After a 31-14 win against Purdue on Oct. 28, Nebraska was poised to snap its bowl drought last year.
As the Cornhuskers prepare for the 2024 season, however, that drought is still active.
Head coach Matt Rhule enters his second season at Nebraska with high expectations to deliver a postseason appearance to the program for the first time since 2016.
This summer, BuffZone will preview each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2024 season and in this installment we look at Nebraska, which will host the Buffaloes in Lincoln on Sept. 7.
Hired after the 2022 season, Rhule came to Lincoln looking to restore the glory to a program that was once among the elite.
After a 36-14 loss to CU in Boulder in Week 2 of the 2023 campaign, Nebraska won five of its next six to get to 5-3. The Huskers needed just one more win to get to a bowl, but lost their last four games – three of them by a field goal and one by a touchdown in overtime.
In a recent interview with Barstool Sports, Rhule said that was disappointing, but that it serves as fuel this year.
“We have an intensity about us, we have an urgency about us that we might not have had had we gone and got a PlayStation from the bowl game, a nice jogging suit,” he said. “I think there’s some positives, but we didn’t get it done.”
There’s a lot of confidence in Lincoln that they can get it done this year, though.
Nebraska was dismal on offense in 2023, ranking 123rd nationally with 18.0 points per game. Rhule and his staff, however, landed five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola this offseason and the youngster from Buford (Ga.) High School has Nebraska expecting a jump on offense.
Defensively, Nebraska ranked 13th nationally in points allowed (18.3 per game) and 11th in yards allowed (303.5) last year and returns several starters. Included among the returning players are leading tackler Isaac Gifford, who plays rover, and linebackers Javin Wright and John Bullock.
Rhule didn’t have a great tenure as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers from 2020-22, going 11-27, but his track as a college coach is hard to ignore.
In 2013, he took over a losing program at Temple and won back-to-back division titles in his third and fourth seasons. In 2017, he took over a program at Baylor reeling from a sexual assault scandal under previous coach Art Briles. Rhule went 1-11 in his first year with the Bears and 11-3 by his third year.
Aiming for a similar turnaround at Nebraska, Rhule has landed back-to-back top 25 recruiting classes, including No. 18 this year. So, even with last year’s disappointing finish, he’s excited about the trajectory going into his second season.
“I think people realize this is a coach who will try to build it the right way,” he said to Barstool. “I think a lot of young players are like, ‘All right I see it, I see what they’re trying to do, I see how they’re doing it.’ We’re going to continue to recruit well.”
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Head coach: Matt Rhule, 2nd season (5-7; 52-50 career)
2023 season: 5-7, 3-6 Big Ten
Series with CU: Nebraska leads 49-21-2
The Game
Who: Colorado Buffaloes at Nebraska Cornhuskers
When: Saturday, Sept. 7, 5:30 p.m. MT (TV: NBC)
Where: Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
5 Guys to Watch
DL Jimari Butler: He led the Cornhuskers in tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5) last year, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention. He also had 34 tackles and two pass breakups.
RB Gabe Ervin Jr: A year ago, he got off to a solid start (196 yards, 1 TD, 5.2 yards per carry) through the first three games, but then suffered a hip injury and missed the last nine games. Healthy again, he could be the leader of the backfield.
TE Thomas Fidone II: Last year, he finished second on the team in receptions (25) and receiving yards (260) and led the team with four TD receptions. He could be one of the better tight ends in the Big Ten this season.
ROV Isaac Gifford: Led the team with 86 tackles last season (35 more than anyone else). He also had 6.5 tackles for loss, an interception and eight pass breakups.
QB Dylan Raiola: The true freshman was a 5-star recruit in the 2024 class and rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 quarterback recruit in the country. He was committed to Ohio State for about a year before switching to Georgia in May of 2023 and then flipping to Nebraska just before signing day in December.
Good to know
• Nebraska has gone seven consecutive seasons without a bowl appearance. It’s the longest drought for the program since a seven-year run from 1955-61. The Huskers have also had seven straight losing seasons, the longest stretch since nine in a row from 1941-49. From 1962-2016, Nebraska failed to reach a bowl just four times.
• Raiola is the son of former Nebraska All-American center Dominic Raiola. His uncle, Donovan Raiola, is currently the offensive line coach for the Huskers.
• Marcus Satterfield returns as offensive coordinator, but the Huskers hired Glenn Thomas as co-coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Thomas worked for Rhule at Baylor and Temple.
• Tony White, who was a candidate this offseason for the head coaching position at UCLA, is back as defensive coordinator. Prior to coming to Nebraska last year, he was the DC at Syracuse from 2020-22 and at Arizona State in 2019.
• Seven offensive linemen made at least five starts for Nebraska and five of them are back. That includes Bryce Benhart, a tackle who has 41 career starts, tying the school record. Benhart and center Ben Scott both earned All-Big Ten honorable mention last year.
• Nebraska returns kicker Tristan Alvano and punter Brian Buschini. Alvano went 9-of-15 on field goals and 27-of-27 on extra points last year. Buschini averaged 40.7 yards on 57 punts and landed 20 inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
Portal movement
The Huskers lost only 10 players to the transfer portal this offseason, including a pair of backup quarterbacks (Chubba Purdy and Jeff Sims). The others they lost didn’t make a significant impact in 2023. According to 247Sports, Nebraska added seven transfers. The most impactful could be Micah Mazzccua, who started 11 games at right guard at Florida last year. Receiver Jahmal Banks was a full-time starter at Wake Forest and caught 59 passes for 653 yards and four touchdowns. Another receiver, Isaiah Neyor, was second-team all-conference at Wyoming in 2021 (44 catches for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns), transferred to Texas and missed 2022 with an injury before catching just one pass last year. Linebacker Stefon Thompson had 52 tackles as a backup at Syracuse last year. Running back Dante Dowdell (Oregon), cornerback Blye Hill (Saint Francis) and linebacker Vincent Genatone (Montana) are also hoping to make an impact.
