Interviews with Frenemies: Nebraska

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Well, I reached out to Nebraska’s SB Nation Site, Corn Nation, for information on the Huskers ahead of Saturday’s game. The staff there didn’t disappoint. In fact, the whole staff showed the hospitality that Nebraska folks have come to be known for in football. Nate, Todd, and Andy – three writers there – each answered my questions. So, read all about the Huskers here and then head over to Corn Nation to read their take on this weekend’s game.

1. Let’s get the Matt Rhule question out of the way first. When James Franklin was fired, many quickly connected Rhule to Happy Valley. What is your opinion on Rhule in Year 3 now and do you feel relieved that he’s signed the contract extension to stay in Lincoln?

Nate M: This is how I pictured it happening. First, James Franklin is fired. Second, Matt Rhule’s name initially starts headlining the lists for probable replacement at Penn State. Third, every single Nebraska fan was then hooked up to a blood pressure monitor. Fourth, 85% of those Nebraska fans checked themselves into a hospital for extremely elevated blood pressure.

The conversation around his record at Nebraska (he took over a terrible program) including his record against Top 25 opponents (he took over three terrible programs which are included in that record) is silly at best. What you have to look at is if his football team is getting better and I think that is obvious. Is he perfect? No, there are issues with things like in-game management and choosing Jeff Sims and talking about how great he was going to be in 2023 — among other things. And at this point I do not think Nebraska fans should expect somebody who is perfect.

But every single game around here is the Super Bowl and is the perfect barometer (in the fans eyes) of the state of the program. It’s exhausting. Oh, crap I forgot your question. Oh, what is my opinion on Rhule in Year 3? I am relieved that he signed the contract extension (and yes I understand that doesn’t mean he won’t leave) but the alternative is inconsistency. My only current reservation at this point is the lack of size on the defensive line. I know we are playing young guys there but if Nebraska can’t stop the run then we will never get over that hump.

Todd: I believe that Coach Rhule is doing a good job in Year 3. The team is where I figured it would be in terms of wins and losses. He has built an incredible program off the field that I believe will pay dividends on it. There is no question that the guy is all in for Nebraska. Relieved that he signed a new contract? No, but I am happy that he is staying at Nebraska. I wasn’t sweating it when his name was brought up for the Penn State job because I didn’t think he was going to leave. I’m not sure he was Penn State’s top pick.

Andy: I think we’re getting pretty much exactly what we signed up for – a 3-year path back to relevance. 5-7. 7-6 – 1st bowl game in 10 years. And now 7-3 with two games left. I can probably make a pretty good case we’re at 8-2 without the Dylan injury with a decent chance at 9-3, but injuries are what they are. More importantly, they are 4-2 in one-score games and have been nails in the 4th quarters of tight contests. Will they be able to call on that in the last two games if needed, because that’s where Dylan Raiola has been absolute nails. But building a culture which has done away with the doom mentality in tight games is undeniable.

2. Sticking with that theme, Rhule’s teams have been known to make a big leap in his third year. The Dylan Raiola injury figured prominently in keeping the Huskers from making a big jump, but what improvements have you seen and how has this team compared to your expectations?

Nate M: I believe every single position is in a better spot now than when he arrived. The offensive line has actually improved as the season has gone along, but they were so bad in the first third of the season that it shouldn’t be difficult to improve. Regarding my expectations, I posted my preseason game-by-game predictions and I am currently batting 1.000. No, that is not the first time I’ve written about that. And I know you didn’t ask but for the remaining two games of the season I have Nebraska losing to Penn State and beating Iowa which would be an 8-4 regular season. So I guess they are right in line with my expectations. Honestly, unless Nebraska can stop the run I do not think they will beat Iowa at this point.

The unit which has improved the most is special teams and in fact it has improved so much compared to the past decade, you have to wonder if the college football deep state has been working against Nebraska football’s special teams for the better part of a decade. It is hard to describe but the numbers are just crazy. Rhule said that we are either the only team or one of a very few teams in the Top 25 for punt returns and kick returns.

For comparison, in 2024 Nebraska ranked 109th in punt returns and 100th in kickoff returns. Apparently in 2025 Nebraska is 1st in kickoff returns and 7th punt return.. That’s from the hiring of Mike Ekeler from Tennessee. Ekeler is turning into a bit of a mythical figure around this state. He’s from here and he’s a psycho (in a good way).

Todd: While the team is where I thought they would be in terms of record, their level of play has been disappointing in many respects. With just a couple of exceptions, the offense has performed at a mediocre level. Defense has played well most of the time, though it has struggled against strong running teams. The biggest area of improvement is with the special teams. All of that said, there is a more positive mindset with this team. With the exception of the Minnesota game, they have played with a high level of competitive energy.

Andy: I probably jumped the gun a little here – see the 1st question where I’m pretty sure we’re at 8-2 without the Dylan injury. (This drives the Raiola haters nuts, I know, but I stick by it.) The offense is still disappointing to some, but it has made a huge leap from the past two seasons when it was around 80th or 90th in the country. Dylan has improved noticeably from his freshman campaign and was top 5 in the country in completion% when he went down and Emmett Johnson is among the nation’s leaders in rushing.

