LINCOLN - Matt Rhule spent Monday trying to steady a Nebraska program that has hit a rough patch, and the message out of his first availability of Rutgers week was blunt: the Huskers need points, they need stability, and they need to get the next offensive coordinator hire right.
Nebraska is on a four-game losing streak, and the offense has been unable to clear 18 points in any of those games. Rhule said that kind of production simply won’t cut it.
"You need to have the ability to score points," Rhule said. "We’re not scoring enough points."
That backdrop helped frame the biggest move of the week: Rhule said he made the decision to fire Dana Holgorsen while flying home from Illinois.
"I respect and appreciate Dana," Rhule said. "But I felt like this is what we needed at this time."
Glenn Thomas will handle the offense for the rest of the season, and Rhule said he still believes the system in place can work. He pushed back on the idea that the unit is fundamentally broken.
"I don't think the offense is broken," Rhule said. "I don't think we have bad players. I don't think we have bad coaches."
Now comes the longer game. Rhule said he plans to be deliberate in choosing the next offensive coordinator, pointing to a lesson from last year.
"What I learned last year with Rob (Aurich) was to get it right, not go fast," Rhule said. "I just want to get it right. When we know who the right guy is, we'll do it."
Rhule also said the new offensive coordinator will have a voice in shaping the staff on that side of the ball, including who stays and who gets added.
"I don't think you can hire people and not have them come in and bring in the people that they want," Rhule said. "I also think we have a bunch of really, really good coaches, too. It's something that when the time comes, we'll have those conversations with people."
While the offense is in flux, the defense got a vote of confidence. Rhule announced that defensive coordinator Rob Aurich has signed a two-year extension, a move that gives Nebraska some continuity in one of the few places it has found it.
"This was something I wanted for a while now," Rhule said. "I wanted tremendous continuity. People are going to want this defense and this defense deserves to be at Nebraska."
Details of the extension have not yet been released.
The timing matters, too. With Holgorsen out and Aurich locked in, Nebraska has stabilized one coordinator spot while opening another.
Rhule is now searching for his third offensive coordinator since arriving in Lincoln in 2023. Aurich is the third defensive coordinator, and Brett Maher is the third special teams coordinator in the Rhule era.
"I've hired people and believed it was going to work out great. When it hasn't worked out great, we've made the tough decision and we just try to move forward," Rhule said.
Rhule noted that, of the six coordinators who are no longer in those roles in Lincoln, only Tony White and Mike Ekeler left on their own. White was fired earlier this month after less than two seasons at Florida State as their defensive coordinator. Ekeler is in his first season at USC, where he is leading the linebackers and special teams.
"I think we're in an age in college football where the continuity's going to be different," Rhule said.
In Other News...
Nebraska Faces A Costly Problem As Matt Rhule Eyes Key Decision
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At the same time, Matt Rhule has another important call to make on the offensive side, with Jerry Neuheisel and Rob Aurich among the names being discussed for the coordinator opening. There is also some roster stability to note, as Cameron Lenhardt announced he will return for a fifth season under the new 5-for-5 rule, giving Nebraska a bit more continuity while the staff sorts through its next move. And across campus, Britt Princes 24-point outing helped the womens basketball team move to 3-0, a reminder that there is plenty going right even as the football program works through a few pressing issues. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas First Top 25 Night Brought Exactly What Fans Wanted
The first night as a Top 25 team came with the kind of performance Nebraska fans were hoping to see, as the Huskers rolled past Lindenwood 94-60 in a nonconference home game. It was a comfortable win from the start, and it gave Nebraska a chance to settle into its new ranking without much drama, while senior forward Damon Wilkinson provided a strong lift with 19 points and solid shooting from beyond the arc.
Pryce Sandfort led all scorers with 22 points, giving Nebraska another scoring option to lean on as the schedule turns a little more demanding. The next test comes against Boise State at a neutral site in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a matchup that should offer a better gauge of where this group stands now that the early-season spotlight has found it. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Heads To Rutgers With A Defensive Problem It Must Solve
Nebraska heads to Rutgers with a defense that has to absorb two significant losses before the trip even kicks off. Linebacker Owen Chambliss and defensive back Andrew Marshall are both out because of injuries, leaving the Cornhuskers to reshuffle key spots on the back end and in the middle of the field as they prepare for a Big Ten road game that already had enough on the line.
Rutgers is dealing with its own personnel hit, with star wide receiver KJ Duff lost for the season, so both teams will be leaning on players who now have to do more than they were expected to do a week ago. For Nebraska, the bigger question is how quickly those replacements can settle in against an opponent that will be trying to test the spots where the Cornhuskers are thinnest. [Read more 🡒]