Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule gave a confident statement after the Cornhuskers' win over Boston College in the 2024 Pinstripe Bowl. Nebraska beat the spread in the tight affair to win its first bowl game since 2015. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola had a solid night in the matchup, completing 23 of 31 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. The win indicates that this historic program is finally trending in the right direction.
Rhule backed up that sentiment with a viral statement in his postgame interview.
“We have big plans when we come back on January 20. We're going to work. We're going to double down on what we've done. That's the only way to make a jump. And I think they all understand that, and I think they all have aspirations of something really special at Nebraska.”
Nebraska football will need to carry this momentum into 2025

The Cornhuskers got a much-needed win in the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday. Nebraska started the 2024 season at 5-1 and picked up some impressive wins, such as a dominant victory over Colorado. Unfortunately, Matt Rhule's team's hot start was followed by a disappointing regular season finish. Overall, the Cornhuskers went 3-6 in the Big Ten, picking up a four-game losing streak in the conference at one point.
Many of these struggles were due to an offense that lost its way against stiffer competition. Former 5-star recruit Dylan Raiola's play consequently deteriorated as the season went on. A stat reflecting these struggles was that the freshman threw for three touchdowns and eight interceptions from October till the end of the regular season. During that same span, Nebraska only scored more than 20 points once in 2024.
While Raiola performed better against Boston College on Saturday, his continued improvement will be crucial for the program's development over the next few years. The Buford, Georgia native is a huge talent who can make all the throws to become one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
Nebraska is already reloading at wide receiver in the transfer portal to get more weapons around its quarterback heading into 2025. One big blow for the Cornhuskers is that their leading rusher, Dante Dowdwell, just transferred to Kentucky a week ago. Nebraska will need a stable backfield to pair with its quarterback if it wants to move up the Big Ten ladder next season.
Matt Rhule ultimately has a right to be confident about his program's future. The Cornhuskers have the 21st-ranked recruiting class coming into 2025 and are being very aggressive in the portal. Things are starting to look hopeful in Nebraska, which is good for the sport, as this historic program has been a staple of college football for decades.