Nebraska
Four Questions to Ponder as Nebraska Football Heads Into its Second Bye Week
The Nebraska football team is back on track after an exhilarating win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl this past Saturday night. The Huskers are now 7-3, their best record through 10 games since 2016. The Big Red will finish the season by playing at Penn State–a team that is both deeply flawed and immensely talented–and hosting Iowa at home on Black Friday. With optimism buzzing anew after true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef’s strong performance, we look at four questions for the Nebraska football team headed into the bye week.
How high can this offense fly under TJ Lateef?
Against UCLA, Lateef seemed to give the offense a spark they had been missing in recent games. The Huskers scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives against the Bruins, and they sealed the game by getting three 1st downs to allow the final four minutes and forty seven seconds to run off the clock.
Having a mobile quarterback is an extremely valuable element for any offense in college football, and it allows offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen to dial up some things that opponents haven’t seen Nebraska do in recent years. I would also suggest that losing starting quarterback Dylan Raiola to injury caused Holgorsen to lean more heavily on star running back Emmett Johnson, and EJ just keeps delivering.
The offense will face two of its stiffest tests of the season over the last two games. Can they do enough to help Nebraska win one or both of them?
How is John Butler stacking up?
There was a lot of angst, hand-wringing, and gnashing of teeth when former defensive coordinator Tony White left for Florida State last December–and for good reason. White drastically improved Nebraska’s defense immediately upon his arrival. In both 2023 and 2024, Nebraska’s defense was in the top 25 nationally in total defense and scoring defense, and in the top ten in the country in rushing defense. While the offense and special teams struggled in both of those seasons, the defense was good enough to keep the team in just about any game.
Enter John Butler. I believe the first-year coordinator is doing an excellent job this season. Nebraska currently has the #3 passing defense in the country, and the Blackshirts rank #13 nationally in total defense and #25 in scoring defense. What’s more, the D has had a knack for making timely stops when the team absolutely needs them, which directly contributed to wins over Cincinnati, Maryland, Northwestern, and UCLA. Yes, Butler’s unit has struggled against the run, but that was to be expected after losing major impact players like Nash Hutmacher, Ty Robinson, Jimari Butler, and John Bullock. The good news for Nebraska is that their front seven on defense is filled with lots of young talent, and you can bet Rhule and company will look to supplement this group in the transfer portal as well.
One could argue the defense has taken a small step back this season, but I would argue they have been good enough to give Nebraska a chance to win every game, and the future is bright under John Butler.
How will the Huskers finish?
Penn State has been a dumpster fire this season, but let’s not forget a few facts: they were a top five team at one point this season; they were about a play or two away from beating both Oregon (currently #8 in the latest CFP rankings) and Indiana (currently #2); and they still have Penn State-level talent. What’s more, Nebraska has to go to Happy Valley for this one. By no means should we take PSU’s struggles as an indication that they are ready to roll over for the Huskers.
Meanwhile, Iowa looks like your standard issue Iowa team, playing excellent defense and special teams. Their offense appears to be improved this year as well, with mobile quarterback Mark Gronowski bringing an added element that we haven’t seen from the Hawkeyes in recent years (they’re not the 1983 Scoring Explosion, mind you. But any offense coming out of Iowa City is an improvement over the last couple years). It helps that this one is in Lincoln, but given Nebraska’s struggles to stop the run this year, combined with the fact that this game has been a nightmare for the Huskers for a decade, the Big Red will have to play their absolute best to emerge with a W.
What will the Huskers’ record be when the sun sets on Black Friday? There’s a big difference between 7-5 and 9-3.
What record would constitute a successful 2025 season?
On that note, what record does Matt Rhule need to achieve for this season to be considered a success? If they can win one of the last two regular season games, plus the bowl game, they will finish the year 9-4 and I believe the vast majority of Husker fans would consider that a successful season, especially in light of the injury to Raiola. If they win out, of course, Common Fans will be dancing in the streets from Omaha to Scottsbluff.
At minimum, I think Rhule needs to win one of the last three to show that this program is on track and making the kind of progress to get them back to the kind of national relevance Husker fans crave. Finish 8-5, they’ll be one win better than last season, and I think most fans are satisfied but anxious for more in the years to come. 9-4 or better, and we’ll be frothing at the mouth for eight months, dying for the 2026 season to begin.
As always, GBR for LIFE.
Agree? Disagree? Tell us what you think, Common Fans. We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at commonfangbr@gmail.com or find us on YouTube.
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Nebraska Game and Parks is offering residents a chance to win prizes simply for getting outside and moving, as part of a challenge honoring America’s 250th birthday.
The Outdoor Nebraska 250-Mile Challenge invites participants to log miles through activities like walking, running, kayaking, horseback riding and more using any fitness app. The goal is to reach 250 miles before the end of the year. Once completed, participants fill out a form on the Nebraska Game and Parks website to become eligible for prizes.
Mike Selman, a regular walker at Zorinsky Lake, said the challenge caught his attention.
“I think it’s great, as long as you put in the time and effort,” Selman said.
Selman said getting outdoors is already a big part of his routine.
“I absolutely love it, I love being outdoors, just the beauty, the nature, the trees, the water,” Selman said.
He said one of his favorite aspects of the challenge is the opportunity to explore Nebraska’s many outdoor spaces.
“Especially here, around Zorinsky, Standing Bear, Flanagan, you got great opportunities and great places to go,” Selman said.
When asked if he planned to submit his miles, Selman did not hesitate.
“I’ll definitely think about it, most definitely,” Selman said.
Between Memorial Day and the end of the year, logging just over 1 mile a day would be enough to reach the 250-mile goal and qualify for prizes.
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We’ll have to wait a bit longer to get into the Cowgirls’ Super Regional.
A rainy night in Lincoln meant the teams only managed to get four outs into the Super between Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The game is tied at 0. The weather delay lasted about two hours before they called it.
The game will resume at 4 p.m. Friday and be televised on ESPN2. They will not play another game Friday, as Game 2 will now take place at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Nebraska football team added its third 2027 offensive line commitment and addition from the state of Georgia on Wednesday.
Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive lineman KD Jones officially announced his commitment to NU this week. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Jones picked the Huskers over Georgia Tech, Auburn, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. He visited Lincoln on May 6 and is scheduled to take his official visit to Nebraska on June 6.
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The Huskers first offered Jones in April, after offensive line coach Geep Wade had previously been recruiting him at Georgia Tech.
“Coach Wade called me and offered me today,” Jones told HuskerOnline on Apr. 25. “He has been on me for a long time, ever since he was at Tech. So his interest wasn’t anything new to me. He came to watch me train at school and was amazed. He offered the next day.”
Jones joins safety Corey Hadley from the state of Georgia in NU’s 2027 recruiting class.
“I knew nothing about Nebraska before the offer,” Jones said in April. But now that Coach Wade and Coach (Lonnie) Teasley are there, I know I can trust them.”
Jones had planned to take official visits to all the schools recruiting him, but his early commitment to NU appears to have shut down those visits.
He jones Omaha (Neb.) Millard North’s Matt Erickson and fellow Grayson product Jordan Agbanoma are the other offensive linemen in the Huskers’ 2027 recruiting class. He’s now the 10th commitment in Nebraska’s class of 2027.
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