Nebraska Football 2023

[CBJason]

Yes you probably should have 6 wins by now and be bowl eligible but don’t forget how many injuries there have been on offense with WR’s and RB’s. Also, last nights announcers were saying you’re already playing a lot of freshman as it’s a very young team. If I remember correctly, the recruiting class wasn’t that special so that’s typically not going to get you many wins. I still think Rhule was the right hire but I hope he didn’t hurt himself by not getting the QB Riola kid to commit for next year. I’ve looked at recruiting rankings for this years class and the next couple years and I didn’t see any highly ranked QBs committed or even offered. Maybe someone can correct me on that. Even Iowa and Iowa state seem to have pretty good QBs on campus or about to next year. So Rhule might have to find someone special in the transfer portal instead or something because now football is all about who you have at QB.

[Busguy2010]

Even if we don't see 6 wins, I like the product much better. The defense actually hawks the ball, and I love that. The offense has struggled, mainly due to turnovers, offensive line penalties, and lack of a passing game. That can be cleaned up easily, and after last night, I have some hope for a passing game. Chubba Purdy really improved from last year, far as I can tell. Yeah, he missed some, but he hit some better than we've seen in a while. He should start next week even if Haarberg is healthy enough.

[Greg S]

Nebraska left the Big 12 because of Texas. And now in the Big Ten, Wisconsin is the new Texas. It's like they traded one evil for another.

I don’t think the comparison works at all. Nebraska left the Big 12 because of clashes with Texas in the boardroom. Have not had any of those that I know of with Wisconsin.

[GenX]

Big sigh... I hate that they lost, but it was a better product to watch. The defense IS legit. In years past, Wisconsin would have run off into the sunset. At least it was a captivating game. I watched every second of it. I see definite signs of a corner being turned.

Great defense, pretty good QB play, good run game, no turnovers. It was a pretty clean game.

To Jag's point, the missed field goal might have been the difference. But you gotta support Alvano. Omaha Westside product, he has proven he's got the juice throughout high-school and so far in college. He made a 50+ yarder at some point this season. He will be great. Gotta stick by him.

Is Big Sigh the new name of the league?

[Busguy2010]

Is Big Sigh the new name of the league?

Lol good one.

[mrsticka]

It happened again. Nebraska lost 13-10 on a last-second field goal. How many more times are they going to have to go through this?

[nebport5]

It happened again. Nebraska lost 13-10 on a last-second field goal. How many more times are they going to have to go through this?

Perhaps as long as there isn't a dedicated QB coach and an overpaid OC/QB coach. Tony White should be the highest paid coordinator with incentives if he stays.

[jag42]

Tom Shatel of the OWH counted the chickens before they hatched a few weeks ago:

https://huskerextra.com/tncms/asset/edi ... 0be9ae977/

[Cermak]

5-7 not a bad record for first year coach Matt Rhule. It could have been much worse. Hopefully they can find a few more pieces on offense and the defense can follow up with another big year in 2024. Looking forward to next season.

[mrsticka]

10 years ago, winning 9 games a year and going to a bowl game was considered not good enough. Now many Husker fans long for those days.

[Coyote]

Sam McKewon breaks down Nebraska's loss to Iowa



Sam McKewon, with the Omaha World-Herald, breaks down the Iowa vs. Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Iowa won the game 13-10.

[Busguy2010]

I see they threw an interception on their own side of the field to seal to seal the deal for Iowa... in what world is throwing in that situation worth the risk? What did they think they were gonna do, score? 2nd down, 23 seconds, already in hail Mary range if that's what they had to do, or pin Iowa deep in their own territory with just a couple seconds left and fight in overtime.

That's the story of this season... boneheaded calls leading to turnovers at the most inopportune times was the difference between this team being 5-7 and 10-2. There's really no good reason, if they got out of their own way, they'd be 10-2 and battling for the big10 title. It was that close.

[Busguy2010]

I like where it's going. I love the defense and the run game. Offensive play calling is a little iffy, and we need a decent QB. Purdy shows some hope for improvement, and if not him, hopefully Rhule can land a good QB in the off-season.

[mrsticka]

Let's see. Nebraska finished the season 5-7. Their 7th straight losing season and no bowl game. It's hard for me to put a positive spin on the season.

[Busguy2010]

Let's see. Nebraska finished the season 5-7. Their 7th straight losing season and no bowl game. It's hard for me to put a positive spin on the season.

