It was another great night at Memorial Stadium as the 23rd-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated the Northern Iowa Panthers 34-3. It was the first meeting between the Huskers and Panthers, and Nebraska is now 3-0 this season and 15-0 against FCS opponents. It’s the first time since 2016 that Nebraska has opened the year with three wins.
Despite missing several opportunities to score more points, Nebraska has now won each of their three games by at least 18 points, something Nebraska hasn’t done in 10 years. Consider that the Huskers averaged just 18 points per game last season. Additionally, the Huskers held their third consecutive opponent to 10 points or fewer to start the season, the first time Nebraska has done that since the 2005 season. By holding UNI to three points, they are the ninth opponent in 10 home games under Matt Rhule to score 14 points or fewer.
The Panthers were well prepared for Big Ten play as they were very physical and difficult to get off the field on third down. UNI made 6 of 16 third downs and 2 of 4 fourth down conversions. The defense did not have a 3 and out until midway through the fourth quarter when the reserves played Nebraska. With Nebraska scoring fairly quickly on offense, there was a time of possession difference of 38:07-12:42 and UNI completed 71 plays to the Huskers’ 48. The Panthers’ first drive lasted 10:08 of the first quarter and went 62 yards on 16 plays but only yielded three points.
Another way to look at UNI’s offensive inefficiency is that they scored 1 point per 12:42 of possession. Nebraska, on the other hand, scored a point every 39 seconds they had the ball. It was also telling that the Husker backups were able to prevent a late point even though UNI had a first and goal at the 8-yard line. After the Panthers’ field goal on their first possession, they punted four times, had two turnovers and threw an interception.
The Huskers’ defenders admitted their tackling wasn’t that good, especially in the first half. There were too many lost yards after contact instead of bringing down the ball carrier. They had just one sack and a measly three tackles for loss, allowing UNI to total 301 yards, 41 more than they allowed to Colorado last week. The Blackshirts entered the game allowing just 36 yards per play on the ground, but gave up 139 yards in the running game to the Panthers. “Bend don’t break” was evident as UNI crossed the halfway line five times and got into the red zone twice, scoring a single three-pointer.
One notable difference between last year’s 1-2 start and this year’s 3-0 is turnovers and turnovers. The Huskers have 5 turnovers so far compared to just 3 in the first three games last year and have committed just 2 turnovers compared to 9 a year ago. That’s a +3 turnover differential so far compared to -6 last year. Although Dylan Raiola was credited with his first interception (on his 80th pass play) after a ball stolen from Jaylen Lloyd, the freshman has shown a proclivity for ball security that will keep the Huskers competitive all season long.
The Huskers’ offense scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and rushed 230 yards on just 19 plays, averaging 2:58 per drive. In three games this season, Nebraska has outscored its opponents 51-0 in the second quarter. For comparison, last year the Huskers lost 81-66 in the second quarter. Nebraska rushed for 142 yards on just 22 runs and completed 20 of 26 passes for 281 yards. The offense was a bit sparse after halftime in three games, and the late touchdown by the sophomore team was just the first fourth-quarter touchdown this season. In his press conference, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said, “I want everyone to say, ‘Why are you so boring in the fourth quarter?’ That means the Huskers are controlling the game. That’s what good teams do.”
Raiola completed 17 of 23 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, setting a personal record for most passing yards. In the first half, he completed 13 of 16 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns, including 11 consecutive successful passes. After the interception break, he was just 4 of 7 for 38 yards. But by completing more than 70 percent of his passes for the third straight game, he is the first Husker quarterback to do so since Jeff Quinn in 1980 (that’s 44 years ago). Raiola played just one play in the fourth quarter (his choice) before being replaced by Heinrich Haarberg, who completed 3 of 3 passes for 34 yards, ran three times for 7 yards and caught one pass for 8 yards. It was a good move to include sets with Haarberg, as opponents now have to spend time preparing for additional opportunities.
The Huskers’ four running backs combined for just 15 carries but gained 112 yards (an average of 7.5 yards per play). They also caught 5 passes for 71 yards. That’s a total of 20 plays for 183 yards (an average of 9.2 yards per play). No matter how you look at it and who’s playing, that’s a pretty productive quartet. Dante Dowdell started the game and had 6 carries for 55 yards with a long 38-yard run in the third quarter. Emmett Johnson (4 carries for 50 yards) shined in the fourth quarter with a 36-yard touchdown run and a 24-yard pass. He accounted for 67 yards of that 80-yard touchdown run.
True freshman Carter Nelson was the top receiver with 4 catches for 48 yards, including his first touchdown on a 24-yard catch and run on the opening drive. The kid from Ainsworth is still learning how to play with 22 players on the field, but he still has a lot of potential. Another true freshman, Jacory Barney Jr., scored his first touchdown on a 10-yard run in the second quarter and added 3 passes for 29 yards. The Huskers continue to develop plays where the offense can take advantage of Barney’s quickness. Isaiah Neyor (2 catches for 35 yards) caught an 18-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Jaylen Lloyd set up a touchdown with a 59-yard pass and should have had another 50-yard catch had he not been robbed.
The defense was led by Isaac Gifford, who finished with 10 tackles, one shy of his career high. He had his best game of the season on Saturday night. John Bullock also had a great game with a career-high nine tackles, surpassing his eight stops from last season against Louisiana Tech. Bullock also had the Huskers’ only sack, a QB hurl and a pass breakup. Safety Malcom Hartzog Jr. (2 tackles) intercepted a pass in the third quarter for his second pick of the season and fifth of his career. DeShon Singleton and Stefon Thompson each had 6 stops and Mikai Gbayor (4 tackles) returned to the game in the second half. Ty Robinson (2 tackles) intercepted another pass but didn’t throw down his coach on the sideline this week. Nebraska had plenty of players on defense, with 27 players appearing on the stat sheet. The depth Tony White is building will only help the Huskers get better.
A new long snapper, Aidan Flege, emerged on special teams, and the good snaps helped Tristan Alvano convert field goals of 21 and 31 yards in the third quarter. The Huskers didn’t punt the entire game, but Brian Buschini had 2 touchbacks on his 4 kickoffs. John Hohl also added a touchback on three kickoffs, and the return teams covered pretty well. Only 1 of 4 UNI punts was returned, and that was for just 2 yards.
It’s a short week of practice as the Huskers host the 3-0 and likely higher ranked Illinois Illini on Friday night. Illinois defeated Central Michigan 30-9 on Saturday and will likely bring its stout defense into what will likely be the most physically demanding game of this young season. I plan to be there and look forward to another loud crowd as the Gray Lady rocks out. One game at a time, but as conference play begins, expectations remain high and we’ll see what our young guys are really made of. Let’s go, Big Red!!
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