If you are a Nebraska football fan and have been for any length of time, then you are aware of Nebraska’s historic past on the gridiron. Few college fans can boast of their team putting together 30 consecutive seasons of nine wins or better, had 30 consecutive bowl appearances, a five-season run of 60-3 and won 3 National Championships.
Yet, equally as bad, few fan bases have had to endure what Husker fans have over the last 10 seasons. Witnessing foundering teams lose game after game in one score losses as they put up a 50-69 record and made only 3 bowl appearances.
The problem with such success or failure is that Husker fans live and die with their past. Each season you hear fans talking about what the team did last year or even thirty years prior. Fans can’t let go of the past or accept the fact that every new season is a new team.
Are there parts of the 2025 Huskers that were part of the 2024 season? Absolutely. But there are just as many parts on the 2025 team that were not part of the 2023 or 2024 seasons. New coaches, new players, new team. That’s the great thing about college football. Every season is a new one. If you don’t believe that then talk to ‘Google Me’ and Indiana.
But it’s not just the fans, the media is just as bad or perhaps worse. Often comparing apples to oranges, talking about players, statistics, and events to years prior. Need an example?
Steve Sipple of HuskerOnline has brought up numerous times during appearances that Nebraska has lost their last four games played at Minnesota. Sipple is right, Minnesota has owned Nebraska over the last few games, but Sipple’s concern only carries weight if the players on the 2025 team believe it.
Let’s go ahead and use Minnesota as an example. There are multiple players on this roster who have never lost to Minnesota. The history Sipple keeps pointing to doesn’t mean anything to this team. There are multiple players on the 2-Deep roster who will make contributions this season and have never lost to Minnesota. Therefore, they aren’t part of that history, and that’s important.
A few of the offensive players who don’t know how to lose to Minnesota include Elijah Pritchett, Rocco Spindler, Grant Brix, Carter Nelson, Mac Markway, Cayden Echternach, Dane Key, Nyziah Hunter, Jacory Barney Jr., Quinn Clark, Keelan Smith, Isiah Mozee, Cortez Mills, Dylan Raiola, Jayln Gramstad, Marcos Davila, TJ Lateef, Mekhi Nelson and Jamarion Parker.
Defensive players who don’t know that losing feeling include Sua Lefotu, Keona Davis, David Hoffken, Williams Nwaneri, Jaylen George, Gabe Moore, Willis McGahee IV, Vincent Shavers Jr., Jordan Ochoa, Christian Jones, Dawson Merritt, Desan McCullough, Marques Watson-Trent, Caleb Benning, Mario Buford, Bly Hill, Donavan Jones, Amare Sanders, Larry Tarver Jr., Ceyair Wright, Justyn Rhett, and Andrew Marshall.
And special team’s players who have never lost to the Gophers include John Hohl, Kyle Cunanan, Kamdyn Koch, Archie Wilson, and Kevin Gallic. And there are many more on the 2025 roster who won’t be thinking “woe is we.”
The current roster stands at 125 players and 91 of them are freshmen or sophomores. They don’t know what they don’t know. They won’t panic when things get tight in one-score ball games, saying “Oh no, here we go again.” They haven’t been a part of that mentality. This is a different team in a different head space.
Rhule got a good lesson going to Minnesota in his first game at Nebraska. And don’t forget the lesson he was given in Colorado either. He had his team prepared for the second time against the Buffaloes and he’ll do the same this year for Minnesota. This is Rhule’s year three, he knows the importance of having his team ready for every game.
He has mentioned more than once that he likes this team. And why? Because he’s excited about a new season and his new team.
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