Survive and Advance: Nebraska Wins Ugly, and That’s OK

The Common Fans discuss Nebraska’s thrilling win over Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule runs onto the field before the opening kickoff Kansas City with strength & conditioning coach Corey Campbell. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Huskers showed plenty of promise on Thursday night, but the team also has lots to work on.
The Nebraska team that showed up at Arrowhead Stadium does not look like a playoff team…but that doesn’t mean the Big Red can’t still put together a special run in 2025.
The most important thing was getting out of Kansas City with a W, and the Huskers accomplished that. With the next two games against Akron and Houston Christian, there’s time to work on everything else.
Dylan Raiola looked solid, and kept mistakes to a minimum, but the Common Fans wonder if/when we’ll see the offense open it up.
The defense looks like a mixed bag after one week. Highlighted by some perfectly timed turnovers, the overall unit looks more explosive than in 2024. At the same time, the run defense looked awfully leaky at times.
After dominating the 2nd quarter, and taking a 13-3 lead into halftime, the Big Red looked poised to put Cincinnati away. Instead, the Huskers opening drive of the 2nd half stalled, and they were in a battle to the end.
Malcolm Hartzog made the play of the game, with a game-sealing interception in the end zone.
The Common Fans are celebrating all the Ws, and it feels great to see the Huskers open the season 1-0.

This and so much more on the latest episode of the Common Fan Podcast! As always, GBR for LIFE!

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