The Nebraska football team is busy trying to make sure it wins the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College. Should it win, it will finish the season with a winning record for the first time since 2016. That’s historical enough.
It would also mean that the Huskers will finish 2024 two games over .500 (87-85) since joining the Big Ten. A loss means they will be exactly .500 just in case you didn’t realize how bad NU has been since joining the conference in 2011. But there’s other history at stake, win or lose.
Two Nebraska football players have a chance to set freshman records for the program. Dylan Raiola could set the program record for freshman passing yards in a season. Jacory Barney needs four catches to set a freshman record for receptions in a season. Both are doable, one is almost certainly getting passed, barring total disaster.
Nebraska football set to see some records fall in Pinstripe Bowl
Raiola currently sits at 2,595 yards passing this season. The current freshman record for the Huskers is held by Adrian Martinez, who arguably actually had a better first year as a member of NU despite the team overall missing a bowl bid.
Martinez finished the 2018 season with 2,617 yards. This means that Raiola just needs 23 yards to take the record.
Meanwhile, according to Hail Varsity, Jacory Barney’s 52 catches means he needs 4 more to set a new freshman receiving record, according to Hail Varsity.
While that’s not as sure a thing as Raiola’s 23 passing yards, Barney has caught 4 or more passes in six of Nebraska football’s 12 games so far this year. With Isaiah Neyor sitting out it stands to reason, Barney will be targeted even more in the Pinstripe Bowl.