Being a Husker fan, I don’t have any problem telling you I was extremely disappointed with the Husker’s performance against Minnesota. Like many of you, I’ve been critical of what I saw from the Huskers. I’ve said things like, no heart, no physicality, pansies who are more worried about how they look rather than playing football. Yes, I was upset.
While we’re at it, let’s just get it out of the way, bad luck or not, the surrender whites should not ever be worn again, anytime, regardless of how invincible you happen to think you might be. Accept it, over two million Husker fans can’t be wrong.
What we saw Friday night from the Huskers falls on Matt Rhule. No, Rhule isn’t on the field, he isn’t the one throwing the ball, and he doesn’t make tackles or block. But he’s the man in charge. He oversees it all, the coaches, the players, the support staff, all of it. The buck stops with him. So, this is the part where I say he needs to be tarred, feathered and run out of town on a rail. Nope, that isn’t where I’m going.
I like Matt Rhule. I think he is the right man for Nebraska right now. If you are a Husker fan you must admit what he’s done in his two and half seasons at Nebraska is far better than what we witnessed in the previous eight. I could go back further, but I elect not to talk about the Bill Callhan years. I’ll admit it, I’m not over the road trip to Texas Tech and the 70-10 debacle. Although, this Minnesota loss felt similar.
After Callhan we had Bo Pelini and I respect what Bo did while he was the head coach at Nebraska. His record speaks for itself, 67-27 in seven seasons. And even though Bo was a hothead, he had good teams with good players who would run through a brick wall for him.
I’m guessing Rhule’s players would do the same for him. The problem is Rhule’s too nice to ask them to do it. He’s like that dad who gives you a look of disappointment rather than thumping knots on your head. But maybe that’s what this team needs, knots on their heads, because the niceness seems to have carried over to the field. Maybe if someone put knots on their heads they’d get pissed off and play some ball.
When talking about the Huskers, if you’re my age you’re a spoiled brat, and if you’ve only been around for the last twenty-five years, then you’re frustrated as hell, because your team has never won a conference championship, let alone sniffed a natty. Sometimes being a Husker fan sucks.
Before you get ready to run Rhule off, stop and think about who Matt Rhule is. No matter how badly you want him to be a Curt Cignetti, he isn’t him. He’s the coach that rebuilds programs. He took Temple and Baylor from being doormats to ten- and eleven-win seasons in three years. And now he’s attempting to do it at Nebraska. Before coming here he had been anointed a program saver and almost mythical because of the train wrecks he took over at Temple and Baylor. But this is Nebraska, it’s a different breed of cat. Nebraska has a history, a winning tradition with fans who have crazy high expectations. This job isn’t just getting the team to ten wins and then walking out the door. The expectations are far greater and require Rhule to take a long-haul approach. Sorry Cignetti fans.
Matt Rhule currently has a record of 64 wins and 58 losses. He has coached in 5 bowl games. When we look at Rhule’s record, we must consider he’s in his 3rd rebuild of a losing program. Rhule is trying to build consistency. And we can all see what he is building in Nebraska. In my humble opinion, Matt Rhule is comparable to some of the top coaches in college football when it comes to identifying talent in both assistant coaches and players, management skills, leadership, and being a visionary. But let’s face it, compared to more established coaches like Dabo Swinney, Kirby Smart, and Kyle Whittingham he lacks the experience that comes with longevity.
Winning is imperative to the growth of Matt Rhule and Husker football. But the current college football landscape doesn’t make winning easy. Especially when trying to rebuild a program the right way. College football has changed drastically, with conference collapse and realignment, coast to coast travel, Friday night games, NIL, the transfer portal, and a twelve-team playoff.
As fans, we need to keep things in perspective. Heartache comes before winning and we’ve endured our share of heartache. And while the heartache might not be over, and Matt Rhule might be a disappointment right now, Husker football is headed in the right direction and he’s the right guy for the job.
GO BIG RED!!
Photo courtesy of The Falls City Journal
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