Matt Rhule gearing up for his second spring game with Huskers
Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule talks to his players during a timeout in the first quarter against Iowa Friday November 24, 2023 at Memorial Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
Nebraska’s Red and White Game is less than 24 hours away from kickoff, and Big Red Nation is eager to see what Coach Matt Rhule been brewing all spring.
The anticipation is through the roof for many reasons, including Rhule’s second season in Lincoln, the Blackshirts’ familiarity in Tony White’s system, and the quarterback room. The University is expecting nearly 70,000 fans inside Memorial Stadium Saturday morning, and all eyes will be on gunslinger Dylan Raiola as he makes his debut.
Rhule knows how to take advantage of the spotlight, and there’ll be a few plays to show how far Nebraska’s aerial attack has come. Raiola is arguably the program’s biggest recruit since running back Marlon Lucky, who was from the Bill Callahan era. Everyone will be expecting to see some crisp passes downfield from Raiola, and for new receivers like Isaiah Neyor not to drop the balls.
Rhule has one of the most experienced teams heading into the 2024 season, and that should be beneficial for the offensive line. Although Raiola will be wearing a no-contact jersey, it’s going to be important for the big boys up front to establish themselves as a strength on offense.
There is some uncertainty in the running back room, considering Rahmir Johnson and Gabe Ervin Jr., are both recovering from season-ending injuries. However, young studs like Dante Dowdell and Kwinten Ives have stepped up in their absence this spring. Non-scholarship guys like Izaac Dickey, Kenneth Williams and Trevon Kitchen have made the most out of their reps too.
Mistakes will be made during the game, and there’s going to be a learning curve for the offense approaching the summer, but everything should start to gel in the coming months. After all, Rhule’s boys were one of the worst teams in turnover margin, so they really have nowhere to go, but up in that department.
Husker fans believe the defense is ahead of the offense, and White has an All-Big Ten caliber player at every level of his unit.
Nash Hutmacher will be anchoring a stout defensive line. The South Dakota native finished second on the Huskers in tackles for loss and sacks in 2023. Mikai Gbayor, Javin Wright, Grant Buda and John Bullock are all competing at linebacker, a position Nebraska has the least returning production.
The secondary should be elite though. Tommi Hill has the potential to be a lockdown corner in the Big Ten, after hauling in four interceptions last season. Safety Isaac Gifford has 156 tackles over the past two seasons. The hometown kid led the Huskers in stops, and finished fourth in tackles for loss.
Although Nebraska hasn’t had a winning campaign since 2016, there’s a different vibe in the air this time around. Thousands of fans have already jumped on Raiola’s hype train, which will be going 100 miles per hour following Saturday’s scrimmage.
There’s no denying that Rhule has all of the ingredients to create a recipe of winning with the Huskers. Now it’s all about putting the right product on the field in front of the Sea of Red, and giving the fans a taste of what they’ll be seeing this fall.
At the end of the day nobody does spring games like Nebraska. Having the most loyal fan base in the country helps for all parties involved. Not to mention there’ll be no loser on Saturday. So Husker fans can sit back and enjoy some football, while Rhule and his staff work their magic in what should be an exciting Red and White Game.
