If history really does repeat itself, then Nebraska fans might wanna buckle up. Year three has always been the Rhule Show’s breakout season—ask Temple, ask Baylor. But in Lincoln? It’s been a slow burn. A little sizzle here, a seasoning there, but never the full flame. Now, with Dylan Raiola turning heads, a roster stacked with portal studs, and an opener under the lights at Arrowhead, feels like football gods are turning the script. Still, Matt Rhule isn’t letting his squad read too far ahead.
On August 16th presser, Rhule laid it out straight: Cincinnati is no walk in the park. Sure, the Bearcats don’t carry the same headline weight as Michigan or Penn State, but underestimate them, and you’ll be on the wrong end of a highlight reel. “We were watching Cincinnati in the spring, we were watching them in the summer, it’s just kind of what we do. I think I’ve watched a lot, and even today I walked past my old office and their special teams coordinator, who came from another school, was watching film. Our guys have been on it. We’ve watched them a ton.” Rhule knows Cincinnati returns a core of veterans—quarterback, nose tackle, tight end—but the transfer portal has turned scouting into a game of guess who.
That’s why Rhule keeps preaching discipline. His players don’t even hear the word “Cincinnati” until Friday of game week. Why? Because if you start drooling over your opponent too early, you risk burnout. He wants urgency to hit like a cold slap on game week, not fizzle out in camp. In his words: “For us, what’s really crucial is that we don’t start talking about the first opponent with our team until Friday. It’s a slippery slope if you start too early, because by the time game day comes, the players lose that sense of urgency. I want there to be that true feeling of game week. So Monday through Thursday, while Thursday will be a mock game, we’re still playing ourselves.”
So Nebraska spends Monday through Thursday beating up on itself. Starters aren’t getting bubble wrap, either. Rhule is pushing them, mixing reps, forcing different looks. The message is loud: Nebraska can’t afford to coast.
And make no mistake, this opener is bigger than your usual week-one tune-up. It’s the first Nebraska-Cincinnati clash in nearly 120 years, set on a neutral stage that’ll feel like a home game thanks to Husker Nation invading Kansas City. Rhule’s roster overhaul was aggressive: 16 transfers, including heavy hitters like Elijah Pritchett (Bama), Rocco Spindler (Notre Dame), and Dasan McCullough (Oklahoma). Sprinkle in Georgia’s Justyn Rhett and homegrown phenom Williams Nwaneri, and suddenly this team looks like it belongs.
The stakes? Huge, after going 7-6 last season. Nebraska has stumbled out the gate too many times to count in the past decade. A statement win at Arrowhead could flip the script and launch them into Big Ten chaos with actual momentum. Drop it, and that “year three magic” line starts to sound like an urban legend.
Matt Rhule gives nods after Dylan Raiola’s impressive camp
If there’s one dude Husker fans are betting the farm on, it’s Dylan Raiola. Last year, he was the shiny five-star freshman, the kid meant to erase a decade of quarterback pain in Lincoln. He didn’t light the world on fire, but let’s keep it real—2,819 yards, 67% completion, and setting freshman records is nothing to sneeze at. He tossed 13 touchdowns, sure, but those 11 picks were the kind of gut punches that turned winnable games into moral victories.
Now? Year two, Raiola looks different. Stronger. Smarter. Cooler under fire. OC Dana Holgorsen couldn’t hide his awe when asked about him: “Dylan’s made some throws I haven’t seen before.” The interviewer read. Rhule doubled down on the praise, but in his way. “He was talking to me today, saying, ‘I need to do this better, that better,’ which is what I like about him…He’s had a really good camp.” Translation: Raiola isn’t sipping his own Kool-Aid. He’s grinding, studying, checking boxes. Rhule added, “In drop-back situations, putting the ball in his hands, he’s making a lot of really good decisions.” That’s exactly what Nebraska fans need to hear after last year’s interception festival.
And here’s the kicker: Nebraska’s offense was the leaky pipe holding back the whole house in 2024. The defense was decent, not elite, but they spent too much time gassed because the offense couldn’t keep drives alive. If Raiola keeps the chains moving, the defense suddenly looks sharper. That’s how seasons flip.
Look, Rhule’s third-year magic has always hinged on the QB buying in. At Baylor, Charlie Brewer hit his stride, and the Bears shot up the charts. At Temple, it was Phillip Walker putting the program on his back. Nebraska’s version? It’s Raiola. If he plays like he’s practicing, if those camp flashes become Saturdays under the lights, then yeah—this program might just skip the rebuild phase and jump straight into the playoff convo.
The post Matt Rhule Warns of Slippery Slope vs Cincinnati After Dylan Raiola Camp Verdict appeared first on EssentiallySports.
