Man, it feels good to start the season 1-0. This game went as expected in Coach Rhule’s style of blue-collar football. The most impressive statistic from the 40-7 win over UTEP was the Cornhuskers time of possession, exceeding 38 minutes.
Dylan Raiola fulfilled the buildup in his performance on Saturday. He finished the day completing 70 percent of his 27 passing attempts for 238 yards and two touchdowns. This stat line put up by a quarterback exhilarated Husker fans. After the game, Raiola was asked how long he’d waited for this moment; he said, “I think ever since I could think about playing football, probably eight years old. I just tried to take it all in, not be a tough guy, football player. You got to be a human and enjoy the scene.”
The running back room proved to be one of the deepest groups on the roster. Dante Dowdell is an important addition to the backfield, rushing for 55 yards on only eight carries, speaks for itself. Unfortunately, Dowdell’s fumble early in the second quarter cost him not to see much action afterward. Rahmir Johnson showed his veteran presence, having the most carries with 11. Emmett Johnson made a nice move for a 42-yard run late in the first half. E. Johnson might be the biggest home run threat out of the backfield. Gabe Ervin came in mostly for short-yard situations, finishing with two touchdowns. Between the four backs, they carried the ball 33 times for 200 yards. The 6.6 average amongst the four is the way it should be against a Group of Five opponent.
The two transfer wide receivers, I believe, proved they will be some of the most important pieces for this offense. Isaiah Neyor was phenomenal; the 59-yard touchdown reception showed his physicality and speed. He finished the day with six catches for 121 yards and was the highest-graded wideout of the group on Pro Football Focus (PFF) at 77.9. Jahmal Banks shined as well. Raiola threw a red-zone laser to Banks from the 21-yard-line, and Banks went up and grabbed it. These two proved to be strong Big Ten receivers that they were missing last year.
Jacory Barney Jr. was fun to watch on Saturday. Barney is as explosive as it gets for a true freshman. From kick returning to running a jet touch pass, he is going to be a problem throughout the season for defenses to contain. Top in-state recruit Carter Nelson saw action and exhibited nice vision carrying the ball on his 14-yard catch. The size and speed of Nelson will be a problem for opposing defenses to plan against.
My prediction on not showing Colorado too much of Heinrich Haarberg and Raiola on the field at the same time held through. Haarberg threw the ball 10 times better on Saturday than he did last season. Even though it was in mop-up duty, he went 5-5 for 35 yards. The addition of quarterback coach Glenn Thomas has clearly improved his game as a passer.
The tight ends and offensive line pushed UTEP all over the line. The line did their job protecting the quarterback for the most part, other than the one sack given up off of Bryce Benhart’s side. Right guard Micah Mazzccua opened up many holes for the backs on Saturday. Not to mention, his passing grade on PFF was tied with left guard Justin Evans at 85.9 for the highest on the team. Center Ben Scott and these two guards made life easy for the ball carriers and Raiola passing. Tackles, Benhart and Turner Corcoran did okay; my only concern with these two will be pass protection against a Power Four defensive line. Tight ends Thomas Fidone, Luke Lindenmeyer and Nate Boerkircher really sealed the edge throughout the ballgame. Even though they didn’t light it up in the passing game, their blocking helped tremendously.
The punt return game was encouraging to witness. Isaiah Garcia-Castenada did an outstanding job; he had three returns for 25 yards. Last season Nebraska had 48 punt return yards the entire 2023 season. Garcia-Castenada might not put up the biggest numbers in the receiving game, but his role on special teams will help the Huskers astronomically.
The Blackshirts performed to their standard. Other than Malcom Hartzog getting beat on UTEP’s only touchdown, they performed strong. In Hartzog’s defense, he made up for falling down on the touchdown by intercepting a pass late in the first half. The best stat from the game was nine tackles for loss, led by Ty Robinson. Robinson is a dude. Last season, he was a great defensive lineman. Now, he looks to be on an elite level; football won’t stop for Robinson after he graduates. The Blackshirts only gave up 56 yards on the ground and 149 yards through the air. Yes, I know it’s UTEP, but this defense looks to have taken another step up to a new level from the dominant play last season.
Overall, the Nebraska football game versus UTEP went as expected. Physical, explosive football shined all over the field for the Cornhuskers. After scoring on the opening drive, the team went flat until the defense forced the safety, turning all the momentum back to Big Red for the entire game. Looking at scores across the Big Ten, NU arguably had one of the top performances in the entire conference to open the season. Excitement brewing in Lincoln is a good thing. Expectations for a great season are not unrealistic. The offensive balance, mixed with the Blackshirts dominance and the improvement on special teams, could entail many wins in this schedule.
