworks alongside a deep and much improved group of receivers and a four-man rotation at running back.
“Now when you’re out there,” Rhule said, “you can see guys making plays. You can see the O-line blocking.”
Which brings us to this week as Colorado visits Lincoln at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday for a prime-time NBC event.
It’s Chapter 2 of a fascinating matchup between Rhule and Deion Sanders. Sanders reacted to offensive struggles last November amid a 4-8 first season with the Buffaloes by demoting Sean Lewis as offensive coordinator in favor of Pat Shurmur.
The former New York Giants coach, Shurmur calls the Buffs offense again this year. Lewis left to take over the program at San Diego State. Colorado hired Robert Livingston from the Cincinnati Bengals to run the defense after Charles Kelly left for Auburn.
Also after Sanders’ first season, CU made changes on the coaching staff at the O-line, wide receiver and outside linebacker spots.
Did the overhaul signal instability in Boulder? That’s for Sanders to know.
What’s not up for debate is this: Rhule and Sanders present a contrast in coaching style that creates great drama. Even with Texas at Michigan on the college football menu this week, Colorado and Nebraska, both unranked nationally, make for a co-main event sure to draw a huge audience — and to work Memorial Stadium into a frenzy not seen since Miami visited Lincoln in 2014.
“It’s very exciting,” said Texas transfer Isaiah Neyor, who caught six passes for 121 yards in his Nebraska debut. “Those are the reasons why you come to universities like this, just to play in big games and get an opportunity to show everybody what you can do.”
Sanders is brash and reactionary. Rhule is measured and patient, though he did not sit idly in his first offseason. The Nebraska coach shifted the OC Satterfield to coach tight ends and hired Glenn Thomas from the Pittsburgh Steelers to coach quarterbacks. Rhule also brought John Butler from the Buffalo Bills to run the secondary after the untimely departure of Evan Cooper.
Round 1 of Sanders-Rhule went to Deion. The Buffs’ NFL-level skill, featuring QB Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, overwhelmed Nebraska last September in the second half of a 36-14 Colorado victory.
At the time, though, the Huskers had not yet played a home game under Rhule. They had not established solid footing. The offense was mired in turmoil as quarterback Jeff Sims could not stop committing turnovers.
Sanders received the benefit, too, of a raucous home crowd last year. This year, his Buffs are set to walk into an environment unlike anything they’ve experienced — not at TCU in a win last season or at Oregon and Utah in losses.
But how much has changed? The Buffs have still got Deion’s presence on the sideline, Shedeur’s skill and Hunter’s swag as the best player on nearly any college field. Colorado shook off a poor defensive start to beat FCS power North Dakota State 31-26 in Week 1.
Nebraska ran the ball effectively last year in Boulder and played solid defense for a long stretch in the first half. But four turnovers and various additional miscues turned the game into a hill that the Huskers could not climb.
Shedeur Sanders, sacked seven times, was unflappable. The Huskers must expect this week that he’ll manage the pressure in Lincoln with the same poise.
How will Raiola handle it? He was good against UTEP, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns on 70 percent (19-of-27) passing in eight possessions. The Miners let him get away with a mistake or two. Colorado on defense might do the same, but the Huskers would much prefer, of course, to play a cleaner game.
“There’s a lot of things we have to fix before Colorado,” Rhule said. “There’s a lot of things we have to fix before Big Ten play. This is Game 1.”
Game 2 promises to bring plentiful storylines and drama.
Three things I noticed Saturday that matter as Nebraska moves ahead:
• The Raiolas have taken their place as the first family of Nebraska football. The crowning was complete on Saturday as Dylan led the Huskers off the bus along the “Legacy Walk” path outside of the new football complex to reach the locker room. He embraced his parents, Dominic and Yvonne, and his brother Dayton, a 2026 QB prospect from Buford, Ga.
Joined by Taylor Raiola, Dylan and Dayton’s older sister who works for Nebraska in a recruiting position, the Raiolas watched warm-ups from field level as Dominic’s No. 54 adorned the top of Memorial Stadium. His jersey was retired in 2002 after an All-American career as a center from 1997 to 2000. Dylan said after the game that he made sure to appreciate the moment with his family.
“You’ve gotta be a human,” he said, “enjoy the scene.”
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Saturday night, the Raiolas watched the No. 2-ranked Nebraska volleyball team defeat TCU. Dylan sat near the court with Taylor, who played volleyball for the Horned Frogs from 2020 through last season.
With Dominic’s brother, Donovan Raiola, entrenched in his third season as the Huskers’ offensive line coach, it’s quite a comfortable arrangement for Dylan. Especially on a smooth weekend like the last one.
• Nebraska’s four-headed running-backs system worked well on Saturday. Emmett Johnson led the way with 71 yards. But don’t expect it to last beyond September. The risk of injury is real. Gabe Ervin and Rahmir Johnson went down last season.
And it’s likely that at least one of the backs will play his way out of the rotation. Dante Dowdell started hot against UTEP, sharing work with Rahmir Johnson on the Huskers’ first four drives. But after a 12-yard gain in the red zone early in the second quarter, he lost a fumble. Dowdell returned briefly in the third quarter, but he did not carry the ball again as a consequence for the fumble.
Rhule said he was pleased with Dowdell’s work before the fumble. He’ll get another shot, but the opportunities won’t last if fumbles occur. The foursome combined Saturday to rush 33 times for 200 yards.
“We have weapons all across the board,” Ervin said.
• How confident is the veteran-laden Nebraska defense?
After Dowdell’s fumble at the UTEP 3-yard line with the score knotted in the second quarter, Rhule said he approached the defensive huddle to offer encouragement.
Safety Marques Buford waved him away.
“Marques was like, ‘We know what we’re doing. We’ve been here before,’” Rhule said. “They were excited to play.”
Said Buford: “I told him we’ve been preparing for this all offseason. As soon as we saw (the fumble), everybody popped up off the bench. I just let him know we’re good. We know exactly what to do right now.”
In interviews about the sequence, Rhule and Buford both mentioned the importance of playing complementary football.
On second down after the fumble, defensive end Ty Robinson roared around the edge to hit running back Jevon Jackson in the end zone for a safety. Nebraska took the two points and added to its lead after the ensuing free kick as Raiola hit Neyor for a 59-yard touchdown pass.
That’s complementary football.
(Photo of Dylan Raiola: Dylan Widger / USA Today)
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Publish date : 2024-09-01 07:21:00
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