Huskers Rhule

[Uenth]

Tim would make a great father

Not really. He's funny but totally ineffective. Nope, no thank you. Don't want him for a father in any way, shape or form. Haven't watched for a while but, especially the oldest, was just kind of a brat. But most TV children are portrayed as brats. Early kid protrayals were precocious, then they devolved to being brats. Don't even watch sitcoms and mostly because of how kids are portrayed.

 

[ATX_Husker]

 

[valiantsailor]

Not really. He's funny but totally ineffective. Nope, no thank you. Don't want him for a father in any way, shape or form. Haven't watched for a while but, especially the oldest, was just kind of a brat. But most TV children are portrayed as brats. Early kid protrayals were precocious, then they devolved to being brats. Don't even watch sitcoms and mostly because of how kids are portrayed.

OK then....to each their own....

 

[ATX_Husker]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2086815776502084052

 

[Doc Fumble]

Enthusiasm is starting to build as we get Fall Camp reports about our returning players, our new transfers, and new coaches. But what we're seeing this year is no different from the buzz coming from every other college football fanbase.

That's a noticeable change this year. Husker fans are well-known for their "over-the-top, hype overdrive" nature during the early Frost years and Dylan Raiola years. Given our post-Bo history, what was wrong with this picture?!!? Other than a glorious past, we had more in common with Purdue and Northwestern than we did Ohio State or Michigan.

In another thread, we've been rehashing the absolutely horrible years after Bo when we dropped from a 'a good but not great 9-10 win' program to a sad sack, cellar dweller. Instead of reversing the downward trend that the Eichorst/Riley years established, all our 'savior' Scott Frost accomplished was solidify our cellar dweller status. But God help us, we stayed optimistic until the end. Trust me, nowhere else would you hear a fanbase proclaim, "We have The Best three-win team in the history of CFB!" ugh.

Impatient to return to prominence, we've ignored our drop-off (15th out of 18th in the B1G in current NFL players) and spent the last eight years hyping our any-moment-now return to glory. We can all point to the mistakes Coach Rhule has made during his three-year tenure. But despite them, the program made progress. If we were one of the other B1G perennial cellar dwellers, we'd be encouraged. But hey, we're 'Blueblood' Nebraska so fire our bum coach. But the truth is that we are now closer to returning to the "Pelini-level" from the bottom of the barrel where we've been sitting.

I was frustrated with Bo's program because a couple of times we were oh-so-close to returning to our old "Top Ten-tier" days. Some will point to the lack of support Pelini got once Osborne retired. But starting out, Osborne gave a talented young defensive coordinator an incredible on-ramp to return Big Red Football to prominence--and he fell short. When I look back at Bo's Husker career, I see a coach who was his own worst enemy.

In my opinion, we're on the cusp of returning to those Pelini years again. Unlike Bo ever did, I believe Coach Rhule has learned from his past mistakes. Matt literally bristles at the term, but Year 4 feels like a program restart--and, IMO, a damn good one on all fronts.

We'll soon see. GO BIG RED!

 

[Uenth]

[QUOTE="Doc Fumble, post: 355413, member: 211896]
But God help us, we stayed optimistic until the end. Trust me, nowhere else would you hear a fanbase proclaim, "We have The Best three-win team in the history of CFB!" ugh.

GO BIG RED![/QUOTE]

I admit that those posts had me rolling on the floor. Not exactly something I would be writing home about but that's just me.

 

[Doc Fumble]

Not exactly something I would be writing home about but that's just me.

Exactly. But I distinctly remember that became a thing with the national media back in 2021. Looking back, it was a way of saying, 'We are SO CLOSE to being a really good team."

Despite finishing 3-9, we outscored our opponents over the course of the season 335 to 272, lost all of our games by single-digits, and pushed OU, Ohio State, and Michigan to the brink.

What was the difference? coaching.

 

[Jimbosc]

Bo inherited a pretty good roster and the SoS during his tenure was largely favorable. Really good teams tended to whip our a$$. He also did a decent job with initial staff choices. Honestly - Carl was a damn good DC but a POS as a person - which got him run out of Lincoln.

Bo....being a fiery dude....took criticism as a reason to hire yes men coaches as replacements not to mention his us against the world approach to handling the team. And frankly he was a pretty lazy recruiter. The talent level dropped year over year he was HC - with the exception of the secondary (which was Bo's speciality - an eye for elite DBs).

I've mentioned several times - most of Bo's teams vs. the current B1G would have AT BEST a .500 record. Water under the bridge at this point. We gotta figure out how to win in the current state of college football and let go of pining for Bo - he got fired for good reasons. But our hiring process after Bo has been a joke (and the jury is still out on Rhule if the joke is still ongoing).

