Tad Stryker: Full-Speed Therapy

Give the people what they want, indeed. If you wanted a flashback to the Tom Osborne era with a 21st-century passing game tacked on for no extra charge, you hit the jackpot during Nebraska’s 68-0 pounding of Akron Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

It was a good, old-fashioned, clear-the-bench whupping that the Huskers put on the Zips, one that Akron coach Joe Moorhead called “an ass kicking of epic proportions,” which featured an unending parade of players a chance to strut their stuff on game film. Seven different players, including running backs Kwinten Ives and Mekhi Nelson, scored touchdowns. Emmett Johnson made explosive plays. The best part of it was that every single Husker who got into the game brought a lot of energy and focus onto the field with him.

I nearly hallucinated for a moment, with visions of games against New Mexico State in 1979 (57-0) and 1982 (68-0), with Jarvis Redwine and Junior Miller and Mike Rozier running wild. Only a relatively low tally of 234 rushing yards kept this from tasting a lot like a classic nonconference game runaway during the 1970s or '80s, although five Husker running backs got carries, somewhat like old times. Johnson had a career-high 140 rushing yards and looks like he’s capable of moving into the upper echelon of Big Ten backs.

Husker fans of a certain age were doing some reminiscing and young Husker fans were gazing in wonder at the numbers they saw flashing on the scoreboard. If it was theraputic for the people in the stands, it was at least valuable for the players and coaches on the field, who got a decent start at building some depth for the 2026 season and beyond.

Emmett Johnson (21) runs against Akron Zips cornerback Justin Anderson (4) and safety DiMarco Johnson (18) during the second quarter. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska, which has scraped and struggled to score 30 points in a game in recent years, went north of 60 points (first time since 2012) and 700 total yards (first time since 2014) and had its second-highest single-game passing total (494) in program history. Dylan Raiola had his first 300-yard game, completing 24 of 31 passes for 364 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions, and in just his 15th game, moved into the school’s top 10 for all-time passing yardage.

But the biggest news was that the Huskers finally got a shutout, their first one since Ndamukong Suh’s final game, a 33-0 win over Arizona in the 2009 Holiday Bowl. They did it by holding the Zips to 1 of 14 on third down and making a big play in the kicking game, a blocked 33-yard field goal attempt by Riley Van Poppel in the third quarter, and watching another Akron field goal try from 46 yards clank off the upright in the final seconds of the first half.

Speaking of the kicking game, Jacory Barney returned four punts for 87 yards and Isaiah Mozee had one more for five. The 92-yard single-game total was more punt return yardage than Nebraska accumulated in any of its last four seasons. The Huskers obviously have been sweating the fundamentals; they did a standout job of holding up Akron’s punt gunners. Mike Ekeler is already making a difference for the Big Red.

Field goal block — Riley Van Poppel (5) blocks a field goal kick by Akron's kicker Owen Wiley during the third quarter. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Huskers gave their coaches what they wanted with four quarters of full-speed effort, and relatively few mistakes. They shrugged off a first quarter where two drives died inside the Akron 5-yard line and they moved on from four first-half penalties. They led 33-0 at halftime and then came out of the locker room looking like they had more to prove. They finished strong. None of these things have been hallmarks of Nebraska football lately, regardless of the opponent’s talent level.

Beating Akron is nothing to boast about, but the Huskers have a history of playing down to their competition over the past decade, and that didn’t happen. There’s legitimate reason to believe Nebraska’s stock has ended its decade-long freefall. There’s tangible, measurable progress.

Starters played well. Their backups did the same. Second- and third-string players looked crisp and prepared. Kade Pietrzak, a true freshman defensive lineman out of West Fargo, North Dakota, had a team-high four tackles, two of them for losses, including a safety in the first quarter. Pietrzak was just one of many underclassmen who came off the bench and made the most of their opportunity under the lights.

Matt Rhule, who is now 14-13 as Nebraska’s head coach, was upbeat about his team’s effort, coupled with a solid night of recruiting in front of an electric night-game atmosphere in Lincoln.

Against Cincinnati, Nebraska seemed poised to wear down its opponent, but couldn’t make it happen in the second half. After the Akron game, Raiola referred to the Huskers staying aggressive throughout the contest, calling it a “new style of Nebraska football.” Let’s bookmark that comment and return to it later this fall. It’s one thing to look good against Akron. It’ll be quite another to stack solid efforts — let alone wins — in the Big Ten.

One thing at a time. Dr. Tom would approve of that.

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