LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Athletics Press Release) – The Nebraska soccer team (3-6-0, 0-3-0 Big Ten) is looking to bounce back after a four-match losing skid as the Huskers host a pair of conference foes in Illinois and #15 Penn State. Both matches will be played at Hibner Stadium, as NU faces the Fighting Illini on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. (CT) and the Nittany Lions on Sunday at 12 p.m. (CT). Thursday’s match will be streamed on Big Ten Plus, while Sunday’s game will be aired nationally on BTN.

Fans can purchase general admission and single match tickets to each game by calling 1-800-8 BIG RED or by visiting //Huskers.com/tickets.

Scouting Illinois

• Illinois finished the 2023 season with a 6-8-3 mark overall and 2-6-2 record in conference play. The Huskers topped Illinois 4-2 to close the season, and Illinois didn’t qualify for postseason play. 
• The Fighting Illini are 4-4-2 on the season with quality wins over DePaul and Illinois State. After traveling to Nebraska on Thursday, Illinois will host Maryland on Sunday. 
• Head Coach Janet Rayfield is in her 23rd season at the helm of the Illinois soccer program. The winningest coach in Illinois soccer history holds a 230-179-45 career record, while totalling 104 conference victories. 
• Illinois leads the all-time series 8-6-0 between the two teams. NU has won the last three matchups. 

Scouting #15 Penn State

• In the 2023 season, Penn State finished 16-3-4 overall and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament but fell 2-1 to top-ranked Clemson. 
• Penn State has opened the 2024 season with an 8-2-1 record and six shutouts. The Nittany Lions face #18 Iowa on Thursday night before its matchup against Nebraska on Sunday. 
• Head Coach Erica Dambach is in her 18th season at Penn State and 31st season overall. With the Nittany Lions, Dambach holds a 282-94-30 record. 
• Penn State leads the all-time series between the programs, 7-3-2, dating back to 2011. Most recently, PSU topped Nebraska in 2023, 1-0.

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It is a down year to need a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft class, leaving some looking forward to the future with names like Texas’ Arch Manning and Nebraska Football freshman phenom Dylan Raiola.

With Manning going through some growing pains in his first career start for the Longhorns against Louisiana-Monroe, we turn our attention to the Cornhuskers and their dynamic playmaker under center. The multitude of arm angles he can throw from to manipulate windows is stunning. His ability to throw from multiple platforms is simply fun to watch. Most impressive, however, are some of the throwing windows he is anticipating well before receivers get out of their breaks.

As names like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and Georgia’s Carson Beck fail to separate from the pack early on, it leaves us wondering what the landscape would be like if the NFL made an exception for Raiola. This poses the question: if Raiola was draft-eligible for the main event this upcoming Spring, would he not only be the first quarterback off the board but the first overall pick in the draft?

We can take this a step further as well. Even if Raiola were to wait to be removed from high school for three years before being able to head to the NFL level, would a general manager in the NFL use the first overall pick on the rights of Raiola to guarantee he would be on their roster in 2027?

His tools are rare. Rarer than Caleb Williams’ was last year. Raiola is a gifted and rare prospect who may earn the comparison to the quarterback he does the best to emulate on the field. Looking at the Carolina Panthers, who are multiple pieces away but still need a quarterback, there is a real chance they would pull the trigger on an opportunity like drafting the rights of the Nebraska Football gunslinger.

Raiola has better tools than anyone in this draft class, and in a league where quarterback reigns supreme, there is a strong chance that Dylan Raiola would hear his name called as the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if he were allowed to enter his name into the pool of players.

This full conversation was posed in the latest episode of the Daft on Draft Podcast. You can find the full episode on Apple, Spotify, or on YouTube.

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Food insecurity is becoming a serious concern for many rural Nebraskans.

There are many roadblocks Nebraskans face when it comes to food security. More grocery stores are closing, and high transportation costs combined with spotty internet service can prevent rural residents from accessing and using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits.

Jillian Linster is the Policy Director for the Center of Rural Affairs. She said there’s been a nearly 30% decrease in the number of grocery stores in rural Nebraska.

“Rural residents often anticipate traveling further to obtain food access, but we’ve identified that there are food access challenges in as many as 66 of Nebraska’s 93 counties,” Linster said.

A USDA report showed that in 2023, Nebraska’s food insecurity rate was 12.2%, higher than the national average of 11.2%.

Rural areas can also have unreliable internet services, creating obstacles for Nebraskans living there to access SNAP benefits online.

Eric Savaiano is the program manager for food and nutrition access for Nebraska Appleseed. Savaiano said there are issues once people receive benefits, too.

“I guess people who live in rural areas do end up traveling farther to go shopping,” Savaiano said. “It just costs more to get from their home to that grocery store. If you spend $10 more to go to the grocery store, that’s $10 less you might have using your SNAP benefits. People have to share rides or find a way to get delivery and in general, those things do cost money.”

Food insecurity is on the rise in Nebraska and nationwide, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Nationwide, the USDA says over a million additional Americans were “food insecure” in 2023 compared to the previous year.

According to Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, while rural Nebraska has fewer large chain grocery stores and more small shops, SNAP benefits can also be used to make purchases online and have groceries delivered. Nebraska currently has 14 authorized retailers that allow families to purchase food online. The online authorized retailers include ALDI, Amazon, Baker’s, Costco, Hy-Vee, Safeway, Sam’s Club, Target, Walgreens, Walmart, Whole Foods, Setting D Ranch, Salt Creek Farm Coop and Dash Mart.

In addition to SNAP, other assistance programs such as Social Services to Aged and Disabled Adults (SSAD) can assist with home-delivered or congregate meals. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services encourages eligible individuals to visit thewebsite or call 402-471-7256 for more information if they are struggling with food insecurity.