After Nebraska’s third straight loss that could have gone the other way, Clester Johnson wasn’t interested in soft-pedaling anything.
The former Husker wingback, a national championship winner, reached out to the Common Fans after Nebraska’s 17-10 loss to Washington, and the result was a special midweek conversation about the state of the program, where the blame belongs, and whether Matt Rhule and the Huskers can still salvage the season.
Johnson’s perspective carries weight because he lived through Nebraska football under Tom Osborne, and he brought that experience into the discussion. He talked about accountability, leadership, and the mindset it takes to finish games when the pressure spikes. Even with frustration around the program reaching a boiling point, he still isn’t ready to write this team off.
The central issue, in his view, goes beyond a few bad breaks. Nebraska has now dropped three straight games it had chances to win, and Johnson believes the trouble runs deeper than a couple of unlucky moments.
He and the Common Fans dug into Nebraska’s struggles to establish a steady running game, the missed chances against Washington, and the need for coaches to put players in position to succeed. Johnson also stressed that the players themselves have to show stronger leadership, especially when the momentum starts swinging late.
That led naturally into a look back at the culture Osborne built. Johnson recalled how Nebraska players bonded around unity, belief, respect, and accountability, and the conversation turned to whether today’s team can develop that same edge before the season slips away.
Rhule’s emotional Monday press conference after the Washington loss also came up, especially his remarks about a fan verbally confronting his daughter. The Common Fans made clear that going after a coach’s family is out of bounds. At the same time, they questioned whether Rhule’s decision to speak publicly about it pulled attention away from the team’s bigger issues, and whether the relationship between the staff and a restless fan base is starting to fray.
The bigger question hanging over everything is simple: has Rhule lost Husker Nation’s confidence, or would a couple of wins change the mood fast?
Johnson’s answer on Nebraska’s talent level was straightforward. He believes the Huskers have enough ability to compete with anybody on the schedule.
In his eyes, the issue isn’t effort or physical tools. It’s the failure to make the plays that matter most when the game is on the line.
He also shared more from his playing days, including the competition for snaps under Osborne, the value of cleaning up mistakes in practice, and the player-driven standard that helped Nebraska break through in the 1990s.
From there, the discussion turned to how much responsibility falls on the coaching staff and how much belongs to the players. Nebraska’s repeated fourth-quarter problems, they argued, may be as much about the mind as the game plan.
With four games left, Johnson still isn’t backing away from optimism. He believes the Huskers are still battling, still talented, and still capable of finishing strong.
But Friday night’s trip to Illinois looms as a major turning point. Nebraska can either stop the skid, regain some confidence, and build momentum for the final stretch, or it can take another hit that pushes both the program and its fan base closer to the edge.
Johnson’s message to Husker Nation was clear: frustration is fair, and demanding more is fair too. But as long as the players are still fighting, he thinks there’s still something to hold onto.
In Other News...
Illinois Should Watch Nebraskas Injury Report Very Closely This Week
Nebraskas injury report is worth a close look this week as the Cornhuskers prepare for Illinois, with a few key names still in flux heading into the matchup. Jamir Conn and Gunnar Gottula are both listed as questionable, and while Conn has been practicing, he still needs further clearance. Gottula is working back from a head injury, leaving Nebraska to sort through a situation that could affect its depth in more than one spot.
The longer-term picture is less encouraging for the Huskers. Vincent Genatone is out for the season after surgery, while Anthony Jones Jr. remains sidelined with a broken foot, though he is expected back before the year ends. Nebraska has already had several players listed out since the season began, so the availability of even a couple of questionable contributors could matter as the Cornhuskers try to keep their roster intact for a key Big Ten test. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Late-Game Problem Just Got A Lot More Costly
Nebraskas slide at the wrong time has left the Huskers with little margin for error as they try to stay in the bowl picture and keep their season from drifting further off course. At 5-3, they were left out of the initial College Football Playoff Top 25, even as other teams with similar records found a place, a reminder that recent results carry as much weight as the overall record.
The bigger concern is the way the last three games have gone, with losses to Indiana and Oregon helping close the door on any early national momentum. Now the path forward runs through a difficult stretch against Illinois, Ohio State and Iowa, and Nebraska needs to start turning close calls into wins if it wants to change the tone of the season before November gets away from it. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Let Anthony Colandrea Take Heat For A Preventable Mess
Anthony Colandreas absence from the postgame media session after Nebraskas recent game sparked an immediate round of frustration from fans and reporters, especially because the starting quarterback was the one left to absorb the public fallout. In a situation like that, a simple explanation can go a long way, but the silence only made the moment look worse for everyone involved.
Matt Rhule later said Colandrea was with the medical team at the time, and Colandrea confirmed that was the case. The bigger issue, though, was the communication breakdown around it, since Nebraskas Sports Information Department did not promptly let the media know he was unavailable, turning what should have been a routine clarification into a preventable mess. [Read more 🡒]