 

[Husker99]

This is the first time ever where I am apathetic about the start of Husker football. Not to be overly dramatic, but this could be the season that either re-ignites my passion and love of Husker Football or it could be the season that extinguishes it. 8-9 wins (with one of them being vs Iowa) including a bowl win and I'm back on the hype train. More of the same 7-6 or worse and/or continuing the trend of us getting beat like a drum to any team with a pulse and I'm done. Life is sh^^ right now so adding more sh^^ on top of the never ending pile of sh^^...no thank you.

 

[Jimbosc]

I used be a FANATIC for information and hype about our beloved Huskers. I think the nature of college football + Nebraska not being good for an extended period has tempered my enthusiasm. That being said - I still watch all the friggin' games and I am sure I will this season.

 

[Doc Fumble]

Jimbosc gave all the reasons why it was never going to work for Bo:

Bo inherited a pretty good roster and the SoS during his tenure was largely favorable. Really good teams tended to whip our a$$.

Right. For all the criticisms heaped on Callahan, Pelini inherited a lot of young talent.

Bo....took criticism as a reason to hire yes men coaches as replacements not to mention his us against the world approach to handling the team.

Yep. On the positive side, surrounding yourself with a bunch of yes men is guaranteed to stroke your ego. But on the negative side, there won't be anyone to prevent you from making stupid decisions.

he was a pretty lazy recruiter. The talent level dropped year over year he was HC.

The complaint that that "Mediocre recruiting was all Eichorst's fault" is BS. The word on Pelini from back to his DC days was that he considered recruiting to be a tiresome chore. I recall his comment upon becoming Youngstown's HC: He said upon his hiring that the great thing about it was that he'd have all the talent he'd need to win a short drive away.

most of Bo's teams vs. the current B1G would have AT BEST a .500 record.

Agree. The conference is considerably better from when we first joined.

(Bo) got fired for good reasons. But our hiring process after Bo has been a joke (and the jury is still out on Rhule if the joke is still ongoing).

I agree the jury is still out. But where Bo surrounded himself by yes men and was hellbent on doing things his way--even when it was clear to everyone who knew anything about football that he needed to change if he he hoped to win in the B1G. Rhule HAS shown his willingness to change. Whether it makes a difference is yet to be determined.

 

[Cigarman]

When I try to come up with a parallel for NU and the string of coaches it has hired between Osborne and Rhule, the only thing that comes to mind is the hot girl who always brings home a loser boyfriend.

Barry Alverez, Nick Saben, Gary Patterson and others all say they were interested in coaching for NU but were never given a look. Poor judgement is the sole reason for the decline at NU.

 

[Huskergod84]

When I try to come up with a parallel for NU and the string of coaches it has hired between Osborne and Rhule, the only thing that comes to mind is the hot girl who always brings home a loser boyfriend.

Barry Alverez, Nick Saben, Gary Patterson and others all say they were interested in coaching for NU but were never given a look. Poor judgement is the sole reason for the decline at NU.

I would love to see one article where any of them said that.

 

[Husker99]

I would love to see one article where any of them said that.

You won't find it because it doesn't exist. But that doesn't mean what Cigarman said isn't true. Unless you're directly involved with the hiring process for the head coach position at Nebraska, you have no idea who was considered or not. And, given Nebraska's absolute ____ leadership these past 30 years, it would not surprise me at all if what Cigarman said was true. I mean, Nebraska's leadership was, according to posts from people in the know here, given 10 years to re-qualify for membership in the AAU or be kicked out--and we got kicked out. If that's not a grossly incompetent display of zero leadership I don't know what is.

 

[redfred]

Enthusiasm is starting to build as we get Fall Camp reports about our returning players, our new transfers, and new coaches. But what we're seeing this year is no different from the buzz coming from every other college football fanbase.

That's a noticeable change this year. Husker fans are well-known for their "over-the-top, hype overdrive" nature during the early Frost years and Dylan Raiola years. Given our post-Bo history, what was wrong with this picture?!!? Other than a glorious past, we had more in common with Purdue and Northwestern than we did Ohio State or Michigan.

In another thread, we've been rehashing the absolutely horrible years after Bo when we dropped from a 'a good but not great 9-10 win' program to a sad sack, cellar dweller. Instead of reversing the downward trend that the Eichorst/Riley years established, all our 'savior' Scott Frost accomplished was solidify our cellar dweller status. But God help us, we stayed optimistic until the end. Trust me, nowhere else would you hear a fanbase proclaim, "We have The Best three-win team in the history of CFB!" ugh.

Impatient to return to prominence, we've ignored our drop-off (15th out of 18th in the B1G in current NFL players) and spent the last eight years hyping our any-moment-now return to glory. We can all point to the mistakes Coach Rhule has made during his three-year tenure. But despite them, the program made progress. If we were one of the other B1G perennial cellar dwellers, we'd be encouraged. But hey, we're 'Blueblood' Nebraska so fire our bum coach. But the truth is that we are now closer to returning to the "Pelini-level" from the bottom of the barrel where we've been sitting.

