Steep Grades
- Sean Brennan
- Nov 20
- 12 min read
Let’s evaluate the season so far as the Huskers climb towards a 9-win season
It’s hard to believe – or not – but the 2025 Nebraska football season is down to two games. You know what they say: Time flies when you’re pulling your freaking hair out.
Evaluating Nebraska’s 2025 season thus far sees it fall squarely into a category where “two things can be true at the same time.” It’s hard argue that it wasn’t a season of missed opportunities as Big Red failed to capitalize on an extremely favorable schedule that saw – thanks to Penn State’s nosedive – its two toughest games played at home. They lost both.
Still, it’s tough out there, and finishing with wins over the improving (TBD) Nittany Lions and Iowa would put them at 9-3 – and 9-3 looks good on anyone. If nothing else, they’re going to a bowl game for the second-consecutive year, which is more than you could say seeing the clock run out early on another season under Scott Frost: Time flies when you’re watching bums.
So let’s take a look back. Where do you land now? Is it better, worse or about what you thought it’d be? Just like the “Two-thirds of the Season Report Card” I cranked out in September, this “Five-sixths of the Season Report Card” comes complete with a title that has absolutely no ring to it whatsoever.
We’ll have some final grades and a season-in-review in a couple weeks, plus the volleyball team gets their just due at the end. Hut-hut-hut!
It’s better: “I don’t care who they’re against – wins are wins, and Nebraska has seven of them, more than they’ve had since 2016, and there are still two games left. And they’re mostly beating the teams they are supposed to beat, something they haven’t done since then, either.” Hard to argue with that when you’re a program that before last year had made just one bowl game in eight years. But the shadow of the past looms large, sooooo…
It’s worse: “Nebraska football under Matt Rhule is a big bag of ‘meh.’ It’s all well and good that we’re beating the teams we should beat, but I want to win the big ones and be in the national conversation, and that only happens off the field when Matt is busy flirting with other coaching jobs or smooth-talking the pants off another media member like Pat McAfee. Puke. IT ain’t happening on his watch.” Unlike programs such as Iowa, happy grinding out nine wins per year but never a real contender, Nebraska fans will never be content NOT shooting for the stars.
It’s about what I expected: “It looks like we’re on the cusp of getting into the national conversation once every couple years. We’re certainly not an embarrassment. We’re going to another bowl game – possibly one of the big-ish ones in Florida? And anyway, we’re just here to party!” (ahhh … the glory days of mid-1980s, mustache-sporting Huskers fans getting down on Bourbon Street; I ask only that you watch the 12- to 16-second mark). This, of course, is the most reasonable of assessments. In the midst of a 29-game losing streak to ranked opponents, it appears that, under Matt Rhule Nebraska, will be perpetually stuck in the hell of mediocrity – seven- and eight-win seasons where we’re never really great, but Rhule isn’t bad enough to fire, either. The glory days are dead and gone forever but Nebraska football forever remains an obsession.
5/6 of the Season REPORT CARD
Offense (overall): C The ever-unfolding underdog story of Emmett Johnson (yes – he’s an underdog; Nebraska and a couple directional Michigan schools were his only FBS offers coming out of high school) is a fantastic one, as the late-blooming, kinda-sorta “H21SMAN” candidate ranks third amongst Power 4-conference schools in rushing yards per game, at 113.1. Nebraska, however, ranks 90th as a team, with 137.4 yards per game. Being ranked 90th as a team despite having the fourth-ranked individual is an absolutely absurd discrepancy. Although it’s worth noting that the 8 billion sacks Dylan Raiola suffered in his eight-and-a-half games cost NU 186 yards from scrimmage.
Speaking of that sucky offensive line play (sorry, there’s no other way to put it) that led to Dylan’s season-ending injury, the passing game is more difficult to dissect. There’s no doubt Dylan has an NFL arm, and when it looked good, it looked really good. But when your offensive line is made up of five turnstiles who – like those of a New York City subway during a chase scene in a 1980s movie – offer zero resistance to getting through free of charge, common sense dictates you need a guy back there who can move. Dylan had some moments of escapability, but more often than not, a lack of time and his not-so-nimble feet meant he had no chance. Nebraska’s offensive line has showed improvement over the last three games – particularly in the run game – but it’ll be a while before the stink of the games against Michigan (7 sacks allowed), Michigan State (5) and especially Minnesota (9) wears off.
Enter true freshman T.J. Lateef, who after a shaky two quarters in relief against USC rebounded to put on an efficient game in the win against UCLA and gave Nebraska fans a glimpse of what offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s offense might look like with a mobile quarterback. That brings us to this Saturday’s game at Penn State, which – because we’re all sick in the head – feels as much like a referendum on the future of the quarterback position at Nebraska as it does a chance for the Huskers to improve their chances of playing in a marquee bowl game. (The intrigue only thickened with the announcement that Dylan’s brother Dayton decommitted on Wednesday, which sparked an obvious question.) Anyway, judging from local sports talk radio, battle lines between Team T.J. and Team Dylan have been drawn and it’s brother against brother. There’s a game to win here, people! We’ll save all that for later – there’s more on T.J. and what he’ll be facing Saturday night in my preview of the game below.
