The storylines and moments that have defined Nebraska’s first six games

There were grueling mat drills in the winter, long days of spring practice and many hours spent in the gym over the summer — all with the goal of turning a five-win Nebraska team into more.

“I asked (strength coach) Corey (Campbell), I said, ‘Just give me a tough team, that’s all I care about it,” head coach Matt Rhule said in July of Nebraska’s offseason work.

At the midway point of its 2024 season, Nebraska already has as many wins (five) as it achieved last year. It’s a win total that the Huskers haven’t exceeded since 2016, a streak that fans are eagerly waiting to snap.

“As Tommi Hill said at our senior retreat, ‘It’s time to win; there is no sympathy,’” Rhule said prior to the season.

Nebraska will have ample opportunities to earn a sixth win, reach a bowl game and build from there over the second half of its schedule. As the Huskers prepare for their final six-game stretch, here are the standout moments from the first half of the season, and predictions for what will come next.

Dylan Raiola: Nebraska’s starting quarterback was a story on his own, from his Patrick Mahomes-esque entrance into NU’s fall camp to the level of play he’s delivered in the six games since. True freshmen quarterbacks rarely have the type of season Raiola is putting together thus far, having completed 67% of his passes while throwing for 1,358 yards and nine touchdowns.

The freshmen: Raiola wasn’t the only freshman to quickly become one of Nebraska’s most trusted players at their position. Wide receivers Jacory Barney Jr. and Carter Nelson have both scored touchdowns, Vincent Shavers has stood out at linebacker and Keona Davis and Mario Buford have played key snaps too.

Redshirts: On a roster filled with talented young players, there’s never enough playing time to go around. Even players who’d helped the Huskers in a big way last season weren’t guaranteed playing time this time around, making for some tough redshirt decisions. Sophomore wide receiver Malachi Coleman and defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel are among the Huskers who’ve gone down that path.

Special teams: A unit that had its struggles in 2023 has faced even more challenging situations this time around. Nebraska hasn’t been able to snap the ball consistently and starting kicker Tristan Alvano has missed multiple games due to injury, leaving punter Brian Buschini as the only consistent standout in the room.

Turnovers: An area of the game that single-handedly caused Nebraska to lose games has turned into a strength of the team. Rhule said prior to the season he wanted the Huskers to force 20 turnovers — and they’re right on that pace with 10 halfway through the season. NU has taken care of the football in a big way, too, only having turned it over four times.

Injuries: Every team has them, but some get struck by the injury bug worse than others. Nebraska has been affected on the offensive line where Teddy Prochazka is out for the season and Turner Corcoran’s return could remain several weeks away. Linebacker Javin Wright missed four games, defensive back Tommi Hill is battling a foot injury and Blye Hill hasn’t seen the field yet this season — but with the exception of Prochazka, Nebraska has avoided the season-ending injuries which hit the hardest.

Raiola leads Nebraska past UTEP: The five-star freshman announced his arrival with a big Nebraska win. Raiola’s arm talent was evident from the game’s opening possession, but it was his first career touchdown throw — a 59-yard catch-and-run to Isaiah Neyor — which truly showed what the quarterback was capable of.

Fans storm the field: The energy inside Memorial Stadium during Nebraska’s win over Colorado was truly something to behold. The overriding memory from the night will be what happened afterwards as a swath of Husker fans celebrated the rivalry win at midfield.

Haarberg’s three-play span: On three consecutive plays during Nebraska’s win over Northern Iowa, junior Heinrich Haarberg lined up at running back, wide receiver and quarterback. In the modern era of college football, such an effort is a rarity.

Sellout No. 400: Nebraska’s celebration of its 400th consecutive sellout included video tributes, a card stunt and drone show on an evening where the program’s history was celebrated. Even in a loss, that was a memorable one.

Illinois overtime debacle: The poorest moment of Nebraska’s season to date, the Huskers were completely outplayed in the overtime period during a loss to Illinois. A disastrous offensive series in which NU faced a third-and-42 stands out as a notable learning moment.

Rhule’s pregame drill: Seeking a bounce-back effort on the road at Purdue, Rhule gathered the entire traveling roster for a pregame drill in which he pulled players into a physical one-on-one rep with their teammates watching. Rhule repeated the drill against Rutgers, with Nebraska having won both games where Rhule ran the drill.

Rutgers goal-line stand: Over a strong six-game start to its season, the defining moment for the Nebraska defense was a goal-line stand where six Rutgers plays fell short of the end zone.

What happens on special teams?

In an area of the game which has cost Nebraska field position and points across multiple weeks, improvements are needed on special teams. If Alvano remains sidelined, does John Hohl get a fair chance to prove he can be a dependable field goal kicker? He’ll need the Huskers to figure out their long snapping issues, at least. And can NU protect Buschini and prevent teams from blocking any more punts?

Does the ground game improve?

Without a 100-yard rusher through its first six games, Nebraska’s rushing attack has been by committee. That approach has worked at times, but will it hold up against some of the physical Big Ten defenses left on its schedule? The way Nebraska rotates playing time, and the way it uses its most physical runner in Dante Dowdell will be worth watching.

Can the Blackshirts keep it up?

It’s another standout season for the Nebraska defense, but the presence of high-powered offenses like Indiana, USC and Ohio State poses a challenging six-game slate. Nebraska has improved plenty on offense, but it’s the Husker defense that should again keep the team competitive down the stretch.

Off to a 6-0 start, the Hoosiers are a more formidable opponent than many would’ve anticipated at the start of the season. With a top five scoring offense nationally, Indiana has been a hard team to slow down thus far. Nebraska will be in the spotlight too as Big Noon Saturday broadcasts next week’s game.

Forecast: Toss-up. Indiana may be favored ahead of the game, but the Nebraska defense has the capability to stamp its mark all over the game.

The Big Ten’s best program is again rolling this season as one of the country’s top national title contenders. Whether on offense, defense or special teams, the Buckeyes are yet to show any weaknesses.

Forecast: Ohio State wins. The Buckeyes are the better team, and only once in the team’s last seven matchups (2018) have the Huskers kept it to a one-score margin.

Having lost its last four games, UCLA is much nearer to the bottom of the Big Ten than it is the top.

Forecast: Nebraska wins. Anything can happen, but the Bruins will be likely be an underdog in the rest of their conference matchups.

USC is a good team, but a challenging first half of its schedule has led to multiple losses. Plenty of Husker fans should also be on hand for the program’s first Big Ten road game at a California school.

Forecast: Leaning USC’s way. The next few weeks will dictate the Trojans’ season trajectory, and if the wins start coming, it’ll be difficult for Nebraska to stand in the way.

Second-year head coach Luke Fickell, hired in the same coaching cycle as Rhule, has struggled to improve the Wisconsin program. Losing quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a season-ending ACL injury didn’t help either.

Forecast: Nebraska wins. Wisconsin has been a trouble spot for Nebraska, having won its last 10 matchups against the Huskers — but its advantage in the trenches is waning as its offense struggles.

The typical Kirk Ferentz formula — running the ball, playing good defense and capitalizing on special teams — continues to keep the Hawkeyes competitive.

Forecast: Leaning Nebraska’s way. Nebraska-Iowa matchups are rarely lopsided, and there could be plenty on the line when the rivals meet on Black Friday.