Nebraska
North team has ‘come a long way’ in Nebraska Shrine Bowl prep
KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) – The North group for the sixty fourth Nebraska Shrine Bowl continued practices at Horizon Center Faculty Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s all-star recreation at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium on UNK’s campus.
In accordance with Grand Island Senior quarterback Kytan Fyfe, the group has made nice strides in understanding their playbook and creating group chemistry.
“We’ve actually got here a great distance for the reason that first day,” Fyfe informed Local4 Sports activities. “It’s all new. New chemistry. Have to simply — it simply takes repetition, actually. Putting in a complete offense, complete protection, numerous completely different stuff that I haven’t completed earlier than, so simply getting used to it. I’ve performed numerous these guys in highschool after which to return out right here and we’re all on the identical group, it’s a reasonably cool, neat expertise.”
Generally, the gamers chosen have a deep understanding of what it means to be chosen for this recreation.
“I used to be excited simply to have the ability to characterize my college and it’s met about all my expectations for being right here,” mentioned Rowdy Truksa, a defensive lineman for Aquinas Catholic. “I’ve by no means been out to Kearney that a lot, however with the ability to be on campus and stay with these guys is a extremely good expertise for me.”
“It’s a extremely large honor,” Fyfe added “It’s a cool honor to be part of this, so I’m simply very appreciative of it.
Copyright 2022 KSNB. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Texas murder suspect arrested in Nebraska
GOEHNER, Neb. (KOLN) – A man wanted for murder out of Texas was arrested in Nebraska on Saturday.
The Nebraska State Patrol took Alberto Perez-Millian into custody without incident near Goehner after receiving information from the U.S. Marshal Service’s Metro Fugitive Task Force that he was traveling through the state on Interstate 80.
Perez-Millian is wanted by the Arlington Police Department in Texas in connection with a murder investigation.
Perez-Millian remains in custody in the Seward County Jail pending further legal proceedings.
No other details on the murder investigation have been provided.
Stick with 10/11 NOW for updates on this developing story.
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Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska football final thoughts: 7 takeaways from Huskers’ landmark bowl win
NEW YORK — Nebraska cleared a hurdle in the Pinstripe Bowl by using its offense to turn away a late rally and secure a 20-15 victory against Boston College.
“It was the first time the offense took the ball,” coach Matt Rhule said, “and said, ‘Enough is enough.’”
He’s not kidding. The first time in two seasons, in fact.
GO DEEPER
Nebraska holds off Boston College rally in Pinstripe Bowl, clinches first winning season since 2016
Nebraska lost in 10 of 12 games decided by eight points or fewer under Rhule before Saturday. In each loss, the Huskers held the ball late with a shot to win or force overtime. Eight last-ditch drives ended in turnovers. All but one failed. And against Wisconsin when Nebraska kicked a field goal at the end of regulation, it saved the interception for OT.
In the two victories, defense won it for the Huskers with late stops. Moreover, Nebraska won those games against Northwestern last year and Rutgers in October despite its offense, which managed two first downs in the final 12 minutes and did not move the ball across midfield.
At Yankee Stadium in this 25th game with Rhule as its coach, Nebraska took possession with 4:11 to play and drove 55 yards. It gained a third and final first down on a fourth-and-1 run for 11 yards by Pinstripe MVP Rahmir Johnson.
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Through injury and tragedy, Nebraska’s Rahmir Johnson stayed — and secured the win
It was, for all of that, a landmark win. The way Nebraska won resonates to enter 2025 for a program that’s playing catch-up offensively under new coordinator Dana Holgorsen.
Rhule spelled it out after the game: The Huskers are looking for slight improvements next year on defense, a significant jump on offense and a “complete and total overhaul” of its special teams.
Nebraska got a few breaks during that final march. Officials did not review a catch by Thomas Fidone after his first-play gain of 15 yards, which may have been ruled incomplete if they’d taken a look.
Boston College defender Carter Davis was flagged for a late hit on Dylan Raiola’s first-down run from the Nebraska 36. Did Raiola slide too late for Davis to avoid contact? Maybe. Regardless, it was called. A few flags and no-calls hurt the Huskers, too.
Players had to be separated after this hit on Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola.