I think about it this way. We saw a competitive team this season. They were in every game they should have been, minus Colorado. I'd now venture to say they should have been 11-1 if they just cleaned it up a little bit. So many of these games came down to boneheaded play calls and inopportune turnovers. Despite leading the country with 31 turnovers (I think), 5 of their losses came down to a combined 19 points, leading me to believe if this wasn't a first year team, they'd be winning those close games, and with that easy schedule this year, they easily could be where Iowa is right now. I have a lot of optimism for next season.

[mrsticka]

I guess I can't feel too bad. Colorado's record this year is worse than Nebraska's and they ain't going bowling either. I guess Deion was all hype and no substance.

[Cermak]

Seeing some stuff on the internet about Coach Rhule jumping ship and taking the Texas A&M job. All rumors at this point but worth keeping an eye on.

[Greg S]

Seeing some stuff on the internet about Coach Rhule jumping ship and taking the Texas A&M job. All rumors at this point but worth keeping an eye on.

GameDay’s Pete Thamel ran through 6 or so names this morning and Rhule wasn’t among them. Sounds like some turmoil down there amongst boosters (lots involved due to massive payout).

[CBJason]

It seems to be shaping up to be an underwhelming hire which isn’t necessarily bad. My guess is it ends up being UTSA’s Jeff Traylor.

[mrsticka]

Well, Michigan beat Ohio State earlier today to clinch the Big Ten East. So they'll face Iowa in the Big Ten Championship game next week.

[Cermak]

I guess I can't feel too bad. Colorado's record this year is worse than Nebraska's and they ain't going bowling either. I guess Deion was all hype and no substance.

I thought we played Iowa about as good as we could. The two blocked kicks and the 66 yard touchdown pass made the game close, but in the end the better team won, Iowa is truly one of the masters at winning close back and forth games. They don’t seem to make mistakes late in the game when everything’s on the line, like many teams do. They’ve been doing this for years.

Our best chance to win a 6th game was against a not so good Michigan State. After we lost that game things looked less promising. Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa are all better than Michigan State.

[almighty_tuna]

I think some of my biggest takeaways from the season are
- Basic progression. Chubba has earned his spot at the top of the QB list. While the interception at the end of the Iowa game was not ideal, overall the last two games showed growth. Really a shame he won't get the extra reps from bowl eligibility to get a jump on the offseason.
- Our defense made huge strides this season and was hands down the shining star.
- Seems to be a positive culture on the team that, from an outsider's perspective, has been missing from the previous staff.

Concerns:
- Now that a few things are starting to trend in a positive direction, hopefully Rhule has developed enough rapport and community that the transfer portal won't take the team a few steps back in key positions.
- Ball handlers leave the football team to start a bakery called Husker Hotpockets, specializing in savory turnovers. Gotta fix this in the offseason.
- Tony White's success as DC opens doors to a HC job elsewhere. Good for him, bad for us.

[Busguy2010]

I wish they would have figured Purdy out sooner. He's definitely the best QB. Not saying he wouldn't have made the same mistakes, but having him play earlier on would have given him more reps, and maybe those mistakes later on aren't made. Unless some clearly better transfer comes in, he'll be the starter week one.

[nebugeater]

I wish they would have figured Purdy out sooner. He's definitely the best QB. Not saying he wouldn't have made the same mistakes, but having him play earlier on would have given him more reps, and maybe those mistakes later on aren't made. Unless some clearly better transfer comes in, he'll be the starter week one.

He wasn't an option much earlier because of his groin injury.

[Greg S]

Seeing some stuff on the internet about Coach Rhule jumping ship and taking the Texas A&M job. All rumors at this point but worth keeping an eye on.

GameDay’s Pete Thamel ran through 6 or so names this morning and Rhule wasn’t among them. Sounds like some turmoil down there amongst boosters (lots involved due to massive payout).

Duke’s Mike Elko being hired at Texas A and M.

[nebugeater]

Seeing some stuff on the internet about Coach Rhule jumping ship and taking the Texas A&M job. All rumors at this point but worth keeping an eye on.

GameDay’s Pete Thamel ran through 6 or so names this morning and Rhule wasn’t among them. Sounds like some turmoil down there amongst boosters (lots involved due to massive payout).

Duke’s Mike Elko being hired at Texas A and M.

If there is truth to how the Mike Stoops thing when with him going to T A&M then I am not sure I would want to deal with that booster base.

[nebport5]

I think some of my biggest takeaways from the season are
- Basic progression. Chubba has earned his spot at the top of the QB list. While the interception at the end of the Iowa game was not ideal, overall the last two games showed growth. Really a shame he won't get the extra reps from bowl eligibility to get a jump on the offseason.
- Our defense made huge strides this season and was hands down the shining star.
- Seems to be a positive culture on the team that, from an outsider's perspective, has been missing from the previous staff.

