The fallout: Progress for Nebraska football, a defining moment, and more

The win over Northwestern on Saturday wasn’t a work of art or a thing of beauty, but it was exactly what Nebraska football needed.

Nebraska football found a way to win ugly. It faced adversity, but just like against Maryland and Michigan State, the Huskers found a way to win a close game. That’s a trait that’s underrated and underappreciated.

Winning takes talent. It also takes something else, something Nebraska was lacking for nearly a decade. The Huskers didn’t have 300 yards of total offense. But they won the game. Special teams were excellent again, and Dylan Raiola, despite the two turnovers, was money on the final drive when he needed to be.

It wasn’t perfect. Yet, it got the Huskers a sixth win, which means bowl eligibility. Beyond that, Nebraska is 6-2 with every goal ahead of it and 23rd-ranked USC coming to Lincoln on Saturday night.

Some fans have scoffed at the idea of the Huskers making the College Football Playoff, and trust me, I get it. But if Nebraska football, which has already beaten 17th-ranked Cincinnati on a neutral field, beats 23rd USC, this team will absolutely be in the conversation.

Win this week, and the Huskers should be ranked, in November, for the first time since 2016. Saturday’s game is the most important since the Wisconsin game that season, a game Nebraska lost before finishing 9-4 in Mike Riley’s best season.

It’s been a long time since Nebraska played a game this late in the season that meant something on the national scale to both teams. 10-2 might take a miracle. It certainly won’t be easy; however, Saturday has the chance to be the defining moment for Nebraska under Matt Rhule.

Rhule talked about games at Memorial Stadium that matter. He’s got one. It’s going to be a blackout against a nationally-ranked team on national TV. And if the Huskers win, it won’t just be a nice win; it will mean something.

That’s progress. It’s not always easy or fun or pretty, but Nebraska football has made progress under Matt Rhule. It can prove it’s made more with a win Saturday night.

One last point: Dana Holgorsen deserves credit for running the damn ball. Nebraska ran on 60 percent of its run plays. The offensive line also needs a tip of the cap. They only allowed one sack and the team rushed for 155. The top six guys in terms of offensive linemen each got grades of 80 or higher from PFF in pass protection.

Nebraska volleyball looks unstoppable

The Huskers continued their dominant ways this week, with a 3-0 sweep over Northwestern, followed by a 3-0 sweep over Michigan State.

No. 1 Nebraska (20-0, 10-0) volleyball held Nebraska to .099 hitting. Harper Murray was the top hitter with nine. Rebekah Allick had seven. She added three blocks, too. Andi Jackson managed six kills and pitched in with five blocks.

On Saturday, against Michigan State, the Huskers barely broke a sweat again. Teraya Singler led Nebraska with nine kills. No player had more than 10, which has been par for the course.

Nebraska has won 34 consecutive sets. They have swept 11 straight matches. It’s incredible. Frankly, it’s hard to put into words. The Big Ten championship feels like a forgone conclusion at this point.

Wisconsin and Purdue are each two games back. Nebraska owns the tiebreaker over Purdue, so the Boilermakers would need to win out, while Nebraska would need to lose three matches. If the Huskers beat Wisconsin on Friday in Madison, maybe their most challenging Big Ten match, the Badgers would need to win out, combined with four Nebraska losses.

It’s hard to see Nebraska losing once, let alone multiple times. A win on Friday essentially cements the regular-season title. But as we all know, for Nebraska volleyball, it’s national title or bust.

Basketball exhibitions

The regular season for both Nebraska basketball teams starts next week. The men have an exhibition on Monday night (vs Midland, 6:30 PM), before tipping off the season on Nov. 3 (West Georgia).

Nebraska women’s basketball played Mount Marty in an exhibition and won 104-40. Amiah Hargrove led the way for the Huskers with 26 points off the bench. That included a 6-of-8 effort from 3-point range. Britt Prince added 14 points, 10 assists, and two steals.

Natelie Potts didn’t play. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year from 2023-24 is coming off a season-ending injury in 2024-25, which caused her to redshirt. Nebraska will host Northwestern State on Nov. 3 (12 p.m.).

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