Topline Takeaways: Nebraska Puts a Beatdown on UTEP Like it's 1999

The Huskers take care of business against UTEP in as promising a season opener as we've seen in a long time.

UTEP Miners defense face the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, Saturday, August 31, 2024. The Cornhuskers defeated the Miners 40-7 in the first game of the season for both teams. / Ivan Pierre Aguirre / USA TODAY NETWORK

Boy, that was nice, wasn't it? For the first time in five years, the Nebraska football team played a season opener at home against something other than a Big Ten team. That's pretty remarkable when you think about it (and further evidence that the College Football Industrial Complex is out to get Nebraska...but that's for another day). 

Common Fans of a certain age were surely thinking, this is how it’s supposed to be. Nebraska took control with a touchdown on the opening drive, quickly recovered after a UTEP touchdown and red zone turnover, and never looked back. The 2nd team was in by the 3rd quarter; almost all of the reserves got in by the end of the game. Those of us who grew up in a certain era remember when this would happen with regularity – even in conference games. Hopefully it’s something we see early and often this year. 

Now, on with the Topline Takeaways. 

CHEERS TO THAT

Dylan, Dylan, Dylan. The man every Husker fan has been waiting to see didn’t disappoint. Dylan Raiola completed 19 passes on 27 attempts (that’s a 70% completion percentage for those keeping score at home), to go along with two touchdowns and no interceptions. We’ve heard all offseason about his maturity, his football smarts, and his talent. All of those things were on display Saturday. He threw multiple deep balls that were on the money; he found open receivers in the middle of the field and actually got them the ball; he moved well in the pocket, and looks like a natural in just about everything he does. Perhaps most importantly, he looked completely comfortable and in control running the offense. Coach Rhule specifically called out Raiola audibling at the line of scrimmage, leading to a 42-yard Emmett Johnson run. 

There will be much stiffer competition in the near future, but let’s just take a moment here Common Fans: we’ve got ourselves a dude. Dylan Raiola has all the tools, and he’s only going to get better. 

Having Faith That the Offense Will Come Through. Two things happened in the 1st half that Husker fans have not seen, at least consistently, for a long time. On the opening drive, after consecutive penalties put Nebraska at 2nd and 30, Husker fans could have been forgiven for getting that sinking feeling in their guts. Here we go again, killing ourselves. Not to worry. Raiola found Jahmal Banks for 19 yards, and then on 3rd and 11, did his best Patrick Mahomes imitation with a sidearm sling to Isaiah Neyor for 16 yards and a 1st down. The Huskers would go on to score. 

Then, the Nebraska defense came through with an interception with just over two minutes to go before halftime. After getting sacked on the first play of the drive, Raiola went 4-for-6 on the way to a perfectly executed 2-minute drill that ended with a touchdown pass to Jahmal Banks with seconds left on the clock. The throw was incredibly impressive and the catch was a thing of beauty. 

It feels like it’s been a long time since we could believe it’s even possible that we’ll convert on 2nd or 3rd and long, and the inability to execute a 2-minute drill has killed the Huskers in recent years. It was extremely encouraging to see both of those things happen on Saturday. Let’s hope there’s much more to come. 

The Husker defense held UTEP to seven points despite substituting heavily during the second half. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

That Defense Though. The Blackshirts look as good as advertised, giving up 205 yards total (149 through the air and 56 on the ground). After UTEP scored on its second possession of the game – a three-play drive that culminated in a 38-yard touchdown pass – the Husker D buttoned it up the rest of the way. The Miners’ possessions after their lone touchdown went like this for the rest of the game: punt, safety, punt, interception, punt, punt, interception, end of game. That’ll do.

Another thing I love is that defensive coordinator Tony White is not shy about rotating players and he’s not afraid to put young guys on the field. That paid dividends last year when Princewill Umanmielen and Cam Lenhardt played meaningful snaps as true freshmen and wound up as freshmen All Americans. On Saturday we saw freshmen Vincent Shavers Jr., Mason Goldman, Rahmir Stewart, Willis McGahee IV, and a whole host of other young guys get on the field. Twenty-nine total defenders recorded tackles for Nebraska. Sure, some of that was because the blowout allowed a bunch of backups to play. But I’m excited to see who emerges from this crop of youngsters. 

