All season long, I’ve been tracking an “Arbitrary Stat of the Week” related to Nebraska football. Now that the season is over, I wanted to review how Nebraska finished in some of these categories and what might be relevant to 2025. This will be a two-part series recapping how relevant these metrics were with the first half of the season this week and the second half next week.
A balanced rushing distribution
After the first game, Nebraska football had 11 players with a rush. The Huskers finished the season with 17 players recording a carry for the second season. Only Louisiana Tech had more players with a carry in 2024 with 19. Dana Holgorsen was a versatile superstar in Tavon Austin at West Virginia. I expect Jacorey Barney to get used in creative ways in the running game in 2025, along with other wide receivers.
AP Drought Mercifully Ends
After Nebraska football’s big win against Colorado, Nebraska ended its second-longest drought in AP Poll history. Unfortunately, it lost its Top 25 matchup with Illinois and never returned to the Top 25. A 3-0 start might be enough to get the Huskers ranked again in 2025. However, it may need to get its 4th win against Michigan to guarantee a spot. Anything less than a Top 25 finish in 2025 will likely be disappointing.
Dyan Raiola's Historic Company
Dylan Raiola got off to a hot start this season, competing 70% of his passes with 8 yards per attempt. Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, and Will Howard were the only quarterbacks in 2024 to manage 70% and 8 YPA this season (minimum 100 attempts). Raiola completed just 67.2% of his passes and only averaged 6.9 YPA. This completion percentage is the third highest in school history, while the YPA is 46th. Raiola is young and has room to grow in the next two seasons. Youth movement sparks massive jump
Nebraska football stats stand out
This is perhaps the most critical, relevant article I wrote all season. By the weighted average of passes, rushes, and catches, Nebraska football was the youngest team in the country this season. Its leading receiver and passer were true freshmen, and the Huskers' two leading rushers were sophomores. The offense did have some significant struggles once it hit conference play. With Dana Holgorsen joining the safe, the offense should take a massive leap in 2025.
Nebraska football woes against unbeaten teams back in the spotlight this week
Entering the Rutgers game, Nebraska was just 1-9 against teams with at least 4 wins and 0 losses since joining the Big Ten. Nebraska improved to 2-9 that game, but losses to Indiana and Ohio State dropped the Huskers back to 2-11. Both Michigan and Michigan State will have a chance to be unbeaten when Nebraska plays them in 2025. These will be crucial tests for how good Nebraska can be in 2025.
These Nebraska football stats show how veteran defense is leading to wins
The Huskers had a veteran-laden defense in 2024. With many players graduating from the program, a young crop of players would need to step up in 2025. The Blackshirts finished as the 83rd youngest team in terms of the weighted average age of stop in 2024. Nebraska football has lost a lot of talent through the portal this offseason following Tony White's departure. The emergence of Vincent Shavers in the Pinstripe Bowl is a hopeful sign of what’s to come for a younger defense in 2025.
While Nebraska leaned on its defense in 2024, I expect this to flip and the offense to be a strength in 2025. Raiola’s numbers should improve after a promising freshman season. The Michigan game will be a crucial test for how good Nebraska football will be in year three of the Matt Rhule era.