Nebraska looks to build momentum vs. Houston Christian

Nebraska will try to wrap up a perfect nonconference slate for the second year in a row when it hosts Houston Christian on Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

The Cornhuskers (2-0) are coming off a 68-0 home win over Akron, their most points since scoring 73 against Idaho State in 2012. Their 728 yards of total offense were the most since 2014 and the 494 yards through the air were second most in school history.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has thrown for 607 yards and six touchdowns in two games, completing 78.1 percent of his passes without an interception. As a freshman in 2024 he had 11 picks against 13 TD passes in 13 games.

But now the Cornhuskers will be facing a Houston Christian defense that has only allowed 20 points and one third-down conversion in two games.

"It will obviously be a tough challenge for us," Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. "They're going to challenge you with different looks."

The shutout against Akron was the first for the Cornhuskers since blanking Arizona in the 2009 Holiday Bowl. For the season they have allowed only 131 passing yards, second fewest in FBS.

Houston Christian (1-1) comes to town off a 20-10 loss at Eastern Kentucky. The FCS Huskies managed only 259 yards, a far cry from the week before when they crushed Arkansas Baptist 69-0 and ran for more than 400 yards.

"We're still very youthful," second-year coach Jason Bachtel said. "We've had a lot of change, a lot of guys buying into what we want to do."

Nebraska is seeking its ninth consecutive nonconference win, its longest streak since winning 12 straight outside of conference play from 1999 to 2001.

Since forming its football program in 2013, Houston Christian is 0-13 against FBS opponents. The Huskies' closest outcome was a 35-33 loss at Texas Tech in 2020.

"There are still a lot of firsts to happen," Bachtel said.