Common Fan - A Nebraska Football Podcast

The Common Fans are joined by longtime friend Nic Olsen, a fellow Common Fan and U.S. Army veteran.  Nic talks about his journey from enlistment through basic training, and shares his experiences through six years in the Army:   Going through basic training.  Deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Differences between servine in Iraq vs. Afghanistan.  Watching classic Husker games while deployed.   Wh...

It's another View From the Blandstands, with the Omaha World Herald's Evan Bland joining the Common Fans to talk about the hugely disappointing loss to UCLA and where Nebraska goes from here.  Assessing Coach Rhule’s comment that he’s bringing in outsiders to evaluate the offense, defense, and special teams. Should a staff of over 70 coaches and analysts need to bring in extra eyes? Is thi...

The Common Fans break down Nebraska’s garbage performance against UCLA: When it comes to Nebraska football, you cannot trust anyone.  Matt Rhule said the team played with a championship mindset against Ohio State; Nebraska showed the opposite of that against UCLA. Everyone is to blame: the Head Coach, the offense, defense, and special teams. The team came out flat, didn’t seem to have any answers...

It's another View From the Blandstands, with the Omaha World Herald's Evan Bland joining the Common Fans to talk about the tough loss to Ohio State and look ahead to UCLA.  Husker fans have seen variations of the Ohio State game so many times over the years–close but not enough. Even so, Ohio State was a culture game. Coming off the loss to Indiana, Nebraska needed to show some guts and th...

The Common Fans break down Nebraska’s heartbreaking loss to Ohio State: Husker Nation dealing with a wide range of emotions after yet another heartbreaking loss. Whether you’re feeling rage about the loss, or feeling more pensive and hopeful, all Common Fans are welcome.  The boys are lamenting the missed opportunities, but ultimately feeling very encouraged about the direction of the program. Hus...

It's another View From the Blandstands, with the Omaha World Herald's Evan Bland joining the Common Fans to talk about the Indiana loss, assess the current state of the program, and look ahead to Ohio State.  Frustrations from the Indiana game boil over. Would the loss feel better if the Huskers had lost 35-7 instead of 56-7? 104 FBS teams have beaten a top 25 team since the last time Nebr...

The Common Fans break down Nebraska’s meltdown loss against Indiana: Huskers implode in major test against the Hoosiers. Was this loss worse than any loss of the Frost era?  A win over Indiana was never a guarantee, but no one saw Nebraska just completely failing to show up.  Huskers tossed around at both lines of scrimmage.  Belief that the defense could keep Nebraska in any game turned out to be...

Mitch Sherman, writer for The Athletic and host of the Locked on Nebraska podcast, joins the Common Fans to assess where things stand for Nebraska the football team at mid-season. Big picture takeaways: Team has been inconsistent but has made significant gains compared to a year ago. Husker fans should be happy with 5-1, with much more left for this team to accomplish in the second half of the sea...

It's another View From the Blandstands, with the Omaha World Herald's Evan Bland joining the Common Fans to talk Rutgers, Indiana, and a mid-season review of Nebraska football.  Celebrating the 1-year anniversary of the Common Fan Podcast.  The Common Fans announce the first ever Common Fan tailgate, to be hosted during the UCLA game in Lincoln on November 2. Tune in for more information. ...

The Common Fans break down Nebraska’s rugged win over Rutgers: Huskers win an old fashioned, Big Ten rock fight against the Scarlet Knights. Nebraska led 14-0 at half and then held on for dear life for the win. Celebrate 5-1! Huskers learning how to win, have responded with backs against the wall the last two weeks. Blackshirts come up HUGE. Two interceptions, game-defining, 3rd quarter goal line...

It's another View From the Blandstands, with the Omaha World Herald's Evan Bland joining the Common Fans to talk all the latest with Nebraska football. Is officiating in college football worse than it’s ever been? Feeling like officials are being taught to throw flags more than ever. Evan’s take on the Purdue game: Defense turns back into “old reliable” Offense finally gets on track late i...

The Common Fans break down Nebraska’s bounce-back win over Purdue: Huskers overcome atrocious 1st half to win decisively Defense dominant once again Emmett Johnson coming out party 2nd half success a sign of growth for Matt Rhule’s program in Year 2 Penalties, penalties, penalties Horrendous Special Teams Positive turnover margin very promising The boys also explore some questions heading into wee...