Boston College was given a personal foul penalty for a late hit on the play. pic.twitter.com/9e65pHThSO
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2024
But in the closing sequence, the Huskers came out on the right side — a stroke of good fortune for which they’ve seemingly waited forever.
“We were going to win the game,” Raiola said of the offensive mindset. “We weren’t going to give them the ball back. That’s exactly what we did. We ended with the ball, and we got to line up in the best formation in football — no thinking, no motion, nothing. Victory. Can’t get any better than that.”
Here are seven thoughts to take into the new year, one for each Nebraska win in 2024:
1. Nebraska had no blueprint on how to manage December. Nonstop noise from the transfer portal dominated the calendar through the middle of last week. The Huskers nabbed a Christmas Eve commitment from former Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key and a pledge on Christmas day from ex-Idaho cornerback Andrew Marshall.
They’ve added 11 players from the portal and will go hunting for more in January.
On the coaching front, three assistants left in December. Rhule solidified the offensive and defensive coordinator spots and hired five assistant coaches.
The month was chaos. One constant, Rhule said, came from the players. They did their jobs. Nobody missed meetings, Rhule said, or stepped out of line in New York.
“I just think the mindset of ‘Hey, we got it done in the postseason’ prepares us for the future,” Rhule said. “We played a lot of young players (against Boston College), so now they have perspective. This was a really good three or four weeks for us.”
GO DEEPER
Matt Rhule, Nebraska working their way through staff, roster changes
2. Raiola started every game as a true freshman and finished with 2,826 passing yards to surpass the Nebraska freshman record of 2,617 set by Adrian Martinez in 2018. Raiola completed 67.2 percent of his throws, tossing 13 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
“I think he’s had a great first year,” Rhule said. “Playing quarterback as a freshman in the Big Ten is not easy.
3. Rhule saw the final drive Saturday as a key moment, too, for the growth of Raiola. He pulled the ball in on read plays and ran in twice. He showed a fiery side after the late-hit penalty. He pushed hard to lead the Huskers across terrain that has collapsed around them repeatedly.
“That’s what I’m looking for in a quarterback,” Rhule said.
“Tell me the guys who do hard things to win. And that’s who I want to be my quarterback.”
4. The special teams conundrum hangs over the Huskers’ heads as the offseason begins. Rhule promised an overhaul. What does it mean for Ed Foley, the special teams coordinator who has worked alongside Rhule for 10 of the past 12 seasons at four stops?
A blocked extra point and a blocked punt led directly to nine points for Boston College on Saturday. The mishaps brought the total number of kicks blocked by Nebraska opponents in 2024 to 10.
Far above the threshold for acceptability.
“I always put those things on my shoulders,” Rhule said. “We’ll get it done. But it has not been good enough this year.”
Nebraska signed punter Jack McCallister from Washington and long snapper Kevin Gallic from New Hampshire out of the portal. Status quo on the coaching lineup appears unlikely.
5. Saturday was for the seniors.
The light shined bright on Johnson, but the likes of defensive linemen Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher, linebacker John Bullock, defensive backs Isaac Gifford and DeShon Singleton, receiver Jahmal Banks, offensive linemen Bryce Benhart and Ben Scott and punter Brian Buschini went out with a bang in New York.
All of the above except Scott, the two-year starting center, and Banks, who arrived in 2024 from Wake Forest and led Nebraska with 587 receiving yards, persevered through the coaching transition to Rhule.
6. Rhule offered advice before the game to Robinson, the top NFL prospect among the departing Huskers.
“I told Ty Robinson, ‘I don’t think I’d play,’” Rhule said. “I think he should be a first- or second-round pick. And he was like, ‘I didn’t do all this to not play.’”
Robinson contributed four tackles, one sack and a pass breakup. As a lead blocker on offense, he helped open the hole for Johnson to gain the clinching first down.
“I love those seniors,” Rhule said, “and I’m grateful for them.”
7. The spring semester begins Jan. 21. Coaches will be busy for the next three weeks, but the players headed home after the Pinstripe experience to spend time with their families.
