Matt Rhule didn’t dance around the obvious on Thursday at Big Ten Media Days.
After Nebraska’s second straight 7-6 season, the Huskers’ head coach made it clear the standard in Lincoln is not supposed to be survival. Rhule said the coaches and players didn’t come to Nebraska to be 7-6, and he pointed straight to the area that has dragged the program down under his watch: November.
Nebraska is 2-10 in November during Rhule’s tenure, with wins over Wisconsin in 2024 and on the road at UCLA in 2025. Outside of that, it’s been a rough month for Husker fans to stomach. Rhule is also 0-3 against Iowa.
The message was simple: that has to change. And Rhule’s answer for how to make it happen was just as direct. There’s no shortcut, no quick fix, no magic wand that suddenly turns a team into a November machine.
That part matters, because the best teams usually separate late in the year. They win in the trenches.
They get better quarterback play. Nebraska hasn’t consistently had either of those things in the last two Novembers, and that’s where the frustration has lived.
There are reasons for optimism, though. The offensive line should be the strongest of the Rhule era, and Anthony Colandrea - who Luke Lindenmeyer compared to a squirrel - is expected to be a major upgrade at quarterback, especially because of what he brings as a runner.
On the other side of the ball, Nebraska has a new defensive coordinator with a reputation for first-year turnarounds, and the unit is among the most experienced in the country.
Rhule also sounded encouraged about his quarterback room. He described Colandrea as the yin to his yang, and Nebraska now has three players who have started games at the FBS level.
Lindenmeyer added more praise for the offense’s young talent, saying Colandrea has looked good and that Carter Nelson has looked really good since getting healthy. He also said freshman Luke Sorsensen has surpassed him physically.
The other major development from Thursday involved Mekhi Nelson. Troy Dannen said the athletic department cleared Nelson after his arrest, and Rhule confirmed Nelson will not face any program restrictions. Rhule still could have imposed discipline himself, but he won’t.
That clears the way for Nelson to stay in the mix, and he was the projection here to be Nebraska’s starting running back. He looks like the most complete option in the room and feels like RB1.
Rhule also said Nebraska used its difficult schedule as a recruiting tool, another sign that the staff believes it can sell the challenge rather than run from it.
A lot of Nebraska fans remain skeptical, and the record is the record. But Rhule’s comments on Thursday were steady and pointed, and he seemed confident in where the program is headed.
The only thing left is the part that matters most: proving it on the field.
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