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The Turning Point: Nebraska Football vs. UTEP

A safety in the second quarter turned what could have had Husker fans nervous into a dominant Nebraska football win.

Matt McMaster

Aug 31, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; UTEP Miners running back Jevon Jackson (4) is tackled for a safety by the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium.
Aug 31, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; UTEP Miners running back Jevon Jackson (4) is tackled for a safety by the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
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The average number of plays in a given college football game is 180. Each snap brings an opportunity, but each one is not held equal. One snap every game creates one play made by one or a slew of players, affecting the rest of the contest. This play is the turning point. The turning point makes or breaks a team's game and sometimes its season.

Nebraska’s first turning point of the season might end up being the earliest one of this season. 

The Big Red, in a tied 7-7 game, were marching down the field. They imposed their will on the Miner defensive line, NU ground, and pounded it all the way to the UTEP 15-yard line. The Huskers then put the ball into the belly of Oregon transfer Dante Dowdell, who forced his way to the three-yard line, where he coughed up the football into the hands of the Miners. 

In an instant, the air was sucked out of Memorial Stadium. The fumbling problems that plagued the Big Red in 2023 reared their ugly head. The fear of losing a pay-to-play game and being the college football week one donkey crept into the heads of the Husker faithful. 

On their own three, UTEP had a golden opportunity to march down the field, take the lead, and grab every bit of momentum imaginable. The dominant Blackshirt defense erased that opportunity. On the second snap of the drive, Ty Robinson ripped through the Miner offensive line and caused quarterback Skyler Lockyear to collide with running back Jevon Jackson behind the goal line. His bash brother Nash Hutmacher came up to clean up the mess, making it a 9-7 Big Red lead. 

Memorial collectively breathed a sigh of relief, and then Nebraska took over the game. NU scored 33 unanswered points, racked up two interceptions, and allowed 136 yards of total offense. After having some struggles after a dominant first drive, Dylan Raiola found his stride, throwing for 160 yards and two touchdowns with only three incompletions. 

The potential nightmare swiftly turned into relief and then into dominance, eventually leading to euphoria in week one of the 2024 season. The Huskers got off to their dream start of the season, but the talent gap they enjoyed this week will not exist next week as they welcome the loaded offense of the Colorado Buffaloes to Memorial Stadium on Sep. 7. 

MORE: Nebraska Cornhuskers Open Football Season with Blowout Win over UTEP

MORE: Nebraska Football Leads UTEP 30-7 at Halftime

MORE: Nebraska Football's Dylan Raiola Era Begins with Methodical Touchdown Drive against UTEP

MORE: HuskerMax Predictions: Nebraska Football vs. UTEP

MORE: Watch: Husker Football Releases Hype Video Ahead of Season Opener

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Matt McMaster
MATT MCMASTER

Matt McMaster grew up as a die-hard Cubs, Blackhawks, Bears, and Bulls fan in Skokie, Illinois. Matt's passion for sports led him to a career in broadcasting, where he began announcing high school sports when he was 16. Matt continued to pursue broadcasting by earning an undergraduate degree in broadcasting and sports media at the University of Nebraska. During Matt's final two years of school, he covered the Cornhusker football with Husker Max and hosted his weekend radio show, "The Husker Hour." Matt has now graduated from UNL and is excited to continue to create content with Huskermax!

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