Nebraska
No. 2 Nebraska Swept by SMU, Loses First Match to Unranked Opponent Since 2017
The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team became the third juggernaut in the college volleyball world to be upset within the first two weeks of the season. Plagued by sloppy passing, passive serving and an inability to establish a consistent offense, the Huskers were swept by a motivated SMU squad 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 Tuesday night in front of 6,773 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas.
What made the result so bizarre was the blazing start by the Huskers. Nebraska recorded seven kills in their first 13 swings, but three service errors kept the opening set close. Sophomore Andi Jackson cracked down five kills and her first career ace to go up 21-16. An insurmountable lead vanished before Nebraska’s eyes with a 6-0 run by SMU to take a 22-21 advantage. The backbreaker came with the score tied at 23 where consecutive kills from SMU’s Nnedi Okammor and Natalie Foster secured the 25-23 comeback set win to set the tone for the night.
“We got punched in the mouth and we let them keep punching us,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “I’m pretty disappointed in how we responded tonight, but to be honest I saw this. This was all starting Saturday night. We talked about frustration and we didn’t fix it. We had a great practice last night, but we did not compete tonight. It was pretty disappointing.”
It’s the first loss to an unranked opponent since 2017 for Nebraska who hasn’t had the best start to its 2024 campaign. After a four-set win over No. 9 Kentucky in its season-opener, cracks within the Huskers started to show, especially offensively. A four-set win over TCU exposed some holes in the offense while Tuesday showed how far the Huskers need to go in its serving game, which rarely put the Mustangs out of system.
Nebraska was limited to a .171 hitting percentage with 18 errors compared to 36 kills. SMU hit a superior .242. The Mustangs out dug the Huskers 43-36 while SMU had its way from the service line with seven aces versus Nebraska’s one. The Mustangs also had the upper hand with 10 blocks while the Huskers mustered nine.
No player reached double-digit kills as Merritt Beason led NU with nine kills while Naya Shime and Maya Tabron also each had nine tallies. Jackson recorded eight kills on a .667 hitting percentage with six blocks. Foster also totaled eight kills on a .462 clip.
Bergen Reilly tallied a double-double for the Huskers with 31 assists and 11 digs. Lexi Rodriguez tied her teammate with 11, but SMU outside hitter Jamison Wheeler had a match-high 13 digs.
“They’re going to have to step up,” Cook said. “Part of it is we think we’re Nebraska and we’re going to roll out here and smoke teams. This team (SMU) played very inspired tonight. They played great. They won all the long rallies, let’s put it that way. That’s attitude and effort right there.”
Nebraska has to regroup quickly as they prepare to host the Huskers Invitational. NU will take on The Citadel on Thursday at 6 p.m. CDT on BTN+ before facing Montana State on Saturday at 2 p.m. CDT on Nebraska Public Media.
Box score
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MORE: Pat McAfee: Nebraska Football’s Dylan Raiola ‘Made for the Moment’
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Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, following HuskerMax on X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Nebraska
Deadspin | Resurgent No. 22 Nebraska, No. 24 Illinois clash in Big Ten opener
For the first time since October 2011, No. 22 Nebraska and No. 24 Illinois find themselves listed in the same Associated Press Top 25 poll. They’ll meet in a Big Ten opener Friday night in Lincoln, Neb., to decide which team gets to stay there.
The Cornhuskers (3-0) are off to their best start since 2016 — their most recent bowl season — while the Illini are 3-0 for the first time since 2011.
After cruising through their respective non-conference schedules, both teams will get a much better picture of their might while they clash in front of Nebraska’s 400th consecutive home sellout.
“To have two big teams ranked on a Friday night game is a little bit unusual,” said Illinois coach Bret Bielema, who has his program in the polls for just the second time in the last 13 years. “It doesn’t happen all the time. To see it play out and be a part of it is awesome. Give a lot of credit to their team and what they’ve accomplished to this point. I told our guys to continue to keep our focus, our mentality, and see where it can go.”
The Huskers have three blowouts under their belt — they led at halftime against UTEP, Colorado and Northern Iowa by a combined score of 79-10 — but head coach Matt Rhule hasn’t been overly impressed yet.
“I think any time you don’t punt in the game, you feel pretty good,” Rhule said. “So I felt pretty good about what we did Saturday offensively (against Northern Iowa). But that was all preseason to me. Now the season starts. We’ll find out where we are. This will be such a different challenge playing against these guys.”
