How Nebraska tackles the long wait before a home night game

It’s Saturday morning, and Nebraska senior receiver Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda hasn’t locked in just yet. When NU plays at night, he eases himself into the headspace needed to play.

His coach, Matt Rhule, believes in building up to the game. Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda doesn’t want to burn himself out and become too anxious, so while he goes through the fairly rigid schedule the coaching staff has planned for the day, he only cracks open the playbook in the afternoon.

As he warms up his mind, the image of the game in front of him sharpens.

“You don’t want to wake up and be ready to go,” Garcia-Castaneda said. “You have a 6:30 night game. You’re not gonna be full game mode off the rip in the morning.”

Nebraska will play its second of three consecutive night games when it kicks off against Northern Iowa on Saturday. Three in a row is rare. NU hasn’t done it at home since 2002. The late start times feed into an atmosphere and noise level players and coaches think solidifies the Huskers’ home-field advantage.

They also make for a longer, more complicated progression in the hours leading up to kickoff.

“If it was up to me, we’d play at nine o’clock in the morning,” Rhule said. “Kegs and eggs and football, let’s go.”

TV networks have different ideas. So Rhule — who said he has “ADD,” or attention deficit disorder — has the players doing more than staying in the hotel all day.

Buses run from the team hotel to the Osborne Legacy Complex so players can get work done early in the morning. Team brunch is from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., then walkthrough lasts until 11:30 a.m. After lunch back at the hotel, players have a few hours to themselves. Around 2:30 p.m., the team reconvenes and does some light movement to avoid being sedentary for too long.

Later in the afternoon, there’s another meal and an optional religious service.

“I kinda grew up in the era of ‘Be in the hotel, don’t go back,’” Rhule said. “Our building is so nice, we come over here. I think that’s helped us a little bit.”

Nebraska has fewer options on the road. The team often finds a high school with an available field to loosen up in the afternoon. Players, linemen included, toss footballs and catch passes to get their blood flowing.

Defensive lineman Cameron Lenhardt tries to expend as little energy as possible during the day outside of recovery and team activities. He likes night games at home but prefers to play as early as possible on the road.

Linebacker Stefon Thompson tries to “be peaceful.” At some point in the hours before the game, he steps outside and just feels the environment and the world around him. It helps him stay calm.

Thompson didn’t get to reap all of the advantages of a night home game in his first four years of college. He played in the JMA Wireless Dome during his first stop at Syracuse. He didn’t experience a home crowd as flood lights illuminated a stadium against the black canvas of a night sky. There was no chance to experience a light show like NU executes between the third and fourth quarters.

“That was different,” Thompson said of the light show. “That was pretty cool. I’m not gonna lie. The light show, the fourth quarter, the lights flickering, I think that was very awesome.”

Memorial Stadium was loud enough against Colorado that Rhule couldn’t hear through his headset when Nebraska was on defense. Defensive coordinator Tony White found plays on film that the Buffs’ offensive line was out of sync, which he attributed to the noise and atmosphere.

Nebraska played only one home night game in 2023, its Week 3 home opener against Northern Illinois. Now, the Huskers get to take advantage of the lights, the restless crowd noise and gravity within the stadium as they attempt to turn a corner back into national relevance. It forces opponents into an uncomfortable setting, and NU has a personnel eager to take advantage — even after a long day.

“There’s no doubt,” Rhule said. “I think for us, night games are the — I mean, it’s a weapon. It’s an absolute weapon.”