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Dana Holgorsen Dives Into Changes He's Made With Nebraska Football's Offense

As they prepare to face Iowa's stingy defense, the Huskers have an offense on the upswing. Holgorsen spoke Tuesday about some of the reasons for the improvement.

Joe Hudson

Nov 23, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Isaiah Neyor runs after a catch against the Wisconsin Badgers.
Nov 23, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Isaiah Neyor runs after a catch against the Wisconsin Badgers. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Dana Holgorsen will be shooting for his second win as Nebraska football's offensive coordinator when the Huskers face Iowa Friday night.

What was the first victory like? "I had more fun Saturday than I've had in a long time," Holgorsen said Tuesday, referring to Nebraska's bowl-clinching 44-25 win against Wisconsin. It was the most points the Huskers had scored in a game in three years.

The Black Friday contest in Iowa City will be Holgorsen's third game running the offense. After Tuesday's practice, Holgorsen discussed dealing with the Huskers' "pretty big" playbook as well as making decisions on who gets playing time. Tight end has been a hot-button topic after Thomas Fidone mostly rode the bench Saturday.

"I don’t care who's played or who's the starter. If you're not performing at the level I need you to perform at based on what it looks like in practice, then we're going to change that," Holgorsen said.

"I know everybody wants to talk about the tight end position because of what happened Saturday, but that's been the case at every single position," he said. "It's about competition."

Fidone, he said, has responded well.

"Thomas just had the best practice he's had since I've been here," Holgorsen said. "I appreciate his attitude and his understanding. He lined up and practiced hard for two days, so I would anticipate him going in there and making plays Saturday."

Holgorsen has simplified things for the wide receivers by not moving them around to different spots. He believes that has helped Jacory Barney in particular.

"That's one thing I've always believed in, being a receiver coach, is just settle people in at spots and you let them get comfortable. That reduces the thinking and they can they can go out there and they can just play."

Also speaking Tuesday were defensive coordinator Tony White, quarterback Dylan Raiola, defensive end Jimari Butler and Jack linebacker MJ Sherman. Scroll down for links to more coverage, including news from the Iowa side.

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Joe Hudson
JOE HUDSON

Joe Hudson has operated a Husker-related website since 1995 and joined forces with David Max to form HuskerPedia (later renamed HuskerMax) in 1999. It began as a hobby during his 35 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, a career that included stints at the Lincoln Star, Omaha World-Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Denver Post. In Denver, Joe was chief of the copy desk during his final 16 years at the Post. He is proud to have been involved in Pulitzer Prize-winning projects in both Philadelphia and Denver. Joe has been a Nebraska football fan since the mid-1960s during his childhood in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism and economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1976. He resides a few freeway exits north of Colorado Springs and enjoys bicycling and walking his dogs in his spare time. You can reach him at joeroyhud@outlook.com.

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