Cornhusker Catchup - Mid-Season Review
By Peter Mann
The second third of the college season has, on the main, been a successful one for Matt Rhule’s Nebraska Cornhuskers; having started the season 3-1 (losing their fourth outing against Michigan Wolverines), they followed that up with another 3-1, to go into the final stretch 6-2, and Bowl eligible, for the second straight season.
Victory over the Maryland Terrapins, in week six, saw even more cause for celebration as the Cornhuskers were ranked #25 in the AP’s Top 25 official rankings, a feat achieved in October for the first time in a decade.
However, it’s those losses to the Michigan Wolverines (week four) and the Minnesota Golden Gophers (week seven) that have proved a little costly in the AP rankings; see off the USC Trojans and Penn State Nittany Lions, and Big Red will be looking good.
Those are two of the final four opponents the Huskers are set to face throughout November, with the UCLA Bruins and a season finale against the Iowa Hawkeyes the targets for what could, even should be, a 10-2 season.
Looking back, however, the second third of the college football season for the Cornhuskers has been, on the whole, an enjoyable one; defeat to the Minnesota Golden Gophers withstanding, the TD ratio for Big Red has continued with their season average of 4.1 per game (with the Gophers that drops to 3.6 per game).
Concerning the first two games of the middle third of the season, against Michigan State Spartans and Maryland Terrapins, the overall score was 72-58 in favour of Nebraska, 38-27 and 34-31 respectively, with quarterback Dylan Raiola playing a central part.
In the first of those games, at the Lincoln Memorial Stadium, in front of nearly 86,500 spectators, it would be star running back Emmett Johnson, who picked up three rushing scores, with wide receiver Nyziah Hunter adding a 59-yard reception from Raiola to put the icing on the cake.
Johnson’s trio of scores saw two from close-range, and a 23-yard rushing score sandwiched between, whilst wide receiver Carter Nelson blocked a punt return, and kicker Kyle Cunanan added a 27-yard FG and 5 PATs.
Nebraska stats vs. Michigan State; Dylan Raiola 16/24, 194yds, 1TD (pass); Emmett Johnson 83yds, 3TDs (rush); Nyziah Hunter 93yds, 1TD (rec); Kyle Cunanan 1/1FGs, 23lng, 5/5PATs
In reply, Spartans quarterbacks, Aidan Chiles registered 9/23, 85yds (pass), 66yds, 2TDs (rush); whilst Alessio Milivojevic 6/7, 71yds, 1TD (pass), 1yd, 1TD (rush).
Pre-Maryland, Cornhuskers quarterback, Dylan Raiola said of the upcoming test that: “We love it. Cincinnati, that game didn’t really count as a road game.
“We think it was a home game for us. We look forward to it. We love the challenge.
“We love going somewhere and putting our best foot forward and trying to win a football game.
“That just so happens to be on the road.
“Facing a great team, we’ve got to get ready and we’ve got to prepare as hard as we can to get ready for this team.”
A fifth win for the Huskers, away to the Terrapins, saw the AP #25 ranking posted, in a game that saw a manic second quarter, with the two sides sharing thirty-four points. The Huskers tasted a shutout in the third and shut out the Terrapins in the fourth for the win.
Hunter claimed two receiving TDs from Raiola, from a 64yd pass to open the scoring, and a 12yd score late in the second for a 24-17, half-time lead; in between those, there was a Cunanan 43yd FG, and a close-range connection from Raiola to tight end Luke Lindenmeyer Jr.
The Terrapins claimed the lead for themselves in the second half, adding two further TDs in the third quarter to the two they notched in the second; Nolan Ray and Leon Haughton in the first half, DeJuan Williams and Dontay Joyner in the second, whilst Sean O’Haire was productive with the boot, adding four extras to his 37yd FG.
With the Maryland hosts leading by seven points going into the final quarter, Cunanan’s boot put the Cornhuskers back within touching distance following a 27-yard field goal, before Raiola connected with wide receiver Dane Key for the winning score, from close range, with a little over a minute left on the game clock.
Nebraska stats vs. Maryland; Dylan Raiola 20/29, 260yds, 4TDs (pass); Nyziah Hunter 125yds, 2TDs (rec), Dane Key 43yds, 1TD (rec); Kyle Cunanan 2/2FGs, 43lng, 4/4PATs.