As for the rest of the passing game, the receiving corps of Dane Key, Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney has been good – but not special (at least not enough of the time). They don’t get good separation consistently on quick fade routes and the lack of time for Dylan in the pocket minimized their ability to show what they can do on longer-developing plays. Are they good at it? I don’t really know. Nobody does. Tight end Luke Lindemeyer started the season hot but has cooled off over the last three games and went on the milk carton against UCLA. On the bright side, the receivers block with tenacity downfield and in a roundabout way Lindemeyer might be Nebraska’s best offensive lineman.
Speaking of, although they’ve gotten better, the shoddy offensive line play still casts a shadow on the season, particularly in the pass game, which was disjointed for most of the season. Total redemption is probably unattainable at this point but winning in the trenches against Penn State (not easy to do) and Iowa (easier, but not by much) would go a long way towards a positive outlook in 2026, and possibly save o-line coach Donovan Raiola’s job.
Grades by Position
Quarterback: B+ We’ll know so much more about Lateef by the time the sun sets on Black Friday.
Running back: B+ Emmett has been an A+, but if you’re looking for the definition of a one-man show, the 2025 Nebraska running game is it.
Wide receiver/tight end: B Exceptional at times but the group lacks consistency; they are, however, underappreciated as blockers.
Offensive line: D+ To their credit, it’s gotten better, but don’t let convince you that means it’s good.
Defense (overall): B I’m repeating myself here, I know, but if you think defensive coordinator John Butler is the problem, you’re an idiot. I’m also repeating myself when I say “football is a game won from the inside out” – those might even be my last words before I pass. But that’s beside the point. The point is that what Butler has managed to do is more impressive when you consider the weakness of his defense is in fact the “inside.” Thus, with the secondary being the strength of the defense, he’s made winning from the outside in a manageable thing. The defensive line is undersized and features a couple young guys (Keona Davis and Riley Van Poppel) who are going through “growing pains.” In other words, yeah they suck right now, but it could all pay off in 2026 and ’27.
Despite playing against this stacked deck, Butler’s defense ranks 15th in total defense (295.7 yards per game) and 25th in scoring defense (19.9 points per game).
Grades by Position:
Defensive line: C The effort is there, the size … just isn’t. But like the offensive line, they’ve improved as a group – albeit against the likes of Northwestern, USC and UCLA. It will be interesting to see how they play against the beastie boys from Penn State and Iowa.
Linebackers: C+ Too inconsistent and too many missed tackles. In their defense, opposing offensive lines too easily get to the second level.
Defensive backs: A- The strength of the defense and possibly the team. The two best quarterbacks they faced – Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby and USC’s Jayden Maiava – looked mediocre.
Special teams (overall): A It’s common knowledge at this point, but special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler has completely turned the special teams ship around. (That’s a mighty large understatement, actually.) Both kickers have been solid while returners Barney and Kenneth Williams have been dynamic at times. But the best news for Nebraska fans are the ZERO blocked punts or kicks on the stat sheet (knock on wood, however; Thanksgiving traditions in Nebraska include turkey, putting up Christmas decorations, and completely bleeping something up against Iowa on special teams).
Grades by Position
Kicker: B- Kyle Cunanan has been good, but he did miss kicks in Nebraska’s two most important games of the year against Michigan and USC.
Punter: B- The Australian-style punter who hails from Australia (makes sense!) regressed over the second half of the year. Hey, he’s 18 years old and he’s like 10,000 miles and five connecting flights from his hometown. You’d probably regress, too.
Return specialists: A- As a team, the Huskers are averaging 30.2 yards per kickoff return and 13.6 yards per punt return; that’s up – way, way up – from 18.6 and 4.9 in 2024.
Lion in Wait
Penn State is more talented than Nebraska in the trenches – the question is ‘do they care?’
I’m not sure what qualifies as a bigger lack of respect towards Nebraska heading into Saturday night’s game in Happy Valley: that the oddsmakers originally made Penn State 10.5-point favorites (it quickly dropped to nine by Tuesday) or that tickets are going for as low as $6 for their last game of the year? (By comparison, the cheapest ticket to Nebraska’s home game against Iowa on Black Friday is currently $90 – like I said, we’re sick in the head).
It’s tough to know what to expect from Penn State on Saturday. It’s obviously gone as bad as it could have gone for the Nittany Lions in 2025; they entered the season ranked No. 2, fired its coach after Week 6; proceeded to match with Matt Rhule on Tinder only to see it go nowhere (most Tinder matches never do); lost their first six games in Big Ten play; and had the upset of the year in hand against current No. 2 Indiana, only to have the Hoosiers’ Omar Cooper Jr. thwart the victory with the catch of the year.
