5 things we learned from Nebraska’s win over Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa proved to be a pesky opponent for the Nebraska football team. However, the Huskers still had little trouble on the scoreboard, taking care of business and covering the spread.

Good teams win as they say. Great teams cover and through three games, Nebraska football is 3-0 against the spread. At times on Saturday, it looked like the game could get competitive.

Competitive in a sense that it could be interesting in the fourth quarter. But the Huskers have Dylan Raiola. They also have a defense that’s just hard to score points on. Northern Iowa moved the ball and they left points on the board, but teams tend to do that against elite defenses.

Looking back on Saturday night’s win, here are five things we learned about Nebraska football.

Dylan Raiola “isn’t a 7-on-7 quarterback”

Don’t confuse Raiola with some statue. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound quarterback can run the ball when needed and for the second week in a row, he converted a third down with his legs.

This time, it was a read-option play. Raiola read the defense, kept the ball, and got a chunk play. It didn’t work out near the goal line when he tried a QB keeper, but having Raiola threaten defenses a little with his legs is invaluable.

For one, if Raiola shows you have to respect him, even a little in the zone-read, it will open up things for the running backs. Plus, even a first down a game on the ground is huge.

It was the difference between a punt and a touchdown on the first drive against Colorado and it’s just another weapon of Raiola.

After the game, Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule said “Dylan isn’t a 7-on-7 quarterback” and we saw that firsthand on Saturday night.

Nebraska has true depth at running back

Rahmir Johnson was listed as co-RB1 on the depth chart with Dante Dowdell this week, but Emmett Johnson actually got more touches and that’s something that might need to continue.

I love Rahmir and gushed about his performance last week. I do want Nebraska to keep utilizing him, especially in the passing game but Emmett looked explosive.

Johnson caught a 24-yard pass in the first half and had three receptions for 43 yards in addition to four carries for 50 yards, which included a 36-yard touchdown.

Dante Dowdell had six runs for 55 yards and frankly, Gabe Ervin is a dude too. He just hasn’t been needed as much. Irvin’s time will come in Big Ten play, but as league play begins, you gotta feel good about the running back room for Nebraska football.

An incredible freshman class

Raiola is a superstar, but he’s not alone in the 2024 class as far as making an immediate impact. Jacory Barney has been threatening the end zone for weeks and finally scored on a 10-yard run. He also had an explosive play on a screen that was upheld after a penalty was thrown due to offensive pass interference.

Rhule believed Barney was behind the line of scrimmage and challenged. Barney was, which made the block legal. However, Barney wasn’t the only freshman to find the end zone on Saturday as Carter Nelson, in his third 11-man football game ever, caught a 24-yard touchdown.

Nelson had four catches for 48 yards. That won’t be the last time we see Raiola and Carter connect for a touchdown, but it was a reminder of how bright the future is.

The QB allowed Nebraska to control the game

If Nebraska had a quarterback like they had last season, this could have been a much different game. The Huskers only got 48 plays but they still scored 34 points. That was with a turnover on downs in plus territory.

Raiola just makes a world of difference. The reality is that Northern Iowa played exactly the kind of game it needed to. It possessed the ball for 16 minutes more than Nebraska. The Panthers rushed for over 100 yards and held Nebraska football to under 50 plays.

But when the ball was inside the 40, Nebraska, with its elite quarterback, was able to get touchdowns. Northern Iowa settled for one field goal, a turnover on downs, and a turnover. So give the Blackshirts their due, because they were impressive, especially in the red area.

Yet, the offensive efficiency was off the charts — 421 yards on 48 plays — and that’s mostly due to the smooth operating of Raiola.

Timely defense continues

I didn’t expect Northern Iowa to gain over 300 yards or rush for 139. The Panthers also picked up six third-down conversions and two fourth-downs.

In other words, it wasn’t a perfect night for the Blackshirts. The tackling could have been better and the pass rush produced just one sack on 32 pass attempts.

Yet, both Northern Iowa running backs were held below four yards per attempt and when Nebraska needed a stop, it stiffened. The Huskers aren’t a bend-but-don’t-break defense but they were a little on Saturday.

Playing great defense is about being great when you have to be. Nebraska wasn’t on third down, but when Northern Iowa got in scoring range, the Huskers clamped down.

It wasn’t a perfect game — something you can say about the entire team — but it’s hard to argue with the result and the fact that we’re nitpicking a 31-point win shows just how quickly the standard has changed.

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