Husker Games: What worked, what didn't and what's next
Nebraska’s spring event signaled the end of an era and the start of a new challenge: keeping the spirit alive while embracing change.
Saturday marked what is presumably the end as we know it of the Huskers’ annual Red-White Spring Game tradition. In its place, we welcomed — at least for now — the Husker Games to Lincoln.
By the time this newsletter arrives in your inbox Monday morning, you will have read the reviews. It’s no secret that they have been mixed. The day saw some wins — like the Husker Garage Sale that brought out around 3,000 fans to shop gear, memorabilia and more — and some disappointment. It was surreal to see the Champions Club parking lot sit mostly empty on a day like Saturday.
We won’t rehash it all here. At least not today. Instead, let’s break the day down into three categories: Things that were good and should stay, things that were OK but need some rethinking, and what should change if the Husker Games return in 2026.
First, let’s dive into the things that were good and should stay.
The Nebraska Garage Sale was a hit and it should be an annual thing — as long as there is enough surplus gear and memorabilia to go around. The first fans in Hawks Championship Center on Saturday — which opened its doors at 9 a.m. — got in line around 4:30 or 5 a.m. There were highly coveted items to snag, like football helmets, John Cook bobbleheads and signed memorabilia.
For the fans that didn’t want to arrive so early, plenty of items remained by the time I wandered into the practice facility around noon. For one family, it was the perfect opportunity to outfit their children with new track cleats.
“Do you like pink or grey better?” one little girl asked her mom, holding up two pairs of Adidas track cleats in her size.
Another family pushed their finds out on a leather office chair. It wasn’t just Husker gear on sale. Surplus office equipment was up for grabs too, likely from the old football offices in Memorial Stadium before they were moved to the new football facility last year. I wondered whose chair that fan may have been pushing out of the building because it’s very possible it came from a coach’s office. They didn’t know — I asked if there was any information provided — but they needed a new chair for their home office, and this one was perfect.
The mood inside the Hawks Championship Center on Saturday was good. The “pre-game excitement” I sought out wasn’t where it usually is — in the parking lots, bars and small businesses downtown — but it was there in the Huskers’ practice facility.
The garage sale is a keeper, and I hope Nebraska knows that.
Another keeper was the combination of football, soccer and volleyball for the day. This wasn’t necessarily new — plenty of double- and triple-headers have taken place in Lincoln on spring game days over the years — but this was the first time they had all been branded as one under the Husker Games title.
For some fans, it would have been more than possible to make a whole day of it by catching football at Memorial Stadium at 2 p.m., soccer at Hibner Stadium at 4:30 p.m. and volleyball at the Bob Devaney Sports Center at 7 p.m. I’m not sure how many fans made all three events work, but I did walk with some fans from Memorial Stadium to the Devaney Center following football.
An honorable mention needs to be made to the women’s 7-on-7 flag football matchup at Memorial Stadium too. Nebraska pulled together an all-star team to compete with Midland University, but the Warriors are just too good. They won 61-0.1
While the flag football portion wasn’t overly competitive, it was an incredible thing to see in Memorial Stadium. Flag football is coming to the Olympics in 2028, and coach Matt Rhule is a big proponent of growing the sport in Nebraska. I’m in, and I’d love to continue seeing opportunities to have it highlighted in the future.
Now, let’s talk about the things that were OK but need some rethinking.
In case you didn’t see it, here’s how the schedule looked for Nebraska on Saturday:
In all sincerity, the competitions — for the most part, at least — were a lot of fun. Highlights included the tractor pull, the roping roundup and the wing eating competition. Seeing quarterback Dylan Raiola sink a football through a basketball hoop 40 or so yards away — Dude Perfect would be proud — was also a highlight.
Here’s where the rethinking needs to come in:
It was hard to see what was going on. In most competitions, players huddled around those competing to a point where the only way to see what was happening was to watch it on the big screen. It’s a double-edged sword because, yes, you’re doing this for the players. You want this to be for them. However, if you are going to encourage fans to attend in the future and be excited, they kind of need the opportunity to see it happen too.
The DJ on hand for the day would often ask the crowd to “get loud” during the competitions. Fans would rally the cheers for a moment, but it’s hard when you’re not always quite sure what’s going on.
