Northern Iowa attacked Nebraska’s defense with all its might. They were successful early on Saturday night, taking over 10 minutes on their first drive.
The problem was that they were against Dylan Raiola and the Husker offense on the other side. Raiola’s presence makes games like this much more enjoyable if you’re a Husker fan. He makes almost every shot and always sees the open man.
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“We had three possessions and scored on three possessions,” said head coach Matt Rhule said after his team’s 34-3 win over Northern Iowa. “(Northern Iowa) did a great job of using up 10 minutes on that first drive. They literally just sat in the huddle and looked at the sideline.”
On a night where the Blackshirts’ defense was unbalanced at times, Raiola and the offense were quick to capitalize on their opportunities. The Huskers managed 256 yards of offense in their first four possessions, including touchdown runs of 75, 75 and 80 yards to start the game.
Raiola’s final line of the game was 17 of 23 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
“Coach (Marcus) Satterfield just gave it his all,” Raiola said. “He knows the strengths of his players, he knows what we’re good at, and he lets us use what we’re good at.”
The win over the Panthers gives the Huskers their first perfect 3-0 start to a non-conference season since 2016.
Rhule and his team must turn around on a short week to potentially face Illinois on Friday, a meeting of ranked teams that hasn’t been hosted at Memorial Stadium since the 2014 season.
“I like being 3-0,” Rhule said. “There’s nothing I hate. We’re just getting better every week. We start with Big Ten play. I call that the preseason. In my eyes, we’re learning how to win. I’ve told our team that the history of close losses comes from taking the lead and not trying to decide the game.”
Now for the breakdown…
What I saw on Saturday
***Offensive Lineman Micah Mazzccua was not present on Saturday against Northern Iowa. He was not seen on the sidelines. Heinrich Lutowski got the start as right guard in his place.
Rhule said Mazzccua is waiting for the coach’s decision and he will elaborate later.
***We saw linebackers Mikai Gbayor on the field in the first defensive series after being suspended for the first half last week for a targeting call. Syracuse transfer Stefan Thompson started in his place.
***The 1890 Nebraska logo was not on the field this week against Northern Iowa after being prominently displayed at each 25-yard line a week ago. I’m told NU will display it at various times, but it will not be permanently on the field every game.
***NU wasted no time putting freshman wide receiver Carter Nelson on the field after he hadn’t played an offensive snap a week ago. Nelson caught two passes for 38 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown on NU’s first scoring drive. You could really see the big picture of what Nelson will do in this offense and the matchup problems he will cause opposing defenses.
***We saw Heinrich Haarberg came into the game for three plays playing three different positions. Haarberg caught a pass, carried the ball as a running back and lined up at quarterback for another running play. I’m sure Illinois’ coaching staff will enjoy the extra preparation time these plays give them now that they have a short week traveling to Lincoln. Rhule even commented after the game on why they do some of these things on offense.
***On Saturday, we saw another spectacular fourth quarter light show. A university official said there were plans to host a drone show again this week, but due to frequency issues, they had to remain grounded on Saturday.
***Walkable Aidan Flege played all the snaps as long snapper for the Huskers on Saturday.
***Nebraska played 73 players in Saturday’s game.
The final score from
| degree | Take HOL | |
| Attack force | B | Nebraka’s top four running backs combined for 15 carries for 112 yards and five catches for 71 yards. They caused Northern Iowa plenty of problems. The Huskers only ran 48 plays, so don’t let the total stats fool you. The backs had a big impact at times. |
| Passing offense | A | QB Dylan Raiola was nearly flawless, throwing his first college interception on what easily could have been a catch. Raiola finished the game 17 of 23 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. His first three drives of the game were nearly perfect. |
| Rushing defense | C+ | Northern Iowa opened the game with a 10-minute drive in which they averaged over 4 yards per carry on four first down runs to stay on schedule. They finished the game with 140 sack-adjusted rush yards and an average of 3.7 yards per carry. Their strategy was to run down the clock and stay on schedule, which kept the Huskers off balance at times. |
| Pass defense | B | UNI was 16 of 32 for 162 and had one interception. They were somewhat successful on third down attempts, but NU eventually took control on defense. Malcolm Hartzog had a timely interception. |
| Special teams | B- | Tristan Alvano was perfect on both of his field goal attempts. Brian Buschini did not attempt a punt. The kickoff coverage was solid, and NU even managed to place a ball inside the 5-yard line. There was a major penalty for roughing the punt that brought the defense back on the field. |
You can reach Sean Callahan at (email protected) and can be heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm To Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha in the fall, and every week he appears on Nebraska Public Media Big Red Summary Tuesdays at 7pm.
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