LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska accomplished an ideal nonconference portion of its season with a 34-3 victory on Saturday night time at Memorial Stadium in opposition to Northern Iowa, transferring to 3-0 for the primary time since 2016.
It additionally produced a three-game successful streak for the second consecutive season after going seven years with out one.
Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola began red-hot and completed 17-for-23 passing for 247 yards and two scores. However the Huskers once more sputtered after halftime and struggled defensively to get off the sphere in opposition to the Panthers of the Soccer Championship Subdivision.
Listed here are my takeaways from the decisive victory for the Huskers:
• Nebraska largely took what it needed within the passing recreation in opposition to Northern Iowa. Raiola linked on 12 of his first 13 throws for 209 yards whereas spreading the ball to eight receivers. The Huskers’ edge by way of the air got here as no shock in opposition to an opponent from the Missouri Valley Soccer Convention. However it did shine a light-weight on the upgrades that Nebraska has made since final season.
Each Nebraska participant who factored in scoring three first-half touchdowns is new to the Huskers this yr. Freshman receivers Carter Nelson and Jacory Barney discovered the tip zone for the primary time, and Raiola hit Texas switch Isaiah Neyor for an 18-yard rating.
How would possibly this matchup have gone a yr in the past? Most likely not a lot totally different. However the strategies with which Nebraska can beat outmatched opponents have multiplied.
• Not can opponents load the field in opposition to Nebraska and really feel safe. As coach Matt Rhule mentioned in July, the Huskers will “homicide” a protection that fails to respect their passing recreation. It occurred just a few instances on Saturday, notably when Raiola hit Nelson for a 24-yard TD over the center to cap a 75-yard drive to open the sport.
The freshman QB discovered Neyor equally wide-open in a protection hole for the second landing. And Raiola side-stepped the UNI go rush on the Huskers’ third drive to hit Jaylen Lloyd for a 59-yard achieve.
The ramifications of a diversified offense imply every thing to the Huskers as they head into Massive Ten play subsequent week in opposition to Illinois.
• The Huskers didn’t do every thing proper on offense. After a clear begin to construct a 21-3 lead, they stalled on the finish of the primary half in a two-minute state of affairs. Raiola misfired on third and fourth down. Nebraska then settled for brief area objectives on its first two drives of the second half.
Nebraska completed the target of taking part in backup QB Heinrich Haarberg alongside Raiola within the third quarter. Haarberg, the eight-game starter final season, entered for 3 performs. He caught an 8-yard go from Raiola and took a handoff for five yards. Nebraska then despatched Raiola to line up huge and Haarberg took a snap for 1 yard.
There’s a search for Illinois to ponder.
• Nebraska anticipated a special sort of problem in opposition to Northern Iowa. And the Huskers received it. The Panthers dominated in time of possession. They’d no real interest in transferring quick on offense like UTEP. And UNI featured not one of the talent on the sting that Colorado dropped at Lincoln final week.
Northern Iowa combined its offensive assault with a measure of success within the first half. That’s, till Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White countered with a blitz on third-and-6 to finish the Panthers’ second possession.
To that time, Nebraska didn’t cease Northern Iowa simply as soon as on 4 third-down probabilities, and the Panthers adopted their lone miss by changing a fourth down en route to a few factors on the finish of a 15-play march.
Massive again Tye Edwards and Amauri Pesek-Hickson packed a punch. That duo and quarterback Aidan Dunne pressured the Huskers to wrap up. Dunne moved the chains together with his legs. When Nebraska defenders tried to knock the Panthers off their toes, the UNI runners received extra yardage.
It was a superb take a look at for Nebraska forward of the bodily video games up subsequent and ought to supply loads of video footage for White and the defensive coaches to bolster their factors concerning the significance of strong tackling.
• Nothing fairly as dramatic final week — when Nebraska blocked a area objective and Colorado blocked a punt — occurred on particular groups for the Huskers. Kicker Tristan Alvano, after lacking from 32 yards in opposition to Colorado, hit from 31 and 21 yards on Saturday.
The Huskers made a change at lengthy snapper in Week 3. Aidan Flege, a Lincoln Southeast graduate who performed at Iowa Western CC and transferred to Nebraska final yr with no spot on the soccer workforce, took over for Camden Witucki. Witucki struggled to snap constantly within the first two video games, contributing to a number of the kicking points.
(Photograph: Dylan Widger / USA In the present day)
