Eight years.
That is how many years since that team in the scarlet and cream has achieved a winning season. The Nebraska Cornhuskers had a chance to break the ‘curse’ of eight straight years of losing on Saturday, on a gloomy, wet day at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York for the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The team standing in their way was the Boston College Eagles, who came in with seven wins and a two-game winning streak.
Despite building an 18-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Huskers had to fight off a late comeback bid by the Eagles, eventually leading to a 20 to 15 victory for Nebraska. The Huskers have gotten the bowl game win that they haven’t gotten a chance at since winning the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl against UCLA.
Here’s a look at what happened, what this win means and what comes next for Nebraska.
NEBRASKA WINS THE PINSTRIPE BOWL 🌽🏆@HuskerFootball earns its first winning season since 2016 and its first bowl win since 2015 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ALXGPx5Nt4
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 28, 2024
‘New York, New York’: Nebraska clinches first winning season since 2016
What Happened?
The Positives
To start, the Huskers offense had a good day. Outside of the two turnovers that came in the first half, freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola played pretty well, completing 23 of 31 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. Raiola overcame the interception that he threw on the first drive of the game, turning around and having a pretty good game.
True freshman QB Dylan Raiola in the Pinstripe Bowl:
🔴 22/30
⚪️ 224 passing yards
🔴 1 TD
⚪️ W@HuskerFootball pic.twitter.com/hb7FR8neOf— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 28, 2024
Staying in the backfield, in his final game, sixth-year senior running back Rahmir Johnson had one of the best games of his career. Johnson had 14 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown and he secured the bowl win for the Huskers on a 11-yard rush on a fourth and three. Johnson’s performance in his homecoming led to him being named the MVP of the game, capping off an emotional season and career for Johnson.
Defensively, the Huskers shut down the Boston College running attack to only 47 yards on 26 attempts. The Eagles’ rushing attack was a concern with the combined attack from juniors Kye Robichaux and Jordan McDonald. Both touchdowns for Boston College were on the ground but were inside the five-yard line. Another positive on the defensive side of the ball was all of the players who got a chance to make an impact. Freshman linebacker Vincent Shavers Jr. was a player that stood out, logging six total tackles, two for a loss and a sack. Nebraska’s pass rush got to the quarterback three times, also forced one turnover and multiple turnovers on downs.
The Negatives
There was one real negative on Saturday for the Huskers. That would be the special teams. It was a tough day for the special teams for both Nebraska and Boston College, with some of it due to the tough field and weather conditions. However, the bad special teams play for the Huskers was a big reason why the Eagles climbed back into the game late in the fourth quarter. In the second quarter, John Hohl had his extra point blocked by Boston College and freshman defensive back Ashton McShane took the blocked kick back for a two-point conversion.
During the third quarter, Nebraska attempted two trick plays on special teams on the same drive. With 11:35 left in the quarter, senior punter Brian Buschini completed an eight-yard pass to senior defensive back Isaac Gifford to extend the drive. The Huskers’ offense got down to the Boston College five-yard line and were stopped and forced to kick a field goal. However, they attempted another fake, this time a run by Buschini and he was stuffed for a two-yard loss.
Now in the fourth quarter, the Eagles blocked a punt and returned it 17 yards to the two-yard line, which led to a two-yard touchdown run by McDonald to cut Nebraska’s lead to only five points. Luckily, the Huskers were able to run the clock out and win the game.
The pass defense had a tough day as well. Eagles’ junior quarterback Grayson James threw for 301 yards on 26 of 31 passes. The problem for Boston College was it couldn’t score when the offense got close to the end zone. Junior receiver Lewis Bond, the Eagles leading receiver, led the way for them on Saturday, catching seven passes for 99 yards. However, in the end, the Huskers managed to hold Boston College to no passing touchdowns.
What does this mean?
Bringin’ home some hardware. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1AvJVTHkqr
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) December 28, 2024
Like it was stated before, Nebraska got its first bowl win since 2015 in its first bowl appearance in eight years. To keep things short, this win means everything for the Huskers. In the second season of the Matt Rhule era in Lincoln, winning a bowl game was the next step that Nebraska needed to take this season. After shortcomings in 2023, it was crucial that the Huskers made a bowl game and won it.
Now with the second season under Rhule, Nebraska can look towards year three and make the next jump. The question is, what is the next step?
The goal for Nebraska is to get back to national prominence and compete for national championships. The Huskers haven’t been anywhere close to that, even during the 2024 season. There is still a lot that needs to be done to get to that point but that is where Rhule is trying to get Nebraska at. A logical next step is to get the Huskers back in contention in the Big Ten conference and win big games. Nebraska will have a chance at doing that next season with games against Michigan and Penn State. Both games will be a chance for the Huskers to see where they stand in the current landscape of the conference.
What’s next?
Nebraska is now in the offseason and will continue recruiting in the transfer portal. The Huskers have signed 11 players out of the portal so far, with potentially more on the way. There are still multiple position groups that Nebraska may look to address in the portal.
One of those positions is on the offensive line. With the losses of seniors Ben Scott, Bryce Benhart, Micah Mazzccua, etc, the Huskers will need to replace the production. Nebraska has young offensive linemen on the roster that could fill those spots, but it wouldn’t hurt to add a few veteran pieces to the offensive line.
The offensive line is the biggest need at this point but, they could look elsewhere like at the defensive line, secondary and at tight end.
The offseason will be an interesting time for the Huskers with a full offseason for new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen to implement what he wants on the offensive side of the ball. It will also give a chance for new defensive coordinator John Butler to set up what he wants for the defense. Overall, this will be a key offseason for Nebraska and should be something to watch in the next few months.
Main Image: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
