The Ticket Radio Host Has High Hopes for Huskers

With excitement and expectations building over the next couple of weeks for the Husker football season opener on August 31st, fans are anxious to see what the addition of quarterback Dylan Raiola will bring to the offense. But the season’s success will ultimately come down to what the overall team as assembled by Head Coach Matt Rhule and his staff can achieve.

That message of what will come due to the team’s performance was shared by 93.7 The Ticket’s radio host Nick Sehnert at Monday’s Executive Club luncheon held in downtown Lincoln at the Graduate Hotel.

“You can expect quarterback play to be a lot better this year,” said Sehnert. “That doesn’t mean that there’s not going to be freshmen mistakes. I think there’s also something to be said about it’s important, yes, how good the quarterback is, but it’s also more important who the coaches put around him.”

Sehnert, who is in his third year working at the radio station, said the media is allowed to come to Husker Friday practices and get to speak with the coaches and players on Tuesday’s and Friday’s. He said in getting to see practices on a regular basis, he’s noticing the team is passing the eye test.

“The coaches went out and got two wide receivers that came from the transfer portal. Jahmal Banks, a transfer from Wake Forest and an all-ACC pick, is 6-foot-4 and goes 220 pounds. Isaiah Neyor, a transfer from Texas, is 6-foot-5 and goes 215 pounds. Size is important in the Big 10 and it makes a dramatic difference,” said Sehnert.

He contrasted that to last season’s leading pass receiver in Billy Kemp, who was 5-10 and weighed 180 pounds. But Sehnert does like a couple other receivers returning after their freshmen seasons to fall practices, in Malachi Coleman and Jaylen Lloyd, who only had 6 catches last year, but three of them went for touchdowns and the speedster garnered better than 250 yards of production.

“Now they’re in year two and have to make that sophomore jump. Once again the volume’s not there, but man the potential is there,” he said about the future. “I know we talk so much about potential and sometimes it just never pans out. Let’s hope that now Nebraska has some guy back there slinging the rock that can actually deliver it to these guys. The staff did their job to put the bodies around him.”

Speaking of carrying the rock, Sehnert shared hopes of Nebraska getting back to its roots and getting an effective running attack that will take some of the pressure off of the quarterback. He said back in the day there was a heavy reliance on the quarterback to be able to run and that became a dynamic part of the offense and success to the teams of the 90’s. He said that’s not necessarily needed in today’s game.

“Nebraska is going to have to rely on running backs because you have a 5-star quarterback who is not going to want to run the ball 75 times on the season. I mean you’re talking about putting your quarterback who’s in danger every play of getting sacked, getting hit from behind, whatever the case, getting hurt,” he said. “You have to protect because in today’s college football with the transfer portal, with NIL, it’s a year-to-year type of contract. That’s just how it is, unfortunately. So if you mismanage Dylan Raiola or anybody on this roster, you have to concern yourself with are we going to have this player next season.”

?

Another key for success and the most essential part of the team, according to Sehnert is getting a fix and a plan for moving forward with the offensive line. He said there is some concern here with starting left tackle for the past three years, Turner Corcoran, who’s now out for the season. He said Bryce Benhart will be the right tackle with a probable transfer taking over the right guard position in Micah Mazzccua. The center position is in the best shape with Ben Scott, who may be playing in the NFL soon according to Sehnert. He said the left guard position will probably go to Justin Evans, a sophomore out of New Jersey.

?

“But man, that left tackle position, guarding your quarterback’s blind side, is certainly a question mark,” he said.

?

He said there are 4 freshmen that are candidates for the left tackle spot. They include Gunnar Gottula, a redshirt freshman from Lincoln Southeast, Gibson Pyle, freshman from the state of Texas, Sam Sledge, redshirt freshman from Creighton Prep, and Grant Brix, freshman out of Logan, Iowa.

?

“The reason that Nebraska is in this predicament that they’re in is because they have forced freshmen to play day one and that’s what they’re trying to stay away from,” Sehnert said ironically.

“Nebraska and offensive line coach Donovan Raiola are kind of in a bind. Don’t get? me wrong, they’re in a much better position than they were a couple years ago. Matt Rhule and his staff to their credit has done a good job of boosting the depth on the offensive line. The problem is that takes time, that takes years.”

?

And if you’re looking to bolster the offensive line through the portal, Sehnert said that may prove difficult. He noted that the most coveted position in the transfer portal is in the offensive line because every program, no matter the SEC, Big 10, Big 12 or ACC wants these key players on their team.

?

“Everybody knows that the most important positions on your football team is going to be your offensive line,” he said. "Hence why Nebraska was so successful years ago was because they had such a dominant line. Remember the pipeline..?”