Nebraska
A look at IU football’s 2024 opponents: Week 7 — Nebraska
With college football season starting to creep up, we’re running down Indiana’s schedule to preview all 12 opponents for 2024.
The Hoosiers start the second half of the season with a key game against Nebraska in Bloomington. The Cornhuskers are looking to get things going in Matt Rhule’s second year in Lincoln, just as Indiana is in Curt Cignetti’s first year. Nebraska is aiming for its first bowl game appearance and its first winning season since 2016.
- Opponent: Nebraska
- Date/Time/TV: Saturday, October 19, TBA
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.
- 2023 record/postseason result: 5-7, 3-6 Big Ten
Returning production, offense: 72 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (32nd in the country)
Offensive outlook: Rhule’s biggest win since taking over in Lincoln was getting Dylan Raiola, ranked the No. 7 overall player in the class of 2024 and the No. 2 quarterback in the class, to flip from Georgia to Nebraska. The Cornhuskers will likely turn to the five-star to run the offense right away and they’re hoping he can take them to the next level. Per 247Sports, he threw just one interception in 250 pass attempts in his final season at Buford (Ga.) High, and he possesses a big arm that can transform an offense.
Nebraska will need Railoa to live up to the hype. The Cornhuskers had one of the worst passing offenses in the country last year, with just 135.9 yards per game to rank 129th out of 133. They also bolstered their receiving corps in the transfer portal to help turn things around. UNL added Wake Forest leading receiver Jahmal Banks (59 receptions, 653 yards, four touchdowns) and former Texas and Wyoming receiver Isaiah Neyor, who earned second-team All-Mountain West Honors in 2021 with 878 yards on 44 receptions with 12 touchdowns.
The Huskers’ rushing offense was stronger last year, ranking 39th in the nation with 176.8 yards per game. And they have three of their four leading rushers from last year back this season, in redshirt junior quarterback Heinrich Haarberg (120 carries, 477 yards, five touchdowns), sophomore running back Emmett Johnson (90 carries, 411 yards, two touchdowns), and redshirt junior running back Gabe Ervin Jr. (38 carries, 196 yards, one touchdown). Haarberg is unlikely to be that heavy a factor in the run game this year with a revamped offense.
Nebraska’s offensive line had the 49th-best run-blocking grade in PFF last season and the 75th-best passing grade in the country. And the Huskers have nearly the entire offensive line back from last year.
Returning production, defense: 64 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (50th in the country)
Defensive outlook: Nebraska leaned on a strong defense in 2023, ranking 11th in the country and fifth in the Big Ten in total defense with 303.5 yards per game allowed. The Cornhuskers run defense was especially stout, as they ranked ninth in the nation and third in the Big Ten at 92.9 yards per game allowed.
Senior Isaac Gifford led the Huskers in tackles last season at their hybrid linebacker/defensive back spot, and he’s back this year. UNL’s third and fourth-leading tacklers from 2023, linebackers Javin Wright and John Bullock, both also return in 2024. Redshirt junior defensive end Jimari Butler is back as well after leading Nebraska with 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last year. He, redshirt senior defensive end Ty Robinson, and senior nose tackle Nash Hutmacher form an experienced front three.
Nebraska’s pass defense was solid, but not as strong as the run defense last season. The team has cornerback Tommi Hill back after he led the team with four interceptions last season. Hill also earned high grades from PFF, ranking 29th in the nation among cornerbacks overall, and he ranked 17th in coverage.
Special teams outlook: Nebraska had only 14 kickoff returns as a team all season last year, but Hill averaged a solid 24 yards over his six returns and could feasibly be the primary kick returner again. Main punt returner Billy Kemp IV is gone, and sophomore defensive back Ethan Nation may be poised to take over. Sophomore kicker Tristan Alvano will look to bounce back from a tough debut season, when he converted a Big Ten-worst 60 percent of his field-goal attempts. He went 27 for 27 on extra points. Senior punter Brian Buschini also returns after he finished 10th in the conference with 40.7 yards per punt last season.
Overall Outlook: Rhule’s team certainly has the potential to end Nebraska’s drought this year. Much will depend on how quickly Raiola adapts to college football, but players of that caliber can often figure it out quickly. Nebraska has a lot of key pieces back around him and strengthened the roster in some other needed areas. It would be a disappointing season in Lincoln if the Huskers don’t get to a bowl game, and if things break right, they could be one of the better teams in the Big Ten. This could be a measuring-stick type of game for Cignetti’s Hoosiers.
Previous opponent outlooks:
Florida International
Western Illinois
UCLA
Charlotte
Maryland
Northwestern
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Nebraska
Pillen: Nebraska senator tears down historical exhibits by PragerU from Capitol walls
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Parts of a temporary historical exhibit inside the Nebraska State Capitol were torn down by a state senator, Gov. Pillen alleges.
