'I'm Steady in the Boat': Matt Rhule Says No Coordinator Changes Will Be Made

Matt Rhule's staff will remain intact.

Despite a vocal outcry from Husker Nation after three straight fourth-quarter collapses, no coaching changes will be made heading into Week 10. Dana Holgorsen will return for at least another week, as Rhule said he's "steady in the boat" when asked Monday about his staff and the state of the program following Nebraska's 17-10 loss to Washington on Halloween night.

The focus now shifts to addressing NU's offensive struggles before the Huskers' Friday night matchup with Illinois. Here's what Rhule had to say as his team looks to get back on track offensively.

Anthony Colandrea passes against the Washington Huskies during the fourth quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cornhuskers struggled mightily against a Washington defense that entered the matchup ranked 51st nationally, allowing 336.1 yards and 22.7 points per game. Although Nebraska outgained UW 387-267, the Huskers managed just 10 points.

After rewatching the game with the entire team, players and coaches alike, Rhule said, "I just saw an offense that was trying to do too much."

"Maybe that's me," he continued. "Maybe that's practice. You know, we can look at all those things. But the true message in our building is: everybody, let's get this right… The guys are hurt; the coaches are hurt. But doing too much is killing us."

Nebraska lost the turnover battle 3-0, completed just one of nine passing attempts of 20-plus yards downfield, and faced an average third-down distance of six yards. That came despite averaging 4.6 yards per rushing attempt. Rhule acknowledged that the offense needs to simplify things.

Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen watches warmups before the 2025 Cincinnati game | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

That starts with Dana Holgorsen, whom Rhule called "one of the best offensive minds of our generation."

Whether you agree with that assessment or not, Holgorsen has found success before, even if things haven't always gone smoothly in Lincoln with him calling plays. Rhule was quick to defend his offensive coordinator when discussing his unit's struggles.

"Maybe that's me; that's why we scored seven points this week," Rhule said. "I'm looking at me. I'm not looking at him... If you think it doesn't bother the world out of me that we could've won each of these last three games and we haven't, that drives me nuts, man."

Anthony Colandrea three interceptions against Washington in Week 9. — Anthony Colandrea threw three interceptions against Washington. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Regardless of who's to blame, Nebraska needs to identify why its offensive issues haven't been fixed. Rhule didn't offer a straightforward answer, but he made it clear that he doesn't believe the struggles fall on any one person.

“I'm sure I have theories, I'm not going to probably go into them, I just think it's about getting our guys ready for this week,” he said. “The story for me, you guys can say whatever you want, is not, 'well, we lost the game because of Anthony (Colandrea).' It's all of it.”

“It's the run game; it's, ahh, if we just get our hat here,” he continued. “We didn't lose just because of one person or one side; we all do it together as a team.”

Jamal Rule is tackled by Washington Huskies safety Gavin Day. — Jamal Rule is tackled by Washington safety Gavin Day. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Huskers attempted to put together a team-oriented game plan, or at least one that offered some balance. Even so, NU attempted 44 passes compared to just 21 rushing attempts by its running backs.

As much as the staff wanted to establish the run, Rhule said they believed the offense could beat Washington over the top.

“Part of our game plan was, we’re going to have to win on some of these deep balls,” said Rhule. “We’re going to throw these deep balls, and we’re going to win… I don’t want to throw the ball 44 times and run it 25 or 30. I’d like to have true balance.”

“What I'd like to be able to do is run the ball when we want to run it and throw the ball when we want to throw it,” the head coach continued. “And in that game, I think we came out saying, ‘Hey, we wanted to throw it versus those man (coverage) looks’, and we thought we’d win on those routes, and we just didn’t win enough… I don’t blame the players; I blame the coach. I blame myself.”

Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen looks on from the sideline against Michigan. — Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen looks on from the sideline last season against Michigan. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Though play-calling duties will remain unchanged, Holgorsen will no longer be working from the field. Instead, he and offensive line coach Geep Wade will move to the coaches' box, while run game coordinator Lonnie Teasley will assist from the field. Though it's not necessarily a fix-all solution, the Huskers are looking for an edge.

“I’m moving a bunch of coaches up into the box this week,” Rhule said. “Dana will go up, Geep (Wade) will go up. And that was Dana’s suggestion… Lonnie (Teasley) will be on the field, and then (Tyler) Yelk will go up on defense.”

“We’ll look at everything,” he continued. “I’m not saying that’s the reason why something didn’t go well… As we look at how to be better in the second half and late in games on offense, that’s one thing that, maybe, might have some sort of an impact for us.”

Friday Night Football 🏈

🗓️ 11.06.26
⏰ 7:00 PM CT
🏟️ Gies Memorial Stadium vs Illinois
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— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) November 2, 2026

At the very least, Rhule isn't interested in continuing to do the same things when they've proven unsuccessful. On Friday night, fans will see whether the Big Red can make the improvements necessary to win.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Central as Nebraska travels to Champaign, Illinois, to take on the Fighting Illini. Illinois is 5-2 (3-2 Big Ten) after coming from behind to defeat Maryland, 20-17.

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