The Nebraska Cornhuskers took care of business in week three, hosting FCS opponent Northern Iowa at Memorial Stadium. With the 34-3 win, the Huskers improved to 3-0 on the season, marking the first time the program has gotten off to such a start since the 2016 season, when they started 7-0.
Following the victory, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said he’s ready for his team to enter Big Ten play.
We start Big Ten play. I refer to this as the preseason. In my mind we are learning how to win. I told our team, the narrative of losing close games comes from when you get the lead, not trying to put the game away. The questions I get asked a lot of, ‘Why don’t you do more of this in the second half… that led to a lot of close losses.’ We want to score, get a lead, play defense and run the football. Then I want everyone to say why are you so boring in the fourth quarter and then we win. I want to make sure my team hears that.
Wins over FCS opponents, especially in expected blowouts, are always worth taking with a grain of salt; that being said, there are several notable takeaways that can be taken from Saturday night’s win.
Dylan Raiola continues to impress
Dylan Raiola once again put together an impressive performance against Northern Iowa despite throwing an interception. The freshman quarterback was once again efficient, completing 17-of-23 passing attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns. So far this season, the Georgia native has completed 59-of-80 attempts for 670 yards and five touchdowns.
Taking care of business
For a program that since 2016 has struggled in situations that they necessarily shouldn’t, the Huskers ensuring that this weekend’s game wasn’t going to be any sort of real contest was good to see.
Matt Rhule’s program got off to a strong start and went into halftime with a 21-3 lead and while the offense did let up in the second half as they focused more on reps than quality, it was still a strong effort. Furthermore, the Huskers came into this season with quite a bit of hype and hope for this season and through three games, the pressure and expectations have not been too much.
Did the Blackshirts show some cracks?
It could be easy to overreact to the defense allowing 301 yards to an FCS squad and there are certainly issues that will need to be fixed. That being said, no need to panic just yet. On the surface, the numbers are certainly not pretty but the Huskers did keep Northern Iowa to just 3.6 yards per carry in the game. The passing defense was once again stolid as well, allowing just 16 completions on 32 attempts for 162 yards, an average of just 5.0 yards per attempt.
Carter Nelson’s big day
It was a bid day for true freshman wide receiver Carter Nelson. He had four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. The former four-star prospect is off to a quality start in his career with the Huskers, as he now has seven receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown reception in the first quarter on Saturday will be one of many between Raiola and Nelson.
Ready for Big Ten play
Nebraska completed the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 3-0 record. That’s the first time Nebraska has finished non-conference with an undefeated record since 2016. The Huskers will now get ready for their Big Ten opener on Friday when Illinois visits Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT and can be seen on Fox.
This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Five takeaways from Nebraska’s 34-3 win over Northern Iowa
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