All that being said – as evidenced in the near-upset against Indiana and their 28-10 win over Michigan State last week – Penn State is kinda-sorta-maybe finding whatever stride and pride they have left. It’ll also be Senior Day, a win puts them in range of bowl eligibility, and the strength of their team – a good offensive line (featuring two Top 50 NFL prospects) and two more surefire NFL Draft packs at running back – matches up well against Nebraska’s weakness. Butler’s defense will need to bend more than it breaks.
As I said earlier, the way Nebraska media and fans are talking, it’s hard to tell if Saturday is about Nebraska getting its eighth win or determining next year’s starting quarterback. Lateef, despite the apparent lack of enthusiasm from Penn State fans, will still find a different world from what he faced in Los Angeles. Maybe PSU’s 106,592-seat stadium won’t be sold out, but it won’t be more than half-filled with friendly fans clad in red either as it was in Pasadena (the temperature was 69 degrees there; Saturday in Happy Valley projects to be in the high 30s). Schematically, the Nittany Lions defense hasn’t been the problem; they rank just beneath the Huskers in total defense (22nd) and points allowed per game (36th) despite a much tougher schedule – theirs ranks as the 15th-most difficult through 10 games as compared to Huskers’ ranking of 64th. And it’s also worth mentioning that their defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is paid a hefty $3.1 million, by far the most in the country for any coordinator. The combination of coaching and much better players will pose a much bigger test for T.J.
Does he pass the test? I’m prepared for anything. Penn State may have defaulted into DGAF mode and/or T.J. continues to pair well with Dana, who seemed rejuvenated with a running quarterback to work with. Or, the Nittany Lions have found their aforementioned stride and pride, come out with their balls on fire, T.J. reverts to his USC form and the Huskers get sent back to Lincoln in a body bag. Most likely, it’s somewhere in the middle – an old-fashioned, f’ugly Big Ten donnybrook. I think the 10.5-point spread is outrageous, and disrespectful, but the Nittany Lions are too much in the trenches and the one-score bugaboo returns to bite Nebraska in the end. Penn State 20, Nebraska 17.
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Volley
‘This the season for Nebraska volleyball to make a run to the title
Well, the Nebraska volleyball team finally lost a set to UCLA last Friday after putting together a 48-set winning streak that stretched over 16 games. (Not to dimmish our ladies’ feat in any sort of way, but Penn State once put together winning streaks of 111 sets and 109 wins from 2007-09, which is truly mind-boggling.) So, I guess they suck now. Heavy dose of sarcasm emphasized. Analyzing dominating stats like 48 straight winnings sets from the Huskers (not to mention their 26-0 record), I can’t help but be reminded of the glory day of 1990s Nebraska football. You know, back when the Huskers would win games by only three touchdowns and everybody would ask “what the hell is their problem?”
Or better yet, the times in the 1990s when I’d watch maybe the first half of a televised game as Nebraska mounted something like a 35-0 halftime lead and then run off to do other things. IF I had a Delorean I would go back in time and chain my own ass to the couch and say, “you’re not going anywhere you little shithead; this is as good as it’s ever going to get!” Nebraska football was at its apex – figuratively and literally – the apparel at that moment in time was in fact a brand called Apex (don’t go looking for that jacket in an XL; I already bought it.)
But that’s neither here nor there. The focus, as it should be, is on volleyball. There have been many great teams in Nebraska volleyball history, but with the sport continually gaining in popularity, thus increasing the competition, they are at their apex, too. And I implore you not to take it for granted; judging from attendance, not many fans do – but I’m looking at those of you like me, the casual fan. This edition of NU volleyball superstars includes preseason All-Big Ten players Harper Murray, Andi Jackson, Bergen Reilly and Rebekah Allick. On the court, they will smash your face in and off it, cumulatively they account for 635,000 followers on Instagram. Superstars? Like it or not, Instagram numbers are how superstar status in judged in 2025, and I’d say that qualifies.
The team finishes up the season over the next two weekends, with three of their four matches nationally televised on Fox Sports 1 or the Big Ten Network. Should they win out, they’d finish undefeated* at 30-0, quite a feat considering they’re getting everybody’s best shot. But their eyes are undoubtedly focused on a bigger prize – the national championship. They lost in the finals in 2023 and were upset in the semis last year.
(*An undefeated Nebraska national championship volleyball team isn’t unprecedented – they finished 34-0 in 2006 led by legend Jordan Larson, who was a three-time All-American, a four-time Olympian and is
a founder of the Omaha LOVB team set to play in . It’s like they should put a statue of her outside the Devaney Center or something.)
I won’t pretend to know the specific particulars of volleyball, but I do know that Nebraska – perennially situated at the top of the food chain – gets everybody’s best shot. And ohhh buddy do I know how to enjoy the best part of the 2025 version of Huskers volleyball; that’s sitting back watching them absorb said best shot, win the first two sets, and then look on and giggle as the life slowly – or quickly – drains out of their opponent. It reminds me of another team I used to know, and having better things to do, and a DeLorean…
Don’t take it for granted. I know I’ll have my ass chained to the couch.
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