Nebraska football gained revenge against Colorado last night, taking down the Buffaloes 28-10 in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers lost the reverse game in 2023, going down heavily in Boulder, 36-14. Cornhuskers’ head coach Matt Rhule’s team looks very different from what we saw in 2023, with the quarterback play looking much healthier. The fans are right behind Big Red, with Rhule paying homage to the support in the Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
Head Coach Matt Rhule Impressed With Atmosphere on Saturday
Nebraska is used to selling out home games. Saturday was the 398th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. This one felt special for head coach Matt Rhule, who said, “It was one of the best environments, if not the best.” when referring to the Nebraska fans on Saturday night.
Consecutive sellout No. 398 was a special one in Lincoln on Saturday night as Nebraska dominated Colorado 28-10 inside Memorial Stadium in front of several blue-chip recruits.
“One of the best environments, if not the best I’ve ever been in!”
Story: https://t.co/MhPmXNzL6M pic.twitter.com/H0sjDS5eEn
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) September 8, 2024
It’s only his second season as the Cornhuskers’ head coach, but Rhule has seen atmospheres in Baylor and Temple at the college level and Carolina as an NFL head coach. They may not compare to anything Nebraska can offer, but Rhule was a player at Penn State, and we know how loud it can get at Beaver Stadium. If Rhule is saying it’s up there with anything he saw in Penn State, he must have been impressed.
Rhule thanked the student section and the fans for a fabulous experience, saying it helped the team feed off the electric atmosphere. It also made it difficult for the Colorado offense, with the noise levels making it difficult to communicate with the opposition.
It took Nebraska to 2-0 on the season, and head coach Matt Rhule dreaming of a playoff spot in 2024 is still alive. Some tough Big Ten Conference games will be challenging for the Cornhuskers. On the road, Ohio State, USC, and Iowa could determine whether they will make the 12-team playoff. The defense looks improved, and the offense is also looking to take a giant leap under freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. So they have a good chance, as most are in the Big Ten, looking at the first two weeks of results.
Matt Rhule Praises Dylan Raiola’s Performance Against Colorado
A five-star prospect from the 2024 recruiting class, if you spoke to scouts who watched Dylan Raiola, it was no surprise that he was announced as the Nebraska starter for the new season. Inside two games, Raiola has stats of 42-57 for 423 passing yards and three touchdowns. For a freshman quarterback, those figures are solid, and not turning over the ball shows the maturity in his play.
Cornhuskers’ head coach Matt Rhule praised his first-year quarterback during the post-game press conference. Rhule mentioned that he is looking after the ball and was very impressed that he has driven his team down to score before the half for the past two weeks.
Dylan Raiola, the TRUE Freshman Starting Quarterback for Nebraska… what a massive game this weekend for both programs.
Railoa has a chance to be special, special and you can tell he comes from a professional background.
pic.twitter.com/NbXUn9odzw— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CodyCarpentier) September 4, 2024
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule was not just impressed with the offense, saying the defense stood up in the second half when the offense didn’t play at the same levels as the first half.
The comparisons in performances from the Colorado game in 2023 to the one we saw last night are huge. The quarterback player may not be the only part of the Cornhuskers game that has improved, but it is the significant part. In a season that saw three different quarterbacks share 16 interceptions but still finish 5-7 with Raiola, there is real optimism about at least a bowl game. It’s the complete opposite to difference we are seeing around the Colorado program.
Nebraska and Dylan Raiola are on the up, and Cornhuskers’ head coach Matt Rhule is a big part of that. His recruiting is a big part of the program’s change of direction, with several blue-chip recruits on the sidelines for the win. A sleeping giant looks to be waking up down in Lincoln.