Replying for Maryland was quarterback Malik Washington 27/37, 249yds, 1TD (pass); Nolan Ray 68yds, 1TD (rush), DeJuan Williams 36yds, 1TD (rush); Leon Haughton Jnr 21yds, 1TD (rec); Sean O’Haire 1/1FGs, 27lng, 4/4PATs.
Afterwards, wide receiver Dane Key, one of several Cornhusker stars enjoying the link-up with Raiola, said of that: “It just comes from days like today – practice.
“We practice it during the week.
“We didn’t know it would come at such a big-time moment.
“Our training took over, and we just went out there and made a play—credit to the whole team.
“Emmett (Johnson) took us down there. The O-line took us.
“The O-line helped Emmett get down there. It was just a whole team activity right there.”
A blip came in the game with rivals, Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Cornhuskers slumping to a disappointing, 24-6 loss at the Huntington Bank Stadium, Minnesota, as kicker Kyle Cunanan scored the visitors’ only points, via a pair of field goals, 33yds (first quarter) and 30yds (second quarter). Hosting quarterback, Drake Lindsay, posting 16/20, 153yds, 1TD (pass), one yd, 1TD (rush).
Raiola and Johnson, though, were back to their best in the Cornhuskers’ last outing, Matt Rhule’s charges seeing off the visiting Northwestern Wildcats, 28-21, in front of 86,400 spectators.
A relatively quiet first half (7-6 Cornhuskers) saw Johnson open with a rushing score from close range for the hosts, whilst the visitors hit back with a pair of field goals from Jack Olsen, 40 yards (first quarter) and 25 yards (second quarter) respectively.
Nebraska tight end, Kenneth Williams, picked off a 95-yard kickoff return at the start of the second half, before Hunter added a 12-yard score from Raiola midway through the quarter, before the Wildcats pulled back to level at 21 apiece as the game headed towards its final ten minutes.
It had to be the Huskers running back, #21 Johnson, who’d notch the game-winning score though, again rushing home from close range, taking his tally to 10TDs (9 rushing, one receiving) in eight games in 2025, his best season to date.
Nebraska stats vs. Northwestern; Dylan Raiola 16/22, 141yds, 1TD (pass); Emmett Johnson 130yds, 2TDs (rush); Nyziah Hunter 70yds, 1TD (rec); Kyle Cunanan 4/4PATs.
In reply, for Northwestern, running back Caleb Komolafe posted 125yds, 2TDs (rush), and Jack Olsen 2/2FGs, 40lng.
Before the game with Northwestern, defensive back Ceyair Wright was named to the Second Team Midseason All-American by The Athletic. After the victory, he talked about the relationship which he has with Defensive Coordinator John Butler.
“Me and Coach Butler have a great relationship,” stated Wright.
“I feel like we have a lot of trust in each other, and I think that allows me to play with confidence and to play with freedom.
“I am really appreciative of him and for everything that he has taught me.
“I think that he has really allowed me to grow as a player in terms of my ability on the field as well as my mind on the field.
“I think he does an amazing job making sure that we are prepared every week, and all in all I think that me and him have a great relationship that is built on trust.”
Now, after a 6-2 start, and some twenty-nine TDs under their belt, Coach Rhule, quarterback Raiola and the sturdy Cornhuskers, head into the final third of the 2025 season knowing that they are Bowl eligible.
On welcoming their next opponent to Lincoln, Coach Rhule said in his recent press conference that: “I’m proud of the guys, proud of their resolve.
“I’m excited for this week. Obviously, an excellent USC team coming in here. A ranked team.
“We all know the atmosphere that it will be. Excited to get ready for the week.”
November will see the Cornhuskers host #23 ranked USC Trojans at Memorial Stadium (1 November), before back-to-back road trips to the Pasadena Rose Bowl to oppose the UCLA Bruins (8 November), and to Beaver Stadium, Pennsylvania, against the Penn State Nittany Lions (22 November).
The end of November will see the rivalry game, the Black Friday Heroes Game, when the neighbouring Iowa Hawkeyes make the short trip to Lincoln Memorial (28 November), some four and a half hours west, as the crow flies.
PETER MANN
NFL ANALYST
PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter