Nebraska

Dave Feit’s Takeaways From Nebraska Football’s Spring Game

Published

2 years ago

April 30, 2024

Dave Feit’s Takeaways From Nebraska Football’s Spring Game

Due to a hectic sports weekend with the kids, I didn’t get to attend Nebraska football’s Red-White Spring Game, or even watch it live. I had to wait and watch the BTN telecast later on.

As I watched, a handful of things jumped out at me:

Let’s try to not overreact to a scrimmage.

I’ll be honest: after Raiola hit Janiran Bonner for a pretty touchdown on his first drive, I started dreaming big.

The Kool-Aid flowed strong and sweet on Saturday. I saw many things that have me optimistic for the fall. There were three capable quarterbacks! Speedy, big play receivers! A serviceable running game!

But let’s pause and remember how many defensive starters either sat out or played limited snaps. Notably, five Blackshirts who earned a single-digit jersey number last fall (Ty Robinson, Nash Hutmacher, Isaac Gifford, John Bullock and DeShon Singleton), plus Tommi Hill and other veterans. The defenders who did play weren’t allowed to touch the quarterbacks.

Remember: there’s a yin and yang to scrimmages.

If one unit shines (Jacory Barney Jr. had a great kickoff return!), it means another unit struggled (NU needed a Tristan Alvano tackle to prevent a kickoff return touchdown).

Okay, with the disclaimer out of the way, let’s top off our cups.

So, that Raiola kid is pretty good.

What was your favorite Dylan Raiola moment? Going 4-4 on his first drive as a Husker? That gorgeous touchdown to Bonner? The effortless deep ball to Lloyd? The physics-defying throw on a two-point conversion?

For me, it was watching him pre-snap. He did not look like a true freshman. He looked mature, comfortable, and confident. Yeah, there are asterisks a plenty, but it was hard to not be impressed by what you saw.

If this is what all five-star recruits look like, Nebraska should get some more.

New quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas looks like a keeper.

Remember the 2023 version of Heinrich Haarberg? Great runner with a strong arm, but the accuracy left a little to be desired. While we’ll pause to note that one spring scrimmage is a very small sample size, Haarberg was a combined 8-of-13 passing for 163 yards. I wonder how much of that is due to his new position coach.

More importantly, Haarberg showed improved touch on short throws. Did anybody bet that he would be the only one of the three QBs to NOT throw an interception?

Daniel Kaelin – another true freshman – looked good as well. From what I saw, he’ll enter the fall as Plan C. But I’d feel more comfortable with him playing than any other Plan C in recent memory. And I feel his development is in good hands.

Aside from the quarterbacks, the highlight of the day was listening to Matt Rhule in the broadcast booth.

The Husker head coach spent the majority of the second quarter in the booth. While Rhule obviously used the time to sell his program (more on that in a second), he also provided great insights on his team, what they coach, and what he looks for. It was surprisingly captivating for a scrimmage. There’s a reason the networks wanted him after he was fired in Carolina.

Rhule has a great knack for pointing out small things, and explaining why they can make a big difference. For example, he was frustrated with a defender who went low on a ball carrier in the red zone. Rhule wants them to “thud up,” because when they go low, the runner can fall forward for additional yardage. It’s a small detail, but there will be a game where the defense gets a critical stop because of it.

The BTN broadcast – and especially Rhule’s time in the booth – was an excellent sales pitch for Nebraska.

During the second quarter, the broadcast team (Larry Punteney and former Husker Kenny Bell) took turns lobbing softballs. Rhule, a masterful communicator, kept knocking them out of the park. Among the topics discussed:

• Nebraska’s multi-sport athletes. Much was made about guys like Jaylen Lloyd and Jeremiah Charles, who are participating on NU track team, and Nash Hutmacher, who wrestled over the winter. Rhule made it clear that if you’re talented enough to play multiple sports, he’ll support it.

• The culture in Rhule’s program, and how very few guys have entered the transfer portal.

• The new Tom Osborne Legacy Center and new weight room. Punteney set this topic up right as an injured player was being taken off on a cart. It was unfortunate – and unavoidable – timing. I appreciated how Rhule showed concern for his player, but didn’t waste the opportunity to sell his new facility.

• Praise for Nebraska fans, including the 60,452 who came out for an 11 a.m. game less than 24 hours after tornados ripped through the state.

If I’m a recruit – or the parent of one – Nebraska looked very attractive during that telecast.

Tony White got some on-the-job training.

Even though it was a scrimmage, BTN still did the “let’s talk to the coach as the team goes to halftime” interview. But with Rhule still making his way down from the broadcast booth, that responsibility went to defensive coordinator Tony White.

White was a candidate for several head coaching jobs during the offseason. With his impressive résumé, he is all but guaranteed to be a head coach in 2025. There are a lot of things White can do to prepare for his next career step, but it’s hard to practice answering questions from a sideline reporter seconds after the quarter ends, when all you want to do is get into the locker room. I’m guessing it’s one of those things you just have to do … unless you get a chance to do it in a scrimmage.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Rhule made sure his stay in the press box was long enough to ensure that White got the chance to speak.

As expected, White did a great job. Some team is going to get really lucky with him.

The play caller may feature his guys.

Several of the plays called by offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield ended up with the ball in the hands of the position group he now coaches: tight ends. Spring game stats are a bit of a mixed bag (defensive lineman AJ Rollins was credited for two receptions), but around 180 receiving yards were brought in by the tight ends.

It makes sense. Thomas Fidone is a walking mismatch. Nate Boerkircher is a crafty veteran. Luke Lindenmeyer, Ismael Smith Flores and Ian Flynt show promise.

I’m not alone in the opinion that Nebraska has criminally underutilized its tight ends for the better part of this century. Nebraska has a nice room – led by a guy poised for a breakout season – and I’m sure nobody knows that better than their position coach. And he just happens to call the plays.

Kenny Bell made me laugh.

The former Husker wide receiver, serving as the color commentator, did a nice job Saturday. In a game where Nebraska threw a lot of passes, Bell offered good insights on the finer points of playing receiver. An excellent blocker in his day, Bell was quick to call out current receivers being active on the perimeter. But there was a moment during the second quarter that had me laughing.

As the cameras showed Tom Osborne, Matt Rhule (in the broadcast booth at the time) talked about the reverence he had meeting the legendary coach for the first time. Bell responded with a story of meeting Osborne on his recruiting trip, wondering what T.O. must have thought when Bell – sporting his trademark Afro – walked in the room.

While Bell’s line – “Who the (expletive) is this kid?” – was a) definitely NOT something you can say on TV and b) definitely NOT what Osborne was thinking, it did crack me up.

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Nebraska

NCAA Tournament Big Ten report— Nebraska makes first Sweet 16

Published

34 minutes ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

NCAA Tournament Big Ten report— Nebraska makes first Sweet 16

The Big Ten dominated Saturday in the NCAA Tournament with four wins. Michigan and Illinois both looked like teams that were far superior to their opponents. Nebraska still has some magic left in what has been a very magical season.

Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from the Big Ten games in the NCAA Tournament from second-round Saturday:

No. 1 Michigan 95-72 vs No. 9 Saint Louis

The Wolverines defense held Robert Avila in check and the rest of Saint Louis’s top guys. Yaxel Lendeborg for the Wolverines went in takeover mode, and it added a dangerous element to Michigan’s offense. Lendeborg went off for 25 points, shot 3-5 from 3, and had 6 rebounds. To complement Lendeborg’s great showing, Michigan held in 40 rebounds and shot 47.8% from 3. It was another game where Michigan looked miles ahead of its competition. It’s hard not to view this team as one that will be one of the final teams left at the end of March.

No. 3 Michigan State 77-69 vs No. 6 Louisville

Without star guard Mikel Brown Jr. for Louisville, it was going to be a steep hill to climb to get this victory. Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears Jr. make things even worse with stellar performances. Carr had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Jeremy Fears Jr. had a solid scoring night but was still an elite facilitator with 16 assists. The Spartans’ offense was on par, even with 34 rebounds, and as an offense, shooting 42.3% from 3. Tom Izzo and the Spartans keep the momentum high with another big tournament win.

