Kenny Larabee photo, KLIN
Stukenholtz: The Gift of Football
On the cusp of the Matt Rhule era of Nebraska football beginning in Minneapolis today, you’re forgiven for mistaking this feeling for another holiday.
When you woke up this morning, didn’t it feel like Christmas? Did you feel the desire to rush to the living room to see what Santa left under the tree? Were you fired up to unwrap some presents?
I do get the Christmas feels every year once football season comes back. I hope you do, too. There’s nothing quite like the sense of joy, of hope, and almost of relief that the big day has finally arrived.
But what happens once you get older? When you’re staring 40 in the face, like me. Once you’ve seen a lot of Christmases. They start to feel different, don’t they? When you stop being the kid that gets presents and you become the parent that gives presents, there’s a different set of emotions. And, to some extent, organizing all those gifts and juggling the travel calendar with multiple parents’ and grandparents’ houses can turn into a bit of a grind.
It feels like Christmas morning, but like one of your Christmases when you were in middle school. You already got that gaming system a year or two before, you have a decent amount of stuff, and all you really want is to be old enough to get a car and drive around with your friends.
It’s sort of like an in-between Christmas morning.
That’s 2023 Nebraska football right now.
Fans – at least the ones who remember – have already experienced the highest of highs with the national championships. While those fans still love this time of year, many may prefer to rewind to the glory days, or fast-forward to what they hope will be more good stuff. Matt Rhule’s teams may eventually challenge for a Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff bid, but that’s certainly not happening this year.
Sure, there is the promise of a new dawn, one full of speed on offense and unpredictability on defense. There are exciting young players at many positions, especially defensive line and wide receiver. How many snaps might we get out of true freshmen Cam Lenhardt or Malachi Coleman this season, or even in the season opener?
And how can you not be ready to run through a brick wall for this coaching staff? The Huskers’ YouTube series “A Look N” has provided all the Hard-Knocks-style fall camp fodder you could have written on your wish list to Trev Alberts. There’s Strength & Conditioning coach Corey Campbell barking out orders, and there’s Wide Receivers coach Garret McGuire encouraging his guys after a big play. Head Coach Matt Rhule certainly has a way with words, and his messages to the team appear refreshing after a few years in the college football wilderness. His sermons sustained this state as we counted down the days to kickoff.
There are concerns, of course. Conventional wisdom places NU in the bottom half of the Big Ten…west division. Proven depth is lacking at many positions, including quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive line. Don’t forget Rhule’s track record of rebuilds, either. While the wins did come at Temple and Baylor, his first seasons at both schools yielded three wins combined. He has been consistent on his stance of not cutting corners to win early as he attempts to rebuild a crumbling foundation.
Rhule may succeed in Lincoln, but he inherited a mess of a program. A bare minimum expectation at any Power-5 program is simple: get to a bowl game. Nebraska hasn’t earned postseason football since 2016. 2016! For years, there has been a toxic stew of (rightfully) high expectations, entitlement and instant gratification, scarcity of achievement or recognition, and worst of all, not much accountability at the top. The last six seasons have left some serious scar tissue for Husker fans.
Even so, it’s still football.
There’s the tantalizing thought that, hey, if they can just sneak up on Minnesota and steal a win, then go beat Coach Prime in Colorado, then you come home to two non-Power-5 teams, and the Huskers could be 4-0 with Michigan coming to town, just think of the vibes in Lincoln leading up to that game! (We’ve all played this out in our heads at least a time or two this summer, don’t be ashamed.)
The 2023 season is here. Remember, it’s not about the ripping of the wrapping paper, or even the unboxing. It’s about experiencing what we have been given.
Football.
