Nebraska, Cincinnati to square off in key opening matchup

Nebraska and Cincinnati will meet Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., in the only Power Four matchup of the day.

Coming off a season in which they played in a bowl game for the first time since 2016, the Cornhuskers enter their third season under head coach Matt Rhule -- who has had success in his third seasons in his previous head coaching stints at Temple and Baylor, going 10-4 and 11-3, respectively.

Now he's looking to replicate his success at Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers' campus in Lincoln, Neb., is just 209 miles from the Kansas City Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium, and defensive coordinator John Butler said he feels like the crowd will favor his team Thursday night. But he had a caution for his players.

"You're playing game No. 1, you're playing in a pro stadium -- don't make it bigger than it is," Butler said. "A lot of guys have played in an elite venue here at Memorial Stadium, so it's similar, but just do what we've practiced to do. Don't lose your minds. Play with energy and enthusiasm, but don't make it bigger than it is."

Quarterback Dylan Raiola is entering his second season at Nebraska, coming off a freshman year in which he threw for 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He finished with 2,819 yards passing.

The Bearcats' Scott Satterfield is also entering his third season at the helm of his program. Through his first two seasons, Cincinnati's first two in the Big 12, the team's record is just 8-16 overall and 4-14 in the conference.

The Bearcats finished 5-7 overall last season, while Nebraska was 7-6.

Like Raiola, Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby is entering his second season with his team. He had a strong first half of 2024, then fizzled as Cincinnati lost its last five games following a 5-2 start.

"Obviously, (those last five games) weren't up to the standard I would like to play at," said Sorsby, who finished last season with 2,813 yards passing. "I think the experience I got from last year in the system will be a huge benefit going into this year."

Cincinnati is looking to start 1-0 for the third straight season.

--Field Level Media