A week ago, against Illinois, the Huskers’ offensive line had a nightmare night, culminating in a disaster in overtime that fans will never forget.

It was a problem that had to be fixed going forward or Nebraska would not have much hope for a great season. But this past weekend, in the 28–10 victory over Purdue, the offensive line answered some of those questions.

For starters, in this game, the Huskers had 161 rushing yards compared to only 50 for Purdue. They averaged 5 yards per carry, which is up from 1.5 a week ago. The running game could not get going at all against Illinois, but the poor yards-per-carry average was not even the worst part. The Fighting Illini sacked quarterback Dylan Raiola six times for -52 yards. That is not a stat that can usually be overcome, and the Huskers could not overcome it. This week, albeit against an inferior team, they turned that number around.

The Husker O-line only gave up one sack the entire game, and Raiola had a much cleaner pocket to throw from. As a result, he was much more confident and mistake-free than when he was being bombarded from all angles and running for his life. Though the line can certainly play better than this, it was a good recovery performance and a step in the right direction.

The offensive line also showed its strength in the running game on fourth and goal from the one-yard line. The Huskers handed it to Dante Dowdell for a one-yard rushing touchdown that made a statement about who dominated the game up front.

The way Purdue’s defensive front was flattened, Dowdell could have walked into the endzone instead of diving if he wanted to. That play was a demonstration of how the unit showed improvement after its embarassing showing against Illinois.

Even though it came against Purdue, that improvement is a good start.

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While Nebraska football finishes out the last couple targets for the 2025 recruiting class, much of the focus has turned to 2026. Among the names being circled is James Dunnigan Jr.

Dunnigan is a three-star safety from Manhattan High School in Manhattan, Kansas. He was offered by the Nebraska Cornhuskers back in June. Some of the early competition for the defensive back has been Kansas, Kansas State, and Colorado State, who have all also offered the three-star prospect. His father played at Kansas State in the early 2000s, which is something to keep in mind as well.

The talented prospect recently caught up with HuskerMax.

“My recruitment has been picking up even more and it’s going good,” Dunnigan said. “Nebraska, KU, and K-State have stood out among most schools recruiting me so far.”

Despite having ties to the Wildcats, Nebraska isn’t going away easy and Dunnigan knows it.

“Nebraska is towards the top of my schools of interest,” Dunnigan said.

Dunnigan does not currently have a visit in place for Lincoln.

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The tears streamed down Ally Batenhorst’s face minutes before the No. 20 USC Trojans squared off against her former teammates of the No. 2 Nebraska Huskers on Sunday night at the Devaney Sports Center.

Batenhorst, originally from Omaha and a former Husker, received a thunderous ovation during the starting lineups. As the applause continued, she covered her mouth in disbelief at the heartfelt welcome.

She began fanning the tears when Lexi Rodriguez, Kennedi Orr, and Harper Murray gave Batenhorst their starting lineup ball with handwritten messages from the team.

Several fans waved homemade signs for the outside hitter who transferred to USC for her final collegiate season after graduating from NU in the spring.

“I graduated from here so I’m still always going to be a Husker. It feels like home here and it’s something that’s really special and I just love the people here.”

Batenhorst finished with a match-high 13 kills with a .242 hitting percentage.

“They always say there’s no place like Nebraska. Everyone is just beyond supportive. … You don’t see that at other schools. When I transferred, I was wondering about those things but I never really realized how much support I was actually going to get. It was overwhelming.”

Batenhorst never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome. In fact, when the team’s charter flight landed in town on Saturday, the digital display at Duncan Aviation had a message to welcome Batenhorst back to Lincoln.

USC associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand joined Batenhorst in a return home. The whole match felt “weird” for Husker head coach John Cook but he was glad his team pulled away with another top-25 win.

“First of all, this was kind of a weird match to play with Tyler over there and Ally,” Cook said afterward. “You see how close Ally still is with these guys. I don’t know, it was weird.”

Batenhorst trained with the Huskers all spring despite announcing her intent to transfer to USC before the end of the school year.

That doesn’t happen at most programs, Nebraska is family.

“She’s a Husker,” said Cook. “I think people love watching her play. She did a great job on social media and you can see how tight she still is with our players. There’s an emotional connection there. She trained with us all spring. She’s part of our family. I think our fans know that. … She played great. Good for her.”

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