How to Watch Nebraska Football vs. Northwestern with Breakdown, Preview, TV Channel

It's a make-or-break week for the Nebraska football as it returns to the Sea of Red in Lincoln after an up-and-down two game road swing.

The Huskers picked up steam with a comeback win over Maryland on the East Coast as NU quarterback Dylan Raiola orchestrated a game-winning drive in the final two minutes that was capped off by Dane Key's three-yard goalline grab. A DeShon Singleton pass breakup on fourth and four locked up the win for NU, who moved to 5-1 for the second-straight season under head coach Matt Rhule.

Then came a perfect storm. Showered with praise for his rebuild of Nebraska football halfway through the 2025 season, Rhule's name was peppered everywhere as the leading candidate for Penn State's head coaching job as the Nittany Lions showed James Franklin the door after 12 seasons. With the Nebraska fanbase scrambling for any sort of positive reinforcement from Rhule, the Huskers didn't have time to worry with a road matchup against Minnesota on a short week.

Throw that all in a pot, stir it together, and what comes out is a Nebraska team beaten to a pulp by the Golden Gophers 24-6 on FOX's Friday night national broadcast for the whole college football world to see. Left tackle Elijah Pritchard was ejected for targeting, and Notre Dame transfer guard Rocco Spindler had a bone that split out of his skin, forcing a hospital visit to spell an end to his night.

A frustrated Rhule spilled the beans in his Monday morning press conference, calling out his players and coaches for their lack of urgency against a program that's owned the Cornhuskers for nearly a decade. Now, it sets up a massive game against an upstart Northwestern team that's defying many people's preseason thoughts with the same exact 5-2 start, plus a 3-1 Big Ten record. As the pressure mounts, everything looks set for another classic Huskers-Wildcats thriller at Memorial Stadium.

Here’s all you need to know as Nebraska hosts Northwestern in a game that marks a pivotal point in the Huskers' 2025 season.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: Nebraska (5-2, 2-2 B1G) vs. Northwestern (5-2, 3-1 B1G)
Line: Nebraska (-7.5), 44.5 O/U (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 11 a.m. CDT
TV: FS1
Broadcast Crew: Connor Onion (PxP), Mark Helfrich (Analyst)
Radio: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Northwestern Scout

Head Coach

Head Coach David Braun | 3rd season at NW & as HC | 17-15 (.531) Career & Northwestern Record | B1G Coach OTY (2023), Paul "Bear" Bryant Newcomer Coach OTY (2023) | Previous assistant at North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, UC Davis, Winona State and Culver-Stockton.

2024 Finish

Did not qualify for the postseason.

2024 Record & Awards

4-8 (2-7 B1G, 16th) | All-Big Ten: 1x Second Team, 6x Honorable Mentions.

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 10-7 (Oct. 21, 2023, last matchup, 17-9 Nebraska).

Northwestern receiver A.J. Henning (8) graduated from the program after leading the Wildcats with 603 yards in 2024. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Key Departures

Jack Lausch | QB | Departure | Northwestern's 2024 signal caller, who dropped football to focus on baseball, to which he was a heralded prospect coming out of Brother Rice High School in Chicago.
A.J. Henning | WR | Graduated | Set career and team highs in 2024 with 603 yards and 59 catches while hauling in four touchdowns; All-B1G Honorable Mention as a punt returner after averaging over 11 yards in 12 returns.
Bryce Kirtz | WR | Graduated | Team captain who had 598 yards on 39 catches in 10 games; his 15.3 yards per reception was the highest by any Wildcat since 2011.
Thomas Gordan | TE | Graduated | Hauled in 27 passes to go for 252 yards and a touchdown as Northwestern's starting tight end in 2024.
Xander Mueller | LB | Graduated | Ranked second on Northwestern with 57 tackles as a graduate student in 2024 while adding 4.5 TFLs, one pick, one forced fumble, and a solo fumble recovery.
Devin Turner | DB | Transfer | Took his talents to Dave Aranda and Baylor after leading the Wildcats with three interceptions alongside 51 tackles.
Theran Johnson | DB | Transfer | All-Big Ten Second Team member after posting a 76.4 PFF grade in 2024 with two picks; transferred to Oregon, where he's appeared in five games.

Northwestern returning running back Cam Porter (1) was set to lead the offense, but he tore his ACL in September. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Top Returners

