After an offseason of anticipation for what the Nebraska offense would look like under OC Dana Holgorsen, we finally got our first glimpse of the new scheme when the Cornhuskers kicked off their 2025 college football season against the Cincinnati Bearcats last Thursday. While it might not have produced the explosive pass play highlights many fans were hoping for, the Huskers' performance showed something arguably more important for long-term success: patience, discipline and in-game corrections.

Cincinnati’s 3-3-5 is designed to frustrate quarterbacks — drop eight, cap the deep ball with three defensive backs, and dare you to stay on schedule with the run and underneath throws. Many offenses take the bait and get impatient. Nebraska didn’t.

The Huskers executed a measured, efficient plan, which is evident from the offense's stats for the game:

• Run game: Emmett Johnson carried it 25 times for 108 yards — grinding into light boxes, staying ahead of the chains.

• QB play: Dylan Raiola completed 33-of-42 (79%), with five different Husker players recording five or more receptions. For context: last year Nebraska never had more than two players hit that mark in a game. That’s evidence that Raiola is working through his reads, trusting in Holgorsen’s system, and using disciplined decision-making to throw it to the open man.
  

Holgorsen’s offensive scheme was clear — heavy use of shotgun (≈80%), pre-snap motion on a majority of snaps, and a run-pass split tilted just slightly toward the air (46-54). It’s an identity rooted in stressing defenders with RPOs, forcing linebackers to choose, and taking the layups when they come.

Nowhere was that identity more evident than during a critical two-play sequence in the fourth quarter. With the score tight at 13-10, the Nebraska offense faced a 3rd & 4 from the Cincinnati 5-yard line.

Let's break it down.

A Missed Opportunity: 3rd & 4 at Cin 5 (4Q - 11:19)

• Personnel: 12 (1 RB, 2 TEs)

• Formation: Gun Trey Wing Left Flip

• Play Type: RPO (Run-Pass Option)

  
  

The Play Design:

This play is an RPO that keys off Cincinnati’s SAM linebacker (#11): Raiola rides the handoff mesh point and reads how ＃11 reacts - if he flows to the run, Raiola pulls it and throws it to WR Dane Key; if he drops into coverage, Raiola hands the ball off to Emmett Johnson.

The “Flip” designation on the play call, brings WR Nyziah Hunter over to the trips side of the formation, with Hunter and TE Luke Lindenmeyer both lined up on the ball. Although this ultimately makes Lindenmeyer ineligible to go out on a pass route on the play, they use this unbalanced formation to create alignment and matchup issues for the defense that the offense can exploit with the RPO. (NOTE: This unbalanced formation does allow for RT Teddy Prochazka to report as an eligible pass catcher, so who knows, maybe we'll see Dana come back to this look in the future and leak the Big Man out to the right to catch a touchdown pass)

The pre-snap “Hobo” motion by Haarberg is used to help clear throwing lanes for the intended target area of the pass option by drawing defenders to shift over to the right to account for the motion.

Post-Snap Analysis:

As you see in the clip, ＃11 hesitates for a moment but ultimately squeezes down to honor the run just before the handoff. Although ＃11 didn’t aggressively crash down to play the run, that indecision and slight movement was all that was needed to leave Key open for a touchdown. On the goal line, 0.2–0.3 seconds of timing makes or breaks a read. This was a missed opportunity by Raiola.

The In-Game Correction: 4th & 2 at Cin 3 (4Q - 10:36)

• Personnel: 12 (1 RB, 2 TEs)

• Formation: Gun Trey Wing Left Flip

• Play Type: RPO (Run-Pass Option)

Facing a pivotal 4th & 2 after missing an opportunity for a touchdown, what does Holgorsen do? He dials up the exact same play call - same unbalanced formation, same motion, same RPO read.

Post-Snap Analysis: On the second time running the play, Raiola does a fantastic job of "riding the mesh point" — keeping the ball in the running back's stomach for a split second longer, which holds ＃11 in run-fit purgatory; once the LB’s weight shifts away from Key's route, Raiola pulls the ball and hits him for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown!

Why These Two Plays Matter

• RPO Scheme: Stress a defender, then punish him for indecision. That’s the Holgorsen DNA.

  
  

• Playcaller Conviction: Going right back to the call after a near-miss is how you teach trust — in the read, in the footwork, and in the quarterback. (And yes, Holgo is the OC now; that’s the philosophy you hired.)
  

• Quarterback Growth: Making the in-drive adjustment from give → pull and throw during a critical point in the game — that is exactly what you want from your QB1 in Week 1.

Final Word

Nebraska’s opener wasn’t about fireworks. It was about patience, discipline, and trusting the system. These two plays — one miss, one touchdown — explain everything: Holgorsen’s philosophy, Raiola’s growth, and the Huskers’ offensive ceiling in 2025 with Holgorsen and Raiola leading the way.