Nebraska’s 5-2 start has put the Huskers in a familiar spot: good enough to get people talking, not quite far enough along to settle the big question. Brett Ciancia of Pick Six Previews joined Adam Carriker on the Carriker Chronicles to sort through what Nebraska has shown so far under Matt Rhule and what still needs to click over the final five games.
The offense has flashed real upside, and quarterback Anthony Colandrea is a big reason why. His ability to create with both his arm and his legs has given Nebraska a dimension it didn’t always have. Jamal Rule had also provided solid production before getting banged up, but the backfield now looks thinner as the season moves deeper into October and beyond.
That part of the conversation tied directly into Nebraska’s biggest offensive issue: not enough big plays, especially after halftime. Carriker and Ciancia spent time on the Huskers’ second-half struggles, where drives have stalled and opportunities have slipped away.
The issue isn’t just one thing, either. Play-calling, execution, and missed chances all came up as pieces of the puzzle.
Even with those concerns, Nebraska’s defense has given the team a real foundation. Under Rob Aurich, the Huskers have put together strong outings and landed near the top 25 in multiple defensive categories. Their third-down work has been especially notable, while the secondary has brought a physical edge and the safeties have delivered some heavy hits.
Ciancia and Carriker also revisited the Indiana and Oregon games, and both fit the same theme: Nebraska can hang with quality opponents. Ciancia said the Huskers outplayed Indiana for stretches, but the Hoosiers hit the explosive plays that swung the game.
Against Oregon, Nebraska’s defense did enough to keep things competitive. The point was simple - the Huskers can compete, but that hasn’t always translated into wins.
The final five games offer chances to change that. Rutgers and Washington stand out as opportunities Nebraska should like. Ohio State and Iowa are a different level of challenge, and quarterback play figures to matter a lot in those matchups.
Iowa, of course, brought its own conversation. The Hawkeyes have won ten of the last eleven meetings, and Nebraska fans know how that has felt: the Huskers often look better for long stretches, then Iowa finds a way late. Ciancia thinks this year’s Iowa team is more vulnerable, and he picked Nebraska to win by seven points.
The discussion also touched on strength of schedule, special teams, roster spending, and the value of developing players instead of simply paying up in the transfer portal. Texas A&M came up as an example of how spending heavily does not automatically solve everything.
With five games left, Nebraska has a real chance to show the progress is more than just a fast start. The defense is holding up, the talent is there, and Colandrea gives the offense a playmaker who can change a snap on his own. What still hangs over this team is the same old test: can it finally finish games and turn close losses into something better?
In Other News...
Nebraska Fans Are Running Out Of Patience With Matt Rhule
Nebraskas frustration with Matt Rhule has been building for a while, and the latest comparison only adds to it. While the Cornhuskers keep searching for a breakthrough win, Scott Frost is already in his second season at UCF with more victories over ranked teams than Rhule has managed across four years in Lincoln, and Luke Fickell, hired the same year as Rhule, has also stacked up multiple ranked wins with Cincinnati.
The pressure only grows after a close loss to Indiana, a game that again left Nebraska without the kind of signature result fans have been waiting for this season. The Cornhuskers have stayed competitive, but until they finally get over the hump against a ranked opponent, the patience around Rhule is likely to keep wearing thin. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Bye Week Put Even More Heat On Matt Rhule
Nebraskas bye week did not bring much relief to Matt Rhule, because the longer the Cornhuskers sat without a game, the more their own situation seemed to stand out against the rest of the Big Ten. The conferences quarterback picture has been messy, with injuries and benchings creating constant turnover, while Nebraska has been forced to live with the pressure that comes from waiting, watching and measuring itself against every other storyline around the league.
Anthony Colandreas durability has been one of the few steady notes in that chaos, and it only sharpened the contrast as other programs kept dealing with instability at the most important position. Add in Scott Frosts recent win over a Top 25 team, and the broader backdrop becomes even less forgiving for Rhule, whose program could have used the bye week as a reset but instead saw the conversation drift further toward what Nebraska still needs to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Blackshirts Are Taking Heat For A Much Bigger Nebraska Problem
Nebraskas defense has been easy to point at after the last two losses, especially with the Blackshirts under scrutiny for the way late-game drives slipped away against Indiana and Oregon. But the bigger picture is a little messier than a simple defensive breakdown. The unit has put together strong stretches, held up well statistically and gotten important efforts from key players, even while the games still ended with frustration attached.
The criticism sharpened when Oregon drove for the winner, with Dylan Raiola facing little pressure on the final march, but the problem in those losses did not stop there. Nebraskas offense struggled to do enough, and special teams errors added more weight to the margin for error, leaving the defense to absorb more blame than it probably deserves. If the Cornhuskers are going to turn these narrow losses into something better, the fix will have to be broader than just the Blackshirts. [Read more 🡒]