If Matt Rhule is looking for examples of what Huskers fans expect from their team, then he need look no further than Colorado or UCLA. Watching their games this weekend it was obvious these two teams had something Nebraska doesn’t. The will to win and the belief they could.
Colorado has the belief. Nebraska put a beating on Colorado in the second game of the season. Memorial stadium was rocking, the fans were ready, and we saw a Husker team that was fired up and ready to play. Nebraska started that game by punching Colorado in the mouth and never looked back.
But look at Colorado since, better yet, go back and look at Colorado Saturday. Deion and his crew walked into a stadium Saturday that was every bit as loud and raucous as Nebraska was. Tech won the toss, returned the ball to midfield, went down the field and scored on their first possession. After Tech kicked off, Colorado bobbled the ball and found themselves pinned deep. Sound familiar?
But Colorado didn’t get rattled, they continued to play even after Tech led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. By half time, Colorado had closed the gap to 13-10 and went on to win this game 41-27. Tech knew this Colorado team was going to be hard to beat, they have more talent and speed than Tech. Joey McGuire saw what Matt Rhule’s team did to the Buffs in Lincoln, and McGuire had his team ready. They came out with that same fire and intensity Nebraska did and punched Colorado in the mouth with the hope they would tap out. But since taking the Nebraska beating, Colorado has never laid down or quit. They continue to believe and play hard.
UCLA beat Iowa both statistically and on the scoreboard Friday night. Husker fans immediately started patting themselves on the back, forgetting UCLA was 2-5 when they played them and started talking about how good UCLA was. They pointed out how we played them to a stalemate in the second half and they truly have only one loss to Minnesota. You can’t count losses to Indiana, LSU, Oregon and Penn State, those teams are good. Really Husker fans?
I expected my Huskers to come out and punch UCLA in the mouth just like they did against Colorado. This team had everything to play for and they came out flat and looked like a team that had given up on the season. No desire, no want to, no belief.
UCLA may have dropped five games in a row before Nebraska, but they never gave up, never laid down, and showed the will to win. We saw it against Iowa.
Do the Huskers show a will to win and the belief they can? Can we say either one of those things about this team?
If there is one thing I know about Husker fans, it’s that they want to see their team compete. Do they want to see wins on the field and a bowl at the end of the season? Yes. But they can’t stomach what they have been seeing from this team this season.
Fans have accused Matt Rhule’s hiring of Dana Holgorsen and Phil Snow as being a panic move. Is it panic? Maybe. Do I care? No. Something needed to be done in hopes of salvaging this season. And when I say salvaging this season, I don’t just mean a sixth win. It runs deeper than that. This team needs to believe in themselves going into the 2025 season.
At this point, I don’t care what needs to be done. Is it benching your five-star QB? Is it benching all your fifth- and sixth-year guys? Is it playing the young guys who have something to prove and want to win? Is it taking headsets and responsibility away from coaches? Whatever it is, just do it. Let Holgorsen and Snow be the bad guys and say this is why you aren’t winning, and this is what needs to happen. Do what needs to be done to field a team with the will and belief to win.
All I want to see is a team that comes out ready to play ball, executes, and shows no quit. I want to see Husker football.
Good things can still happen.
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