Before we look ahead, we need to look back. Nebraska winning the opening game of the season got that 0-1 monkey off their back. And the best part, the win came in a dominating fashion. People saw the results of what this kind of win means. 108 different players got on the field and were rewarded for all their hard work. Yes, they were always part of the team, but now they’ve faced the fire. Whatever team building that occurred in the past is now galvanized, a bond that will never be broken. Good on Matt Rhule for recognizing the…
Author: Lyle Harmon
Lyle Harmon
I was 10 years old when Nebraska won their first National Championship. I was 23 when the two-point conversion failed in Miami. I was 34 when Tom Osborne won his first National Championship. And I was 49 when Texas put one more second back on the clock. I’ve been a Cornhusker fan all my life. And at 64 I’m excited to write about Nebraska football. Good things are about to happen.
Oh yes…. yes, it is…. It’s a new day in Nebraska football. But let me guess, you’re a doubter. How is today different from yesterday? Well, for one, it’s been 1,828 days since Nebraska fans crawled out of bed with an opening day win. Stop and consider that number, 1,828. What if someone had stopped you on the street in the middle of football season in 1992 and said, “I believe there will come a day when Nebraska goes 1,828 days without an opening day win.” First, you would have wanted to slap them for even thinking such a thing.…
Nebraska went into November last season needing just one game in their last four to become bowl eligible. They couldn’t make it happen. Is there anyone out there that honestly saw that coming? I was telling everybody I talked to, hell yeah, they’ll get one of those games. It’s Michigan State, Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa. No way they lose all four. And then they did. So, what is it that makes me think this team is different? What makes me think we won’t see a four-game collapse again this year? Forget what that team did. Forget what that group of…
Think of UTEP’s first year coach, Scotty Walden, as a younger version of Matt Rhule as he moves up a level of competition to kickstart another program. Accepting the position at UTEP made him the youngest coach in the FBS ranks. He comes to El Paso after leading Austin Peay to a 9-3 record and an FCS playoff in 2023. He brings a youthful exuberance to El Paso that should get both coaches and players fired up. He’s hungry, out to win, and he’ll bring a team to Lincoln locked and loaded. If you doubt that, let me remind you…
It took longer than some people wanted, but Matt Rhule finally announced Dylan Raiola would be the starter against the University of Texas El Paso on August 31st. He couldn’t put it off any longer. It was time to start game preparation, and the offense needed to know who was going to lead them. I’m sure the announcement came as no surprise to anyone within the program or outside of it. However, it’s that time of year when things start shaking out and the writing on the wall becomes clear. Rhule explained the quarterback room and where each player stood,…
It’s that time of year. The time they call the ‘Dog Days’ of summer. Those hot, sultry, sluggish days of apathy. Or, in other words, a time in fall camp when things get harder. The players are tired. They’ve been through the arrival of new teammates eager to prove themselves, winter conditioning, more new teammates, self-motivated summer workouts, and finally, the rigors of fall camp and two weeks of living in a dorm. But fall camp is also when all the hard work pays off. It’s when a player can move up the depth chart and get ready for a…
My son-in-law is the sports editor for the Falls City Journal. Yesterday I read his article picking the Husker games for the upcoming season. He has the Huskers going 9-3 and at worst 7-5. I was a little surprised because typically he doesn’t allow himself to get that stoked before the season. Evidently, he likes the Rhule-Aid. But as I reviewed his picks, I realized something. I can’t pick against the Huskers. Do I think they can win them all? I’ll say no, because it’s unrealistic for me to think otherwise. But every game I look at, I tell myself…
My son-in-law and I attended the 1890 Nebraska Big Red Preview Saturday night with approximately 3,500 other fans. I’m glad we did. I haven’t been to a college football practice in over forty years. And while I wasn’t close enough to smell football, that odor that sticks in players pads from day after day of sweat. Nor could I hear the energy being exerted by runners or lineman trying to defeat the man in front of them. My eyes told me what I needed to know. I was watching a group of players, a coaching staff, and a support staff…
Here are my BIG 10 rankings before the season. No detailed breakdowns, just a quick ranking. Think of them as the first 4, the second 4, the next 5, and the last 5. Oregon: The Ducks will win the BIG 10 in their first year in the conference. Dan Lanning is part of the Kirby Smart coaching tree. He brings a toughness to Oregon that will do well in the BIG 10. They are loaded with talent and have brought in Dillion Gabriel at quarterback. Yes, Michigan and Ohio State are on the schedule, but Michigan is down, and Lanning…
If you are like me, you can’t keep from drinking the Rhule-Aid. It’s easy to get sucked in. The man can talk. And I’m convinced great things for Husker football are on the way. Now that I’ve said that I’m going to bring some of you back to earth. Not because I’m Chicken Little and I want to try to convince you the sky is falling but because Husker fans need to have realistic expectations in Matt Rhule’s second year at Nebraska and Dylan Raiola’s first. As fans, it’s easy to compare Rhule to Osborne, but where we make our…