Stukenholtz: First Steps in Matt Rhule’s Long Road Back to Trust

After a typical workday Friday and an also typical after-school kid activity, I got home around 6:30, ahead of the 7:00 kickoff between Nebraska and Illinois. My wife and 7-year-old daughter were in the living room, and on the TV was YouTubeTV’s “Moment of Zen” channel. If you’re not familiar, it’s a series of scenic videos of nature, dense forests and animals in the wild, complete with natural sound and little to no camera movement. Whether you’re focused on it or just have it on in the background, it’s pretty calming.

I shouldn’t have flipped over to the football game.

As Nebraska was being methodically handled by Illinois in a 24-13 loss, NU’s fourth in a row, folks in living rooms, at bars, and on social media made predictable cries for heads to roll. It’s understandable when a team comes into a season with high expectations and falls short. That frustration could even be amplified when said team comes tantalizingly close to achieving one or more of their goals. Ya know, like having an 11-point 4th-quarter lead on top-10 defending national champions Indiana at home and blowing it in spectacular fashion.

Or, say, driving at least 11 plays four separate times and scoring exactly zero points on those drives.

The torches and pitchforks were out. The townspeople demanded their pound of flesh. But who for?

One obvious change was on my mind after the Oregon and Washington failures, and it fully crystallized at the 2:53 mark of the 3rd quarter. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea lined the offense up on 4th-and-1 with Nebraska trailing 14-7. Running back Jamal Rule was in the huddle, but then he lined up outside, resulting in a 5-wide, empty formation. On 4th-and-1. To top it off, Colandrea threw a pass to wide receiver Jacory Barney…as he was running parallel to and behind the line of scrimmage! Pass dropped, turnover on downs.

Dana Holgorsen, offensive coordinator since game ten of the 2024 season, had to go. Not for that play alone, but for the unacceptable pattern of failures. Play calling, personnel usage, and lack of second-half adjustments combined to doom his Husker tenure. Going empty on 4th-and-1 was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Rhule announced the firing on Saturday after the Illinois loss. Was this enough for everyone? Haha, nope! Maybe you’re in that camp that believes this is merely rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Dana Holgorsen watches Nebraska football practice. — It didn't work out with Dana Holgorsen as Nebraska offensive coordinator. What comes next will define the Matt Rhule era. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

I called for the Holgorsen move on the KLIN Husker Hour that morning because not only did it make sense to get it over with now instead of waiting for the end of the regular season, but other programs have seen immediate improvements after moving on from coordinators. Look no further than a couple of Nebraska’s recent opponents.

Oregon let offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer go after barely scraping by Nebraska 17-14 and then managing only ten points in a 21-10 loss to Illinois. The Ducks only scored more than 17 points once in Big Ten play, a 41-27 win over USC. So Dan Lanning made the move; then they beat Northwestern 34-26 and scored a somewhat shocking 38 unanswered points in a 41-28 win at Ohio State.

The aforementioned Fighting Illini also made a midseason coordinator change, mutually agreeing on defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck’s departure after four games. Illinois allowed 31 and 42 points in losses to Duke and Ohio State, and while they lost to Purdue 24-17 the week after the change and then survived 38-37 in overtime at Michigan State, they’ve allowed 10, 17, and 13 points since.

Both Oregon and Illinois are on an upward trajectory now. Even though Dan Lanning and Bret Bielema may not have their 2027 plans firmed up, they found an in-season solution.

Glenn Thomas, come on down! The Husker co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach will call plays to finish out this season. Not that he’s asking me, but I’d recommend emphasizing the hell out of the power run game, finding at least five touches per game for Nyziah Hunter, and picking his spots to run Colandrea.

He’ll have the best potential matchup first with Rutgers, then Ohio State’s (underachieving) NFL talent, and finally Iowa’s consistent Big Ten West style of defense.

That’s what I keep coming back to – the Big Ten West. Nebraska, with or without Matt Rhule, will never get back to where they want to be if they can’t beat Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Iowa. And those recent records are abysmal.

