Nebraska
Nebraska Football 2024: The MVPs, Best Wins, and What Could Have Been
Chris Fort offers some superlatives for the 2024 Nebraska football season
Offensive MVP: Dylan Raiola
To be sure, the offense struggled for much of 2024, finishing on the wrong side of the national rankings in most every category. But Raiola, while he had his share of freshman moments, was not to blame. Rather, he was the straw that stirred the Huskers’ drink, piloting them to wins over the Badgers and Buffaloes with stellar outings. He finished with the most yards passing of any true freshman ever at NU, surpassing Adrian Martinez’s 2018 effort in the bowl game against BC.
Runner-Up: The Offensive Line
Defensive MVP: Ty Robinson
Cue Ty as the team’s overall MVP to boot. He was a heart-and-soul leader that never shied from reporters after a tough loss and collected his best season as a Husker, grabbing 37 tackles, 13 TFLs, 7 sacks, and forcing defensive coordinators to gameplan around him. He also added a couple pancakes on offense for good measure. For his efforts, he garnered second-team All-Big 10 honors and even snagged an honorable mention on the SI All-American squad.
Runner-Up: John Bullock
Special Teams MVP: Brian Buschini
Boom-Schini as he’s affectionately known by fans, Nebraska’s senior punter had a big rebound year after a frustratingly mixed 2023. He nearly edged Sam Koch’s single season record for punt average in a season but fell short after a disappointing Iowa performance. Still, he was a rock for the Huskers in 2024 amid an otherwise bleak Special Teams season. Bonus points for completing two fake punt passes for first down, as he did against Rutgers and Boston College.
Runner-Up: John Hohl
True Freshman of the Year: Jacory Barney Jr.
Let’s take Dylan out of contention this round. Barney was every bit as good as the hype that surrounded him pre-season, as he led the team in receptions while acting as the Huskers’ gadget guy and occasional kick returner. He tied JD Spielman’s freshman record for receptions (55) to boot. A big game against the Badgers also earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. It doesn’t hurt that he seemingly loves being a Husker.
Runner-Up: Vincent Shavers Jr.
Transfer of the Year: Ceyair Wright
The USC Trojan/Space Jam actor left Hollywood for Lincoln and made a big impact, earning PFF honors after a huge game against Rutgers and filling in nicely for Tommi Hill and Blye Hill after injuries slowed them in 2024.
Runner-Up: Dante Dowdell
Costliest Injury: Tommi Hill
The Husker senior was being penciled in as a first-round draft pick by some after a hot start to the season that included a pick six of presumptive number one pick, Shedeur Sanders. But a stubborn case of planter fasciitis resulted in missed games and tough outings against the likes of Illinois and USC. A healthy Tommi may have been the difference in nailing down a seventh or eighth regular season win.
Runner-Up: Teddy Prochazka
Best Win: Colorado
The Huskers hosted their old conference foes, winners of the last three matchups in the renewed rivalry, and demoralized them from the first drive, resulting in 28-0 margin at halftime. Only some second half miscues and questionable officiating calls robbed them of running up the score further. This was the most complete game by both the offense and defense and the result was a rousing victory over a team that finished with a 9-4 record on the season.
Runner-Up: Wisconsin
Turning Point: Wisconsin
The narrative going in was that Nebraska may sit at home again for bowl season, having lost four straight games when trying to achieve their bowl-clinching victory. The pressure sufficiently mounted, the Husker offense put on its best game. Time shall soon tell if this was the page-turning performance some felt it was.
Worst Loss: UCLA
Indiana was a playoff team, so the 49-point loss, as humbling as it was, is still more justifiable than their inexplicably flat effort against the Bruins of LA. The Huskers were playing for bowl eligibility against a team that finished with 4 wins. This would be Nebraska’s only loss to a team that finished with a losing record.
Runner-Up: Indiana
Best Coaching Job: Donovan Raiola
The offensive line didn’t get enough praise this year. Their running yards and sacks allowed don’t necessarily show it, but the O-Line played better than they have in a long while, putting it all together against a good Wisconsin defense on Senior Day. Just two years after fielding arguably the worst O-Line in modern Husker history, Raiola put together a dependable unit despite being without both top left tackles and often without their best offensive guard in Micah Mazzccua.
Runner-Up: Terrance Knighton
Most Disappointing Coaching Job: TIED between Garret McGuire and Ed Foley
The Huskers appeared loaded at receiver in pre-season, and early outings against UTEP and Colorado demonstrated as much. But a mid-season slump, highlighted by a receiving corps that couldn’t – or wouldn’t – run block, or get off press coverage emphasized their offensive woes. That falls on McGuire, who now coaches with his dad in Lubbock.
Foley likely deserves to occupy this distinction outright, but Nebraska’s Special Teams have been awful since before his arrival so he’s merely carrying on the legacy he inherited from Frost and co. Still his lack of coaching acumen resulted in Nebraska giving up ten – 10! – blocked kicks on the year, three alone against Purdue. Going into the bowl game, the Huskers ranked in the hundreds nationally in net punting, punt returns, and punt/kick return defense. His unit cost Nebraska the victory against Iowa and nearly handed Boston College the win in the bowl game. Shame.
Best Offensive Performance: Wisconsin
As if it could be any other game. The Badgers came into the game winners of 10 straight in the series and having just taken number one Oregon to the wire at home. Nebraska proceeded to pile up nearly 500 yards of offense, not allowing a negative yardage play until the final kneel down. Emmett Johnson and Jacory Barney had career days, with Barney garnering Big Ten freshman of the week honors for his exploits.