Cam Porter | RB | Sr. | Returned as the Wildcats' leading rusher from 2024 (501 yards, 6 TDs), but tore his ACL in September during a 42-7 win over Western Illinois.
Joseph Himon II | RB | R-Jr. | Was second on the team last year in rushing yards (257) and touchdowns (2); has improved with 360 rushing yards through seven games, which is again second on the squad.
Caleb Komolafe | RB | R-Soph. | Has stepped up to take Porter's place as the primary ball carrier and has posted 483 yards with five touchdowns in just over 100 carries.
Hayden Eligon II | WR | Soph. | Caught four passes as a true freshman in 2024, but has grown to become the team's second leading receiver with 158 yards on 11 catches and two touchdowns.
Hunter Welcing | TE | Gr. | Took over at tight end for the departed Gordan; ranks second on the team with two touchdown grabs and third with 12 catches.
Drew Wagner | WR | Soph. | Another young pass catcher that didn't see much playing time in 2024, but has caught 14 passes (third) for 118 yards and a pair of scores.
Mac Uihlein | LB | Gr. | Coming off an All-B1G Honorable Mention campaign in 2024, where he led the team with 85 tackles; ranks first on the team in picks (3), second with 52 tackles, and has added a team-high five TFLs.
Aidan Hubbard | DL | Gr. | Two-time All-B1G Honorable Mention that owns four TFLs and 2.5 sacks through the first half of the 2025 season.
Michael Kilbane | DL | Jr. | Tied for the team high with five tackles for loss and second on the Wildcats with 2.5 sacks.
Anto Saka | DL | R-Jr. | Northwestern's sack leader with three while collecting three additional tackles for loss.
Robert Fitzgerald | DB | R-Jr. | In the midst of a breakout redshirt junior season, with a team-leading 60 tackles with 2.5 TFLs, and a fumble recovery.
Carmine Bastone | DL | Gr. | Awarded the team's highest honor as being voted to wear the No. 1 jersey.
Jackson Carsello | C | Gr. | Has started every game at center in 2025 after making the starting lineup in eight of his 11 games played in 2024.
Caleb Tiernan | OT | Gr. | Massive 6-foot-7 returner that started all 12 games at left tackle in 2024 and has anchored down his spot in 2025 as well.

Northwestern receiver Griffin Wilde (17) has shown why he was a FCS All-American with a team-high 516 yards. — Northwestern receiver Griffin Wilde (17) has shown why he was a FCS All-American with a team-high 516 yards and four touchdowns so far in 2025. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Griffin Wilde | WR | Jr. | FCS All-American transfer from South Dakota State who has produced well at the Power Four level with 38 catches, 516 yards, and four touchdowns.
Preston Stone | QB | Gr. | Former All-AAC signal caller at SMU who lost his job before transferring to Northwestern, where he's been up-and-down with 10 touchdowns and seven picks.
Fred Davis II | DB | Gr. | Starting corner that landed at Northwestern for his final college season after spending time at Jacksonville State, UCF, and Clemson.
Evan Beernsten | OL | Gr. | All-Missouri River Conference transfer from South Dakota who has started all seven games at guard for Northwestern.
Martes Lewis | OL | Gr. | Another 6-foot-7 offensive lineman that transferred from Minnesota; has started the last five games for the Wildcats up front.

Key Storylines

Can Nebraska answer the bell rung?

Matt Rhule gave one of the most candid press conferences by a Nebraska head coach in recent memory, calling out Husker coaches and players for their lack of juice going into last week's thrashing by Minnesota. As a result, he's challenging his program to respond in kind, starting with Northwestern on Saturday. Despite an 11 a.m. kickoff, the Huskers need to come out of the gate with physicality and the expectation of a dog fight — something they didn't respond well to last week against the Golden Gophers.

The truth is that Nebraska isn't as bad as they showed, but the real concern will be if the Huskers don't take that as a learning opportunity ahead of what should be another white knuckle affair with Northwestern, who's rolled off four-straight wins and is only one win shy of bowl eligibility, just like Nebraska.

Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone has been rocky in 2025 with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Can the Blackshirts seal up their run defense against a prolific rushing team in Northwestern?

That'll be tested against the Wildcats, who bring to Lincoln a top third rushing attack in the Big Ten with 190.1 rushing yards per contest. With returning center Jackson Carsello and veteran left tackle Caleb Tiernan, plus portal hits in Evan Beernsten (South Dakota) and Martes Lewis (Minnesota), Northwestern has leaned on its offensive line to grind out four-straight victories.

Returning running back Cam Porter was set to be the backfield star, but a torn ACL in September cut his season short. Caleb Komolafe (493 yards) and Joseph Himon II (360) have formed into an impressive duo in Porter's absence. The Wildcats will aim to muck this game up and rely on their effective ground game, which has been the Huskers' Achilles heel this season.

Forcing former SMU and current Wildcat signal caller Preston Stone into long passing situations will be key for John Butler's defense, with Stone giving away seven interceptions this season. Nebraska has the fourth-worst rushing defense in the Big Ten (156.3 P/G), so it's easier said than done. The Huskers will want to look at Northwestern's season-opening loss to Tulane, where the Green Wave limited NW to only 76 rushing yards, forcing Stone to throw 36 passes, of which four were intercepted. Stone has reached 30 passes only once since that game, so a path to victory is pretty clear.

Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) has been stellar as the primary ball carrier since starter Cam Porter tore his ACL. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Who's going to protect Raiola?

The starting group against Minnesota got embarrassed on national television by allowing nine sacks — the most surrendered in program history and the highest total ever recorded by the Golden Gophers. Notre Dame transfer Rocco Spindler was taken to the hospital for a hand injury, but he had surgery and was cleared to play Saturday as long as he can take the pain.

Unfortunately for Nebraska, there's not a whole lot to do with an underperforming group in the middle of the season, especially after flipping around tackles early in the year. However, the big issue is that the Northwestern defensive front won't take it easy. They haven't been lighting up the box score with sacks and tackles for loss, but the Wildcats returned a veteran-heavy defensive line that has plenty of depth with chaos creators Anto Saka and Aidan Hubbard, plus the emergence of redshirt junior Brendan Flakes.

In hopes that Raiola doesn't have any shell shock from last Friday, he'll have an opportunity to expose a passing defense that's been above average this season, but nothing the standout sophomore can't overcome — as long as he has the time.

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