Concerns:
- Now that a few things are starting to trend in a positive direction, hopefully Rhule has developed enough rapport and community that the transfer portal won't take the team a few steps back in key positions.
- Ball handlers leave the football team to start a bakery called Husker Hotpockets, specializing in savory turnovers. Gotta fix this in the offseason.
- Tony White's success as DC opens doors to a HC job elsewhere. Good for him, bad for us.

I pretty much agree here but would add getting a dedicated QB coach should be a priority.

I would also bet there will be at least 1 portal QB.

[Louie]

I think some of my biggest takeaways from the season are
- Basic progression. Chubba has earned his spot at the top of the QB list. While the interception at the end of the Iowa game was not ideal, overall the last two games showed growth. Really a shame he won't get the extra reps from bowl eligibility to get a jump on the offseason.
- Our defense made huge strides this season and was hands down the shining star.
- Seems to be a positive culture on the team that, from an outsider's perspective, has been missing from the previous staff.

Concerns:
- Now that a few things are starting to trend in a positive direction, hopefully Rhule has developed enough rapport and community that the transfer portal won't take the team a few steps back in key positions.
- Ball handlers leave the football team to start a bakery called Husker Hotpockets, specializing in savory turnovers. Gotta fix this in the offseason.
- Tony White's success as DC opens doors to a HC job elsewhere. Good for him, bad for us.

I pretty much agree here but would add getting a dedicated QB coach should be a priority.

I would also bet there will be at least 1 portal QB.

This and we need a playmaker or two. We really don't have anyone of that caliber on the offensive side. Even last year we had Trey.

[nebport5]

I think some of my biggest takeaways from the season are
- Basic progression. Chubba has earned his spot at the top of the QB list. While the interception at the end of the Iowa game was not ideal, overall the last two games showed growth. Really a shame he won't get the extra reps from bowl eligibility to get a jump on the offseason.
- Our defense made huge strides this season and was hands down the shining star.
- Seems to be a positive culture on the team that, from an outsider's perspective, has been missing from the previous staff.

Concerns:
- Now that a few things are starting to trend in a positive direction, hopefully Rhule has developed enough rapport and community that the transfer portal won't take the team a few steps back in key positions.
- Ball handlers leave the football team to start a bakery called Husker Hotpockets, specializing in savory turnovers. Gotta fix this in the offseason.
- Tony White's success as DC opens doors to a HC job elsewhere. Good for him, bad for us.

I pretty much agree here but would add getting a dedicated QB coach should be a priority.

I would also bet there will be at least 1 portal QB.

This and we need a playmaker or two. We really don't have anyone of that caliber on the offensive side. Even last year we had Trey.

Definitely. The injuries and Betts walking away didn't help at WR. I think we have some real talent in Lloyd and Coleman but an established guy or two and another RB out of the portal is a must.

[mrsticka]

I guess I can't feel too bad. Colorado's record this year is worse than Nebraska's and they ain't going bowling either. I guess Deion was all hype and no substance.

I thought we played Iowa about as good as we could. The two blocked kicks and the 66 yard touchdown pass made the game close, but in the end the better team won, Iowa is truly one of the masters at winning close back and forth games. They don’t seem to make mistakes late in the game when everything’s on the line, like many teams do. They’ve been doing this for years.

Our best chance to win a 6th game was against a not so good Michigan State. After we lost that game things looked less promising. Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa are all better than Michigan State.

Perhaps. But I'm not ready to call Iowa a powerhouse because they're not even close. They've got a long way to go before they can be considered a powerhouse.

[omaha79]

We will see where it goes. I liked the defense. It was improved, and the level of compete in most games was high. Same time, just because it looked "close" this year, doesn't mean that will carry over. Nebraska is now in a perpetual state of rebuild. They were "close" in 2021 and then came out with a few stinkers in a row in 2022 that ultimately got Frost fired.

If White leaves or several key players hit the portal, the defense could regress again. We essentially exist now in a world of free agent college football. And, this wouldn't look much different from past regimes where just when you think you got one phase fixed, the other you'd been counting on takes a step backwards.

