The Nebraska football team spoke on Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas. Head coach Matt Rhule and quarterback Dylan Raiola were two of the Huskers representatives that answered questions. Each team’s head coach is allowed 15 minutes at the podium where reporters can ask questions and coaches provide updates on the team going into the season. Later, players answer questions from the media as well in a side area where coaches can also be interviewed. There’s a lot to break down from this year, but I’m going to talk about the key points that stood out to me.
I think the biggest takeaway I got from the interviews is the amount of confidence that Nebraska is going into this season with. After hearing from players and coaches, it seems that we are very confident and happy with where we stand going into fall camp. We have a lot of new additions that Rhule seems excited about. He spoke very highly of the team and the progress that we’ve made.
Another topic of discussion was the progress that Dylan has made this year. After having a year under his belt, it seems like he’s ready to lead the team and has grown in his role. Rhule had high praise for his star sophomore quarterback, and all that he’s done throughout the off-season. Raiola has lost some weight and I’m expecting that we will see more scrambling from him this season. Last year, he did not run very often, but I think with this weight loss he might a little more. I expect that he will make a big jump from year one to year two and appears that Rhule is very excited about it.
The final takeaway that I got from Rhule’s time at the podium was the improvements that we’re making to win those close games. In the 2024 season, we found ourselves in several close games, but on the losing end. However, Rhule is set on history, not repeating itself. In his past stops, year three has been the year that he’s turned things around, and he plans on doing this with us as well. He spent a good amount of time talking about this and the steps that we’ve taken to fix this in the off-season. We won’t really know until the season begins and we’re in this position, but the team seems confident that we will turn it around this year.
Overall, it was a very encouraging and promising media days for our Huskers. The vibes and expectations are very high, and I believe that the staff, along with players, will do everything possible to achieve the expectations. By no means do I think that we will be National Championship contenders, but I think that we will be a lot better than we were last season. I believe we’re taking steps in the right direction and will have a better record than last season. I also think that we will win more of those close games and should expect to see the team improve overall. Nebraska starts fall camp on Monday and will play their first game on August 28 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready for the season to begin.
GBR
