1 week Ago By Evan Bland World-Herald Staff Writer
LINCOLN — A partial marching band played Nebraska’s fight song from the southeast corner of Memorial Stadium as the aroma of chicken wings wafted across the field. Two large tractor tires sat together along one sideline. Players milled about afterward wearing a blend of standard football uniforms (reserves) and unpadded long-sleeve athletic T-shirts (starters).
An in-house D.J. implored the crowd for one final “Go Big Red!” chant.
This wasn’t a standard Red-White scrimmage — the live football that did happen was between teams wearing red and black tops. Yet for the estimated crowd of perhaps 8,000, it was generally enough on a pleasant overcast Saturday afternoon. “I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoy a typical spring game,” said Scott Weldon, 58, of Lincoln.
“I still thought they did a good job organizing it and making it entertaining.” Perhaps the loudest roar came when quarterback Dylan Raiola swished a pass through a basketball hoop in the end zone from 40 yards away. Raiola also made an earlier impromptu appearance leading multiple drives during the second half of the women’s flag football game, coming on for Nebraska when trailing Midland 41-0 in an eventual 61-0 final.
Fans settled in on the east and west bleachers, with the crowd size resembling a Class A championship game — last November’s bout between Millard West and Omaha Westside drew 5,322. The Saturday turnout was drastically less than what the Huskers got for coach Matt Rhule’s first spring game in 2023 (66,045) and Raiola’s spring debut last year (60,452). Yet many of those on hand at the first so-called “Husker Games” left with something, either tangible or unexpected.
Those walking around the Hawks Center around 12:30, for example, found Raiola and younger brother Dayton — an NU quarterback commit — standing on the sidewalk signing autographs. Nebraska’s morning equipment sale drew 3,000 visitors who gained access to the sprawling offerings of jerseys, balls and gear by showing their $10 ticket to any other sporting event during the day. The first guests into the indoor football facility arrived more than four hours before doors opened at 9 a.
m. The line stretched to the corner of Salt Creek Roadway and 14th St. a couple blocks away, reaching as far as the Harper, Schramm and Smith dorms.
“I don’t know if it’ll be worth it once we get in,” one fan remarked as he approached the building after 10 a.m. “Holy buckets.
” The sale was the exception to a quieter start to the day. Many toured the $165-million Osborne Legacy Complex at $50 apiece, with the experience concluding with a Tunnel Walk onto the field complete with fog machines and The Alan Parsons Project’s “Sirius” playing on the loudspeakers. A fan who declined to be identified likened the new building to “a multi-million-dollar frat house” with a state-of-the-art weight room, the life-sized walk-through room with a screen simulating opponents and ultra-modern cafeteria.
A few stray tailgates popped up in the lot east of the stadium. The so-called “Food Truck Festival” in the same area mostly consisted of half a dozen options — barbecue, Thai, Runzas, coffee and comfort food among them — staying moderately busy into the lunch hour. Weather cooperated too.
No storms, sweating or shivering amid partly-cloudy skies and mid-50s temperatures, though one bystander labeled the conditions “sneaky cold” while zipping his jacket. Spectators present for the women’s flag football game saw multiple Nebraska coaches on the sidelines including Rhule, who later drew a crowd signing autographs in the northwest corner. Recruiting diehards also spotted a few high-end prospects visiting including Trae Taylor, a four-star 2027 quarterback from Illinois set to announce his commitment Thursday.
Greg and Angie Dickey, their son Adam and his two grade-school nephews left the football scrimmage/event with smiles as they made their way to the Devaney Center for the evening volleyball exhibition. They made the 290-mile drive east from Imperial for the day in what was essentially the first spring-game experience for most of them. “I liked the fan interaction,” Adam said.
“I liked the event instead of an actual game. Because we’re all used to games — the events show their personal side, which I like to see. This is who they truly are, people just like us.
” The nephews — Creed Spady, 9, and Truett Spady, 6 — both offered an enthusiastic “Yeah!” when asked whether they had fun. They scored some autographs too including former Huskers Adam Carriker and Kenny Bell along with current defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri. Greg also said he enjoyed the day, though he would have liked to see “a little more of the up-there guys.
” Perhaps 2,000 fans remained after the final chicken wing had been consumed, well shy of the “40,000 or 50,000” Raiola last week said he hoped would come. Raiola thanked those in the stands himself, taking the microphone and encouraging everyone to come back for Nebraska’s first home game Sept. 6 against Akron.
Weldon, who listened from the west stands by himself — he couldn’t convince his family to come with him — nodded. He’ll be there in the fall, then with a bunch more of his fellow Husker fanatics. Saturday felt like a reward for a long offseason.
Even if it wasn’t exactly traditional. “I appreciated them doing it, still,” Weldon said. “And I appreciated them having some football.
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