Dave Feit’s Hot Takes on the Huskers’ Holgorsen Hire

“Air Raid” practitioner Dana Holgorsen is taking over as Nebraska football’s offensive coordinator. What does that mean for this week, this season and beyond?

Houston's head coach Dana Holgorsen walks along the sidelines during the Big 12 football game against Texas Tech, Saturday, Sept, 30, 2023, at Jones AT&T Stadium. / Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

With the news of Dana Holgorsen taking over Nebraska's stagnant offense for (at least) the final three games of the 2024 season, I offer a handful of reactions and opinions:   

This was absolutely the right move, even if we were caught off-guard by it. 

I could not believe the number of people who seemed shocked that Rhule made this move.  While there is little (to any) precedent for bringing in an outside coordinator for three or four games while the previous play caller is demoted to strictly a position coach, consider the alternative. 

What would your reaction have been if Matt Rhule stood up in front of the media and said "We looked at a lot of things over the bye week.  Dana provided some valuable insights, which we truly appreciate.  But I believe that Marcus Satterfield is the right guy to lead this offense against USC, for the rest of the season, and beyond." 

You would have lost your dadgum mind. 

 And I would have been right there with you. 

 It has become blatantly obvious that the offense is broken.  There are numerous reasons for this (both with the play caller and the players executing those plays) but something - ANYTHING! - had to be done.  Even if we didn't think it would really happen.  

Matt Rhule talks to the press Monday ahead of the Huskers' game at USC. / Nebraska Athletics

I appreciate Rhule's show of urgency. 

I think what really surprised people is how Rhule moved on from one of this friends and long-time assistants.  Many people did not expect it, or at least not until after the season ended. 

But Rhule understands the environment in Nebraska.  I firmly believe it is unfair for fans to lay the pain of Nebraska's 33-56 record since their last bowl game at Rhule's feet.  That said, Rhule is responsible for 11 of those losses and just 10 of the wins.   

Being unable to move the ball and scoring fewer points than a Brian Ferentz Iowa team is unacceptable.  Missing a bowl game - a bare minimum sign of progress in his second year - sets Rhule up for a rocky Year 3, with fans losing confidence and "hot seat" rumors bubbling. 

Rhule made it clear that this change is all about trying to find - at least - one win in their final three games.  Waiting until the offseason to fix the offense was not an option. 

And to be clear:  this move may not work.  I maintain Nebraska's offensive issues are deeper than how often they call screen passes. 

But Rhule had to do something.

Nebraska will not be running the Air Raid offense Saturday in Los Angeles, or in either of the remaining regular-season games. 

Think about the plays Nebraska has ran all year long, particularly the ones that aren't very successful (such as those screen passes and the straight handoffs).  Those were likely installed in spring ball, repped throughout fall camp, and practiced several times a week for the last 2+ months.   

In other words, if the offense is struggling to run something they've been working on since spring, they're not installing a brand-new offense in under two weeks - especially when there are questions about if Dylan Raiola will be healthy enough to play. 

I know Holgorsen is an Air Raid guy, but in the next three games, I expect him to look at Nebraska’s playbook like an insurance adjustor walking through a house after a fire.  He's going to try to salvage whatever can be saved and move on from everything else.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule watches his team against Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter of their game at Ohio Stadium on Oct 26, 2024, in Columbus. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This move is not a guarantee that Holgorsen will be Nebraska's offensive coordinator in 2025. 

While the popular assumption is that Holgorsen will be Nebraska's offensive coordinator in 2025, the door is open for other options.   

As Rhule said today, his focus is on right now.  Who knows what will happen after Nebraska's season ends? Maybe Holgorsen takes a different job.  Maybe Nebraska's offense is (somehow) worse and Rhule goes a different direction.  Maybe Rhule and Holgorsen do not gel.  Maybe the dad (or uncle) of Nebraska's five-star quarterback Dylan (and his little brother Dayton) was some thoughts on what offense would be best for his boys. 

If I had to put money on it today, I'd wager that Dana Holgorsen is Nebraska's O.C. next year.  But back in February it felt likely that Holgorsen would be on staff as an analyst or assistant. 

Things change. 

If Nebraska does shift to an "Air Raid" offense, would that be the worst thing? 

I've seen a lot of concerns from fans about Holgorsen turning Nebraska into an Air Raid team, and how that type of offense cannot work in Lincoln or the Big Ten. 

I say bring it on… but do it correctly. 

One of my core football beliefs is that any offense can work anywhere, provided it has 

1. Coaches to coach it 
2. Talented players to run it 
3. Time to perfect it.

Many Nebraska fans believe the Huskers can win only by running the dadgum ball, because that's what Tom Osborne did.  To that, I say consider those three points with Osborne's option offense.  He had great coaches (including, arguably, the greatest offensive line coach in college football history).  He had talented players who could make bad play calls look good.  And by running essentially the same offense for 20 years, there was time to perfect it.  Check, check, and check. 

Now, apply those three points to the Callahan and Riley passing offenses that largely failed here.  How many of those coordinators / assistants would you hire today?  Joe Dailey was a good option quarterback, but he was a square peg in a round hole as a passing QB.  And since neither staff lasted very long, they didn't have a ton of time to perfect their offense. At best, Callahan and Riley checked two of the three boxes (and I’d argue it was one at most). 

Yes, I know how much Rhule likes to talk about the wind in Lincoln and Memorial Stadium.  Having lived in this state my whole life and attended games for 30+ years, I know about the wind.   

Oct 10, 2015; Lubbock, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Radiers quarterback Patrick Mahomes pitches the ball over Iowa State Cyclones defensive tackle Ma'Kayle Phillips (96) in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium. / Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

But answer me this:   Where did Mike Leach's proof of concept for the Air Raid being a viable power conference offense occur?  Lubbock, Texas - named one of the windiest cities in America. 

Speaking of Texas Tech, who was the Air Raid quarterback from Tech who ended up in the NFL?  You know, the guy who Dylan Raiola models much of his game around.  I can’t think of his name (I want to say Matt?  Pat?), but I know he's pretty good - even if it occasionally gets windy in Kansas City or the other places he plays. 

The play caller discussion is getting the headlines, but we really should be focused on Raiola's availability. 

In the short term, the focus should be less on who is calling the plays and more on who is behind center.  Matt Rhule said that Dylan Raiola - hurt near the end of the UCLA game - will "try to practice" on Tuesday.  That points towards Heinrich Haarberg potentially getting his first start of the season, and possibly being a play away from Daniel Kaelin taking his first collegiate snap in the L.A. Coliseum. 

If Holgorsen’s immediate goal is to simplify the offense - or to put it another way - focus on what Nebraska does well, that looks different with Raiola versus Haarberg in the game. 

There is no reason for Nebraska fans to crap on Satterfield. 

The elephant in the room is easy to see:  Marcus Satterfield has failed as Nebraska's offensive coordinator, and he'll be gone at the end of the season.  If you believe Nebraska's failures fall squarely on his shoulders, go ahead and feel happy/relieved/vindicated that he won't return.  But I don't see the need to kick a guy when he's down… no matter how much money his agent got for him. 

As long as he's not negatively impacting the team and continuing to do his job as a professional, I'm glad he's sticking around for the rest of the season.  As Rhule mentioned, it would have been easy for Satt to ask to be fired so he can go some and cash checks.  That he is choosing to finish the season and help this team meet their goals says a lot about his character.  That is something we should respect, not ridicule. 

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