I was frustrated with Bo's program because a couple of times we were oh-so-close to returning to our old "Top Ten-tier" days. Some will point to the lack of support Pelini got once Osborne retired. But starting out, Osborne gave a talented young defensive coordinator an incredible on-ramp to return Big Red Football to prominence--and he fell short. When I look back at Bo's Husker career, I see a coach who was his own worst enemy.

In my opinion, we're on the cusp of returning to those Pelini years again. Unlike Bo ever did, I believe Coach Rhule has learned from his past mistakes. Matt literally bristles at the term, but Year 4 feels like a program restart--and, IMO, a damn good one on all fronts.

We'll soon see. GO BIG RED!

Sometimes it’s painful to reminisce so I try not to live in the past. But this post is helpful in the sense that if we learn from the past. we get a glimpse of what might be.

I’ve been impatiently waiting for a coach who learns from mistakes and develops corrections. These new coaches give me
hope. I like what I’m hearing SO FAR.and really like their style. I’ll see, but I honestly think Coach made some good moves here.

 

[OhioHusker]

Here's something to be hopeful for. Cignetti has proven that you can take a terrible team to a national title in two years. Two damn years.

I don't believe Rhule has the capability to do that ever, but it can happen. Knowing that, the Huskers are never truly dead.

 

[Doc Fumble]

Poor judgement is the sole reason for the decline at NU.

100%. All of the other Bluebloods have had down times. But one of the advantages of being one is that you can easily recover from one with a homerun hire.

The problem with Nebraska is that we dropped from an elite program down to a good one. THEN we dropped to one of the worst with Riley followed by Frost. To be fair, Frost was a homerun hire that turned out to be a flop. It happens. But coming on the heels of the Eichorst/Riley era was a program killer.

It doesn't bother me when some folks gaslight fan support for Matt Rhule. The jury is justifiably out on whether or not he's the answer. His three year report card currently shows an Incomplete.

Riley's three-year record reflected a clear drop in our previous status, Matt Rhule's record has shown a similar trajectory back up. When you've left Ireland in the sorry state our program was in, you have to pass through Mediocre City before you can reach where you wanna go.

 

[valiantsailor]

Jimbosc gave all the reasons why it was never going to work for Bo:
Right. For all the criticisms heaped on Callahan, Pelini inherited a lot of young talent.
Yep. On the positive side, surrounding yourself with a bunch of yes men is guaranteed to stroke your ego. But on the negative side, there won't be anyone to prevent you from making stupid decisions.
The complaint that that "Mediocre recruiting was all Eichorst's fault" is BS. The word on Pelini from back to his DC days was that he considered recruiting to be a tiresome chore. I recall his comment upon becoming Youngstown's HC: He said upon his hiring that the great thing about it was that he'd have all the talent he'd need to win a short drive away.
Agree. The conference is considerably better from when we first joined.
I agree the jury is still out. But where Bo surrounded himself by yes men and was hellbent on doing things his way--even when it was clear to everyone who knew anything about football that he needed to change if he he hoped to win in the B1G. Rhule HAS shown his willingness to change. Whether it makes a difference is yet to be determined.

I wouild say that Rhule suffers the same affliction as Callahan, he is a terrible game day coach.

 

[Pavlov's Dog]

I wouild say that Rhule suffers the same affliction as Callahan, he is a terrible game day coach.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
This is the first I've heard of this. Intriquing!

 

[Doc Fumble]

I wouild say that Rhule suffers the same affliction as Callahan, he is a terrible game day coach.

What makes a 'terrible' game day coach?

Two things usually stand out to me. The first is his "Go for it or kick a FG" decisions. Rhule has had a tendency to go for it on fourth down---aaaand the offense would get stuffed---and we'd lose momentum. In retrospect, that seems a little weird for a former NFL coach (they are traditionally wired to play it safe.)

The other area would be "halftime adjustments." I hear that one a lot. But, ironically, Rhule's staff 'kicked serious butt" in that area (+24 in the third quarter) in Year 1 and were 111 vs 85 in Years 2 and 3 combined. What started the rumbling was a 41-point third quarter deficit in 2025. DAMN--RHULE GOT REALLY STUPID LAST YEAR!!!!

But when you look at last season's third quarter deficit more closely, you see that the issue was one-sided--Our 3rd Q production improved on offense from 51 points in 23, to 53 in 24, and up to 70 points in 2025. The problem was defense. We went from 27 points in 23, up to 58 in 24, and then up to....111 points in 2025!!!!

Guess what? Rhule fired Butler's butt at the end of last season and replaced him with Aurich.

Let's see if Matt Rhule gets smarter this year.