Matt Rhule Is Off and Running

But the new Nebraska head coach faces some challenges.

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

I feel like a mosquito in a nudist camp. I don't know where to begin.
-Frank Bolden, Pittsburgh Courier reporter

Just two weeks into the job, new Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule should not be blamed if he feels like the mosquito. He's facing challenges and deadlines that are not for the faint of heart.

The two things facing him immediately are assembling a staff and recruiting top-notch players from high school, JUCOs and the transfer portal. The portal opened Dec. 5 and the early signing date for high school players is Dec. 21.

If he can do everything he wants to accomplish, Matt Rhule is going to earn every penny he makes.

But there will be some challenges facing him and his staff. Here are a few of them:

1. Seven out of the past eight years have been losing seasons.
2. There have been six consecutive losing seasons.
3. There have been six seasons without going to a bowl.
4. NU's record over the past five seasons is 19-37.
5. Not going to a bowl for six years means the Huskers have lost out on a total of 90 extra practices.
6. NU has had zero divisional or conference titles during the past 10 years.
7. NU has had a total of eight players taken in the NFL draft over the past five years. (NU didn't have a player chosen in the '19 draft. That hadn't happened since 1962.)
8. Over the past six years, there have been three athletic directors: Shawn Eichorst ('13-2017), Bill Moos ('17-21) and Trev Alberts ('21-present).
9. The 19 wins over the past five years have included bottom-feeders like Bethune-Cookman, South Alabama, Fordham, Buffalo and North Dakota. Losses have included Troy State, Colorado (twice) and Georgia Southern.
10. There have been a total of 13 conference wins in five years for NU.

But here's what Matt has going for him:

1. Outstanding fan support (389 consecutive sellouts - I know, the record has been propped up, but you get the idea).
2. NU has a rich history of national championships, Heisman trophies, Academic All-Americans etc.
3. Nebraska will soon have a brand new state-of-the-art athletic facility.
4. This ain't Rhule's first rodeo. He's turned around two programs that were in dire straits before he got there: Temple and Baylor University.
5. If Rhule can attract enough good players and assistants to Nebraska, he might be able to fix the football program sooner than many think.

How ’Bout Them Huskers

In this week's podcast, Grandson Will and I review the Huskers' 2022 football season and take a look at how the Husker volleyball team fared in the NCAA tournament.

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