Three opponents to watch: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Michigan goes on the road for the second time this season as it visits the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but this time, the Wolverines will be without their head coach, Sherrone Moore. Biff Poggi will fill in as interim head coach again, but a road test at Nebraska proves to be a much harder test for Michigan than last week against Central Michigan.

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Nebraska isn’t ranked in the AP Top 25, but the Cornhuskers, as always, will give the Wolverines a run for their money on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln.

Here are three Nebraska Cornhuskers to watch during Saturday’s game.

QB Dylan Raiola

Raiola has received his fair share of backlash for his unapologetic obsession with Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but the sophomore signal caller has quietly had a very solid start to the 2025 season. Through three games this season, Raiola has thrown for 829 yards and eight touchdowns while completing more than 75 percent of his passes.

After throwing 11 interceptions as a freshman last season, Raiola has yet to turn the ball over in 2025. The game appears to have slowed down drastically for the former five-star, and Raiola will look to keep his strong season going against the Wolverines at Memorial Stadium.

Michigan will need to apply pressure to Raiola and make him uncomfortable. Starting EDGE rusher T.J. Guy did not play last week against CMU, but the Wolverines will need him on Saturday. Jaishawn Barham, who started at EDGE in place of Guy, was a force at the line of scrimmage against the Chippewas last week, but the Wolverines will need all hands on deck to beat the Cornhuskers.

RB Emmett Johnson

Through three games this season for Nebraska, junior running back Emmett Johnson has either rushed for more than 100 yards or scored multiple touchdowns in every contest. Johnson has played a substantial role in Nebraska’s offense since his true freshman season in 2023. He earned 90 carries during his freshman campaign and rushed 117 times last year as a sophomore.

Johnson has already rushed 52 times this season, which is good for more than 17 carries per game. For reference, Michigan running back Justice Haynes has 49 carries through three games, which is just over 16 carries per game.

Nebraska sophomore running back Kwinten Ives is the only other Cornhusker with more than 10 carries on the season. Ives has 16 rush attempts for 119 yards. With Ives registering only about five carries per contest, Johnson is the clear bell cow back for Matt Rhule’s squad.

If Michigan can find a way to slow down Johnson, who is averaging about 109 yards per game, it should put itself in a good position to win.

DB Rex Guthrie

It’s not often teams have a freshman as their leading tackler, but that’s exactly what Nebraska has three weeks into its season. Guthrie, a redshirt freshman from Colorado, is currently tied with Deshon Singleton as the leading tackler for the Cornhuskers.

Guthrie, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back, has 12 tackles this season and also has a pass deflection. 

Guthrie appears to have been a wildly underrated recruit. A low three-star coming out of high school, Guthrie is proving his ranking wrong. Although he’s young, the redshirt freshman is proving himself in the Big Ten. He is a vital piece of Nebraska’s defense, and he could give Michigan wide receivers fits on Saturday.

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