Honestly, if you just glanced at the box score of the Nebraska vs Northern Iowa game back in September, you probably shrugged and moved on. 34-3. A typical "Big Ten eats an FCS team for lunch" scenario, right? Well, sort of. But if you were actually sitting in Memorial Stadium or watching the way Dylan Raiola navigated that pocket, you know it felt a little different than the usual early-season blowout.
The air in Lincoln was heavy that night. Nebraska was coming off a massive, emotional win over Colorado—the kind of win that usually leads to a "trap game" letdown. People were genuinely worried the Huskers would come out flat. Instead, we got a glimpse of what Matt Rhule’s program looks like when it’s actually firing on all cylinders. It wasn't just about winning; it was about how clinical they’ve become.
The Raiola Factor and a Perfect Start
Dylan Raiola is basically the reason Husker fans are sleeping better these days. Against Northern Iowa, he was borderline surgical. He finished 17-of-23 for 247 yards and two scores, but the stat that really pops is that 11-straight completion streak in the first half. He wasn't just dinking and dunking. He was hitting freshmen like Carter Nelson for 24-yard scores on the opening drive.
Seeing Nelson—a kid who played eight-man football in Ainsworth—score his first career TD in front of 86,000 people? That’s the kind of stuff that makes college football special. Nebraska went up 21-3 by halftime, and honestly, the game felt over, even if UNI was fighting for every inch.
Why Northern Iowa Deserves More Credit
Here’s the thing: Northern Iowa isn’t some cupcake. They came in ranked 21st in the FCS poll. They play a brand of football that is incredibly annoying to deal with if you’re a heavy favorite. They held the ball for over 38 minutes! Think about that. Nebraska only had the ball for about 21 minutes and still hung 34 points.
UNI’s quarterback, Aidan Dunne, was gutty. He led a 10-minute drive in the first quarter that resulted in their only points. They didn't have the athletes to match Nebraska’s speed on the outside—guys like Isaiah Neyor and Jacory Barney Jr. were just too fast—but the Panthers didn't just roll over. They forced Raiola into his first career interception in the fourth quarter. It was a "welcome to college football" moment where Fletcher Marshall Jr. basically bullied the ball away from a receiver.
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Defensive Dominance: The Blackshirts are Back
The real story of Nebraska vs Northern Iowa, and really the whole 2024 non-conference slate, was the defense. The Huskers held their first three opponents to 10 points or fewer. That hasn’t happened in Lincoln since 2005. That’s a twenty-year gap, folks.
Malcolm Hartzog Jr. snagging that interception in the third quarter was the "game over" moment. UNI had a little momentum, they were driving, and Hartzog just plucked the ball out of the sky. It turned a potential 21-10 nail-biter into a comfortable 24-3 lead after the ensuing field goal.
More Than Just Football
While everyone focuses on the gridiron, the Nebraska vs Northern Iowa rivalry (if you can call it that) actually gets way more intense in other sports. Take wrestling, for example. Just a couple of weeks ago, these two schools had a dual that was absolute chaos. Nebraska won 18-17 on criteria—basically a tiebreaker—because Tyrell Gordon came up huge in the heavyweight match.
The connections run deep. Nebraska's wrestling coach, Mark Manning, actually started his head coaching career at UNI. When these two schools meet on a mat, it’s usually a bloodbath. Even in women’s basketball, Northern Iowa has pushed the Huskers to the brink in recent years. It’s a regional scrap that means a lot more to the players than the national media realizes.
Breaking Down the 2024 Football Stats
If you're a numbers person, the discrepancy in this specific game was wild. Nebraska averaged nearly 9 yards per play. UNI averaged about 4.
- Total Yards: Nebraska 423, UNI 301
- Rushing: Almost dead even (142 for NEB, 139 for UNI)
- Passing: Nebraska 281, UNI 162
- Third Down Conversions: Nebraska 4-of-7 (Efficient), UNI 6-of-16 (Struggled to finish)
What This Game Actually Proved
This game was the litmus test for Matt Rhule’s culture. Old Nebraska teams—the ones from 2017 to 2022—might have struggled with a team like UNI after a big win. They might have turned the ball over four times or let a 10-minute drive break their spirit. This team just stayed the course.
They played clean (mostly). They didn't allow a touchdown. They let their young stars like Jacory Barney Jr. show off their wheels on end-arounds. Basically, it proved that Nebraska is finally a "program" again, not just a collection of talented players underachieving.
Looking Ahead for Both Programs
Nebraska used this win to springboard into a 7-6 season, finally getting back to a bowl game (the Pinstripe Bowl win over Boston College was a nice cherry on top). For Northern Iowa, it was a tough loss, but it showed they could compete physically with the big boys of the Big Ten for stretches.
If you’re looking to follow these teams moving forward, here’s what you should do:
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- Watch the Trenches: Nebraska’s defensive line is the real deal. Keep an eye on how they rotate bodies to stay fresh; it’s a masterclass in depth.
- Follow the Freshmen: Raiola, Nelson, and Barney are the future. Their chemistry is already lightyears ahead of where it should be.
- Check the Wrestling Schedule: If you want a truly competitive Nebraska vs UNI experience, catch their next wrestling dual. It’s arguably more "even" than the football matchups.
- Revisit the Highlights: If you missed the Raiola-to-Nelson TD, go find it. It’s a perfect example of modern West Coast offense execution.
The score says it was a blowout. The film says it was a professional, disciplined performance by a blue-blood program that is finally finding its feet again. And for Northern Iowa, it was a reminder that they’re one of the toughest "outs" in the FCS for a reason.