Runner-Up: UTEP
Best Defensive Performance: Colorado
The Blackshirts harassed Shedeur early and often, nabbing a touchdown on Tommi Hill’s pick in the first quarter. The Buffs only managed 260 yards of offense, most of which they piled up in garbage time. Eventual Heisman winner Travis Hunter was held without a touchdown in a frustrating outing for Coach Prime’s ballyhooed charges.
Runner-Up: Rutgers
Most Heartwarming Performance: Rahmir Johnson vs. Boston College
The New York City native, who battled through a litany of injuries and a bizarre position move in 2022, ended his Husker career rather poetically, taking home game MVP honors after securing his first rushing touchdown in three years and sealing the victory with a tough run on 4th down. Only after the game was it revealed that Rahmir lost his mom to illness during the season. The sixth-year do-everything senior stuck with the team throughout the ordeal and capped the season with a trophy.
Runner-Up: James Williams vs. Rutgers
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Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Indiana basketball starting lineups, introductions video
The Hoosiers met undefeated Nebraska on Jan. 10. Here are the starting lineups from Assembly Hall.
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries thought his team played well for about 28 minutes Saturday afternoon.
In those 28 minutes, IU built up as much as a 16-point lead against undefeated Nebraska. The Hoosiers went on a 12-2 run to end the first half, then extended that lead early in the second half.
Then, the defense started crumbling. Tucker DeVries picked up two fouls in the course of 21 seconds, forcing him to the bench. The Hoosiers started turning the ball over.
And Indiana’s upset bid fell apart, as the Hoosiers dropped an 83-77 decision to the Cornhuskers (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten).
“It’s disappointing, for sure,” Darian DeVries said. “We played well for a good 25, 27, 28 minutes, whatever, and then just had a bad stretch in there, and the game flipped. That’s why the turnovers are a big piece of that. We had, (a 16-point lead) and Tucker picked up his third and fourth foul on back-to-back possessions. Then they went on a 10-0 run right after that. That was a big turning point in the game, I thought, when he picked those two up.”
It seemed like the coaching staff (and fans) didn’t agree with those fouls, either.
Tucker DeVries’ third foul came as he fell on the ground while trying to defend Berke Buyuktuncel’s shot. Buyuktuncel continued to attempt a shot after the fall, and he got tangled in DeVries’ legs, falling himself, and officials called a foul on DeVries. Both Tucker and Darian DeVries, along with the crowd of 13,000 fans, didn’t agree with that foul.
Tucker DeVries’ fourth foul, which forced him to the bench for eight minutes, came just 21 seconds after his third. On the Hoosiers’ next offensive possession, DeVries attempted to shoulder his defender to get more space, and got called for the offensive foul and the turnover.
Indiana (12-4, 3-2) turned the ball over on four of its next five possessions, Darian DeVries said, and Nebraska capitalized for a 12-2 run to tie the game.
“I just think we didn’t have the type of possessions we needed after (Tucker DeVries) went out again, and most of them, it was just turnovers,” Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t get shots at the goal. I thought there might’ve been one or two in there where I think Lamar (Wilkerson) drove it hard and tried going through contact, and we didn’t get one there, but outside of that, we just didn’t get very good possessions. Our movement wasn’t as good.”
After Nebraska went on that run, all the momentum shifted to the Cornhuskers. In ways, the Hoosiers couldn’t get out of their own head, and the mistakes kept coming.
“We’ve talked to them a lot about that next play mentality,” Darian DeVries said. “Win that next play, and not compound mistakes. I thought tonight, again, for a stretch there was a period where we let one mistake turn into two. Then, instead of digging in and really making sure we get a quality possession the next time, we compounded it with another turnover. It led to back-to-back-to-back. All of a sudden your lead is gone, and momentum is real. It shifted pretty quickly there.”
This game, especially taking into account the 16-point lead Indiana once had, was a crucial opportunity for the Hoosiers to get their first Quad 1 win of the season.
But the Hoosiers, sitting at No. 30 in the NET rankings, still have three straight Quad 1 opportunities coming up in two road tilts at Michigan State and Michigan and a home game against Iowa in the next two weeks.
Those games, much like Nebraska, will be tall tasks. But, DeVries said, if the Hoosiers can execute for a full game like they did in those 28 minutes on Saturday, they’ll have a chance at them.
“When they’re executing the way that they did the first 25 minutes, it looks really good,” DeVries said. “And they’re doing a great job, and they’re defending and getting movement and things.”
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) – One lucky player who bought a Nebraska Pick 4 ticket for the Thursday drawing is holding a ticket worth $3,125.
The ticket was sold at Pump & Pantry #16, 109 Lincoln Avenue, in York. The winning numbers from Thursday’s Nebraska Pick 4 draw were 09, 06, 01, 02.
Winning Nebraska Lottery Lotto tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Tickets with total prize amounts of $501 to $19,999 must be claimed by mail or at a Regional Lottery Claim Center. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at the Nebraska Lottery website, nelottery.com, or by calling 800-587-5200.
Nebraska Pick 4 is a daily Lotto game from the Nebraska Lottery. Players select four numbers, each from a separate set of digits 0 through 9, for a chance to win up to $6,000. Players decide what type of play style and potential prizes to play for by choosing from one of six bet types. The odds of winning the $3,125 prize in Nebraska Pick 4 are 1 in 10,000.
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How Nebraska men’s basketball’s historic start to the season could end its NCAA tournament drought
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