Quotebook from Dylan Raiola, Matt Rhule, Carter Nelson and one thought on 2016 vs 2024 hot starts

Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule and star quarterback Dylan Raiola have the Huskers marching along right now.

Year 2 of the Rhule Era and Year 1 of the Raiola Era have morphed into a wildly successful start as the Huskers are 3-0 for the first time since 2016. We very well may wind up looking back on the 2016 season as eerily similar to that of the 2024 campaign when it’s all said and done.

Eight years ago, during a season that proved to be the most successful of the Mike Riley tenure, the Huskers caught fire out of the gate and rolled to a 7-0 start. Then, a brutally tough road matchup against one of the Big Ten elites awaited (in Madison against then-No. 11 Wisconsin).

Now, during a season that has the potential to be the most successful since that Riley-led year, the Huskers have caught fire out of the gate, rolled to a 3-0 start and now the seven-game record that the most optimistic of Nebraska fans firmly believed would happen is now squarely on the table (7-0). After that – after whatever happens throughout the course of the next four games against Illinois (home), Purdue (road), Rutgers (home) and Indiana (road) – a brutally tough road matchup against one of the Big Ten elites will await (in Columbus against current-No. 3 Ohio State).

The possibilities that we all thought could be a possibility are now firmly in sight following three consecutive blowout wins over UTEP, Colorado and now Northern Iowa which have resulted in the Huskers outscoring that trio by 82 points (102-20).*

It has been a three-game start bearing tons of fun, tons of intrigue and tons of “what if” questions that have become, for the first time in a very long time around here, exciting and realistic “what if” questions – rather than the upsetting, frustration-fueled “what if” questions that have defined this program in years past.

Just some food for thought.

Now, let’s get to a Quotebook from the postgame podiums following Saturday night’s 34-3 TCOB game (Taking Care of Business) in a win over the Huskers’ opponent from the FCS level.

Below are just a few of the most interesting takeaways from Rhule, Raiola, a quartet of receivers and a pair of defensive stars.

*For whatever it’s worth (spoiler: it’s not worth anything other than just being a quick fun fact), the Huskers outscored their first three opponents of the 2016 season (Fresno State, Wyoming and then-No. 22 Oregon all at home) by 71 points (130-59).