The other thing to consider for the future is how the score is kept. There was also a lot of decision making regarding the events happening in real time, so it was hard to track. Take the quarterback shootout, for example. After Raiola made the throw through the basketball hoop, Rhule called it. Time to move on to the next.
While I agreed that it was a great note to end on, we never got to see Raiola finish the competition. That means he tied with backup TJ Lateef on the scoreboard, but he also didn’t finish the event. He would have presumably added to his total.
It was also unclear how much the scrimmaging did or did not affect the overall team scores. At one point, Rhule said the next team to score a touchdown would be given seven points. The Red Team scored and was given 10, but neither team had been given points for any other touchdown prior.
In the end, it’s not that big of a deal but it’s nice for consistency. It also just helps those of us in the spectating role better follow — and stay engaged — with what's happening.
Last, what needs to be changed if this happens again?
I suspect the days of 60,000+ attended spring game days are gone. That means empty parking lots free from tailgaters and quiet downtown bars and local businesses on a day that traditionally was the opposite. Spring game days provided opportunity for both fans that are unable to attend a game in the fall and for businesses to gain a revenue boost outside of the traditional “busy” months.
It also provided Nebraska with a boost of its own in revenue, which is something we can’t overlook.2
This isn’t to blame Rhule for making the decision he did. It’s no surprise he, like so many other college coaches, have opted away from the traditional spring game setup. With college football becoming increasingly more like its professional counterpart, it’s not just about keeping the poaching eyeballs off your players. It’s also about protecting them from injury.
With that in mind, here are a couple of things I’d change for 2026 if this is the format once again:
Come up with the plan for the football portion earlier and promote it harder. Rhule made the decision to scrimmage with the walk-ons and backups within a couple of weeks of the Husker Games after saying for months there would be no live action. It’s understandable because he realized through spring ball that he wanted to give those that might not make the roster an opportunity to have their Memorial Stadium moment — tunnel walk and all.
However, now that they’ve seen how it can work, set the format sooner and make that your promotional talking point. If fans can better understand the event itself, they’re more likely to show up and fork over the $10/person to do so. Nebraska cranked out a lot of fun videos about the competitions themselves in the last few days leading up to the spring game, and I think those would’ve been great to have a month in advance.
Second, I’d find a television partner. In fact, call up Nebraska Public Media and make a deal for 2026 now. I understand part of the concern is people seeing what your players can do, but I don’t think many programs are gaining much insight on a player from a tractor pulling contest. I think allowing the whole thing to be broadcast — at least locally — will better help those at home get familiar with what you’re trying to do and buy into it.
At the end of it all, Saturday was a good day. Nebraska soccer and volleyball both won their respective matches, while football made for a fun afternoon for the estimated 8,000 in attendance. It may have been a far cry from the attendance of years past, but those who did show up were given a nice afternoon in Memorial Stadium. That was worth it.
But if this is the direction it’s going — and it seems like it is — there are ways to take what worked and evaluate what maybe didn’t. That doesn’t make the inaugural Husker Games a failure. It just means there’s room to grow. That can be a good thing.
Sometimes traditions have to change, but the spirit of what it once meant can still live on if done correctly. That’s going to be the challenge now for Nebraska as it evaluates the future of its spring event.
It’s not an easy thing to solve, but Nebraska is certainly not alone in navigating the new world of college athletics. Still, it can be a bit jarring to witness the change happen in real time.
Maybe next year will feel a little more normal, whatever “normal” means now.
It may have been 60-0, but the scoreboard wasn’t always the most accurate on Saturday.
Because we’re talking millions in lost revenue here, which is why we can’t overlook it. We don’t know yet what the difference is in what Nebraska saw this year over the past for spring game day revenue, but it’s fair to suspect it will be less than it has been. Does that factor into things for 2026 and beyond?
Heck, I'd think some talks from the strength coach etc about workouts and nutrition would be attended well?
Maybe they could have a fan participation event to generate revenue? There would be some liability issues to overcome... But, for example, have a couple track/shuttle courses set up with lights or a virtual screen (best choice) that show relative position so you can "run against" current/past Huskers players.
Maybe do similar for baseball pitchers? Stand in against previous pitchers arsenal? Even if you knew what was coming it would be crazy hard. If you had a person behind the plate changing type and location of the pitch?!?!?!!!