“A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

– Lao Tzu

Husker fans hoping and praying that Nebraska will go bowling after this season need look no further than Saturday’s game against the University of Texas El Paso. It’s only the first game, but make no mistake: This is a must-win for a Nebraska program that has endured seven consecutive losing seasons.

The point spread is 27.5 for Nebraska, which means the bookies think NU should cruise to a win. That’s music to the ears of Husker fans, of course. Win the game by a big margin and Matt Rhule will have the luxury of playing a lot of second and third stringers. That would be two big wins in just one game.

UTEP

So what do we know about the UTEP Miners? They are a member of Conference USA (CUSA) along with teams like Liberty and Louisiana Tech. Last year the Miners struggled with a 3-9 record.

One thing to note: The Huskers and Miners had two opponents in common in 2023: Northwestern and Louisiana Tech. Both were losses for UTEP and both were wins for the Huskers.

In 2023, UTEP scored 19.9 points per game, but the defense allowed 28.5 points per game. That explains the 3-9 record.

But help may be on the way for the miners.

This will be Scotty Walden’s first year as UTEP’s head coach. What new challenges does he have for this game? They’ve had months to prepare for the Huskers. Expect some surprises, especially early in Saturday’s game.

For Nebraska, all eyes will be on the play of #15, Husker freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. He will be making his Husker debut. Raiola is only the second true Husker freshman to start the season as QB in Nebraska’s post-World War II era. The first? Adrian Martinez vs. Colorado in 2018.

Unfortunately, Colorado defeated the Huskers that year, 33-28. That means that if Nebraska wins Saturday’s game, Raiola will go down in the Husker record books as the first (and only) true freshman QB to win a season opener in Husker football history.

Play smart

Words of wisdom for the Huskers this fall: Play smart. Don’t beat yourself up. Let the game come to you. And for Husker fans, if Raiola throws a pick or fumbles, be patient. He’s a great player, but less than a year ago he was playing high school football in Buford, Ga.

A Heisman Night

Ashley Spitsnogle, perhaps the only officially licensed Husker artist, will be hosting an event this Thursday night (August 29) from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Main Street Studio and Art Gallery (2610 N. Main Street) in beautiful downtown Elkhorn, Nebraska.

Special guests include Nebraska’s three Heisman winners: Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers (1972), Mike Rozier (1983) and Eric Crouch (2001).

Spitsnogle has an impressive list of original Husker oils, including Memorial Stadium, John Cook, Brook Berringer/Sam Foltz, Johnny Rodgers and the record-breaking Husker volleyball game at Memorial Stadium last August.

Don’t miss this chance to meet these Husker legends and admire some amazing artwork.

What about those Huskers?

On this week’s podcast, Will and I preview the UTEP game and give our thoughts on what to expect from Dylan Raiola and how the Huskers might fare this fall. We also look at the final probable Husker depth chart.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers on SInext HuskerMax on Xand visiting HuskerMax.com daily.