If you are a fan of college football, follow the Big Ten, and Nebraska is your team, then you watch and listen during Big Ten Media Days. Part of the excitement is getting the opportunity to hear what bold statements are made by coaches or players and what your team’s players are feeling about the upcoming season.
Example, I’m not a Kurt Cignetti fan, but I’m always anxious to hear what kind of crap he’s going to spew when in front of a mic, and he seldom disappoints. At the same time, you hope your coach or players lean into things with quiet confidence rather than an oblivious boldness.
Words carry weight and they can sometimes come back to bite you. So, I listen to what people say and how they say it. I was pleased with how Nebraska’s coach and players handled themselves at Big Ten Media Days. They said what we all wanted to hear and didn’t open themselves up with Cignetti like statements.
What they had to say.
Matt Rhule – “And if I say one thing, I’ll say this: we like our football team. We like our football team a lot. We believe in the guys. It’s those four guys I mentioned (Raiola, Lutovsky, Buford, Singleton). It’s all the guys back in Lincoln. We believe that we can play with anybody, and we’ve had our highs and lows, our ups and downs. We’ve been through a lot in two years together, and we’re going to go make a run at this thing this year. We have an excellent roster. We’re fast, we’re explosive, we’ve got veterans where we need to, we’re good on the lines, we’ve got great coaches, but we’re going to have to go perform.”
It’s Matt Rhule’s year three and I think he likes where this team is. I do too. I’m a believer.
Dylan Raiola – “That’s kind of been a thing in Nebraska is we get in close games and we just somehow – we can’t finish it, right? The narrative is going to have to change. It’s going to have to change this year, and our guys are confident that that we have the right players and the right pieces to go make those plays and want the ball in their hands.”
To Dylan’s point, Nebraska’s biggest battle isn’t strength, conditioning, talent, or coaching. It’s this team getting things right between their ears. There can be no more doubt. This team must show things are different, that they believe.
When Dylan was asked about this 2025 team’s goals his response was as follows:
“National championship, that’s not me just saying it to be cliché. That’s what we’ve been working for all offseason. Our goals have been set on that, and every single guy in that locker room understands that. That’s what we’re going to shoot for, and anything less, won’t be a failure, but that’s just not what our standard was.”
People are quick to criticize Raiola for making a National Championship this team’s goal. They will tell you it’s unrealistic. But it’s not. Why wouldn’t that be your goal? Is just wanting to win the Big Ten or getting to the CFP enough? Ask LSU’s baseball team if their goal was to win a National Championship or just get to the college world series? And once they got there, was it enough?
One of Nebraska’s biggest strengths this season will be their offensive line. They are as deep, have size, and return more experience than a Nebraska offensive line has had in years.
Henry Lutovsky – “I’m expecting us to be a very good offensive line. We know the sky’s the limit for our group. It really just comes down to how consistent can we be. How many plays can we have all five guys on the same page. It’s never going to work if we have one guy off. So, we’re just fighting to become the most consistent unit in college football.”
The fact Nebraska’s greatest teams all had great offensive lines and had monikers like ‘The Pipeline’ isn’t lost on Lutovsky.
“I want nothing more than to bring this place back to what it was.”
I’m as excited about his year’s Nebraska version of the Blackshirts than I have been in years. Tony White’s defenses were read and react. John Butler’s defense will be search and destroy. The 2025 Blackshirts are going to be aggressive. They will attempt to put up 40 plus sacks and set new highs in forced turnovers. When Singleton was asked about the difference between coordinators, he responded as follows.
DeShon Singleton – “Only difference is we’re a little more aggressive on the defensive side, coach really preaches he wants the players to make the plays that are given to them. I feel like it’s going to be a really exciting year for the back third and the fans and just watch out for us. Dominate, I want it to be dominant. I don’t want anybody to score on us. I want us to be dominant the whole game, the entire game, from the first quarter to the fourth.”
How do you do that?
“Turning knockdowns into interceptions,” Singleton said. “Turning big hits into fumbles.”
Search and destroy!
More proof this team is different from 23-year-old Marques Buford.
Marques Buford – “It’s wide open for us to take,” Buford said. “I’m just excited to see the journey that we’re going to embark on this year together as a team. It should be really fun. We have a good group of guys, and everybody is ready and excited to work and achieve that same goal of coming out at the end of the season as one of the top teams in the country.”
Of the 126 players on the current roster, 91 of them are either freshmen or sophomores. This team is young, but the older guys like Buford know it’s now or never and are embracing that.
“There’s not a lot of chances in life where you get another crack at something, another opportunity to go out and show yourself and who you are.”
Like Rhule, I like this team. I like them a lot, and I’m excited for the upcoming season. Fall practice starts Monday and that means the 2025 season is underway. It’s a great time to be a Husker.
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