LINCOLN – Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN analyst and college football stock trader, told his viewers Saturday morning that Nebraska is “a stock to buy now.”
Herbstreit then reiterated his prediction that the Huskers would start the season 7-0.
Don’t look now, but Big Red is the flavor of the month.
Across college football, people are believing in Nebraska, which is 3-0 after a loss to Northern Iowa on Saturday night.
The 2024 Huskers are improved, different and look like a program on the rise.
This includes a 4-0 start in the Big Ten with wins over Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers and Indiana.
I’m old enough to remember when Nebraska lost those “winnable” games — sometimes clumsily, sometimes ugly. It wasn’t that long ago.
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But the results from three non-conference home wins this month are compelling enough to consider calling your broker.
This looks like a Nebraska team built to win Big Ten games.
It certainly wasn’t always this way. In fact, there were a few years when NU fans balked at the thought of moving to the land of the black and blue under gray skies with a finesse group.
The numbers prove it. In 13 seasons in the Big Ten, Nebraska has a record of 50-61, with five conference wins and eight losses.
NU has had a losing record in the Big Ten for the past seven years and in eight of the past nine seasons – with no more than three league wins in a season.
The reason for this is simply that the Nebraska coaches thought they had a better method than the boring, physical, clean football that was like a secret password in the Big Ten.
It’s just a sample of three games, but when the Huskers open the expanded Big Ten against Illinois next Friday, there’s real hope that those days are over for the Big Red.
Could this be Nebraska’s best Big Ten team? Bo Pelini was 22-10 in his four seasons in the league. But Matt Rhule’s 2024 Huskers have plenty of answers.
The defense played first-class and allowed only 20 points in three games – the best performance since Kevin Cosgrove’s team in 2005.
Tony White’s Warriors are big and physical up front, not to mention mean and fast. The linebackers run downhill to close gaps. The secondary covers and tackles well.
In fact, this defense tackled well in every position and from every angle. It was a defense with good instincts that knew when to make a play – and made it.
Now add some attitude and confidence – two necessary qualities for a good defense.
This is a very good starting point in the Big Ten.
Across the board, the Huskers’ offensive line has improved. They weren’t always up to the challenge, but when the game plan called for them to take down a weak Colorado team, they took it down.
They haven’t played a Big Ten game yet. But you can see that Rhule and Donovan Raiola have emphasized physicality. Some NU O-lines haven’t been up to the task in the Big Ten. This one should hold its own.
So there’s a big and physical Nebraska team on both sides of the trenches, which puts them ahead of most others.
There are big receivers who dictate the game. There are tight ends, and they’re used. There are two running backs – one who can catch a pass and take people out of bounds, and a big back who can run people over.
Dante Dowdell looks – and runs – like he was ordered from the Amazon Big Ten Store.
Lastly, there’s Dylan Raiola, who through three games has had the entire college football league talking about his effortless brilliance. But the best thing about Raiola so far is his ability to turn routine plays into first downs and touchdowns. He also has a knack for making a big play at the exact moment he’s needed.
He has an incredible maturity. If you didn’t know he was a newbie, you would never guess.
It’s an offense that has taken advantage of its imbalances by physically attacking Colorado and outplaying UNI’s physical defense – which wasn’t fast enough to keep up with NU.
To be safe, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield put Heinrich Haarberg at quarterback in the red zone while Raiola was wide out. NU’s offense was efficient enough to send a message (but one shouldn’t tempt fate by having Raiola wide out too often).
Over the last 13 years, NU fans have seen Lavonte David and Randy Gregory. They’ve watched Ameer Abdullah and Kenny Bell run. There were quarterbacks who could run.
But this team has the defense, the offensive line, the great running back and receivers and the superstar quarterback.
And maybe something else.
In three games, NU has suffered only two turnovers – a fumble in the opening game and an interception on Saturday night on a 50-50 possession that the UNI defensive back took away.
The defense recorded four interceptions and one fumble, as well as nine sacks.
Penalties? There were 16 in three games. But nine yellow flags against NU came in the fourth quarter against CU. That seemed to be the exception. Against UTEP and UNI, Nebraska had seven penalties.
There is still a lot to do.
Nebraska started fast, scoring 30, 28 and 21 points in each first half. But in the last two games, the Huskers have faltered in the second half. They need to find a killer instinct on offense.
It’s a growth thing and there’s plenty of room for a team with so much potential.
There is optimism and confidence.
But Big Ten teams are used to putting pressure on Nebraska. They’re used to Nebraska tripping over itself and finding a way to lose a close game.
This team from Nebraska looks different. Very different.
It looks and plays, well, like a Big Ten team.
Of course, the four West Coast teams could change this definition. But one thing is important in this league: physicality, maturity and ball security will always be important.
Rhule’s second team seems to understand that.
Is this a team Nebraska fans can trust? Check back next week. It’s a team that could make an analyst named Herbie look smart.
