Game Day Guide: What you need to know for 2025 Husker Games
The Husker Games are here. Here's everything you need to know for the day ahead.
The Husker Games are here.
Yes, this year looks a little different from the traditional Red-White Spring Game we’re accustomed to. The good news, however, is there’s still football, still competitions — even if they look a little different — and the addition of soccer and volleyball.
Before we dive in: thank you for spending a little bit of your Saturday with us. Whether you're coming for the football, the volleyball, the soccer or a little bit of everything, Saturday promises to offer something for every Husker fan.
Let’s get into what you need to know for the inaugural Husker Games.
And, because what would a “game day” be without a game day chat, we’ll have our chat live for paid subscribers in time for all the action to begin.
The Schedule
The day kicks off early and it’s packed:
8 a.m.–Noon: Osborne Legacy Complex Tours (Husker Game tickets required)
9 a.m.–1 p.m.: Husker Equipment Sale at Hawks Championship Center
8 a.m.–2 p.m.: Husker Food Truck Festival outside Memorial Stadium
12:30 p.m.: Memorial Stadium gates open
1 p.m.: Women’s Flag Football — Midland University vs. UNL All-Star team
2 p.m.: Nebraska Football Scrimmage + Husker Games
4:30 p.m.: Nebraska Soccer vs. Wyoming (Hibner Stadium, free admission)
7 p.m.: Nebraska Volleyball vs. Kansas (Devaney Center, limited standing room tickets still available)
It’s a full day of all things Huskers. Hopefully you got some rest because you can spend nearly 12 straight hours in Lincoln catching every event if that’s what you want to do.
Women’s flag football in Memorial Stadium
Before the football scrimmage, arrive early and catch a growing side of the game.
At 1 p.m., Memorial Stadium will host a 7-on-7 women’s flag football game between Midland University and a UNL intramural all-star team.
Matt Rhule said he believes it’s a great opportunity to showcase the growth of women’s football and its future.1
The Football portion of the day
Matt Rhule changed up Nebraska’s spring format this year, but he decided to still put the ball down and let players compete. The live portion of the day is a recent development.
At 2 p.m., a live football scrimmage will take place in Memorial Stadium. It will feature walk-ons, backups and players fighting for a spot on the 105-man roster.2
“There is a lot of guys who will play on Saturday that will play a lot for us this year,” Rhule said.
Expect about four “quarters,” each roughly 15 plays. Starters like Dylan Raiola and Emmett Johnson won’t participate in the scrimmage itself, but they will be heavily involved in the competitions between quarters.
Those challenges include:
Specialist competitions
Husker Hands Showdown
Strongest Man competition
Quarterback Shootout
Fastest Man competition
And a wing eating contest, of course
“It is a really special chance for fans to come out and support us and I am going to be out there having a fun time,” Johnson said this week. “I would be in the wing eating contest but all the O-linemen wanted to be in it so I will let them do that.”
Nebraska alums Will Compton and Jay Foreman will also be on hand to coach up players during the skills challenges.
Soccer: Nebraska hosts Wyoming
The day continues with some spring soccer at Hibner Stadium.
Nebraska will host Wyoming for a spring exhibition match at 4:30 p.m. Gates open at 3:30 p.m., and both admission and parking are free.
The match will also be televised by News Channel Nebraska.
Coming off a strong fall season, Nebraska soccer is aiming to build momentum heading into the 2025 campaign and Saturday is a chance to get an early glimpse of what’s ahead.
Volleyball: A spotlight on the national power (and Dani Busboom Kelly’s Nebraska debut)
Saturday night belongs to Nebraska volleyball.
At 7 p.m., the Huskers will take the court at the Devaney Center against Kansas in a spring exhibition match. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and while reserved seating is sold out, a limited number of standing room only tickets are still available.
The match will be televised live on Big Ten Network.
This is not just an afterthought to the day (and who would even think that, right?). Nebraska volleyball draws a crowd no matter what, but Saturday marks a key moment for the team. Yes, it’s when the Huskers officially open a new chapter under head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. It’ll be the first chance for fans to see the new head coach in action in Devaney.
The Huskers also return a loaded core, including Harper Murray, Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy, as they chase the goal of adding another national title to the rafters. It’s also the first look at top recruits like Teraya Sigler and the battle for starting spots in a program that continues to raise the national standard.
Saturday night won’t just feel like a spring match. It’ll feel like the start of something much bigger.
A new spring tradition begins?
The format is new. The name is new. But if this is the path of the spring game going forward, the Husker Games allows for an intriguing tradition to be born.
From football scrimmages to volleyball dominance, it’s a full day dedicated to Nebraska Athletics (and its student-athletes).
Here’s to a full day ahead.
I’m personally looking forward to this quite a bit.
Although that’s a bit complicated now, which Brandon detailed earlier this week.