Nebraska

New Nebraska coach Matt Rhule wants to win now, but he promises to take no shortcuts

Published

1 year ago

August 14, 2023

New Nebraska coach Matt Rhule wants to win now, but he promises to take no shortcuts

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Make no mistake, Matt Rhule wants to win and win often in his first season at Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers’ new coach also understands where the team sits in 2023, and he’s taken the program down to the studs with the hope of building it back into the respected national brand it was a generation ago.

“When I think about Nebraska, I just think about that helmet,” Rhule said of the Huskers’ classic white and red headgear. “It’s iconic to me, and it is across college football.”

Rhule said Nebraska — winners of five national championships but none since 1997 — should be in the national discussion year in and year out, and for the right reasons. Talk about Nebraska in recent years has centered on coach Scott Frost’s spectacular failure over four-plus seasons. The Huskers are coming off six straight losing seasons with no bowl appearances. There’s been no Top 25 ranking since 2019, 10 seasons without an appearance in a conference championship game and no league title since 1999.

Athletic director Trev Alberts began pursuing Rhule shortly after the Carolina Panthers fired him as coach last October.

Nebraska is banking on Rhule to orchestrate the kind of turnarounds he did at Temple and Baylor before he left for the NFL. His $74 million, eight-year contract makes him the third highest-paid coach in the Big Ten and among the top 10 nationally.

Rhule said his coaching philosophy is not for everybody. He demands discipline on and off the field, and he has suspended a number of players since spring for not adhering to his standards. The team spent the first two weeks of preseason practice living in cramped on-campus dormitories. Starting safety Myles Farmer decided to transfer and projected starting receiver Zavier Betts quit.

“I don’t want to take shortcuts,” Rhule said. “I don’t want to build something (where) we show everybody a little bit of hope this year, but the next year we take a step back. I want to win, but right now I can’t think about the games. I expect us to do everything right. I expect guys to show up and be on time. So it’s just this mindset of everything matters, everything counts.”

SIMS IS IN

Georgia is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time in 15 years.

Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims won the starting quarterback job in the spring, prompting incumbent Casey Thompson to transfer.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s system will mix what’s hoped to be a physical run game that includes a fullback with a passing game predicated on intermediate throws.

“It puts me in a lot of different situations and puts me in a greater situation to show off my arm and my ability to pass the ball,” Sims said. “I’m willing to run whenever I need to. I’m going to do it, and I’m going to do it at a high level.”

NEW-LOOK DEFENSE

Defensive coordinator Tony White brought the 3-3-5 base alignment with him from Syracuse, and the idea of using the system in the Big Ten raised eyebrows among fans.

Big Ten offenses, to be sure, have evolved from plodding to more wide open, and that should alleviate concerns about there not being enough heft up front. The four-man front isn’t going away entirely. The 3-3-5 is adaptable, White said, and it allows for more blitzing options and coverage disguises.

“Chaos,” is how linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek described it.

FEELING AT HOME

Though he’s been on the job only nine months, Rhule said he’s comfortable in an environment where Nebraska football is a year-round passion. He has spoken often about putting on the field a team the inspires pride in a fan base that has sold out every home game since 1962.

“You’re not just serving a university. You’re serving an entire state as well,” he said. “That’s a responsibility I take very seriously.”

LOOKING AHEAD

The Huskers’ schedule has them playing their first two games on the road, at Minnesota on Aug. 31 and at Colorado on Sept. 9.

Their toughest crossover game is at home, against No. 2 Michigan, on Sept. 30. Preseason West favorite No. 19 Wisconsin visits Nov. 18 and border rival No. 25 Iowa on Nov. 24.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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Nebraska

Badgers Wire staff predictions for Wisconsin vs. Nebraska

Published

3 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Badgers Wire staff predictions for Wisconsin vs. Nebraska

Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Will Pauling (6) celebrates with quarterback Braedyn Locke (18) after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Both programs enter play Saturday trying to figure out who they are and what they have left in the tank.

Wisconsin will be working with a new play-caller on offense, attempting to reestablish their strong form from earlier in the season. If the Badgers are to get back on track, it will be as a result of the reemergence of Tawee Walker in the backfield. Braedyn Locke is more suited for a rush-heavy attack on offense, sprinkling in passes when needed.

On the other side, after being a top 25 team, Nebraska fell back into the program’s old ways, losing several consecutive one-score games. Losers of four straight and at home for the last time in 2024, Matt Rhule’s squad will be itching to snap the 10-game skid versus Wisconsin. I’m inclined to go with history here.

Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Nebraska 20

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Nebraska

'This is actually a cool place': Tourists spent record $4.6 billion in Nebraska last year

Published

11 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

'This is actually a cool place': Tourists spent record .6 billion in Nebraska last year

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Is Nebraska a new tourism hot spot?

A new report from Visit Nebraska shows a major increase in travel, providing an economic boost.

Last year, out-of-state visitors spent $4.6 billion in Nebraska, an all-time record.

And since 2019, the number of overnight hotel guests has doubled, with 76% of them coming from out of state.

What happened in 2019? Visit Nebraska began a new marketing strategy that included ideas such as finding out what locations it should be promoting and focusing on attracting out of state visitors.

“Truly it’s just because people have been invited to the state in a way they understand, in a way that makes sense,” said John Ricks, executive director of Visit Nebraska, also known as the Nebraska Tourism Commission.

SEE ALSO: Nebraska tourism slogan is no more. ‘Everything has a shelf life,’ official says

Ricks says the preconceived notion of Nebraska being a flyover state isn’t true. The commission just had to let people know what the state offers.

After talking with out-of-state visitors, it learned what barriers were keeping people from the Cornhusker State.

“There’s just a simple awareness problem and a familiarity problem,” Ricks said.

SEE ALSO: Nebraska Tourism receives second national award for ‘not for everyone’ campaign

We asked users of the Now Local News App, some who live here and some who don’t, what their favorite spots are in Nebraska.

“I think that going out to western Nebraska is my family’s favorite place to go,” Melanie Dawkins said. “I don’t think enough Nebraskans make it all the way out there, like to the Panhandle.”

Kimberly Grace, who lives out of state, said she likes visiting the Stuhr Museum at Grand Island.

“You can learn about the pioneer days, and they have houses that they put on the land where you can go to visit.”

SEE ALSO: Rooms fill up in Lincoln, one of Airbnb renters’ top college football destinations

Ricks says to keep this growth going, it’s always going to be about getting the word out.

“The more people we make aware, the more people who are discovering that, ‘Hey, whatever I heard in the past isn’t true, and this is actually a cool place.’”

According to Ricks, despite the 2023 numbers just getting released, this year’s numbers are already beating last year’s by over 10%.

Tags: cornhusker state, Grand Island, John Ricks, Nebraska, Nebraska Tourism Commission, now local news app, Panhandle, stuhr museum, Tourism, tourism industry, visit nebraska, Western Nebraska

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Nebraska

Wisconsin and Nebraska are both seeking bowl eligibility and an end to their losing streaks

Published

20 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Wisconsin and Nebraska are both seeking bowl eligibility and an end to their losing streaks

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Bowl eligibility goes to the winner. Wisconsin is looking to extend its bowl streak to 22 seasons, third-longest in the nation. Nebraska has lost four straight after a 5-1 start and is looking to go to a bowl for the first time since 2016, the longest drought in the Power Four. The Badgers, losers of three straight, have clinched bowl eligibility the last two years with wins over Nebraska.

KEY MATCHUP

Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola vs. Wisconsin pass defense. Raiola will be playing his second game with new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen as the play-caller. The freshman has struggled against Big Ten opponents. He’s thrown just three touchdown passes and been intercepted eight times over the last six games. Wisconsin has one of the best pass defenses in the conference and has allowed just three TD passes in six games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wisconsin: QB Braedyn Locke, like Raiola, has struggled and will have a new offensive coordinator following the firing of Phil Longo. The Badgers have scored a combined 33 points during their three-game losing streak, with Locke completing 49.4% of his passes (49 of 99) with two TDs and four interceptions.

Nebraska: DE Ty Robinson, a sixth-year player, will need to be his best in his final home game going against a Wisconsin offensive line that has allowed just 11 sacks. He’s one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the Big Ten, with 10 tackles for loss and six sacks.

FACTS & FIGURES

Wisconsin has won 10 straight meetings with Nebraska, including all nine since the Freedom Trophy was introduced in 2014. The Badgers are 11-1 against Nebraska since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. … Nebraska is 0-8 under second-year coach Matt Rhule when trying to win a sixth game to become bowl-eligible. … Badgers have allowed only two plays of 40-plus yards, tied with Ohio State for fewest in the country. … Wisconsin’s Tawee Walker is averaging 97.3 rushing yards per game in his six Big Ten starts.

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