Gov. Pillen said Wednesday on social media that several displays of historical figures, key events in the American Revolution and portraits of those who signed the Declaration of Independence were “ripped off the walls” by state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha.
A 40-second video shared by Pillen appears to show Sen. Cavanaugh taking down several displays and a photo showed the items on the floor of her office.
The displays featuring material made by the controversial conservative group PragerU were put up in the state Capitol as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary.
“Celebrating America during our 250th year should be a moment of unity and patriotism, not divisiveness and destructive partisanship. I am disappointed in this shameful and selfish bad example,” Pillen wrote.
Cavanaugh told 10/11 that senators are prohibited from putting items on the walls in the hallway outside their offices. She said the posters line the entire hallway around the first floor, but she only took down the ones outside her office.
“When I walked in this morning and saw these poster boards lining the hallway of my office, I thought well I’m not allowed to have things lining the hall of my office… I tried to take them down as gently as I could and not damage any of them, and I stacked them inside of my office and I let the state patrol know that they were there,” Cavanaugh said.
PragerU has previously faced criticism for making content that historians, researchers and scholars have considered inaccurate or misleading. Some parents and educators have also spoken out against the nonprofit, saying its content spreads misinformation and is being used for “indoctrinating children.”
The Founders Museum exhibit in particular has been criticized by The American Historical Association for blurring the line between reality and fiction, according to NPR.
The exhibit is supposed to remain on display during public building hours through the summer.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Oregon State LB transfer Dexter Foster commits to Nebraska
Nebraska has picked up a third linebacker commitment from Oregon State transfer Dexter Foster, a sophomore with three seasons of eligibility remaining, including a redshirt year.
The 6-foot-3, 236lb linebacker started in seven games this fall for the Beavers, totaling 52 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. As a true freshman in 2024, he appeared in 12 games, totaling 43 tackles with two tackles for loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries.
Foster held just two offers coming out of high school prior to committing to Oregon State, but was at one point a target for new Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, when Aurich was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Idaho in 2022-2023.
The sophomore joins a linebacker room that has seen a bit of a facelift through transfer portal additions. San Diego State linebacker Owen Chambliss led the Aztecs in tackles this season and has now signed with the Huskers, following Rob Aurich to Lincoln. Iowa State freshman linebacker Will Hawthorne committed to the Huskers on Tuesday. Nebraska fell just short of Iowa State when Hawthorne was coming out of Gilbert (Ia.) in the 2025 cycle.
Foster is the seventh transfer portal addition for the Huskers this cycle and the fourth defensive addition. The Huskers are expected to be done with linebacker portal recruiting at this point and will turn attention to needs up front, both at defensive tackle and edge rusher.
Quick look at what Nebraska is getting in Foster
Standing 6-foot-3, and north of 235lbs, Foster is rangy and athletic in space. Has the versatility to play true strong-side or weak-side linebacker and could even spin down to edge rusher if needed. Possesses the athletic and physical range to track down ball-carriers in space, arm length to keep would-be-blockers at bay. Shows good eye discipline working through traffic, quick to react and trigger downhill, with the fluidity to change directions quickly. Still more read-and-react than anticipatory at this point in his development, but gets to his spots quickly. Has the athleticism to stick in coverage against running backs, tight ends and even slot receivers.
Has the experience, size and play-style to factor into Nebraska’s linebacker rotation immediately, and could even push to start alongside San Diego State linebacker transfer Owen Chambliss. Has the versatility to be a chess piece of sorts for Aurich and stick on the field regardless of personnel.
Nebraska
Nebraska-based pizza chain Godfather’s Pizza is set to open a new location in Queen Creek
QUEEN CREEK, AZ — A slice of the Midwest is coming to the East Valley! Godfather’s Pizza from Omaha, Nebraska, is set to open a new location this month in Queen Creek.
Bruce Cannon, who owns and operates two Godfather’s Pizza locations in Lincoln and Norfolk, Nebraska, will also own and operate the new Queen Creek restaurant.
“This marks the brand’s first traditional Godfather’s Pizza restaurant in Arizona since 2009, signaling an exciting return to the Phoenix metro area,” read the news release sent to ABC15.
The restaurant will open near Queen Creek Rd and Signal Butte Rd.
The restaurant will provide dine-in, carryout, and third-party delivery options, featuring its classic pizza lineup alongside favorites like breadsticks, streusels, and specialty pies.
IF YOU GO
- Opening date: January 19, 2026.
- Address: 22485 Queen Creek Road, Suite 101
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