Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
9 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M They've shared a conference affili- ation for well over a decade, but Ne- braska and Penn State are still practically strangers. The Cornhuskers have faced PSU only five times since they joined the confer- ence in 2011, and the two teams have played each other just twice in the past eight seasons. Penn State has played each of its other Big Ten rivals at least once since it last faced the Cornhusk- ers in 2020 — including all four of last year's new additions. During the past five years, PSU has seen more of Auburn and West Virginia than it has Nebraska. Come September, it will have seen more of Villanova, too. The most recent hiatus will end in November when the Cornhuskers make their first visit to Beaver Stadium in eight years. And it appears the Nittany Lions will be catching them in the midst of an upswing. A year ago, quarterback Dylan Raiola led Nebraska to its first postseason ap- pearance since 2016, a 20-15 victory over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl. Flipping Raiola from Georgia, where he had initially committed, was a major coup for Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule, and the former five-star prospect delivered as a true freshman, completing 67.1 percent of his passing attempts for 2,819 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. This year, Raiola figures to benefit from the arrival of several key transfer por- tal acquisitions from other Power Four programs. The offensive line has added guard Rocco Spindler from Notre Dame and tackle Elijah Pritchett from Alabama, while the receiver corps welcomes Dane Key from Kentucky and Nyziah Hunter from Cal. A year ago, Key caught 47 passes for 715 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Wildcats, while Hunter had 40 catches for 578 yards and 5 TDs for the Golden Bears. On defense, the secondary should be a strength with four starters returning, including three senior safeties. DeShon Singleton is the name to remember after ranking second on the team with 71 tack- les last season from his safety spot. The front six is full of new starters, highlighted by the return to the Big Ten of linebacker Dasan McCullough. After starting out at Indiana, McCullough to- taled 79 tackles, including 10 for loss and 4 sacks, the past two years at Oklahoma. Joining McCullough at linebacker is Marques Watson-Trent, who last year totaled 118 tackles and 4 forced fumbles at Georgia Southern and was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Nebraska's visit to Beaver Stadium will mark the return of some familiar faces. There's Rhule, of course, a State College native and Penn State graduate who is making his third appearance as an op- posing head coach, having previously led Temple into the Nittany Lions' den in 2014 and '16. The other returnee is John Butler, who served under Bill O'Brien in 2012 and '13, first as defensive backs coach and later as defensive coordinator. Butler joined Rhule's staff last year and was promoted to the DC role in December after Tony White headed to Florida State. The Cornhuskers ranked 17th in the FBS in points allowed last season (19.46 per game), so even with transfers ex- pected to fill some key vacancies, Butler isn't exactly starting from scratch. — Matt Herb N O V . 2 2 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | S T A T E C O L L E G E Dylan Raiola set Nebraska program records for a freshman with 2,819 passing yards and a 67.1 percent completion rate. PHOTO COURTESY BIG TEN NETWORK GAME 11 NEBRASKA 2025 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2024 Result Aug. 28 Cincinnati* — Sept. 6 Akron — Sept. 13 Houston Christian — Sept. 20 Michigan — Oct. 4 Michigan State — Oct. 11 at Maryland — Oct. 17 at Minnesota — Oct. 25 Northwestern — Nov. 1 USC L, 28-20 Nov. 8 at UCLA L, 27-20 Nov. 22 at Penn State — Nov. 28 Iowa L, 13-10 * at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. BEST-CASE SCENARIO With a manageable nonconference schedule and a mostly manageable Big Ten slate, the Cornhuskers could roll into November with a shot at a major bowl and maybe even a CFP berth. WORST-CASE SCENARIO New coordinators on offense, defense and special teams, combined with a largely rebuilt defensive front, could make this a transitional season for Nebraska. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 10-8 Last Meeting: Will Levis threw for 219 yards in relief of Sean Clifford, but the Cornhuskers held off the Nittany Lions, 30- 23, on Nov. 14, 2020 Head Coach: Matt Rhule (12-13 in two seasons at Nebraska; career collegiate coaching record: 59-56) 2024 Record: 7-6, 3-6 Big Ten Returning Starters: 9 (4 offense, 4 defense, 1 specialist) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Emmett Johnson (598 yards, 1 TD) Passing: QB Dylan Raiola (2,819 yards, 13 TD) Receiving: WR Jacory Barney Jr. (447 yards) Tackles: S DeShon Singleton (71) Sacks: DE Mason Goldman, LB Willis McGahee IV, LB Vincent Shavers Jr., CB Ceyair Wright (1) Interceptions: S Malcolm Hartzog Jr. (4)