Husker Football’s 2024 First Step is UTEP

Nebraska needs a win Saturday to help reach its goals of a winning season and bowl eligibility.

Austin Peay coach Scotty Walden talks with his team during a 2022 game. UTEP hired Walden as its head coach after the 2023 season. / George Robinson / The Leaf-Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

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“A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

- Lao Tzu

Husker fans hoping and praying Nebraska goes bowling after this season need not look any further than Saturday's game vs the University of Texas El Paso.  It's just the first game, but make no mistake:  This is a must win for a Nebraska program that has suffered through seven consecutive losing seasons.  

The point spread is 27.5 for Nebraska, which means the oddsmakers think NU should cruise to a win.  Of course that's music to Husker fans.  Win the game by a large margin and Matt Rhule will have the luxury of playing a lot of second and third stringers.  That would be two big wins in just one game.

UTEP

So what do we know about the UTEP Miners?  They are a member of Conference USA  (CUSA) along with teams such as Liberty and Louisiana Tech.  Last year, the Miners struggled to a 3-9 record.

One thing to note:  The Huskers and Miners shared two common opponents in 2023:  Northwestern and Louisiana Tech.  Both were losses for UTEP and both were wins for the Huskers.

In 2023, UTEP scored 19.9 points per game but its defense allowed 28.5 ppg.  That explains the 3-9 record.

But help may be on the way for the Miners.

This will be Scotty Walden's first year as UTEP's head coach.  What new wrinkles will he have for this game?  They've had months to prepare for the Huskers.  Expect some surprises, especially early in Saturday's game.

For Nebraska, all eyes will be focused on the play of #15, Husker freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola.  He'll be making his Husker debut.  Raiola is only the second true Husker freshman to start the season at QB in Nebraska's post World War II era.  The first? Adrian Martinez vs. Colorado in 2018.  

Unfortunately, Colorado beat the Huskers 33-28 that year.  That means if Nebraska wins the game Saturday, Raiola will go into the Husker record books as the first (and only) true freshman QB to win a season opener in Husker football history.

Play Smart

The words of wisdom for the Huskers this fall are:  Play Smart.  Don't beat yourself.  Let the game come to you.  And for Husker fans, if Raiola throws a pick or fumbles, be patient.  He's a great player, but less than a year ago, he was playing high school football in Buford, Ga.

A Heisman Night

Ashley Spitsnogle, who might be the only officially licensed Husker Artist, is holding an event this Thursday night (Aug. 29) from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Main Street Studio and Art Gallery (2610 N. Main Street) in beautiful downtown Elkhorn, Nebraska.

Special guests are Nebraska's three Heisman winners:  Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers (1972),  Mike Rozier (1983) and Eric Crouch (2001).

Spitsnogle has an impressive list of Husker original oils, including Memorial Stadium, John Cook, Brook Berringer/Sam Foltz, Johnny Rodgers and Husker volleyball's record-breaking match at Memorial Stadium last August.

Don't miss this chance to meet these Husker legends and see some great artwork, too.

How 'Bout Them Huskers

In this week's podcast, Will and I preview the UTEP game and offer our takes on what to expect from Dylan Raiola and how the Huskers might fare this fall.  We also look at the latest probable Husker depth chart.

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