It's another View From the Blandstands, with the Omaha World Herald's Evan Bland joining the Common Fans to talk all the latest with Nebraska football. Did the Huskers’ performance against the Illini raise some concerns that affect how we look at the rest of the season? How good is Illinois? Decade-long drought in overtime games. Is Nebraska’s inconsistent run game a function of offensive...

The Common Fans break down Nebraska’s gut punch loss to Illinois: Huskers lose in familiar fashion, with late mistakes, crucial penalties, and an atrocious overtime performance. Outcoached, out-schemed, outplayed. Perhaps more concerning than anything was the performance of the defense, which never really looked to be in control. Re-setting expectations. Another underwhelming performance by the of...

It's another View From the Blandstands, with the Omaha World Herald's Evan Bland joining the Common Fans to talk all the latest with Nebraska football. Did the win over Northern Iowa tell us anything new? Team took care of business but expects to be better moving forward. D expects bounce-back performance after less than dominant showing vs. UNI. Looking ahead to Illinois: first ranked-on-...

The Common Fans celebrate Nebraska’s 34-3 win over Northern Iowa: While perhaps a little bit sloppy, the Big Red took care of business to get to 3-0. This offense is fun to watch - playmakers everywhere, and with Dylan Raiola, everything seems possible.  Nebraskans everywhere! Heinrich Haarberg (Kearney), Carter Nelson (Ainsworth), Jaylen Lloyd (Omaha), and Tristan Alvano (Omaha) make significant...

It's another View From the Blandstands, with the Omaha World Herald's Evan Bland joining the Common Fans to talk all the latest with Nebraska football.  What does the win over CU mean for the rest of Nebraska's season? This appears to be the turning point we've been waiting for.  D line dominance: how the Huskers are getting to the quarterback while only rushing three or four playe...

The Common Fans celebrate Nebraska’s decisive win over Colorado: Like a school yard bully, the Huskers stuffed the Buffaloes into a locker on Saturday night. Nebraska’s defense was dominant throughout. The Buffs got punched in the mouth early, were in a big hole by halftime, and flat out quit by the 4th quarter. Dominant first half: not only did the Huskers execute at a high level, they seemed to...

The Common Fans announce “View From the Blandstands,” a weekly show that will be airing mid-week, every week of the college football season. Evan Bland of the Omaha World Herald will be joining the Common Fans to dissect each game, look ahead to the next game, and talk all the latest Husker football news. This week, the crew dives head first into Colorado week: Evan’s takeaways from the win over U...

The Common Fans break down Nebraska’s win in the home opener against UTEP: So much to love about Dylan Raiola. Isaiah Neyor and Jahmal Banks: transfer portal success stories. The defense is who we thought they were. Hello successful two-minute drill, it's been so, so long since we've seen you. Emptying the bench like the old days. The boys also explore the major questions heading into week...

The Omaha World Herald's Tom Shatel joins the Common Fans to help kick off the 2024 Nebraska football season. The crew celebrates the coming season by diving in on a wide range of topics, including: A tribute to Nebraska football fans. The hope that Dylan Raiola brings, both for 2024 and beyond.  What’s more important to the success of the 2024 Nebraska football team: that Dylan Raiola is who...

Nebraska football Hall of Famer Adam Carriker hangs out with the Common Fans to discuss the latest developments with the Husker football team, including: The recent "this is why we lose" video of Coach Rhule addressing the team during practice, and the subsequent decision to close practice to media and guests. How Tony White flipped the defense in year one, and whether we can expect the Bl...

Josh Peterson joins the Common Fans to look at the similarities between the 2024 Huskers and the 2019 Huskers:  Popular Head Coach heading into Year 2 Young, dynamic QB expected to be a difference-maker Local and national media hype surrounding the team Belief in an improved culture and a team expected to make a big jump The crew dissects the reasons the 2024 Nebraska football team can and should...

Kent Pavelka, the voice of Nebraska football and basketball for a generation of fans, joins the Common Fans for a wide ranging discussion: What made TO so good The 1994 national championship team and Kent's famous "Bring that trophy back to Lincoln!" call Lyle Bremser memories Outlook for Matt Rhule The feelings of losing the mic for Husker football are still raw The golden age of Big...

Legendary sports broadcaster Tim Brando joins the Common Fans to talk Husker football, Matt Rhule, and his incredible career in sports media.  Brando is high on the 2024 Huskers, and believes they will return to a bowl game.  He noted the favorable early schedule in particular, and thinks if the Huskers can start strong, they will get to eight or more wins.  High praise for Matt Rhule.  Tim shares...