Troy Dannen saw what most Nebraska fans did Saturday. He felt the same emotions afterward too.
The NU athletic director went home after the Huskers’ 30-27 loss to Michigan with adrenaline to burn. Also part of the College Football Playoff selection committee, he watched recorded games until about 4 a.m. Not coincidentally, he said, he felt sick Tuesday.
A little space from the final result has Dannen seeing things more analytically, he said on the Huskers Radio Network. Quarterback Dylan Raiola is a great place to start. He doesn’t worry about special teams anymore either.
“It goes without saying we’ve got to get better up front on both sides of the ball,” Dannen said. “But we probably saw a team that’s as good as anybody we’ll face this year up front on both sides of the ball.”
NU on Saturday welcomed about 160 recruits and family members at the game across 12 sports, he said. That included about 100 football families. Talent acquisition continues to improve.
“There’s been a lot of growth happen in two years and (four) games with football,” Dannen said.
Other notes from the A.D.’s hourlong radio conversation:
» Nebraska had plans in place for if champion boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford was in attendance Saturday, not present or left after the tunnel walk. The image of Crawford wearing a white mouthpiece with a Husker ‘N’ logo flashed across the videoboard when Michigan attempted – and made – a field goal to the north end.
“I think we’ll probably use that more,” Dannen said.
» Dannen called it a “calculated move” for coach Matt Rhule to increase his media exposure this fall through his own “House Rhules” podcast and weekly appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” Rhule has also done interviews with Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy and various national writers.
The athletic director said a conversation last weekend with former players from the 1995 football team reminded him of a big difference from Nebraska in that era and now. NU then was a top brand. Now it needs to be front of mind to return to that point.
“We are not it — yet,” Dannen said. “We’re trying to get back there. The idea of recruiting, Nebraska does not recruit itself anymore. We have to give some effort and energy and do a little bit extra to get us back. And I think Matt is doing that, selling the program.”
» Dannen labeled the game-one debut of alcohol sales at Memorial Stadium “an unmitigated disaster in almost every way.” Aramark corrected many of those mistakes for the Houston Christian and Michigan contests — last Saturday had the most people and fewest problems, he said.
Nebraska has sold an average of 0.58 beers per person across three home games based on scanned ticket numbers, Dannen said. The number at Arrowhead Stadium was 0.93. The most popular adult beverage “by almost double” has been Michelob Ultra. He said the white Busch Lite cans with ‘N’ logos have been far more popular than the blue cans.
Concession revenue overall is about double from a year ago at this time, Dannen said.
» Pinnacle Bank Arena is likely to host Nebraska volleyball matches for years into the future, Dannen said. Coach Dani Busboom Kelly wants it to happen, especially after the AVCA event in August went “spectacularly well.”
“I think it’s a pretty safe bet we’re going to play at least one, maybe a couple matches there a year moving forward,” Dannen said.
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Evan Bland
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today