LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Over 60,000 fans showed up to Memorial Stadium for the Huskers spring game—and to get their first look at this year’s quarterbacks.

All three players saw reps in the 25-21 win for Team White over Team Red. Each gave Husker Nation reason to be excited for what awaits this fall, especially five-star freshman Dylan Raiola.

Maybe it was the non-contact jerseys, but Raiola played with the demeanor of a seasoned veteran.

When he first took the field for Nebraska—for his father’s team—the 18-year-old struggled to keep his emotions in check.

“I fought back tears walking out of the tunnel,” he said. “Growing up as a kid, that’s what I knew and that’s what I watched. So being a part of it, going out of the tunnel and hearing the song, it got heavy for me.”

Once the game began, Raiola shined, completing 16 of his 22 passes for 239 yards along with two touchdowns against one interception. His 15 first-half completions went to 13 different receivers.

Heinrich Haarberg also threw a pair of touchdowns, including a high heave to freshman Jacory Barney Jr. for the 41-yard score. Danny Kaelin also completed 9 of his 16 passes and threw one pick.

“I think I left something out there for sure,” the Bellevue West alum said. “There’s a lot to learn from, but I’m proud of the way I came out there and played confident.”

It’s no secret that Matt Rhule plans to take the quarterback race into the fall. He believes it is bringing the best out of all three field generals.

“We’re going to focus on Dylan, I get that,” Rhule said of the fan/media attention. “But you can see the improvement on Heinrich. You can see Danny as a true freshman go out and complete 60 percent of his passes. I personally believe it’s going to take all of us to play well at the quarterback position in the Big Ten.”

The competition has fueled camaraderie in the quarterback room.

“We’ve been grinding together for three months and it’s been fun,” Raiola said. “We’re competing but at the end of the day we’re there for each other.”

“We’re not going to go head-to-head,” Haarberg added. “We’re going to work together but at the same time, compete.”

Raiola will spend some time in Kansas City this summer working with Patrick Mahomes and his trainer Bobby Stroupe.

“I just want to be around greatness,” he said of Mahomes. “Just trying to take it all in and elevate my game as much as I can.”

Come August, we’ll find out how much he learned.

Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.

LINCOLN, Neb. (Press Release) – Nebraska Athletics has partnered with Fanatics, Best of Big Red, Lincoln Scheels, and local retailers to raise money for tornado relief efforts. Fans can purchase “Nebraska Together” apparel at Huskers.com or Best of Big Red Lincoln locations beginning Tuesday.

“One thing I know growing up in the Midwest is neighbors are always willing to help neighbors,” said Troy Dannen, Director of Athletics. “This is a great time to rally for those in need. We are happy to play a small part in assisting Nebraskans through this difficult time.”

Nebraska will donate royalties and all proceeds will go directly to the Red Cross to assist local relief efforts. In April of 2019, a similar project provided $75,000 of support for flood relief in the state, and Nebraska Athletics is hopeful that Husker fans can make a similar impact.

Apparel will start at $25.

Shirts can be pre-ordered from Bestofbigred.com.

Previous Coverage: ‘Many houses are flattened’ in Elkhorn as large tornado sweeps through

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Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.

CNN
 — 

Destructive tornadoes gutted homes as they plowed through Nebraska and Iowa, and the dangerous storm threat could escalate Saturday as tornado-spawning storms pose a risk from Michigan to Texas.

The area of Elkhorn in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of the hardest-hit communities after severe storms barreled through parts of the Plains and South early Friday afternoon. A powerful tornado leveled homes, which crews were searching for anyone trapped or injured, local authorities announced Friday during a news conference.

Meanwhile in nearby Iowa, a large tornado was reported in the small city of Minden, according to the National Weather Service. Footage obtained by CNN shows the devastation of mangled structures and widespread debris.

The severe weather threat is expected to continue through Sunday, with Saturday possibly being the most dangerous day. Strong tornadoes are possible from Michigan to Texas, including in Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Dallas, Milwaukee, Chicago and Austin.

