Bye Week Blues? Not for 7-3 Nebraska

Happy one-week wedding season to all of you out there.

If you are just days away from hoping the bride’s parents coughed up enough for an open bar on Saturday, you’re likely not alone, but for Nebraska football, they haven’t exactly popped the cork in celebration for an improved season.

Technically, if Nebraska lost its next three games (at Penn State, vs. Iowa, bowl game), they’d end up right where they ended up last season – a 7-6 season that showed signs of promise.

In 2024, Nebraska didn't win its seventh game of the year until a December 28th Pinstripe Bowl win over Boston College. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

There are definitely wins already to celebrate this season. The most obvious is the fact that they’ve already collected seven wins, and we’ve yet to reach Thanksgiving. That’s a stark contrast from last year, when the team didn’t know it was going bowling until late November – a fact Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule joked ruined his day during his Monday bye week press conference.

However, he also hopes his players can put it all into perspective.

“I hope our players in this bye (week) take a moment to see how far they’ve come personally and where they’re headed and also look at the examples of the guys on the team who waited their turn,” Rhule said. “It’s very, very hard, and it’s not in vogue anymore to wait your turn. Sometimes it’s like well go here and do this, just go there. Guys like Emmett (Johnson), they had chances, but they stayed, and he deserves everything he’s getting.”

Johnson famously entered the transfer portal during the offseason, only to reaffirm his commitment to Nebraska and coach Rhule days later. It’s safe to say that’s paying dividends for a running back who may be in the running for several postseason awards.

Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson ran all over UCLA in the 28-21 Husker win this past Saturday. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This week, the only running EJ may be doing is to the grocery store to stock up on his favorite snacks to sit and watch a bunch of football from his couch. This week is Nebraska’s second bye week of the season, with the first one coming back at the end of September after NU’s first loss of the season to then-No. 21 Michigan.

This bye week understandably is a bit easier to take in for the Huskers after a 28-21 win over UCLA this past weekend.

“It should be a great bye for us to get healthy, develop some young players, really look at each guy and what we can do to help them and then continue to recruit,” Rhule said. “My plan is to head out on the road. We’re still waiting to see all the FAA stuff. There’s some challenges to that. We’re waiting to see because obviously some of the airports most affected are in some areas that we recruit pretty heavily, but I plan on going out on the road.”

Canceled and delayed flights could wreak havoc on Nebraska's recruiting plans during the bye week. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Federal government shutdown aside, not much has been slowing down Nebraska’s progress in 2025. Yes, star quarterback Dylan Raiola is out for the season, and yes, half of the offensive line is also on the shelf for the rest of the year.

Despite all that, NU has still muscled its way to a 7-3 season to this point with two regular-season games left. They’ll be entering those two games with true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef under center, which certainly worked out for the Huskers last weekend in Pasadena. In his first full game as a starter, Lateef was nearly perfect through the air and he developed quite the rapport with his backfield mate in Emmett Johnson.

Given the success in “game number 1” of his Husker career (we aren’t really counting the final few series of the USC game), Lateef and his teammates are certainly a bit hungrier to keep working on their synergy despite there not being a game this weekend.

Nebraska true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef didn't shrink in the moment in his first-ever win under center for the Huskers. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“We’re not going to invent a bunch of new stuff,” Rhule admitted during his Monday press conference. “Maybe Dane (Key) will say to me, ‘Hey can we go out there on Wednesday and get him some reps?’ The thing with TJ, he’s been here in the spring. He’s been here in the fall. When we went out there in the first couple of games, he was prepared and ready. I don’t even think of TJ as a young player. Part of us getting into the game and knowing when to run and when to check the ball down and all those things, and I can’t really mimic too much of that.”

The only thing that might be a change over the next week and a half will deal with Nebraska’s next opponent – and it’s a fitting match-up. Just weeks removed from being on the short list to become their next head coach, Matt Rhule will be taking his Huskers on the road to take on his alma mater, Penn State, in Happy Valley.

The Nittany Lions have had their fair share of ups and downs this season. They started in the top 5 in the preseason polls and were considered a College Football Playoff certainty. Now, PSU sits at 3-6 and must win out just to make it to a bowl game in 2025. Next up is a road trip to take on Michigan State on Saturday, a team Nebraska beat 38-27 back on October 4. If Penn State escapes East Lansing with a win, they will be returning to Happy Valley looking to keep their bowl hopes alive against the Huskers, and it’s a setting Rhule is already preparing for.

Penn State nearly upset #2 Indiana during its last home game, and it has Nebraska preparing early for the atmosphere. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

“I do think one of the big things about going to Penn State is going to be the cadence – just how loud it can get there,” he said. “We’ll do some of that stuff on Thursday. I feel really good about our process and the way it works. I feel really good now with where we are.”

During his Monday press conference, Rhule also admitted that for the first time since he’s taken over at Nebraska, the team is on equal footing when it comes to recruiting with the likes of Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State and the other blue bloods of college football.

“We’re in the building,” Rhule said. “We got all the right people. I’m not going to Troy with a big wish list of demands this year. We’ve done that for three years. We’re finally caught up to where programs of this nature should be. We have everything we could possibly want.”

The last time Nebraska consistently won 9 games in a season, Bo Pelini was at the helm. Could 9 wins be within reach in 2025? | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

All that’s on the wish list for Nebraska is likely another win or two. Can you imagine how a 9-win season would resonate with the Big Red Faithful? Just 15 years ago, those were down years – or Nebraska struggling to “get over the hump.” In 2025, fans may rush the field for a 9th win.

First up though, is trying to get win No. 8 next week in Happy Valley.

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