The Illini enter Friday’s game tied for second nationally in turnover margin (+8) and tied for fifth in turnovers forced (9). Defensive back Xavier Scott is one of four FBS players with at least 3 interceptions through three games, and he has forced four turnovers overall.
But Scott and company haven’t faced a passer like Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola. Even on the rare occasions when the pass rush has forced him to improvise, the five-star freshman has appeared unflappable while completing 73.8 percent of his passes for 670 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception. “He brings a different element immediately,” Bielema said. “He’s a very talented young man that’s got a great deep ball throw. They maximize him pretty well. There’s some things you can literally see him get better on every series — just very impressive to see.”
Rhule seems eager to find out how Raiola will handle an Illinois group that ranks 12th nationally in pass efficiency defense (an 87.98 rating versus Raiola’s 162.22).
“They’ve altered a lot of what they’re doing,” said Rhule, noting how Illinois second-year defensive coordinator Aaron Henry has been using more disguises this season. “They’ll show man and play Cover 2. They’ll show man and play zone. With a young quarterback, he’s got to recognize because they don’t show it to you. He’s got to recognize zone on the snap. And they’re taking the ball away at a high level.”
On the flip side, Bielema wants to see his rushing attack be more reliable. The Illini’s quartet of backs have been satisfactory (153.3 yards per game), but Illinois hasn’t faced anything like the Huskers’ defense, which surrenders just 2.5 yards per carry and 70.3 rushing yards per game.
“If we’re going to win in the Big Ten, we’re going to have to run the ball in certain situations,” Bielema said. “I think the greatest definition of a team is a team that can run the ball effectively when they want to run it against good competition.”
–Field Level Media
Nebraska
Nebraska man sentenced for impersonating 17-year-old high school student: Reports
Zachary Scheich, 27, was sentenced to 85 to 120 years in prison for impersonating a 17-year-old Nebraska high school student and sexually assaulting teenage girls.
A 27-year-old man who posed as a Nebraska high school student to prey on teenage girls has been sentenced to 85 to 120 years in prison, according to multiple reports.
Zachary Scheich, who was known by peers as 17-year-old “Zak Hess,” disguised himself as a high school student for more than 50 days to exploit and sexually assault over a dozen girls, with some being as young as 13, the Washington Post and KOLN reported.
Scheich blended in with other students using his 5 feet 4-inch height and 120-pound stature, Lincoln police said. He attended multiple schools throughout the Lincoln Public Schools District.
Although Scheich passed as a student, in reality, he had graduated from the same district in 2015, Lincoln Police Department assistant chief Brian Jackson said at a news conference in July 2023.
USA TODAY contacted Lancaster County officials on Monday but did not receive a response. It is unclear who Scheich’s legal representation is.
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Judge scolds Zachary Scheich during sentencing hearing
Lancaster District Judge Darla S. Ideus handed down the sentence on Sept. 11 on charges of sexual assault, child enticement with electronic communication and generating sexually explicit images of children, the Washington Post reported. Scheich did not talk during his sentencing hearing, but he instead submitted a letter to the judge that was not read aloud in court, according to the outlet.
The lengthy sentence comes after Scheich pleaded no contest in July as part of a plea deal to reduce the number of felony counts against him from 15 to five.
“The children you exploited were not equipped to protect themselves because they thought you were their peer,” Ideus said during the brief sentencing hearing,” Ideus said during the sentencing hearing, per the Post.
How did Zachary Scheich get caught?
The investigation in Scheich began on June 1, when Lincoln police were contacted by the school district. The district had discovered that a person was impersonating a student during the 2022-23 school year using the name Zak Hess.
Hess, who was secretly Scheich, enrolled at Northwest High School during the first semester and later transferred to Southeast High School during the second semester. Investigators would soon find out Hess was a 26-year-old who graduated from Lincoln Public Schools in 2015.
School records revealed Scheich went to the schools under the Hess alias for a total of 54 days, police said.
‘I am supposed to feel safe in school’
During the sentencing hearing, Ideus read an impact statement from one of the girls Scheich had victimized.