Dynamic Pass Catchers All Over the Field. Isaiah Neyor and Jahmal Banks were the two names Husker fans heard about all offseason. Both transfers (Neyor from Texas, Banks from Wake Forest), it was hoped these two could provide the type of dynamic playmakers the offense was missing a season ago. They both looked outstanding on Saturday. Neyor went for six catches for 121 yards and a touchdown; Banks had four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Janiron Bonner (three catches for 26 yards) looks like he’s going to play an important role, and it was awesome to see true freshman Carter Nelson (three catches for 21 yards) get on the field in his first college game. You have to imagine tight end Thomas Fidone will get more involved in the weeks to come; he’s too talented not to.  

QUESTIONS HEADING INTO WEEK 2

Two-Headed Monster Emerging at RB? It’s not totally clear what to take from the running back rotation from game one. Emmett Johnson, Dante Dowdell, and Rahmir Johnson each went for at least 50 yards. Gabe Ervin had just six carries for 24 yards, but he also scored two touchdowns. Could his role be expanded to see more than goal line work? 

It was great to see Rahmir Johnson – who has been with the program since 2019 – have some success. But I’m wondering if perhaps the top two guys started to separate themselves. I’m a big fan of Emmett Johnson; I’ve previously suggested he could be one of the best backs in the Big Ten this year. Johnson looked good, carrying the ball eight times for 71 yards, highlighted by a 42 yard carry that almost resulted in a touchdown. Dante Dowdell may have looked even better. He’s a Big Ten bulldozer, and on Saturday he looked like he had the speed to go with his brute force. After a promising start to the game (eight carries for 55 yards and a touchdown), his 2nd quarter fumble landed him on the bench for pretty much the rest of the game. It’s good to see the coaching staff taking the turnover issue seriously, but you have to assume Dowdell will be back to a similar workload for the Colorado game. Will it be Dowdell and Emmett Johnson who take off as the main guys at running back, or will we continue to see the committee approach?

The Other Wide Receivers. Where were Jaylen Lloyd and Malachi Coleman? The two promising speedsters not only flashed last season, but made substantive contributions to Nebraska’s offense. Lloyd was listed as second on the depth chart at one of the WR spots after Jahmal Banks, and Coleman was listed third at the same position, right after Lloyd. You figured their playing time and opportunities to touch the ball would be impacted by the two high profile transfers, but I didn’t think they would both end up on a milk carton. I’m pulling hard for these guys; both native Nebraskans (Lloyd from Omaha, Coleman from Lincoln), they’re extremely talented and both have serious speed. They have bright futures as Huskers, but with Neyor and Banks likely to play such a prominent role in the offense, how will these two factor in this year? 

Nebraska's Tristan Alvano kicks a 20-yard field goal in the fourth quarter against UTEP. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Kicking Game. Tristan Alvano was five for five on extra points, and made the only field goal he attempted (from 20 yards out). Alvano was inconsistent as a true freshman in 2023, and more recently battled injuries in fall camp. Saturday was a good start, but we just don’t have enough information yet to see if he’s ready to take the role and run with it. If the Huskers are going to turn the corner this year, it will involve winning some close games. We can’t afford to be missing field goals at the rate we did last year. Is Alvano ready to take the next step this year? Transfer John Hohl got some buzz in the preseason; where will he factor in? 

FINAL THOUGHT

That was as good a season opener as we could have hoped for. The Huskers were dominant in a way that reminded Common Fans of the old days. Dylan Raiola is clearly the real deal, and the defense has the look of a top 15 (at least) unit once again. The offense has enough playmakers to score a lot of points this year. There will be much greater tests; a big one comes to Lincoln this week in the form of Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes. But for now, let’s enjoy this one. I haven’t felt this good about the trajectory of the Nebraska football program in a long, long time. 

As always, GBR for LIFE. 

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