Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers decided to cut anything visually flashy for their USC Trojans face-off. Earlier this season, Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen had embraced the color red. He promised to light up Memorial Stadium from the outside, overdoing the red color scheme. However, giving in to Rhule’s program’s demand, the stadium got transformed for a blackout game against USC on November 1. This move paid off, earning recognition from ESPN and revving up the excitement among Nebraska fans.  

On November 1, Huskers Radio content creator Damon Benning posted a bird’s-eye view of the stadium. The caption read, “Perspective.” And it’s a new sight from Rhule’s squad. The stadium houses 85,000 fans, and it’s generally a Sea of Red. But this time, the Nebraska fans, too, turned it into a black sea. 

Few looks in college football scream tradition like Rhule’s Nebraska. Scarlet jerseys, cream pants, and the iconic white helmet marked only by a bold scarlet “N” and a single stripe cutting clean from front to back. Rhule and Co. decided to play with the color scheme a bit as they welcomed Lincoln Riley’s boys. Looks like Rhule did not just pay attention to all things frivolous. His quarterback, Dylan Raiola, just added to the perfect energy for the blackout game, with fans still in the Halloween mood. 

Efficient and poised, the quarterback completed 10 of 13 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, connecting with five different receivers who each chipped in double-digit yards. Meanwhile, the uniform choice caught ESPN’s attention. They reported that Nebraska’s all-black threads led the top Week 10 college football uniforms. They call them the “Blackshirts,” and in Nebraska, that name carries weight. It’s the legacy of a defense that built dynasties, forged champions, and helped carve out five national titles in Husker history.

Against USC, Rhule’s Blackshirts gave up chunk plays at times but stifled the Trojans on their two longest drives, holding them to field goals. Nebraska struck first and last in the opening half. The tone-setter? A 14-play, 75-yard march capped by Raiola hitting Dane Key for a 14-yard score, the drive’s longest play and a glimpse of what was coming. And the fans are already celebrating black as their luckiest color. 

Fans react to how the Nebraska crowd carried the blackout legacy in the Matt Rhule era

The first time Rhule’s boys wore black jerseys in a game was in 2013 against UCLA. 40-50% of fans complied with the request. But things have changed, with more fans feeling attached to the Huskers. A fan thus wrote, “A Blackout in Memorial Stadium. For the first November night game in Lincoln since 2016. And the black balloons fly into the evening sky as Nebraska scores first. Ideal start.” As Rhule’s boys started things strong in the first half, they turned Memorial Stadium into one big party. 

In 2014 against Miami, the “Iron N” student group called for a blackout. The result was a mini-blackout, with only the student section tapping into the energy, while the rest of the crowd offered little backup. “Did you ever think the Nebraska fan base would embrace this all black game? I’ve been a fan since the 70s. Never seen anything like this,” a fan noted. Cut to 2025: almost the whole stadium decided to boycott the color red on the first day of November. 

From 1962 to 1972, Bob Devaney led Nebraska to back-to-back national titles in 1970 and ’71. Early on, he gave his defensive players black practice shirts to set them apart, a move that birthed the “Blackshirts” tradition. In a span of five decades, a fan thinks the tradition peaked under Rhule. He wrote, “I have to say, I’ve never seen anything quite like this.” He attached a video that captured black balloons flying into the sky above the stadium, with one of the most scenic sunsets in the background.

In August, Adidas revealed Nebraska’s alternate uniforms set to debut against USC on Nov. 1. Inside the collar, a bold reminder of the program’s legacy read, “Tradition of Winning.” It created a FOMO within the fan base. Capturing a snap outside the stadium, a fan wrote, “Well, the blackout thing worked. Can’t wait to see Memorial Stadium. Also, congrats to the University of Nebraska for their successful ploy to sell millions in black merchandise! 😉.” The pictures showed the fans patiently waiting outside the stadium, proudly donning the black color theme, and not a single red outfit was spotted.

For the fans. The black jerseys are elite, top-of-the-line, best of the best. As one wrote, “The Nebraska all black unis are automatic S-tier in college football.” Now that Rhule’s quarterback Raiola made the evening extra special, credit must also go to a surprise gift from NBA star Anthony Edwards. The Huskers’ star received a pair of Adidas AE 2 sneakers signed by the legend.

Matt Rhule rolled out the red carpet for its biggest recruiting weekend yet, 35 visitors strong, stretching from the class of 2026 all the way to 2030. And Dylan Raiola and his mates made the most of the game. A fan wrote,  “Nebraska’s all black uniforms are so tough.” The blackout crowd made every sacrifice worth it for Raiola, who couldn’t make his brother Dayton Raiola’s Senior Day.