Defensively, the secondary is among the nation’s best, and the defense overall has actually improved nationally as well. Yes, run defense could be better, but many will have to admit they feared much worse after losing Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher from 2024. This weekend will let us know much about their improvement. And special teams, yikes. Mike Ekeler has completely flipped the mindset and performance of all groups. Also, no assistant coaches have been seriously injured after big plays and that might be the biggest miracle of all.

3. TJ Lateef will start at quarterback for Nebraska on Saturday night. How would you assess his play and how will Nebraska try to attack a Penn State defense that has finally started to play closer to preseason expectations?

Nate M: He surely looked better against UCLA than Dylan Raiola looked against just about any other Big Ten team. We will find out this week but I think most of the reason Lateef looked so good had more to do with the UCLA defense than with the Nebraska offense. There is something to say about the mobility of T.J. Lateef compared to Dylan Raiola. Yesterday, Rhule expressed extreme respect about the pass rushing ability of the Penn State defense which makes me think that T.J. Lateef might fumble the ball a few times. If Nebraska’s offensive line can protect him and limit the pressures then I think that says a lot about what Offensive Line coach Donovan Raiola (Dylan’s uncle) has done with his unit.

Todd: T.J. played well against the worst defensive team in the B1G, or one of the worst. Penn State will be a real test for him and the offense and I am excited to see how well he performs. Against UCLA he was not afraid to throw the ball down the field, which is something that Raiola struggled to do with any consistency. I would expect that with a couple more weeks of practice we will see more RPO as Nebraska is going to try and lean on the running game that has carried them the last few games. With Johnson and LaTeef both able to get chunks of yards with their feet, I think that is what they will try to do.

Andy: On T.J. Lateef, I’ve just preached patience before sounding off on his final grade. He was not the guy who was basically ineffective as the USC game slipped away. He also wasn’t suddenly the new QB1 after limited touches (21) against a UCLA defense fresh off of a 56-point battering by Indiana, where he threw only 2 passes out of 15 over 6 or 7 yards. The Penn State and Iowa defenses will be completely different beasts from what he faced against the two LA teams. Lateef is extremely talented, has a bright future and I look forward to seeing both how he is used and how he plays after moving up to a new level in competition – and a completely different environment from home and hometown with an invisible home crowd. He could honestly impress in these games with so-so to not-great performances statistically by just showing composure and discipline in the face of pressure like he hasn’t yet seen at this level.

4. Let’s flip sides. Our old friend John Butler will be back in town leading this Black Shirts crew. What are their strengths and how will they attack Penn State’s young starting quarterback?

Nate M: Their strengths as a defense is defending the pass. They’ve made some real good passing offenses look below average at best. However, I do not think that is going to matter much against Penn State. Looking at the game against Michigan State, Ethan Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 8 of 13 passes compared to 34 rushing attempts. That might end up being the key to the game. Can Nebraska stop Penn State’s rushing attack or at least get them to some third and longs? If that happens then John Butler has been pretty good and disguising some blitzes because unfortunately the Nebraska front four does not get a lot of pressure on the quarterback by themselves.

Todd: The strength is the defensive backfield and pass coverage. As the season has gone on, a number of younger guys have started to emerge up front and at linebacker, and have been successful putting pressure on the passer. That said, until proven differently, the team hasn’t been able to consistently stop the run.

Andy: I’m not sure they have to do anything special against Grunkmeyer other than keep the game close enough and at least contain the running game to the point they can’t rush it 50 times as they did against the Spartans. This would likely force him to throw it more than 13 times which would be advantage Cornhuskers. They have managed 3 sacks in each of the past two games and if they can get to Grunk, he does not show much in the way of escapability. But the key will be stopping the run, and in doing so cutting back on the chunk drives they tend to give up to the tune about four times per game. The farther Penn State goes over that 160 YPG rushing average, the lower Huskers chances for sneaking out with a win.

5. It seems like these two teams should play more – especially with some interesting history between the two programs (early 80s series, the 1994 1 vs. 2 controversy, the Huskers joining the conference). What are your predictions as Nebraska comes to Beaver Stadium for the first time since 2018?

Nate M: Like I said above, I predicted before the season that Nebraska would lose this game. I think they might keep it to a one score game. So I’ll go with Penn State 27 – Nebraska 21.

Todd: I think it will be a tough game for Nebraska to win. On the road at night against Penn State is a challenge regardless of how good the Lions are playing. I’m just glad this is a football game and not a wrestling dual because we at least have a chance! I’m going to say 13-10 Nebraska.

Andy: I don’t like it, but Penn State simply seems built for Nebraska. A solid offensive line to protect a slow, young QB. Asking a team who managed only 28 points against UCLA to do that or better against a defense who almost slowed the Indiana juggernaut (ask me if I ever thought I’d say that 2 years ago) enough to pull an upset. I’m not confident about a true freshman QB coming into that environment and making big plays. Does that mean he can’t do it? Of course not. But with no game evidence on which to base it, I lean toward a QB in that situation probably coming up on the downside, until I see him show differently.Same with the run games. Both have terrific running backs. But Penn State gives up about 12 yards less per game and Nebraska gives up both chunk runs and chunk drives. I’m looking at a “not quite” result for the Huskers in the 20-18 Penn State range.

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