With Nebraska football closing out the season in the Pinstripe Bowl, all of Husker Nation turns its gaze to 2025. We expect next season to be a breakout year for Matt Rhule, whose history shows his teams turn the corner in the third year of his tenure.
As we look ahead with anticipation, however, nothing is guaranteed for the Huskers. A few key developments could make all the difference in Nebraska football taking the next step. Here's my top 10 wish list for what Nebraska football needs to find success next season.
10. An offense that averages 30 points per game
Thirty points per game isn't an arbitrary number. This year, it would be good for a top 41-scoring offense--just about the top one-third in the country. Of the 41 teams that averaged 30+ points per game, only four did not have winning records (and two were 6-6).
What that means is that averaging 30 points per game almost guarantees you a winning season. More than that, with a solid defense that holds teams to around 20 points per game, that scoring differential could mean 9+ wins.
9. A refreshed approach to clock management by Matt Rhule
One of my critiques of Matt Rhule has been his clock management, especially in end-of-half and end-of-game situations. You probably know what exactly the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Calling timeouts too early in the game. Not calling them when the seconds are ticking away. A general lack of urgency with the ball during the two-minute drill.
Hopefully, by adding Dana Holgorsen--a former head coach--at OC and Phil Snow as associate head coach, Rhule will bolster his in-game management to take Nebraska to the next level.
8. A Nebraska football victory over Iowa at home on Black Friday
I couldn't not include this one. It's the only game-specific wish on my list. Why? Mostly because for the past several years Nebraska outplays Iowa for 55 minutes and then blows it in the final five. That has to change.
From where I sit, winning these kinds of games against Iowa is the final hurdle for a program learning to win. A killer mentality leads to closing games. Of course, I wish it would happen several times before Black Friday in 2025. But oh boy do I want it to happen against Iowa. Badly.
7. Nebraska football special teams that are truly special
How many times each week do you watch a college or NFL game and see a bad long snap, a missed kick, a shanked punt, bad coverage, or a block? In almost every one, right? Almost always, those plays are the difference between winning and losing. You can steal yards--and points--on special teams. And it's high time Nebraska starts doing it.
Nebraska has a new long snapper and punter, and by looks of it, a kicker we can trust in John Hohl, but can it put it all together in the return and coverage units? Ed Foley (assuming he's on staff next season) absolutely must have a banger of a unit in 2025.
6. An attacking, ball-hawking Husker defense
I don't care whether Nebraska runs a 3-3-5, a 2-4-5, or a 4-3. I really don't. What I do wish for is a defense that plays fast and free, tackles in space, and takes the ball away consistently. Getting takeaways (and preventing giveaways) typically equals wins.
While I loved what Nebraska's defense has done in the past two years, they failed to produce enough takeaways in key moments.
5. A true return to the Nebraska football "Pipeline"
He may not have been given much credit so far, but Donavon Raiola has slowly become one of the best and most dependable assistants on Rhule's staff. His offensive line had a decent (not great) season as a unit in spite of dealing with injuries to upperclassmen.
On the two-deep for Nebraska's bowl game, they had seven (7!) linemen who were either freshmen or sophomores. Nebraska may look for a tackle in the portal come spring, but this unit has built depth and gained invaluable experience this year. They will only get better.
4. A true go to receiver (especially on those 50-50 balls)
Every great team has a receiver the quarterback trusts and finds open in crunch time. Nebraska hasn't had a receiver like that probably since Stanley Morgan. Quarterback Dylan Raiola needs a guy like that in 2025.
One of the glaring problems for Nebraska's receiving corps this season was the lack of competitiveness on jump balls. Too many drops or simultaneous possessions that ended as interceptions. Perhaps the recent portal additions of Dane Key or Nyzaiah Hunter can make our wish come true.
3. Another Husker football 1,000-yard running back
Once dubbed "Running Back U," Nebraska hasn't had a 1,000-yard running back since Devine Ozigbo in 2018. Emmett Johnson is poised to hit that mark as the feature back in Dana Holgorsen's offense.
Johnson averaged almost 80 rushing yards per game in Nebraska's final three games.
If he averaged that out over a 12-game season, he'd be at 956 yards.
Oh, and by the way, from 2011-18, when Holgorsen was the head coach at West Virginia, he had four 1,000 yard rushers and never had a running back rush for less than 742 yards in a season. "Air Raid" doesn't mean pass only or mostly. Nebraska's offense will be attacking and balanced.
2. A healthy Dylan Raiola at quarterback for Nebraska football
Despite dealing with some injuries this season, Raiola was the first quarterback to start every game for the Huskers since Tanner Lee in 2017. Without another seasoned quarterback on the roster, it's imperative that Raiola stays healthy for Nebraska to become bowl-eligible for a second year in a row.
Of course, much of this depends on how well the offensive line plays (see wish #5). Still, it's football. An offensive line can play perfectly and freak injuries still happen. If you're into wishing upon shooting stars, send up a wish for #15 to stay on the field in 2025.
1. A top 25 finish for Nebraska football 2016
Nebraska hasn't ended a season ranked in both polls since 2012. (They were ranked #25 in the Coaches Poll to end the 2013 season.) As much as Husker fans want to be in the College Football Playoff picture, this program needs to relearn how to walk before it can run.
Ending the season ranked would be a massive step in the right direction for Rhule and the Huskers. It would likely mean 9-10 wins. Currently, every team in the final CFP Top 25 rankings has at least nine wins.
Wishing you a happy 2025, Nebraska football fans!
This past season will be remembered for a long time. Not because it was an overwhelming success, but simply because Nebraska football got over that proverbial hump: they made a bowl game after the longest drought in (modern) school history. It's what most of us wished for this year. We got just that. Let's celebrate it.
In 2025, we'll know if this year was the start of something new--and better--or if it was just a mirage.
Happy New Year, Nebraska football Nation. Here's to a 2025 we'll never forget.