“We have big plans when we come back,” Rhule said. “We’re going to work. We’re going to double down on what we’ve done. That’s the only way to make a jump. And I think they all understand that. And I think they all have aspirations of (doing) something really special at Nebraska.”
A seven-win finish signifies progress. Rhule said he didn’t want to think about the alternate outcome on Saturday, which would have left the Huskers to contemplate an eighth consecutive losing season.
They’d have continued forward, Rhule said, but without the same level of momentum. Rhule said he likes the results of Nebraska’s recruiting work out of high schools and the transfer portal. It signed a 20-player class this month that ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Young players factored more heavily in the Pinstripe Bowl than in any regular-season game.
“We’ll put the picture together really well,” Rhule said, “and I’ll let you guys have the rest of the offseason to ponder what we’ll look like next year.”
(Photo: Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)
Nebraska
Nebraska Football Alum Ameer Abdullah Posts Career Day for Las Vegas Raiders
As it turns out, Ameer Abdullah still has plenty left in the tank.
The 10-year National Football League veteran and former Nebraska football running back posted a career day Sunday, aiding the Las Vegas Raiders in a 25-10 road victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Abdullah finished with a career-best 147 scrimmage yards and topped 100 rushing yards for the first time as a professional. The former Husker finished his day in the Superdome with 20 carries for 115 rushing yards to go along with three receptions for 32 yards. The triple-digit rushing performance boosted the 31-year old back’s season rushing total to 311 yards.
Although Abdullah didn’t score, he did come close in the second quarter, adding an emphatic celebration before a review that ruled him down at the one-yard line after a 13-yard reception.
“Honestly, we were just beating them up up front,” Abdullah said after the game. “I feel like our guys leaned on them, they understood when to come off on double teams. And when you have that type of synergy with the O-line and the backs, we just do our job. We felt like the O-line had an advantage.”
Abdullah has played for four NFL franchises since entering the league in 2015 as a second-round draft pick by the Detroit Lions. After a four-year stint with the Lions, Abdullah was moved to the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 until 2021, when he joined Matt Rhule’s Carolina Panthers. Abdullah finished the final 11 games of that season with Rhule, rushing for 136 yards on 44 carries for the Panthers.
After Rhule was let go by Carolina in 2022 and then hired by Nebraska, Abdullah’s name has reappeared as a voice for praise for the head coach.
“I know you guys are just as excited as I am to watch Coach Matt Rhule to Lincoln, Nebraska,” Abdullah said in a social media clip aimed at Husker fans in early December 2022. “Now I spent a shorter extent with him with my time with the Carolina Panthers. Not only are we getting an excellent, excellent football coach. We’re getting an even better human being, someone who is going to lead the program the right way, someone who is going to lead it the Nebraska way.”
Rhule has been complimentary of Abdullah from the start of his Nebraska tenure, saying he was “1,000 percent” a better coach for his time in Carolina – espcially working with the former Husker running back.
“Dealing with the professional athlete was probably the best. Having a conversation with Ameer Abdullah and Christian McCaffrey, they are two guys, in the same position but completely different people,” Rhule said during his introductory press conference for Nebraska football. “It really taught me, it’s not coach-player, it’s people-people. We all have different roles, but we are all just people. I think that interaction with the players really taught me.”
Since 2022, Abdullah has been a rotating backfield option and special teams asset for the Raiders, recording 50 games played for the Silver and Black. Former teammates, including Will Compton – a Nebraska and Raiders teammate during Abdullah’s stops at both locations – noted the back’s performance from Sunday afternoon.
Abdullah was a significant offensive threat for Nebraska during his four-year career in Lincoln. He ended his tenure as Husker with 4,588 rushing yards, 39 rushing touchdowns, 690 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Early in his career at Nebraska, Abdullah was a lethal return man, returning a punt and a kickoff for scores. Abdullah ended his Husker career as the second leading rusher in program history, falling 192 yards shy of Mike Rozier’s 4,780 yards.
Abdullah had four 200-yard rushing performances for the Huskers, including a high of 232 yards against Florida Atlantic to start the 2014 season.
Abdullah will wrap up his 10th season in the NFL on Sunday, Jan. 5, with a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders have had a lackluster season, sitting in the cellar of the AFC West at 4-12 and projected for the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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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.
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