Identifying which game could sneak up on Nebraska

The buzz around the Nebraska Cornhuskers continues to rise as we draw nearer to the start of the 2024 college football season. Some are expecting a significant jump for the Cornhuskers in year two under head coach Matt Rhule, with freshman phenom quarterback Dylan Raiola under center. But there are some things that can stand in the way of the Cornhuskers’ success in 2024, like losing to an opponent they are expected to take down.

Recently, on the Andy Staples On3 Podcast, On3’s resident college football expert welcomed Husker Online’s Sean Callahan to the show to get his answer on which game he thinks could sneak up on the Cornhuskers. And, in a surprise to some, the Nebraska insider circled a team against which the Cornhuskers have had significant success against in the past 15 years.

“Let’s take out the UTEP and Northern Colorado games; that’s just too easy to go with. I’ll say, Rutgers,” said Callahan. “It’s a home game, it’s homecoming, [and] Nebraska has never lost to Rutgers since they’ve joined the Big Ten. That’s the only Big Ten team they still have an undefeated record against in the 14 years now they’ve been in the conference. But Rutgers, with Greg Schiano, they have a great schedule, they have the leading rusher in the Big Ten returning, they will be physical, they will get after Dylan Raiola, [and] they have the chance to try to make that an ugly game and win in Lincoln.

“Of Nebraska’s first seven games, Rutgers is the only opponent Nebraska plays in the first seven that was in a bowl game a year ago.”

The last time Rutgers and Nebraska saw each other on the field was back in 2022. In that contest, the Cornhuskers picked up a narrow 14-13 victory on the road thanks to the heroic play of banged-up quarterback Casey Thompson.

Callahan’s concern with Rutgers appears to be twofold. Not only does he believe that Nebraska should be weary up their Big Ten foe in their mid-season tilt, but he also pinned them as a program that could disrupt the rankings and the conference this season as the Scarlet Knights do not play any of the top five schools in the preseason conference rankings.

What makes Rutgers a formidable foe is its ability to run the football. The Scarlet Knights’ ground game is led by workhorse running back Kyle Monangai, who, as Callahan mentioned above, is the reigning Big Ten leader in rushing yards. Last year, he rushed for 1,262 yards on 242 carries with eight rushing touchdowns.

Both Rutgers and Nebraska look very much different two years removed from their previous competition, with arguably the most noticeable difference being Rhule now stalking the sidelines in Lincoln, NE. Still, one thing that the program and its fans would like nothing more than to stay the same is for the Cornhuskers to continue their dominance over the Scarlet Knights.