Ultimately, I consider this season to be a massive disappointment. Again, only year one, but we've been down this road before and have seen how it plays out when a coach doesn't hit the ground running. Question: who was the last Nebraska coach to have a losing season in his first year and then go on to have anything close to resembling a respectable career at the school? This is kind of a trick question, because there really isn't one, maybe Bill Glassford in the 1950's. You can look at the entirety of Nebraska's coaching history back to the 1800's and the successful coaches all had a winning season in year one. In the modern era, they certainly all did. The losers: Callahan, Riley, and Frost, all started with losing seasons. The only successful post Frank Solich coach was Bo and he took a 5-7 2007 team to 9 wins in his first year.

So, I'd say that Rhule is now already behind the eight ball. I argued this when Frost laid a turd in 2018. A coach, at best, gets about 4 guaranteed bullets (seasons). Rhule just missed wildly in year one taking what should have been a slam dunk to get to 6-7 wins and turned it into another losing season with no bowl game. This takes what could have been seen as tangible progress and made it more of the same and an unhappy fanbase. If he can't, at minimum, pull about 7 wins out of next season, he will already be on a warm seat after year two. The schedule appears to set up nicely again for a winning season...but Nebraska football is Charlie Brown and the rest of the college football world is Lucy pulling the football away at the last second.

[Coyote]

Season Recap 2023
Big Red Wrap-Up



Join Mike'l Severe, Jay Moore and a panel of experts as they review the 2023 season and analyze Nebraska's performance.

[Cermak]

We will see where it goes. I liked the defense. It was improved, and the level of compete in most games was high. Same time, just because it looked "close" this year, doesn't mean that will carry over. Nebraska is now in a perpetual state of rebuild. They were "close" in 2021 and then came out with a few stinkers in a row in 2022 that ultimately got Frost fired.

If White leaves or several key players hit the portal, the defense could regress again. We essentially exist now in a world of free agent college football. And, this wouldn't look much different from past regimes where just when you think you got one phase fixed, the other you'd been counting on takes a step backwards.

Ultimately, I consider this season to be a massive disappointment. Again, only year one, but we've been down this road before and have seen how it plays out when a coach doesn't hit the ground running. Question: who was the last Nebraska coach to have a losing season in his first year and then go on to have anything close to resembling a respectable career at the school? This is kind of a trick question, because there really isn't one, maybe Bill Glassford in the 1950's. You can look at the entirety of Nebraska's coaching history back to the 1800's and the successful coaches all had a winning season in year one. In the modern era, they certainly all did. The losers: Callahan, Riley, and Frost, all started with losing seasons. The only successful post Frank Solich coach was Bo and he took a 5-7 2007 team to 9 wins in his first year.

So, I'd say that Rhule is now already behind the eight ball. I argued this when Frost laid a turd in 2018. A coach, at best, gets about 4 guaranteed bullets (seasons). Rhule just missed wildly in year one taking what should have been a slam dunk to get to 6-7 wins and turned it into another losing season with no bowl game. This takes what could have been seen as tangible progress and made it more of the same and an unhappy fanbase. If he can't, at minimum, pull about 7 wins out of next season, he will already be on a warm seat after year two. The schedule appears to set up nicely again for a winning season...but Nebraska football is Charlie Brown and the rest of the college football world is Lucy pulling the football away at the last second.

Well said. Coach Rhule should definitely enter next season at least on a warm seat, the honeymoon is already over. College football is more like a semi-pro league now. Which I don’t really care for as much. The portal is a headache for coaches don’t envy them dealing with it every year.

[omaha79]

We will see where it goes. I liked the defense. It was improved, and the level of compete in most games was high. Same time, just because it looked "close" this year, doesn't mean that will carry over. Nebraska is now in a perpetual state of rebuild. They were "close" in 2021 and then came out with a few stinkers in a row in 2022 that ultimately got Frost fired.

If White leaves or several key players hit the portal, the defense could regress again. We essentially exist now in a world of free agent college football. And, this wouldn't look much different from past regimes where just when you think you got one phase fixed, the other you'd been counting on takes a step backwards.

Ultimately, I consider this season to be a massive disappointment. Again, only year one, but we've been down this road before and have seen how it plays out when a coach doesn't hit the ground running. Question: who was the last Nebraska coach to have a losing season in his first year and then go on to have anything close to resembling a respectable career at the school? This is kind of a trick question, because there really isn't one, maybe Bill Glassford in the 1950's. You can look at the entirety of Nebraska's coaching history back to the 1800's and the successful coaches all had a winning season in year one. In the modern era, they certainly all did. The losers: Callahan, Riley, and Frost, all started with losing seasons. The only successful post Frank Solich coach was Bo and he took a 5-7 2007 team to 9 wins in his first year.