“I am supposed to feel safe in school, and I no longer feel safe in a place that I used to,” Ideus read from the girl’s letter, per the Post. “I’m so guarded that anyone who tries to talk to me or get to know me, I shut it down. I never believe what anyone says anymore. My trust is so broken, that even if I want to believe someone, I can’t.”
Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Amber Schlote called the harm to Scheich’s victims immeasurable, as it led them to miss school, suffer failing grades and have anxiety, shame and a deep mistrust of adults.
“It has undeniably altered their life’s trajectories,” Schlote said, according to the Post.
Along with Scheich, a 23-year-old woman faces criminal impersonation charges related to the case. Angela Navarro pleaded not guilty and maintains she was manipulated by Scheich, KOLN reported. She was arrested on Sept. 29, 2023, according to the TV station.
Navarro, who police say was 22 at the time, posed as Scheich’s mother while using the alias “Danielle Hess” to attend meetings with school counselors, KOLN said, citing an arrest affidavit. Navarro remains free on bond and is awaiting trial.
What did Lincoln Public Schools say about Zachary Scheich?
Lincoln Public Schools sent out an alert to families at Northwest and Southeast High Schools, police said. According to documents provided to USA TODAY by the school division, the alert gave families a breakdown of what happened.
- October 20, 2022: He began attending Northwest High School.
- January 12, 2023: He transferred to Southeast High School.
- May 31: The school district received a report that an adult male may be attending one of its high schools pretending to be a junior. The district’s student services and security department contacted the police and turned the information over to the police as it was discovered.
- July: Police confirmed that Zachary Scheich did enroll and attend two high schools during the 2022-23 school year under the name Zak Hess.
- He was arrested in July 2023.
Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Paul Gausman and Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Matt Larson spoke to community members in July 2023 and said the district gave out Hess’s picture to schools and let them know he was no longer allowed on the premises while police tried to confirm his identity.
The officials also said the district follows state and federal requirements for enrolling students, which can be done online or in person. Regardless of whether someone applies online or in person, the district requests a birth certificate, immunization records, physicals and transcripts, school administrators said.
The district explained that the man exploited the enrollment process by using fake documents. Now, enrollment processes will be reviewed.
Extra safeguards have been put into place, such as multiple in-person conversations with parents and guardians who are trying to enroll students. District officials also said it will continue to accommodate families whose schedules do not allow for multiple meetings.
Nebraska
Dave Feit: It Wasn’t Perfect, but Let’s Not Nitpick the Huskers’ 31-Point Win
After the Colorado game, Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule said his team is not at a place where it can look past opponents.
In a similar vein, Nebraska is not at a place where fans can – or, at least, should – nitpick the team’s performance. Yes, Northern Iowa used its ground-and-pound offense to control the pace of the game and the time of possession. Sure, I was hoping the defense would be more dominant against an FCS team. And for the third straight game, the second half offense was very pedestrian.
But I don’t care.
The Huskers are 3-0, have yet to trail in a game, and really have not been tested. There’s speed and potential all across the offense. The defense has all-conference caliber playmakers at all three levels. For every negative we can find on special teams, I can point out a positive.
So, I’m not going to sound a doom-and-gloom siren when NU is playing some of its best ball in almost a decade. I’m just not. If somebody on a call-in show, Twitter, or message board tries to spin a yarn about how the Huskers “underachieved” on Saturday, ignore them.
That Northern Iowa team was a solid squad. I believe the Panthers would be capable of beating some recent Husker teams – especially the ones that lacked defensive (and/or mental) toughness or lived to give away “close” games in the final minutes.
Instead, the 2024 Huskers took the opening kickoff down for a touchdown. Even though the Blackshirts allowed a field goal on the following possession, the offense answered with another 75-yard touchdown drive. After that, the game was essentially over.
But now things get serious.
The schedule – viewed all summer as “easy” – is suddenly challenging. A ranked Illinois squad is coming to town Friday. Upstart Indiana will be ready to ambush the Huskers in a month. Nebraska is not at a place where it can just show up and expect to win.
Someday, I promise you can stomp and snort because Nebraska won by “only” 31 points. But we’re not there yet.
For now, we gladly accept wins and know that the coaching staff will spend the week working to correct all the things we saw – and dozens of others we did not.
Things I believe
Matt Rhule is not concerned about “style points”. The Huskers could have won this game by much more if they wanted to. It was clear they took their foot off the gas when they could have run up the score. They could have brought Dylan Raiola out for another drive instead of going to the bench.
