What Will it Take for Nebraska Football to Turn the Corner?

Four questions for the Huskers with two games to go.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola throws against the Southern California Trojans during the first half. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

After the disappointing loss to USC, here are four questions surrounding Nebraska football as the Huskers head into a crucial contest against Wisconsin this week. 

What Will it Take for Nebraska Football to Turn the Corner? Once again, it felt like the Huskers were just a couple plays short from getting a big win against a brand name program. Once again, it felt like the other team got all the lucky bounces. Once again, Nebraska lost a one-score game. When you step back and look at it, it’s almost unfathomable what has happened to Nebraska football over the last decade. Two different fans could watch the same game, or the same season, and come up with two wildly different conclusions. You could argue the Huskers seem ever so close to getting over the hump, taking off and starting to win these close games. You could also argue it feels like Nebraska football is further away than ever. The same issues have plagued the program over multiple coaching staffs and multiple rosters over multiple seasons. What will it take for the Huskers to turn a corner? When is it going to happen? Even if they make a bowl game, fans will spend another offseason wrestling with these questions. 

Did the Offense Get Any Better? The big news during the bye week was of course Dana Holgorsen taking over as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator. There’s only so much a guy can do in two weeks, so I wasn’t expecting the offense to turn into the 1983 Scoring Explosion. But I was interested to see if Holgorsen could make any changes or add any wrinkles to help the offense. The numbers from the USC game don’t jump off the page: 310 total yards (191 passing, 119 rushing) and 13 points. By the eye test, it felt a little smoother. Dylan Raiola was getting the ball out quicker, Nebraska popped some big runs, and it looked like there were some things we hadn’t seen before (hello Janiron Bonner). Consistency is still an issue, and at some point the Huskers are just going to need to be able to outscore an opponent and not rely so heavily on their defense. We’ll see if Holgorsen can help the offense continue to improve over the final two weeks of the season. 

What Changes Will Matt Rhule Make in the Offseason? Regardless of how the 2024 season ends up, it’s fair for fans to wonder just how much progress has been made this season. Special teams play has been downright bad, and arguably cost Nebraska at least one win. The offense, at least in conference play, isn’t much better than last season. After bringing in several impact players from the transfer portal and multiple new coaches in the offseason, I for one was hoping for more improvement than we’ve seen. Rhule has shown he’s willing to make changes, and I expect more of them in the offseason. Will Holgorsen be hired as the full time offensive coordinator? Will special teams coordinator Ed Foley be replaced? What other changes might Coach Rhule contemplate? 

Will the Huskers Make a Bowl Game? After starting 5-1, Nebraska finds themselves at 5-5 for the second consecutive season. The Big Red will end the year with Wisconsin at home, followed by a trip to Iowa City the day after Thanksgiving. The Huskers desperately need to win at least one of those two and make a bowl game. They need the 15 extra practices and the program needs the positive momentum. Fans will still have plenty to discuss in the offseason, and most will probably view 6-6 as a disappointment. But getting to a bowl game will drastically improve the vibes in Husker Nation, and would be a sign of tangible progress in year 2 under Matt Rhule. Can they do it? 

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