No. 3 Illinois 76-55 vs No. 11 VCU

VCU played better than in this game than they did in their prebopsi win over North Carolina. Losing Nyk Lewis early in this game was a tough blow, but even with an improved showing, they needed another 30-point masterclass from Terrence Hill Jr., and they didn’t get that. Hill Jr. only posted 17 points off the bench, while Illinois dominated VCU. Tomislav set the game on fire with his poster dunk, and that really sealed the fate of this game. He also chipped in 14 points and played a huge part in the Fighting Illini’s dominant performance on the glass. Andrej Stojakovic led the way with his 21-point performance. Illinois now heads to the Sweet 16.

No. 5 Vanderbilt 74-72 vs No. 4 Nebraska

Just another game showing why college basketball is amazing in March. 8 seconds left in the game, and the Cornhuskers do not call a timeout and immediately take the ball up and get a game-winning layup. Vanderbilt gets two seconds for a half-court heave, and it is as close as it gets to sinking in before rattling out. What a game. The perfect season keeps going for Nebraska. This game was too close for comfort all the way through, and down the stretch, both teams were trading buckets. The Cornhuskers got 4 of their players to reach double figures, and it was their shooting 47.4% and 55.8% from the field that made the difference. The Cornhuskers made the shots, and they head to the sweet 16 now after getting their first tournament win ever.

Overview

The momentum is still high in the Big Ten as the top teams from the regular season are having similar success in the NCAA tournament. Nebraska’s dream season has yet to come to an end, and they top their only tournament win in program history with a thrilling win over Vanderbilt.

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Nebraska

Nebraska MBB arrives back in Lincoln to sea of Husker fans

Published

13 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska MBB arrives back in Lincoln to sea of Husker fans

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska men’s basketball returned home on Sunday after defeating Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the program’s first Sweet 16.

Hundreds of Nebraska fans flocked to the Lincoln Airport to welcome the team home. Cheers rung out in the arrivals area of the airport as the team came out.

The players took time to sign autographs, take photos, and celebrate with the Husker fans who came to welcome them home. The team then got on their bus to return to Nebraska’s training facility.

Nebraska men’s basketball returned home on Sunday after defeating Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the program’s first Sweet 16.

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Nebraska’s Sweet 16 joy, Vanderbilt’s agony were a centimeter from reversal

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska’s Sweet 16 joy, Vanderbilt’s agony were a centimeter from reversal

OKLAHOMA CITY — Out of the locker room and into the Paycom Center hallway, the Nebraska contingent went, traces of delirium on their faces and drips of water rolling off their mussed follicles. It had been almost 20 minutes since the game of their lives, the game of this NCAA Tournament, the game that will always be remembered by Nebraska and Vanderbilt fans — in very different ways — was won on the tiniest of bounces.

Yet as they walked toward a postgame news conference late Saturday night to discuss it all, they passed a tunnel leading into the arena and were greeted with screams. Nebraska fans with seats around the tunnel spotted them, because thousands of Nebraska fans were still in their seats, reveling, the music still thumping in the arena, as if some kind of encore would be happening.

As if Nebraska 74, Vanderbilt 72 — won and lost several times by both teams until Braden Frager’s layup went for Nebraska and Tyler Tanner’s halfcourt shot went in and out for Vanderbilt — weren’t enough.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.
NEBRASKA IS IN FRONT 😱 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/bHX87XMzCu
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— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026

“Heyyyy!” Nebraska’s Rienk Mast yelled to the fans, giving them a point as the Cornhuskers kept marching, and dripping, and laughing.

Mast gave teammate Pryce Sandfort a slap on the back as Sandfort said to Frager, of the winning basket made possible when Sandfort zipped a pass to him: “I was so close to pulling that 3. Oh my God. And you were wide open.”

And Mast sat and listened as coach Fred Hoiberg told the assembled media: “You guys have no idea how invasive that (left knee) procedure that Rienk went through. … More than anything, I’m just happy for him because you see the joy. It was hard.”

It took everything for South Region No. 4 seed Nebraska (28-6) to survive the greatness of Tanner and No. 5 seed Vanderbilt (27-9), earning the first Sweet 16 in program history and a Thursday date in Houston with No. 1 seed Florida or No. 9 seed Iowa. It took the 15,000 or so fans in red in the arena, making it feel much more like a Big Ten home game in February than a March Madness setting.

