In Hiring Dana Holgorsen, Nebraska's Matt Rhule Shows He's Not Messing Around

The Huskers' head coach is displaying the kind of urgency Husker football fans can appreciate with his latest move.

Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule before the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

By bringing in Dana Holgorsen to take over as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator with three games left in the 2024 season, head coach Matt Rhule has shown once again he’ll do whatever it takes to build a winner in Lincoln. More on that in a moment. 

Coming into this week, I had an idea for a column titled “The Defense is Not the Problem.” The crux was essentially going to be, yes everyone is frustrated with the direction Nebraska’s season has taken, and every part of the operation owns the fact that the team is on a three game losing streak, but the defense has been the furthest thing from the problem for this team. I was going to drill down in detail about the failures of the special teams units and, especially, the offense. 

Now that we have the Dana Holgorsen news, it’s clear Coach Rhule agrees the offense has been a major problem, so we don’t need to belabor the point. That said, it is worth taking a brief look at some numbers in order to get a glimpse of just how bad things have been and why a change was necessary. The Huskers currently rank 99th nationally in scoring offense, 96th in total offense, 101st in rushing offense (something Rhule has repeatedly said he wants the Huskers to do well), and 66th in passing offense. This after being 123rd, 117th, 39th, and 129th in those respective categories a season ago. Nebraska’s offense is averaging 22.3 points per game in 2024, good for 96th nationally (after averaging 18 points per game, ranked 120th nationally, in 2023). There’s not enough improvement to be found, and the ineptitude on offense has cost Nebraska multiple games at this point in the Rhule era. 

On our most recent episode of the Common Fan Podcast, we discussed whether or not this move by Coach Rhule was one of desperation. It’s certainly not common to bring in a new offensive coordinator from outside the program nine games into the season. It’s also a clear sign that things are not going the way Rhule would like at this point in his tenure. If things were running as a well oiled machine, you wouldn’t have the need to replace your OC mid-season. I would argue it was a necessary move, and whether or not it works, it should be reassuring to Nebraska fans for what it says about Matt Rhule. 

How many times have we seen head football coaches at Nebraska stand at the podium and stubbornly refuse to change? During the dreadful 2007 season which ultimately got him fired, Bill Callahan infamously said, “I have done an excellent job in every area.” Bo Pelini used to say “the scheme works, we just didn’t execute,” seemingly after every loss. Scott Frost at times looked lost as to how to get his teams over the hump, and turn excruciatingly close and painful losses into wins. But he never seemed willing to change his scheme or approach (or assistants) to adjust to the Big Ten…at least not until it was too late. 

What we didn’t see very often with past coaches was the awareness or humility to make changes when changes were needed. Rhule is displaying the kind of boldness and fortitude Husker fans can appreciate. He knows it hasn’t been good enough, and understands how important it is for Nebraska to make a bowl game this season. He is far from being on the hot seat, yet he is displaying the kind of urgency we haven’t seen in Lincoln nearly often enough. 

This should be very reassuring for Husker fans, and it is consistent with what we’ve learned about Rhule since he’s been at the helm. Longtime Omaha radio man Gary Sharp told us after last season that Rhule doesn’t stand pat; he’s going to make whatever changes he deems necessary to improve the program. Big Red Wrap-Up host Mike’l Severe told us over the summer that Rhule is going to keep turning over rocks until he fixes the issues that have plagued the Huskers. It takes a special combination of confidence, thoughtfulness, and humility to admit what you’re doing isn’t working. That combination of qualities seems to be in short supply among football coaches. Rhule has it, and it will hopefully bode well for the Nebraska football program over the long term. 

How much difference can Holgorsen make over the last three games? Will it be enough to help Nebraska find one more win and get back to a bowl eligibility? It’s hard to know. And candidly, it would be a major setback for the program and for Rhule if the Huskers don’t get to a bowl game this year. There will be no sugar coating it. Husker fans have every right to be frustrated now, and even more so if Nebraska fails to make a bowl game. But it’s reassuring to have a head coach with a history of prior success who is clearly willing to do anything and everything he can to try to build the program back into a winner. 

As always, GBR for LIFE.

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