Well, the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ 2024 season is a perfect case study of everything that can go wrong with a team. Sure, they won the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College, which is their first since 2015. Now, if we look statistically, they improved with a 7-6 finish, but that alone can’t mask their glaring issues. We all saw QB Dylan Raiola struggling behind a weak O-line, and even the RB room lacked firepower. And now Wilson Dittman is out there pushing Coach Rhule to add depth before it’s too late. If Rhule doesn’t act, he and Raiola might face another year of misery.
Look, it’s not like Matt Rhule didn’t ignore the running back depth chart, but things deteriorated quickly. Initially, Nebraska’s rotation included RBs Emmett Johnson and Rahmir Johnson, but Rahmir suffered a season-ending shoulder injury early on, after rushing for 260 yards and one touchdown on 54 carries. That left Emmett to carry the load, and he did his best to keep Nebraska afloat, finishing with 117 carries for 598 yards and a touchdown. And there’s a high chance that Emmett will start this year too. But with Kwinten Ives in the mix, things might take a better turn for the team with depth. But his fate relies on his gameplay in the upcoming spring game. As Dittman says,
“Nebraska third-year running back Kwinten Ives the X Factor of this entire offense, because, man oh man, he has a huge spring ball ahead of him now. As of right now, Nebraska really only has one competent running back on the roster, and that’s Emmett Johnson, and you feel great about him, but as we know, one good running back does not make a good running back room. We’ve seen injuries happen; we see players not play up to their potential. You need depth, and more than anything, Nebraska needs a power back.” And the team doesn’t have any power back as of now. And if he really wants to make his presence felt, he must perform in the upcoming spring practice.
Last season, Ives recorded just 6 carries for 7 yards with 1 TD. And that will not help Matt Rhule and the Huskers to put up a strong game. Now, Emmett is obviously a definite choice, but as Dittman quoted, he alone can’t make a difference. They need depth in the team. It’s important to note that Nebraska’s running game lacked explosive plays, with only six runs exceeding 20 yards—often just a missed tackle or cutback from a significant gain. And that’s the kind of risk team Matt Rhule can’t take this season.
Coach Rhule even highlighted the same issue with his team during their game against USC as he said, “We left a ton of yards out there; we had a couple of times we got the ball to the safety and got tackled a couple of times where we kind of missed the hole.” So, Nebraska really needs a power back who doesn’t make such big blows in the game. Now, it’s not like Ives is not a good player, but after a redshirting season in 2023 and a not-so-bad 2024, expectations are raging.
And if Kwinten doesn’t bring out his X factor in the spring practice, then Wilson Dittman’s prediction might turn into a reality, as he says, “The unfortunate reality is, Kwinten Ives, if he does not play well in the spring bowl, he will transfer, or he’ll just be a backup for his entire career. But if he doesn’t play well, we’re going to get a backup running.” Well, let’s hope that’s not the case, as the Huskers are already dealing with a weak offensive line.
Pressure is increasing on Matt Rhule’s shoulders
First and foremost, the team’s offense has not improved much compared to last season, which heavily emphasized rushing plays. To provide context, the team is gaining 46.5 yards less per game than they did in 2023, which is quite significant. Additionally, similar to last season, the team relied heavily on their defense to secure wins. The defense has performed better, allowing nearly 1.9 points less per game than the previous season and showing a notable improvement in turnover margin (from -17 to -2). However, there are concerns that things could deteriorate further in the upcoming 2025 season.
Despite efforts to address the star player departures through reinforcements and the transfer portal, it seems that these measures have not been sufficient. Even Jon Rhoades, host of the Big Ten Huddle Podcast, highlighted this worrying trend, saying, “Nebraska’s offensive line remains a concern, and you’ll find this is to be a consistent thing among most teams. Most teams need offensive linemen. They brought in Alabama’s elite Elijah Pritchett, but after missing out on New Mexico’s [Shiyazh] Pete, they still have a gap at the tackle position with Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher gone for the NFL.” While Pritchet might offer some relief for the O line, they still require more top-tier talent for the upcoming season. So are they planning on that?
A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer is impossible because the transfer portal currently lacks many elite players. Besides Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher, who left for the NFL, the Huskers still have many open roster spots. This is because Dante Dowdell (RB) also hit the transfer portal and ended up in the Kentucky Wildcats. Now, we know that’s the kind of power-back player Matt Rhule’s team needs. With 143 carries for 614 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Now, Matt Rhule might have an answer in terms of Kwinten Ives, but let’s be real: matching up Dowell’s caliber is not a joke. Let’s see how spring practice turns out for them.
The post Clock Running Out for Dylan Raiola’s Nebraska Teammate as Matt Rhule Faces Crucial Call Before Next Season appeared first on EssentiallySports.