I said a version of this after UTEP, and repeated myself after Colorado. And I’ll say it again after Northern Iowa.
I don’t think Rhule sees an upside in winning a game by 14, 21, or 42 points. The win is more important than the margin of victory. He’s going to be okay with coasting to the finish line – relying on an experienced offense line, a stable of good backs, and a beast of a defense to close out games.
In a “developmental program”, Rhule understands that it is much better to get the reserves some live snaps instead of trying to pad stats or cover the spread. By my count, 76 Huskers played Saturday. On a young team, that matters more than any style point.
Raiola’s deep ball to Jaylen Lloyd told me a lot about this team. Halfway through the second quarter, Nebraska had first down on their own 31-yard line. Dylan Raiola fakes a handoff to Rahmir Johnson and rolls to his right. A Panther cornerback on a blitz is coming untouched directly at Raiola. Dylan does a little stutter step, and the corner is rolling on the turf empty handed.
Jaylen Lloyd, who had started in the slot near the blitzing cornerback, went sprinting down the middle of the field at the snap. At the same time as Raiola was evading the sack, Lloyd cut his route toward the corner in front of the safety, whose eyes are locked on the scrambling QB. When Raiola sees his receiver and starts to throw, nobody is within 10 yards of Lloyd. Rahmir Johnson is about 25 yards behind Lloyd.
Raiola rears back and throws. The ball is not perfect – Lloyd has to stop, slipping a little as he makes the catch. Meanwhile, Rahmir has pressed the turbo button and is sprinting as fast as I’ve ever seen him move, looking for somebody to block. Lloyd is tackled on the 10 after a 59-yard gain.
I absolutely love everything about this play – and have been watching it on a loop. Dylan subtly evading a sack while keeping his eyes up to find an open receiver. Lloyd’s track speed and greatly improved receiver skills to bring in the pass. And my favorite part: Rahmir absolutely selling out to try to get his teammate into the end zone.
When you can combine raw athleticism, speed, and selfless desire, good things will happen.
That’s about as good an outcome as you can get against an FCS opponent. Ever since Ameer Abdullah delayed Bo Pelini and Nebraska from being a national laughingstock, I’ve firmly believed that FCS games are all risk and no reward. FBS vs FCS games tend to be one of three outcomes:
- A blowout romp that is less productive than the spring scrimmage, such as Nebraska vs. Idaho State, 2012.
- An uncomfortably close win that serves as a harbinger for future struggles. The aforementioned McNeese State game fits this category.
- An embarrassing loss. Appalachian State over #5 Michigan. North Dakota State over #13 Iowa. Montana over #20 Washington. Thankfully, NU has avoided this trap.
Northern Iowa has 12 wins over FBS / Division I opponents since 1985. They were less intimidated by Nebraska’s environment than Colorado or UTEP. The Panthers had a strong game plan and stuck to it.
It wasn’t a behind-the-woodshed beating, but Nebraska did what they needed to do to win comfortably. They were able to get the starters out early – very important with a short week ahead – and appeared to come out of the game fairly healthy.
I’m not sure what else you can ask for against an FCS team.
Things I don’t know
What happens when NU gets punched in the mouth? In all three games, NU has come out swinging, landing early knockouts against UTEP and Colorado. Northern Iowa stood in the longest, but the game was still over before halftime.
At some point – possibly as soon as Friday night – an opponent is going to be the aggressor. They’re going to (metaphorically) punch the Huskers in the face. Or they’ll refuse to be crushed like a grape if Nebraska goes up by 10 points.
It’s Big Ten time, boys and girls. The majority of teams in this league are not going to lay down – especially for a Nebraska team that still is viewed as an outsider.
What will happen when other teams stand their ground? Will NU keep swinging? Will they get tight and press, making silly mistakes? Or, heaven forbid, will they fall down?
The answer to this question will determine what the ceiling is for this team.
What’s going on with the red zone play calling? In the second half, Nebraska had two straight possessions that got into the UNI red zone. Both stalled out, resulting in short field goal attempts.
Without getting into the individual play calls, I think Nebraska got a little too cute on Saturday, especially considering the opponent is from a lower division. An inside handoff to Janiran Bonner that we haven’t seen before. Dylan Raiola trying a keeper. And a lot of Heinrich Haarberg – either as the primary option or as a decoy.