It took hot shooting early, clutch shooting late, eight missed Vanderbilt free throws, four scorers in double figures and the ability to summon composure through the fatigue and panic as Vanderbilt turned a 10-point deficit into a five-point advantage with 5:34 to play.

It took Mast taking over in timeout huddles to make sure the Cornhuskers didn’t lose that composure.

“That’s what he does,” Nebraska’s Cale Jacobsen said of Mast, who also had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound senior from Groningen, Netherlands, is only on this team because he had to miss all of last season recovering from knee surgery. As the Lincoln Journal-Star recently reported, it was far beyond a typical knee surgery — it was a cartilage transplant from a cadaver to alleviate a condition called osteochondritis dissecans.

And there was ample risk that his knee would reject the tissue, and a long time period of Mast rehabilitating but not knowing for sure. Just as so many things had to come together for the Cornhuskers to follow up the program’s first NCAA Tournament win with another, Mast’s successful recovery was a central part of a team coming together that could make that kind of history.

This NCAA Tournament, like the last one, has been light on Cinderella stories and heavy on big brands and big favorites rolling. Saturday night at Paycom Arena was the Big Ten vs. the SEC, the top two money hoarders in an industry guided by their hoarding.

But it was also two groups of players and coaches as endearing as your average mid-major No. 13 seed. It was little Tanner, the lightly regarded 2024 recruit, dropping 27 and nearly one of the greatest shots in NCAA Tournament history. It was little Sam Hoiberg, on his birthday (and the birthday of twin and Nebraska manager Charlie), extending his career with so many gutty plays. It was big Mast in the middle of it all, a guy who probably shouldn’t be playing, facilitating and narrating for his team.

“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around,” Sam Hoiberg said. “My dad said it to you guys, the most disciplined player, and it’s all true. I live with Rienk, I see it every single day, how disciplined he is. But he’s such a good dude, too.”

That dude zipped a pass to Berke Buyuktuncel with 2:08 left for his fourth assist to give Nebraska back a 68-67 lead. Then AK Okereke drilled a corner 3-pointer for Vanderbilt. Then Mast tried to take the lead right back with his fourth 3-pointer but it missed — into the hands of Hoiberg, who tied the game with the rare diminutive point-guard putback.

Then Tanner sliced through the Nebraska defense as he did all night, a layup for a 72-70 lead with 58 seconds left. Then Hoiberg tried to answer with a drive, missing — into the hands of Mast, whose putback tied it with 37 ticks left. One more Nebraska stop, Sandfort rebounding a Chandler Bing miss, set up the final sequence.

Sandfort to a cutting Frager. Tanner from behind halfcourt, then to the court on his back, both hands to his face.

“Hit every part of the rim,” Fred Hoiberg said.

“I think it took me a half a second to register it didn’t go in, and then I just screamed in elation,” Sam Hoiberg said.

“I just about died,” Sandfort said.

“Like, I just went completely blank,” Mast said.

This close…. 🤏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/lEtY7T1WX1
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026

As for Tanner, when asked if he thought it was going in, he could only nod his head. The devastation on the Vanderbilt side was exactly as you’d expect. And for Vanderbilt fans, this one might occupy a higher spot on a list that includes Matthew Fisher-Davis mistakenly fouling Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh with his team up and 17 seconds left … and the Murray State buzzer-beater in 2010 … and Roy Hibbert’s obvious but uncalled travel in 2007 … and that 1993 loss to Temple …

“This is going to take a long time for myself and this team to get over,” said Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington, who has worked wonders in two seasons.

“They were so close to being in our shoes,” Jacobsen said of the Commodores. “My heart goes out to those guys.”

But his guys are moving on, and might be as Cinderella-like as any group left in this thing. A few feet away from Jacobsen, Mast was holding court with reporters. He moved some chairs out of the way to create space. He started to grab one for himself, stopped and said: “Nah, I don’t need it.”

“This is unbelievable,” Mast said. “Like, ‘Oh my God, we really did this. … Last year was pretty tough. But like throughout that whole year, this is what you work toward. I’m so grateful to stand where I’m at right now.”

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