Minnesota: 0-6
Illinois: 1-5
Wisconsin: 1-10
Iowa: 1-10

Find a play caller who has a track record of success in the Big Ten. Someone who can resist the urge to calling pass plays 80 percent of the time in the 4th quarter. Make that hire early in the offseason and let that hire inform your transfer portal target list. I can guarantee you that if they find a guy in this mold, Nebraska will enter 2027 with more than a handful of running back snaps.

As for the crowd that wants the whole operation to end, Rhule and all? Read on…

Aurich Extension a Coup

One guy who has not had a problem succeeding in the Big Ten is defensive coordinator Rob Aurich. His hire was inspired (as was Tony White’s, if we’re keeping score), and locking him up for 2027 was just as important to announce this week as Holgorsen’s ouster.

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Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich during a December 2025 bowl practice. — Keeping Rob Aurich on Nebraska's staff for 2027 is as important a commitment as any. | Nebraska Athletics

Aurich appears destined for a head coaching role in the near future. Until then, Nebraska is the beneficiary. John Butler was decidedly not the right guy in 2025, and it could have been dicey asking for much out of a defensive roster on their third DC in three years. Instead, they’re top-20 nationally in rushing defense, total defense, and scoring defense. Plus, their 3rd-down defense is the best in the country, allowing a mind-blowing 25.4% to opponents.

Who could blame Aurich if he chose to jump a potentially sinking ship? He no doubt can sense the bad vibes swirling around the program. Not only does it signal his commitment to staying for next season, but it also makes it obvious that Rhule isn’t going anywhere, either. However that last part makes you feel is up to you, but I’m excited to see what this defense can do for an encore.

Here’s hoping they can continue to play well even if linebacker Owen Chambliss can’t play much down the stretch as he deals with a shoulder injury.

Not So Special

Since we’re talking coordinators…

Look, Brett Maher is a great Husker. He had a great playing career, both in college and the NFL. But is it too much to ask that a Power Four program hire a special teams coordinator with prior coaching experience?

Mike Ekeler is not going to walk back through those doors. But I promise there’s someone else out there who has more than “former Husker” on their resume and a handful of years’ worth of results.

Archie Wilson’s development has been a bright spot there. The penalties and missed field goals, unfortunately, cancel that out.

One For the Road

This is for the angry mob calling for the head coach’s head.

Does anybody else think this is worth trying? That it’s truly not too late for Rhule? The four-game losing streak has taken a lot of wind out of the sails. But there has been improvement. Look at the transfer portal successes from this offseason. A lot of hits. Aurich’s hire, too. And not to go all Scott Frost on you, but they truly were three plays away from 8-0.

The declarations being made about the time NU’s head coach has left are very pessimistic, even for Husker football fans.

“Why don’t they just fire everybody now? They aren’t going to save that much money compared to having to do it next year!”

“I told you this would happen. I was right. And I sure like being right more than hoping the coach for my team gets better as he goes!”

The Nebraska football program as a whole gets a lot of things right. Maybe they can get the football right soon, too! | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

There is something to be said for sticking it out with the guy you already have. You don’t have to be super excited about it. But how pumped were Husker basketball fans about Fred Hoiberg after 24 total wins in three seasons? Hoiberg had to evolve, too. He approached recruiting differently and found fit over raw talent. He placed more emphasis on defense as his understanding of the Big Ten grew.

Fred’s fourth season looked bad. Then Keisei Tominaga and a walk-on named Sam Hoiberg sparked a strong finish. Even though a 16-16 record didn’t get everyone fired up for 2023-24, that season ended in the NCAA Tournament.

Expectations for the football and basketball programs are different, sure. That doesn’t mean a similar approach won’t work. It’s your choice if you want to crap on Rhule for another year. Let’s see what he’s learned first.

Don’t worry, there will be plenty of time to pick out all the flaws of the next head coach, and the one after that.

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