I can understand showing some of the Haarberg package to make future opponents have to account for it. But I also understand lining up and running power at an FCS team. I’m glad Thomas Fidone got a touch in the red zone (a six-yard gain down to the 1), but I’d like to see him utilized more as well.
Where is the cutoff for where Nebraska trusts its FG kickers? We talked about this last week, as Nebraska chose went for a few fourth down opportunities against Colorado instead of trying kicks well beyond 50 yards.
On Saturday, we got a better indication when the Huskers went for it on 4th & 3 from the 25. That suggests that the trust zone is inside of 42 yards.
Later in the game, Rhule opted to have Tristan Alvano kick short field goals (from 31 and 21 yards). Maybe that’s the football equivalent of having a cold 3-point shooter make some layups in hopes of getting hot from distance.
Huskerigami Update
A “Huskerigami” is a final score combination (win or lose) that has never happened in the 130+ year history of Nebraska football.
Final score: 34-3
Is that a Huskerigami? No… but it was darn close. There have two previous 34-3 games. The first time was a win over Iowa State in 1979. The most recent was a loss at Michigan in 2022.
Had Northern Iowa scored a touchdown on its final possession we would have had a Huskerigami (34-9, 34-10, and 34-11 are all open). But the backups stopped the Panthers two yards shy of the end zone on 4th and goal.
For the record, the Huskerigami committee will always root for NU’s defense to get a stop and was doing so Saturday night.
5 Things I loved
- John Bullock. The senior linebacker is playing at a very high level. He flies around the field making tackles, disrupting plays, and being an impact player.
- Dylan Raiola. It’s only Week 3, but I’ve already several moments where I see him do something – an effortless pass, a little slide step to avoid a blitz (and make his uncle look good), or his ridiculous poise – and I just laugh and think about how I still can’t believe that he’s here and appears to be as good as advertised.
- Rahmir Johnson. Aside from the impressive hustle play we discussed earlier; I’ve been loving Rahmir’s start to his senior season. He’s becoming one of the best receivers out of the backfield since Marlon Lucky almost 20 years ago. I’m excited for him to take one to the house.
- Carter Nelson. The true freshman from Ainsworth, playing in just his third 11-man football game, led NU with four catches for 48 yards and a 24-yard touchdown. You can see why the staff has been so high on him. His future is bright.
- Heinrich Haarberg. I’m guessing it has been a few years since a Husker carried the ball, threw it, and caught it in the same game. While I like seeing Haarberg out there as part decoy, part red zone threat, he’s on this list for his passing. A perfect 3 for 3 on Saturday, bringing his season total to 8 for 8. Yes, that’s all in garbage time but he’s clearly improved as a passer.
Honorable mention: Isaac Gifford, Jacory Barney, Jr., Ty Robinson, Emmett Johnson, Malcom Hartzog, Jr., Tristan Alvano, Derek Branch, Mason Goldman, Jaylen Lloyd, Stefon Thompson, Aidan Flege, Jacob Bower, Will Compton, night games in Memorial Stadium.
5 Areas for improvement
- Tackling. Let’s give credit to Amauri Pesek-Hickson and Tye Edwards, two good backs (and former three-star recruits). They were patient runners who ran hard and were absolute loads to bring down. But I doubt Tony White was thrilled with the number of missed tackles and yards after contact.
- Special Teams. The third phase remains a mixed bag. Not much happening on NU’s punt returns, and a roughing the kicker penalty extended a UNI drive.
- Forced fumbles. I’d like to see the defense knock the ball out more than what we’ve seen through three games.
- “Dylan Raiola needs to stop copying Patrick Mahomes”. We need to stop with the tired “somebody needs to tell Dylan to stop copying Mahomes” takes. For as great as he is, Patrick Mahomes did not invent jumping up and down before a sporting event. And if Dylan is doing it to copy him, why should anybody care? It is a stupid argument made by stupid people looking for attention. Don’t give it to them.
- Game pace. Thanks largely to Northern Iowa pounding the rock and burning clock (a great podcast name by the way), the first quarter went by in about 35 minutes. Unfortunately, that meant full media timeouts during every dead ball for the rest of the night. A game against an FCS team isn’t going to be a ratings bonanza. It’s okay if we get things wrapped up in two and a half hours.
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