Read 10 Reasons to Believe Matt Rhule is the Guy Nebraska Needs
With two seasons in the books, Nebraskans have gotten a read on their Big Apple-born coach. We’ve examined why there are reasons to believe. Now let’s examine the other side of the coin and allow a little doubt to creep in.
1. He sometimes says one thing and does another
Rhule has paid lip service to being different and veering away from the style of offense most teams roll out. “We’re going to be more old school, get in the huddle, control the clock, pound the football… win special teams and let the elements help us.” But anyone who watched the Huskers this year saw the offense quickly pivot to being conventional 2024 fare, giving up on the run game quickly and allowing defenses to tee off against a true freshman quarterback. The less said about Special Teams, the better.
Rhule has also called having a mobile quarterback “vital.” That was reflected in his transfer addition of Jeff Sims in 2023. But his quarterback recruiting since then has said otherwise. Daniel Kaelin, Dylan Raiola, and newly signed TJ Lateef are all considered pocket passers, as was Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord, who was all set to come to Nebraska until the Raiola news broke.
A consistent philosophy is necessary to steer a blue-blooded program like Nebraska. Just ask Mike Riley.
2. He’s made questionable assistant hires
When the team you’re poaching a coach from isn’t sad to see them go, you may have made a bad hire. Rhule also took flak for hiring fresh-faced Garret McGuire, son of his former colleague, Joey McGuire. Rhule defended his choice on Will Compton’s Bussin’ with the Boys, essentially saying “look at my track record and trust me.” But McGuire’s unit underachieved in 2024 and he’s now in Lubbock as a result. That’s to say nothing of his choice in Bob Wager, the Texas high school coach no doubt brought on to get a foot in the Lone Star state’s deep pipeline of talent. But Wager resigned after a DUI arrest before ever coaching a game. And Husker fans are still curious if Ed Foley will have a job by the time the New Year’s ball drops.
3. He still can’t solve the Huskers’ one-score woes
As much as Rhule downplays the Huskers being snake-bitten or cursed, at this point, you have to wonder at least a little bit, right? Like his predecessor, Rhule has a horrid record in one score games. The Huskers can hold onto a tight lead, as they did against Northwestern in 2023 and Rutgers in ’24, but to have the ball in their hands with the game on the line? Forget about it. Nebraska won one – one! – of their last 33 contests when tied or losing by a score on their final possession. The lone win? 2019 against Northwestern. It defies all realms of possibility.
4. He can’t seem to fix the turnover issues either
They had the second worst turnover margin in FBS last season. After a promising start to 2024, they finished the regular season –0.1. It’s an improvement, yes, but if two years in you’re still finishing in the negatives, it makes you wonder if they’re actually capable of getting it in order. Chief among John Butler’s to-do list is finding players who can take the ball away.
5. His offenses have historically been dreadful
An injury-riddled offense ranked near last in FBS last season. The hope was that a 5-star quarterback, exciting new receivers, and an offensive line among the most seasoned in all of football would be able to put together a much-improved product in 2024. But the Huskers finished ranked 97th in scoring, 94th in yards per game and 106th in yards per play. They don’t do anything particularly well and they routinely flounder in the red zone. As Sam McKewon pointed out, 10 teams have had scoring defenses ranked in the top 20 each of the last two seasons. Nebraska is the only one among them with a losing record. That speaks to an offense that isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.
Until Wisconsin, Nebraska had not won a game under Rhule in which they gave up more than 14 points. Ask Carolina fans if that sounds familiar.
This year there was no denying that Raiola and his receivers regressed as the season went on. Bret Bielema and his Fighting Illini showed teams the way to befuddle Satterfield. But if Illinois could figure out the blueprint in September, why couldn’t the Huskers pivot in October? Dana Holgorsen’s turn as offensive coordinator has been encouraging thus far and it’ll need to ramp up even more in 2025 if that Huskers want to better their record.
6. Special Teams have not been any better
Special teams under Scott Frost were so awful that fans publicly lobbied to give analyst Bill Busch the coordinator job, which Frost acquiesced to in 2022. But there’s been little to no improvement since his departure. Under Rhule, the Huskers have repeatedly struggled with missed kicks, botched snaps, and gotten absolutely nothing out of the return game. Simply put: the third phase of the game has cost them wins.
7. His awful stint with the Panthers
Speaking of Carolina, Panthers fans still have Rhule stuck in their craw. Why? Ask them and they’ll tell you he coached QBs poorly, fielded ugly, ineffective offenses, and never turned around a losing culture. While many say Carolina is a difficult job, largely because of their controversial owner, some Husker alumni haven’t given him a pass for his time in Charlotte.
8. Anointing Jeff Sims the starter
Whether this was Satt or Rhule, Sims played arguably the worst we’ve seen any QB at NU play since true freshman Beau Davis was thrust into the role halfway through Texas Tech in 2004. Ask Florida State how fast things can go south when you pick the wrong guy to pilot your offense. Rhule could have stressed open competition and potentially kept Casey Thompson in the fold, the only quarterback to defeat Iowa since Tommy Armstrong, but he instead handed the reins to Sims, who unearthed new ways of turning the football over.
Nebraska was one average offense away from a winning season in 2023 and a lot of momentum in Rhule’s first season. Anointing Sims was costly.
9. Does he truly understand the Big Ten?
The Big Ten is a beast. It humbled Bo and Frost alike. It’s humbling Rhule right now. This ain’t the Big 12. You have to play defense and you have to run and, above all, you have to have players that consistently execute. He pays lip service to all, but the results say otherwise. Nebraska has often been thwarted by teams with worse recruiting rankings but better fundamentals. Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois all tackle better, block better, and play their assignments better. Until Rhule changes that, he’ll continue to lose to them.
10. He is what his record says he is
Rhule said it himself when he pointed out that they’re a 5-7 team until the record shows otherwise. Now he and his program are 11-13. No matter the outcome in New York, he’ll still have a losing record going into the all-important Year Three. The only other coach to have a losing record after two seasons in the last 60 years was Scott Frost.
Rhule has a track record for turning programs around. That takes time. But at the end of the day, between stints in college and Carolina, he’s won 69 of 152 games as a head coach. As the Huskers struggle to close out games, that gives you pause.
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