Author: TJ Birkel

The Nebraska football team finished 7-6, securing bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016 and winning a bowl game for the first time since 2015. While the second half of the season included some disappointing losses in ways Husker fans have become all too accustomed to seeing, this past season represents progress for Matt Rhule. With a busy offseason already in full swing, it’s a good time to look back at some of the top moments from the year that was. This week, we’ve already looked at highlights 11-15 as well as 6-10 from the 2024 season; today we’ll…

The Nebraska football team finished 7-6, securing bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016 and winning a bowl game for the first time since 2015. While the second half of the season included some disappointing losses in ways Husker fans have become all too accustomed to seeing, this past season represents progress for Matt Rhule. With a busy offseason already in full swing, it’s a good time to look back at some of the top moments from the year that was. Yesterday we examined highlights 11-15 from the 2024 season; today we’ll take a look at 6-10.   Taking Ohio…

The Nebraska football team finished 7-6, securing bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016 and winning a bowl game for the first time since 2015. While the second half of the season included some disappointing losses in ways Husker fans have become all too accustomed to seeing, this past season represents progress for Matt Rhule. With a busy offseason already in full swing, it’s a good time to look back at some of the top moments from the year that was.   2nd half against Purdue. It’s easy to forget after a 28-10 victory, but Nebraska played a sloppy 1st…

In November of 2020, Matt Rhule gave a speech to the American Football Coaches Association during which he laid out five keys to winning football. The list is as follows: 1) Don’t beat ourselves. 2) Make special teams special. 3) Dominate the trenches. 4) Win the toxic battle (i.e. turnovers and explosive plays). 5) Great at situational football. After two years with Rhule as the head man in Lincoln, there is probably a whole series of articles (or at least a podcast episode) that could be done to assess how much progress Nebraska has or hasn’t made in each of…

Matt Rhule is known as a defensive guy. He’s always prioritized defense, and that was certainly borne out in his first two years as the head man in Lincoln. In 2024, the Huskers ranked 18th in total defense, 17th in scoring defense, and 9th in rushing defense. The numbers were even better in 2023, although we should probably point out that the Big Red faced some absolutely abysmal offenses that year, so that certainly helped. But it’s hard to deny how much better the defense got the minute Matt Rhule and Tony White showed up in Lincoln.  Sure, there have…

In 2024, Nebraska ranked 103rd nationally in scoring offense, 96th in rushing offense, 66th in passing offense, 106th in yards per play, and 94th in total offense (NOTE: final rankings are subject to change once the college football playoffs are completed, but they won’t change by much). The Huskers were even worse in several of these categories in 2023.  It’s safe to say the overall offensive performance was disappointing. Most Nebraska fans were optimistic that things would improve heading into the 2024 season with the addition of true freshman phenom Dylan Raiola, combined with the addition of several immediate impact…

The last time Matt Rhule was a head coach in college football (before Nebraska, that is) was 2019. That’s not too long ago, but the sport has seen seismic shifts since that time. The transfer portal and players being able to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) were not factors yet. Texas and Oklahoma were still in the Big 12, Oregon and Washington were still in the PAC 12, and the idea of Stanford and Cal joining the ACC seemed about as likely as Tom Osborne switching to the air raid offense. Perhaps some of these major changes…

Nebraska beat Boston College 20-15 in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, finishing 7-6 in Matt Rhule’s second year leading the program. It was the Huskers’ first winning season since 2016 and first bowl win since 2015. While Nebraska fans will undoubtedly be hungry for more in 2025 and beyond, it was a satisfying breakthrough for a program that has struggled for far longer than the Husker faithful would care to remember.  We cover all the high points in the topline takeaways.  CHEERS TO THAT Hats Off to the Old Guys. Is there a better…

The Big Ten released schedules for the 2025 season last week. While we already knew Nebraska’s opponents for the coming season, we now know all the dates, bye weeks, and locations for the upcoming campaign. As the Huskers prepare for the Pinstripe Bowl, Husker Nation can already start marking their calendars and making plans for next fall. Here are three takes on the 2025 Nebraska football schedule.  This is Manageable. Let’s be clear: until they prove otherwise, the Nebraska football team cannot take anyone for granted or assume any game is an automatic victory. They’ve shown that all too often…

In a somewhat surprising development, Scott Frost was named head coach at the University of Central Florida over the weekend. As most Husker fans know, it will be his second stint at UCF. After laying low since being fired by Nebraska in 2022, Frost is back on the major college football scene in a big way. Here are four thoughts on his return to Orlando.  When it Comes to Frost, It’s Complicated for Nebraska Fans. Over the summer, we did a series on the Common Fan Podcast called The Reckoning, looking back at every coach of the post-Osborne era and…