Assessing the State of Nebraska’s Offense Heading into the 2025 Season

Author

TJ Birkel
January 07, 2025

T.J. Birkel

In 2024, Nebraska ranked 103rd nationally in scoring offense, 96th in rushing offense, 66th in passing offense, 106th in yards per play, and 94th in total offense (NOTE: final rankings are subject to change once the college football playoffs are completed, but they won’t change by much). The Huskers were even worse in several of these categories in 2023. 

It’s safe to say the overall offensive performance was disappointing. Most Nebraska fans were optimistic that things would improve heading into the 2024 season with the addition of true freshman phenom Dylan Raiola, combined with the addition of several immediate impact skill position players from the transfer portal. The quarterback play was indeed much improved, and there were certainly flashes that got Husker fans excited, but once conference play began, the Huskers really struggled to move the ball and score points consistently. 

Today we’ll look at where things stand with the Husker offense heading into the 2025 season. I know, I know…winter workouts haven’t even begun yet. But, we’re only a few months away from spring ball, and it’s never too early to start focusing on next season. As we say on the Common Fan Podcast, all Husker football, all the time. 

It’s Holgorsen’s Show Now. Dana Holgorsen is considered one of the premiere offensive minds in college football, having served as a successful offensive coordinator at Texas Tech, Houston, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia. He also owns a respectable 92-69 career record as a head coach, with stints as the head man at West Virginia and Houston. Point being, this guy likely has options. If he wanted to try his hand as a head coach again, or take a crack at the NFL, you have to imagine he wouldn’t have too hard of a time finding a place to land. Nebraska is lucky to have him.  

Holgorsen’s journey with Nebraska is quite remarkable. After the Huskers’ disappointing loss to UCLA, head coach Matt Rhule brought Holgorsen in to give an outsider’s view of the offense. Within a week, he was promoted to offensive coordinator and given play-calling duties. That’s almost unheard of in the middle of a season in major college football. He had to learn an entirely new playbook, new terminology, and of course, new players. Credit to Rhule for having the guts to make the decision. The offense immediately looked better, with the decisive performance coming in Nebraska’s 44-25 win over Wisconsin, when the Big Red got points on eight of their 12 offensive possessions and clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016. Husker fans are already frothing at the mouth with anticipation about what he can do with a full offseason to refine the offense. 

Quarterback Room Remains in Good Shape. When you successfully recruit a 5-star, all-world, highly coveted quarterback like Dylan Raiola, it must be difficult to find quality depth. Everyone knows…