LINCOLN, Neb. — There’s just one item that you need to know about the first weekend of October for Nebraska football as Rutgers visits Memorial Stadium. It means a lot.
Yeah, every game counts equally. The nuanced reality for the Huskers, though, with two contests against unbeaten Big Ten foes on deck before they face third-ranked Ohio State on Oct. 26, is that the direction of this season likely hangs in the balance on Saturday and Oct. 19 at Indiana.
Three outcomes could come from the next two games.
• A sweep: Nebraska sits 6-1 to enter Columbus, assured of a bowl game and positioned well to win at least eight games, regardless of the result against Ohio State.
• A split: The Huskers are 5-2. Barring one of the biggest upset wins in program history on Oct. 26, Nebraska will enter November with the same eight-game record as a year ago — with an opportunity to play its best football late and reverse the trend that soured the end of coach Matt Rhule’s first season.
• A slide: At 4-3, Nebraska limps into the Ohio State game against its most talented opponent. Hope is not lost to qualify for a bowl game, but the Huskers’ backs are against the wall. Preseason talk of a major jump in Year 2 under Rhule has quieted.
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The third outcome would rate as dire for Nebraska. A win Saturday would assure at least a split and seemingly make a win more attainable in two weeks against the Hoosiers, who’ve beaten five foes by an average margin of 35.8 points.
Those are the stakes as Rutgers arrives in Lincoln on Saturday after three-point wins over Virginia Tech and Washington. The Scarlet Knights bring a stingy pass defense, the third-leading rusher nationally in Kyle Monangai and quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. He beat Nebraska twice while playing at Minnesota.
Through five games, here’s a rundown on the state of the Huskers and what they need to accomplish in October to keep this season pointed in a positive direction.
Continue to carve out roles
The situation at running back has come into focus, with Emmett Johnson on the rise. Though Nebraska did not gouge Purdue on the ground, it ran effectively in the second half and has a trio of backs — Dante Dowdell and Rahmir Johnson included — with a diverse set of skills.
Likewise, the Huskers have built depth in the secondary that can allow for versatility to hide weak spots. And they’re finding new weapons like reserve wide receiver Alex Bullock, a starter last year who’s helping Nebraska on special teams as a key blocker in offensive sets.
Quarterback Dylan Raiola, in fact, asks for Bullock in certain spots, Rhule said, “because he’s a guy who finds a way to get the job done.”
Double down on the turnover emphasis
It’s worked so far to turn a minus-17 margin last year into a plus-5. Rhule said he wants more energy given to forcing turnovers. Nebraska has created eight. “I’d love to see us get way more,” he said.
He’s especially happy with the offense’s ability to protect the ball as it generates big plays, a fine line to walk. The Huskers average 6.3 yards per play this year, up from 5.1 a year ago. Through the air, Nebraska gains 8.5 yards per pass attempt, a jump from 6.2 in 2023.
Think outside the box about special teams
The Huskers are 4 for 9 this season on field-goal attempts, including a 1-for-5 stretch over the past two games.
Two kicks by John Hohl were blocked last week against Purdue. Of Hohl, the redshirt freshman out of Lincoln Southwest, Rhule said “he’s as talented of a kicker as we could ever hope to have here.” But with problems having plagued the snappers and kickers, the Huskers might be best served to go for fourth down at manageable distances from the opponent’s 35-yard line to their 15.
If that’s the plan, it opens possibilities for play calling choices on third down.
“Can we get the tough yards? Can we get the fourth-and-1?” Rhule said this week. “Can we get the third-and-1 without everything having to be a speed sweep?”
No matter the answer, the question remains: Can they kick a field goal?
Lean on the leadership
Nebraska features a core of emerging young leaders, led by Raiola. But Rhule believes in the older players on the roster, he said, to direct the Huskers through their toughest challenges. He said he seeks input from the team’s leadership council on disciplinary matters, like the situation he faced in choosing last week to suspend offensive guard Micah Mazzccua.
“I have so many guys who are doing things right,” Rhule said.
Create an edge with roster management
Herein lies a Rhule strength. He’s thoughtful in building plans for players in a four-game redshirt to help the Huskers win.
Two games remain for sophomore defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel this year. Sophomore wide receiver Malachi Coleman and cornerback Blye Hill have not played this season. Nebraska can hold them, if ready, for the right moments as they return from injuries, a la Marques Buford a year ago.
There’s help to get, too, from true freshmen. Raiola, receivers Jacory Barney and Carter Nelson, defensive end Keona Davis and linebacker Vincent Shavers already burned redshirts. Linebacker Willis McGahee IV and cornerback Mario Buford have appeared in four games. DB Amare Sanders has played in three.
Among the other true freshmen, Nebraska is ready to go with receivers Quinn Clark, Keelan Smith and Isaiah McMorris if needed, plus defensive backs Larry Tarver Jr. and Donovan Jones and defensive lineman David Hoffken. And four true freshmen offensive linemen have played in one game apiece.
Cut the penalties
This is simple. Nebraska ranks 107th nationally in penalties per game; Rutgers is fifth. Nebraska players watched a presentation on Thursday that showed the majority of their opponents’ scoring drives this season were aided by Nebraska penalties.
Rhule can live with penalties committed out of aggression, such as holding or pass interference. But the personal fouls and pre-snap fouls must go, he said. When the importance of games on the schedule rises, so does the importance of penalties committed in those games.
Photo: Steven Branscombe / Getty Images