Here’s the latest:

• Four people in Iowa’s Pottawattamie County suffered storm-related injuries and received medical treatment, county emergency management officials said in a news release early Saturday. Three of the injured have been released, and one remains hospitalized in stable condition. No further details on the extent of the injuries were provided.

• Roughly 120 homes and businesses were damaged in Pottawattamie County, where Minden is located and the home of about 90,000 residents. “Preliminary information indicates varying degrees of damage,” emergency officials said.

• Two people in Omaha received medical treatment for minor injuries after a tornado swept through the Elkhorn area Friday. “We think injuries were so little because the warning systems in the City of Omaha and Douglas County were highly effective,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said. “We were not hit with a sudden storm. People had warned of this, which saved lives, in our opinion.”

• Emergency officials in Nebraska’s Shelby and Douglas counties said there were no reports of injuries there after several tornadoes hit their communities Friday. However, the officials reported the storms inflicted significant property damage, and residents have been displaced.

• On the outskirts of Lincoln, Nebraska, a tornado tore the roofs off homes and crossed part of I-80 in the process. Multiple cars of a train derailed near Waverly after it was struck by a tornado, according to a railway spokesperson.

• In response to the tornado that tore through Minden, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation to support storm recovery efforts in Pottawattamie County.

• On Friday afternoon, at least two tornadoes were observed in Texas afternoon. Video posted to social media showed an apparent twister churning across a large field northeast of Waco.

• There were more than 60 tornado reports Friday across at least five states, many of which have been confirmed by the weather service or through footage from storm chasers.

Jason Sunday, a resident of hard-hit Elkhorn in Omaha, described the tornado as a “freight train.” As it approached, he sought cover in his home, which he had just moved into 30 days ago, CNN affiliate KETV reported.

“We saw it coming from the southwest, and when it got too close for comfort, we headed downstairs quickly. We were in the downstairs bathtub, and it was just like the movie said, it was like a freight train,” Sunday told CNN affiliate KETV.

“And you knew the roof was coming off because that was a loud pop and sucking motion. It was pretty scary.”

The tornado caused severe damage to the Sunday family’s dream home.

“We’re thankful to be alive. We’re very thankful,” Sunday added.

John Wells, a cleanup volunteer in the town of Blair just north of Omaha, says he saw sprawling storm damage Friday.

“There’s propane tanks that are flipped. There’s houses that they’re not even on their foundation. You don’t even know where they were,” he told KETV. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

More than 50 million people are under the threat of severe weather Saturday from the Southern Plains into the Great Lakes region.

“A complex but potentially significant severe weather episode is expected on Saturday,” the Weather Prediction Center said Friday.

The most significant storms are possible starting in the afternoon in parts of the southern and central Plains, where a Level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms is in place. Widespread damaging wind gusts, hail up to the size of baseballs and strong tornadoes are the storms’ main hazards.

The tornado threat could ramp up considerably through the late afternoon and evening hours with “multiple strong tornadoes” possible, according to the prediction center.

Damaging storms are possible outside of the greatest risk area in a huge area of the country from the Great Lakes to southern Texas.

Rain could also be a culprit Saturday.

Some areas could see nearly 5 inches of rain in a short period and dangerous flash flooding could result. A handful of locations caught under multiple rounds of gushing rainfall could have totals approach the 8-inch mark.

A Level 3 of 4 risk of excessive rainfall is in place for a large portion of Oklahoma – including Oklahoma City and Tulsa – and smaller parts of Kansas and Texas. Intense rainfall could force streams to overflow their banks and flood roadways.

Damaging storms also are possible from Texas to Wisconsin Sunday. But the exact timing, extent and strength of these storms will depend heavily on Saturday night’s storms.

Notably, areas from northeastern Texas to southern Iowa and western Illinois face the greatest chance for damaging storms that could bring strong wind gusts and large hail. An isolated tornado or two is also possible.

Heavy, flooding rainfall is possible, especially in parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley.