For Eight(!) years a Blue Blood in college football has sat at home during bowl season, something that many considered unfathomable for a powerhouse like the University of Nebraska. After Matt Rhule & Co. fell short a year ago, losing their last four games after a 5-3 start, they seemed poised to concede to the same fate in 2024. The Huskers started 5-1 with some fans and pundits talking CFP dark horse. However, the Huskers stumbled in their next 3 games, capped off with an uninspiring 27-20 home loss to the 2-5 UCLA Bruins. In press conferences throughout the year, Coach Rhule emphasized the importance of player performance. He repeatedly mentioned that players need to make plays for the offense to succeed in an effort to silence the critics of his long time friend and OC, Marcus Satterfield. For maybe the first time in his collegiate coaching career, Matt Rhule was on the hot seat. With a stagnant offense and games against USC, Wisconsin, and Iowa on the horizon, the Huskers seemed destined to stay stuck on 5 wins.
Enter Dana Holgorsen.
The former Houston and West Virginia Head Coach was brought in to be a consultant to the offense. During the bye week, as they prepared for USC, Rhule decided Holgorsen would be the play caller for the rest of the season. The much-maligned Satterfield was stripped of his OC duties and left to run the TE room. This decision was unprecedented but ultimately led to immediate results for the Cornhuskers. In just the second game under their new OC, they scored 44 points in a win against the Wisconsin Badgers. That total was the highest output in the Matt Rhule era and was 20 points more than the offense has scored in a BIG10 game under the new regime. The offense sputtered under the lights in a cold night in Iowa City, but in that game the missed opportunities were dropped (literally) by the players. That game was full of emotion, intensity, and pettiness from both sidelines. However, the Hawkeyes won the game with a walk off Field Goal. The final score was 13-10. It was a familiar feeling for Husker fans, but this time there was a different taste in the mouths of the coaches, players, and fans as there was a light at the end of the long tunnel. For the first time in eight seasons, the Iowa game was not the last game of the season, for this time there was substance in the optimism for the Husker fan base. The fan base that has claimed the titles of “Off-Season National Champions” or “Best 3-9 team of all time” on social media as a cope to the struggles on the field, is finally getting to see social media hubris translated to on field success.
The Pinstripe Bowl on December 28th against 7-5 Boston College is being billed as the first game of 2025 for the Nebraska program. With staff shakeups and portal entries threatening to overshadow the bowl game, the coaching staff has maintained their focus on the current players on the roster. Replacing Defensive Coordinator Tony White with DB coach John Butler and Signing Dana Holgorsen to a 2-year deal to return as Offensive Coordinator. The Nebraska Cornhuskers have a chance to bring an energy to the offseason. The team aims to build momentum. This is essential heading into a critical Year 3, which has been a calling card for Matt Rhule in his earlier two collegiate stops.
In New York City, a place that is and has been home to many looking to starting anew, the Huskers have a chance to create their own narrative heading into the offseason.
AWESOME