Nebraska
Carriker Chronicles: Nebraska Is 5-1. Is This Team Different? Plus the Rhule Rumors
Adam Carriker poses a lot of questions in this episode of the Carriker Chronicles! First of all, Matt Rhule is already in the middle of rumors swirling about him going to Penn State. Adam shares a conversation he had with Matt Rhule a while back directly related to this very subject! Also, this Nebraska team is 5-1 and ranked, but is this Nebraska team different?! Adam talks about how Nebraska football’s schedule up to this point is actually tougher than most people realize. It’s certainly not an incredibly difficult schedule as an overall whole, but they played four Power Four teams that have a combined winning percentage of 67% for their games so far this year. Last year Nebraska was 5-1 as well to start the year, and the Four Power four teams that had played up to the middle of the season last year had a combined winning percentage of 52% of their games by the end of the season.
There’s a lot of football left to play, but Michigan will probably end the season ranked, Michigan State is the only team without a winning record at 3-3, which is still .500 and Adam is convinced that Maryland is better than most people realize. The same exact thing that Adam said after Nebraska played Cincinnati, who is now 5-1 and ranked one spot ahead of Nebraska, for some reason, at 24th in the country.
Adam talks about Nebraska’s sloppy and ugly play that they’ve had so far this year, but he also explains just how young this team is. Remember, they were the youngest team in the entire Big Ten conference coming into this season. Very different from Matt Rhule’s year three at Temple and at Baylor where he had a majority of juniors and seniors playing and over 80% of his starters returned.
When do you think of Nebraska’s top players this year, guys like Dylan Raiola, Emmett Johnson, Jacory Barney, Nyziah Hunter, the entire defensive line with the exception of one senior, the entire running back room, Luke Lindenmeyer, and more… Every single one of those guys should be back next year. And then in the case of Raiola, Barney and Hunter, they’re not even juniors, they’re all underclassmen. Matt Rhule wanted the jump that he typically has as a coach maybe one year away. That being said, Adam points out that the floor for Nebraska football this season is no longer 6-6 like he had thought it was before this season. The floor is now 8-4. All Nebraska has to do is win half the remaining games and they’ll be 8-4 in the regular season with a potential to get a win in a bowl game.
The goal is obviously much higher than that. Nebraska is a 5½-point favorite at Minnesota and will be a double-digit favorite at home versus Northwestern. It is realistic that Nebraska could be 7-1 heading into November. Adam will not engage in College Football Playoff talk unless that point comes. But if it does come, and it is realistic, Nebraska could be 7-1 heading into November and could only go .500 in November and still be 9-3, with the potential 10th win in a bowl game. This is all very realistic. The remaining schedule for Nebraska is not a killer, but it is more unpredictable than before. No one really knows what to make of UCLA, Northwestern or Penn State at this point.
Minnesota and Iowa are good football teams. Nebraska has more talent than them but has not been able to beat them in the recent past, will this year be different?! USC may be the only ranked team Nebraska plays the rest of this season potentially.
Adam talks about how this team is young, how young players improve at a faster rate than older players, and while there’s been a lot of sloppy football, what he really likes is the mental approach. The grittiness, the mental toughness, and the fact that they’ve already won twice as many one-score games as they’ve lost this year. These were all things that would have been flipped in the past. In fact, there’s a case to be made that instead of being 3-1 versus their four Power Four opponents so far, those are the types of games Nebraska would’ve lost in the past and they could’ve easily been 1-3 in the same four games, which would drastically change Nebraska’s current record and trajectory of the rest of the season.
Tune in to see if Adam Carriker truly thinks this Nebraska team is different or if they’re a year a way or in this day and age of the transfer portal and NIL, if any of those guys will actually be here next year!
Also, with the rumors of Matt Rhule going to Penn State, Adam Carriker had a conversation a while back with Matt Rhule about this very topic! Tune in to hear as Adam shares the exact details of that conversation and this can’t-miss episode of the Carriker Chronicles!
Hit the play button below, Go Big Red, and always remember to throw the bones!
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Nebraska
Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection
LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) – Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.
On Tuesday afternoon, an NSP Carrier Enforcement trooper conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on a semi tractor/trailer driven by Arwinderjit Singh, 30, of California, near mile marker 254 on Interstate 80.
During the inspection, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K-9 detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the cab of the semi, troopers said.
After searching the cab, troopers located 242 pounds of cocaine concealed underneath the sleeper bed, NSP said.

Singh was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of an open alcohol container, no drug tax stamp and displaying a fictitious license plate.
Singh was lodged in Dawson County Jail, and his bond was set at 10% of $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.
According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.
“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”
Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.
“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.
“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.
Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.
“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.
Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.
“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”
Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.
“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”
Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.
“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.
Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.
“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.
“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.
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Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected a former state senator and longtime board member to lead the chamber while it searches for a new president and CEO.
Board of Directors Chair Pat Keenan said Thursday that Matt Williams of Gothenburg agreed to serve as interim president.
ALSO READ: Nebraska Chamber president and CEO resigns after less than a year
“The Board is grateful to Matt for stepping into this role during a very active and productive time for the Nebraska Chamber,” Keenan said. “He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives.”
Williams represented District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023.
The chamber said Williams has had a lifelong career in banking and serves as chairman of Flatwater Bank. He previously served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.
His long involvement with the chamber includes membership on the Board of Directors; he currently serves as director for District 6. In 2025, he was named to the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.
“The Nebraska Chamber is on rock-solid footing, with the clear vision of the Board, and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride in legislative policy and advocacy, technology, manufacturing, leadership-development, fund-raising and membership. The success of cutting-edge initiatives like 6 Regions, One Nebraska, the launch of the Go Big Future series, and the strong member engagement across the state demonstrate the success and strength of this organization. I’m excited to lend my support in whatever way I can for the Chamber. I know how strong businesses and communities make for a stronger Nebraska, and I’m glad to be part of that.”
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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