Blackshirts dominate as Nebraska routs Colorado in rivalry clash
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - Welcome back to the national spotlight, Huskers.
Nebraska (2-0) picked up its biggest victory of the Matt Rhule era Saturday night with a dominating 28-10 triumph over Deion Sanders and Colorado (1-1).
It’s the first time since 2016 that Nebraska has started a season 2-0.
The Husker defense looked like a vintage Blackshirts unit throughout the evening, holding the Buffaloes to just 260 total yards of offense — only 16 of which were rushing yards —while quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked 6 times and completed just 57 percent of his passing attempts.
On offense, it was a tale of two halves for the Huskers, as they scored all 28 of their points in the first half. Dante Dowdell led the charge on a Nebraska rushing attack that racked up 149 yards on the ground combined.
Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola didn’t break any records, but he was solid and efficient once again, completing 23-of-30 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.
IN-GAME UPDATES
PREGAME COVERAGE
Week 1 of the 2024 campaign was kind to Husker fans and their growing optimism, as they watched their team trounce UTEP 40-7 behind the arm of freshman QB Dylan Raiola, who completed 19-of-27 passes for 238 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
UTEP is a far cry from Coach Prime’s boys from Boulder, though. The Buffaloes boast a roster littered with NFL talent, including a do-it-all electric factory in wider-receiver-cornerback hybrid Travis Hunter, who played all but two snaps in Colorado’s season opener vs. North Dakota State.
That season opener did not have the same tune as Nebraska’s, as the Buffaloes struggled with FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, needing to come from behind to squeak out a 31-26 victory.
But even in the close call, Colorado’s stars shined brighter than they ever have. Hunter caught seven passes for 132 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns, including included a jaw-dropping grab in the end zone, while fellow projected first-round draft pick and coach’s son quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 445 yards and four scores.
Still, question marks about the strength of the Buffalo defense linger after giving up over 400 total yards to a North Dakota State team that, while no slouch, is not fielding nearly the talent of most other teams on Colorado’s schedule. On paper, Nebraska included.
GAME INFO
- WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 7
- WHERE: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
- WATCH: NBC or Peacock
- LISTEN: Huskers Radio Network
- VEGAS ODDS: Colorado +7.5, O/U 56.5
Memorial Stadium will undoubtedly be pandemonium when Deion Sanders leads his squad onto Tom Osborne Field, but one would be remiss to think the raucous atmosphere and bright lights of prime time only impact the visiting team.
“The goal this week is to play to our standard,” Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said in a press conference Thursday. “TV cameras and eyeballs watching shouldn’t effect that. It sure does, in human nature, but we don’t want it to.”
To hammer that message home, Rhule turned to the boxing ring, directing the attention of his team to a hometown hero and one of the greatest athletes in the state of Nebraska’s history: Omaha native Terence “Bud” Crawford.
“I showed them the Bud Crawford-Errol Spence fight this week,” Rhule said. “You just see the way Crawford goes out there to fight. He’s so stoic and stone-faced and methodical. He walks in, takes a punch, counterpunch, punch, counterpunch. There’s not a lot of emotion and rah-rah. Not a lot of flash. But that picture of what a great boxer, who’s obviously local, looks like — that to me is what a great football team looks like.”
Punches and counterpunches can be expected in a game that many expect to be track meet, with two quarterbacks who can sling it around the field. Sanders is a proven commodity and could be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft, but on Nebraska’s side, there’s still some mystery regarding the signal-caller.
Raiola definitely delivered in his debut. The box score may not have been Earth-shattering, but he made plays and throws that explained why he was the top-rated prospect in the 2024 high school class on a lot of experts’ boards. But he’s still a true freshman, and Saturday will be the biggest game of his life.
“It’s just preparation and trust in our team,” Raiola said during his media availability Monday. “Coach Rhule does a great job ramping up practice and making things uncomfortable in practice so when you get to the game, you’re just trying to have fun. Our guys did a great job preparing last week and the biggest challenge is to do it again. We just prepare like it’s a normal game.”
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