Iowa Game

Husker
1

I don’t want to go too deep in this because I could write a book on this. I have nothing against Rhule but I really think the powers that be really screwed up in giving him an extension. I say that not in hindsight. I just didn’t like it from the beginning.

It seems like we are living in a day and age when if someone has a good year be it player, coach, or whoever a lot of people are voicing that an extension should be offered. Maybe in some cases an extension is justified but I sure didn’t see it in Rhule’s case, not yet anyway.

John Papenhagen

1 Like
2

I think what we have learned is that bringing a program like Temple or Baylor to the top of their leagues is not as challenging as bringing Nebraska to the top of the 18-team Big Ten. And those successes were pre-NIL/pay-for-play/transfer portal.

My wife also is not all that sold on Rhule. I see progress, even over last year, and we should all have known that the 2nd half of the season would be harder than the first half. This team is IMHO about a half-dozen players, mostly linemen, away from being fully competitive against the top 4-5 teams in the conference.

Assuming Penn State blows Rutgers away tomorrow, I feel sorry for the team that is their bowl opponent.

Looking to 2026, the non-conference schedule is a slight upgrade from this year and the conference schedule just shuffles the deck a bit every year, any way you deal it there will be multiple ranked teams on it.

I’m not convinced the 5-3-3 works without its architect, and it was iffy even under him. I’d expect some changes in the defensive plan for 2026. As to the offence, we’ll see what the transfer portal does to the roster.

3

I haven’t given up on Rhule, yet. I think the program is improving, although not as fast as we had all hoped.

I agree the team needs linemen on both sides of the ball. Maybe some LBs as well.

I thought the 3-3-5 was going to be more flexible. DE/LB hybrids along with big ugly DTs. Didn’t see either of those this year. Mostly undersized players in both roles who couldn’t get to a QB or stop the run.

OL improved throughout the year, but will be losing Spindler, Lutuvsky, and Corcoran to graduation.

Linemen must be the focus of the portal. The days of developing talent is long gone.

On a side note, I believe the last two games turned on single plays. Going for it instead of taking the points against PSU and the uncalled targeting yesterday.

Just my opinion, of course.

Tommy Thompson
Just call me “Pa”
Go Big Red
Go Cardinals

4

I don’t know that it would have made much difference, but those were definitely points where momentum swung towards the other team

5

Mike,

I agree 100% on the line. Both sides of the ball.

Imagine Johnson’s production with a better line.

Imagine the opportunities for the defensive backs if the QB is always pressured.

It’s remarkable in some ways that we did as well as we did.

Jim Dean

6

The fact that we don’t have those players is the responsibility of Matt Rhule.

7

When I question the hiring of Rhule, and especially the contract extension, I was not all that upset the Huskers lost. I think Penn State and Iowa were both better teams. It was with the seemingly ease Penn State and Iowa had. And, I don’t mean both teams won with literal ease. I just mean it didn’t seem to take that much effort by the opponent to win.

Before the season started as I looked at the schedule I thought four of the five losses very well could happen. The one I wasn’t counting on was losing to Minnesota.

I will also make a bold prediction. I am not saying this is fact, just a feeling I have. I don’t think both Lateef and Raiola will be on the team next year. I don’t think either one is going to be happy to sit on the bench while the other one plays. It would seem the one that stays is Raiola but the portal is way too easy an out. Before the days of the portal my guess would be neither would be leaving.

It would seem both would be having discussions with Rhule and Holgerson and go from there.

John Papenhagen

**nolan**List Manager

12h

I think what we have learned is that bringing a program like Temple or Baylor to the top of their leagues is not as challenging as bringing Nebraska to the top of the 18-team Big Ten. And those successes were pre-NIL/pay-for-play/transfer portal.

My wife also is not all that sold on Rhule. I see progress, even over last year, and we should all have known that the 2nd half of the season would be harder than the first half. This team is IMHO about a half-dozen players, mostly linemen, away from being fully competitive against the top 4-5 teams in the conference.

Assuming Penn State blows Rutgers away tomorrow, I feel sorry for the team that is their bowl opponent.

Looking to 2026, the non-conference schedule is a slight upgrade from this year and the conference schedule just shuffles the deck a bit every year, any way you deal it there will be multiple ranked teams on it.

I’m not convinced the 5-3-3 works without its architect, and it was iffy even under him. I’d expect some changes in the defensive plan for 2026. As to the offence, we’ll see what the transfer portal does to the roster.

8

Is he supposed to be paying those elite linemen out of his own pocket?

9

Ruhle said he has the money to do what he needs to do. If so, he should be able to find (buy) the needed talent.

Jim Dean

10

I hate the idea of buying talent but that’s where we’re at in the game today.

We are going to have to get enough talent across the board to have a successful season (top 15, at least) in order to attract future talent. Players want to play for a team that has a decent chance to get to the playoffs.

We ain’t there yet.

Scott Buffington

11

I don’t like it either, but as you say that is the game today. To me when money has to be offered to get a player to come a college program that way over steps the line. College Sports are now professional sports.

John Papenhagen

post by 1402.buffsn09 6 mins ago

**1402.buffsn09**Husker List Group

6m

I hate the idea of buying talent but that’s where we’re at in the game today.

We are going to have to get enough talent across the board to have a successful season (top 15, at least) in order to attract future talent. Players want to play for a team that has a decent chance to get to the playoffs.

We ain’t there yet.

Scott Buffington

12

He does NOW. Meaning he didn’t last offseason.

13

I think now that the House settlement is finalized (at least I think it is), that makes it clearer just how much each team has available in that pool, the NIL pool is basically whatever they can drum up. It will be interesting to see how carefully all that money is monitored and rules enforced.

It totally changes the recruiting business, some coaches will be better at it than others. IMHO, Franklin was one of those who hasn’t yet mastered things. (Fitz at Northwestern is/was another.)

And just as Tom Osborne picked the right time to retire, because the game was changing, I think Nick Saban picked the right time to step down at ‘Bama, too.

14

Time will tell whether Nebraska/Rhule can master the money game or not. So far, I’m not sure.

15

At $8.5 million for the year, that’s $1.21 million per win.

He says the disappointing season is ‘on him’, but I bet he isn’t giving a penny of his salary back.

16

So I’m still confused about NIL.

We talk as if the U hands out NIL money but ultimately NIL money comes from third parties, yes? The money isn’t distributed by the U but by those third parties. So when Rhule says “we have $$” he really means the collectives and such have the $$? But then does Rhule tell them how much to give to whom? If so, how is that different from the U just directly collecting and paying this money?

17

Well, the House settlement means that UNL has about $21 million to hand out across all sports, but football and basketball probably get most of it. Maybe vball gets a chunk, they deliver better results!

I don’t quite know what the school’s role is in NIL, but I think they can be more directly involved than in years past. I think the new sports commission makes sure there’s some business value for the NIL payments, but that might still be rather minimal, like $100 a word for blog posts.

18

David Hale’s weekly humor-laden recap of the week’s games does get in one zinger against the Huskers:

How does a player rush for 217 yards and his team manage just 16 points? How does anyone give up 40 to Iowa?