So, I'd say that Rhule is now already behind the eight ball. I argued this when Frost laid a turd in 2018. A coach, at best, gets about 4 guaranteed bullets (seasons). Rhule just missed wildly in year one taking what should have been a slam dunk to get to 6-7 wins and turned it into another losing season with no bowl game. This takes what could have been seen as tangible progress and made it more of the same and an unhappy fanbase. If he can't, at minimum, pull about 7 wins out of next season, he will already be on a warm seat after year two. The schedule appears to set up nicely again for a winning season...but Nebraska football is Charlie Brown and the rest of the college football world is Lucy pulling the football away at the last second.

Well said. Coach Rhule should definitely enter next season at least on a warm seat, the honeymoon is already over. College football is more like a semi-pro league now. Which I don’t really care for as much. The portal is a headache for coaches don’t envy them dealing with it every year.

I agree. I have very little interest in it now. I was reading a bit when the news broke of Sims hitting the transfer portal. Lots of jokes about fumbles and the typical response from some saying, "these are kids! c'mon man, cut him some slack. He tried his best and it didn't work out, but no reason to slam a kid online like this." I actually disagree with this. This is now semi pro football. Jeff Sims was compensated handsomely to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars along with a scholarship to come to NU and look lost on the field. I have no sympathy for coaches making millions and am having way less sympathy for 18-23 year olds that are often making hundreds of thousands (the top tier anyway), to essentially show up and look lazy for a year before going somewhere else. The same time, the fans are asked to pay more, give up their seats for renovations, and just accept all around mediocrity. Even if the product wasn't mediocre, this resembles very little of the sport I grew up enjoying. It's just not fun anymore watching these pro athletes out there, seeing the referees look lost with 5 protracted video reviews a game. You couldn't pay me to go to a 4 hour game, $100 tickets (not that anyone has paid that of late on the secondary market), $20 parking, and overpriced concession food just to watch the same old thing year after year.

[omaha79]

It's sounding like a couple families are going to throw big money at the football program, which is why I'm hearing NU is suddenly in on nearly every big name recruit and back in on Raiola. Big numbers into the millions being floated around. That's what college football has turned into today. Not really my jam anymore, but I wish them well. Love it when millionaires biggest social concern is fixing their local college football teams offense. Probably when you know times have been really good for a really long time despite what some would have you think.

[Cermak]

It's sounding like a couple families are going to throw big money at the football program, which is why I'm hearing NU is suddenly in on nearly every big name recruit and back in on Raiola. Big numbers into the millions being floated around. That's what college football has turned into today. Not really my jam anymore, but I wish them well. Love it when millionaires biggest social concern is fixing their local college football teams offense. Probably when you know times have been really good for a really long time despite what some would have you think.

So buy a team that’s how it’s done now , this isn’t college football anymore. It’s a semi-pro league designed to help players make money and get to the NFL. Even though very few will actually make it to the NFL. Not a fan of the college game anymore , a bad product and total money grab .

[omaha79]

It's sounding like a couple families are going to throw big money at the football program, which is why I'm hearing NU is suddenly in on nearly every big name recruit and back in on Raiola. Big numbers into the millions being floated around. That's what college football has turned into today. Not really my jam anymore, but I wish them well. Love it when millionaires biggest social concern is fixing their local college football teams offense. Probably when you know times have been really good for a really long time despite what some would have you think.

So buy a team that’s how it’s done now , this isn’t college football anymore. It’s a semi-pro league designed to help players make money and get to the NFL. Even though very few will actually make it to the NFL. Not a fan of the college game anymore , a bad product and total money grab .

Rumor is it's the family from the Sandhills Publishing Group along with a few other families and NU will have a "payroll" in the $8 million range next year. This could be total fabrication, but who knows.

[Greg S]

It's sounding like a couple families are going to throw big money at the football program, which is why I'm hearing NU is suddenly in on nearly every big name recruit and back in on Raiola. Big numbers into the millions being floated around. That's what college football has turned into today. Not really my jam anymore, but I wish them well. Love it when millionaires biggest social concern is fixing their local college football teams offense. Probably when you know times have been really good for a really long time despite what some would have you think.

So buy a team that’s how it’s done now , this isn’t college football anymore. It’s a semi-pro league designed to help players make money and get to the NFL. Even though very few will actually make it to the NFL. Not a fan of the college game anymore , a bad product and total money grab .

It's not just football. The World Herald did an article last year about how Creighton has the highest NIL deals in the Big East (which I found impressive considering who else is in that league). These deals are happening in several other sports as well including women's. UNO is experiencing this in hockey.

Greg