1 week Ago By AMIE JUST Lincoln Journal Star
Nebraska’s Matt Rhule made a bold promise last week. The Huskers had just lost their third straight contest — a disappointing game against UCLA, a team that entered last week’s game with a 2-5 ledger. “This program needs to go to a bowl game,” Rhule said on Monday, Nov.
4. “It’s going to take unbelievable focus because these are three good teams we have left. I’m going to work my tail off to try to get it done.
"I hope the players join me, and I hope the staff joins me. But there’s nothing I won’t do to get there. There’s nothing that I won’t do to help us get over the top.
” There’s nothing he won’t do. Or, as in the affirmative, he will do anything to ensure Nebraska gets to a sixth win. Well, Rhule did the unprecedented on Monday — announcing that he promoted newly hired offensive consultant Dana Holgorsen to be Nebraska’s play-caller and offensive coordinator while demoting former offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield to only coach the tight ends.
“I felt we needed some help,” Rhule said. “Just thought this was the right thing to do. It might be bold.
It might be unique.” No “might” necessary there, Matt. It’s certainly a bold move.
It’s certainly a unique move. We’re in uncharted territory here. Has this ever happened in college football? Bringing in an outside person to call plays mid-season? No immediate examples come to mind.
It's even more bizarre to note that Rhule and Holgorsen, despite their friendship, have never been on the same staff prior to this week. Even though the historic move feels drastic, something had to change with Nebraska’s regressing offense. The numbers are grim.
As we sit here with three games to go in the regular season, the Huskers’ total offensive numbers of 354.1 yards per game ranks No. 96 nationally.
The run offense? Ranked No. 101 nationally. Scoring offense? Ranked No.
99 nationally. With those dismal numbers in mind, Nebraska couldn’t enter the final stretch of the season still operating under the status quo. Could you imagine the backlash if Rhule had walked up to the lectern and said that Nebraska would continue to do things the same way after all the idle week reflection? No chance.
“This is not about next year,” Rhule said. “This is about right now. This is about giving our guys the best chance to go out there and win at USC.
” But at the same time, there are so many questions — both regarding the minutia and the big picture. How much will things change? And how quickly can things get turned around? Don’t expect Nebraska to magically look like 2010 Oklahoma State against USC this weekend. To Holgorsen’s credit, he doesn’t have the time to throw the playbook in the shredder and start from scratch.
It’s November. Mid-November at that. Nebraska has to work with what it has.
“He can’t come in and change the offense and he can’t come in and install the Air Raid; we’re in Week 11,” Rhule said. “He can come in and say, ‘Hey, what are the things that do well? Who are the guys that can make plays? And let’s figure out how to do it with those guys.’ That’s the big picture that I think he’s doing right now.
” But, it’s not like Holgorsen has strong relationships with Nebraska’s players yet either. He’s been here for a week. The learning curve for knowing their strengths and their tendencies is going to be steep.
How is Holgorsen going to get up to speed on all of the offensive playmakers in less than two weeks? Luckily for him, there’s someone on the coaching staff who does know all those things. Satterfield. While the arrangement feels awkward as heck, the two are already working together in an effort to get Nebraska where it needs to be: back in a bowl game.
That’s a credit to Satterfield as a person. He could have taken his money and bolted after getting demoted. That’s his right.
That’s, honestly, what a lot of people would have done. It’s easy to walk away. But not Satt.
He deserves his flowers for that. “Marcus is as good of a man as I know,” Rhule said. “He could have just said, ‘Hey.
You know what, fire me. Give me my money. I’m gonna go home.
’ But he didn’t. In a world where — trust me, I get it — it’s a results business, we’re still trying to teach some life lessons to our guys, he humbled himself and said, ‘What do I need to do?’” Satterfield wasn’t the only person who needed to look in the mirror last week and do some self-reflection. Everyone on the offensive side of the ball needed to have honest conversations with themselves about their role in this backslide.
But there’s one major wrinkle to all this that may render some things moot if Nebraska doesn’t get the news it wants. The health of quarterback Dylan Raiola will absolutely factor into what the offense looks like moving forward. The freshman injured his back against UCLA, and it’s unclear as to what his status will be against USC.
Rhule said in his opening remarks Monday that Raiola “will try to practice” Tuesday and Nebraska “will see where he’s at” and get backup Heinrich Haarberg ready to play, too. What happens if Raiola can’t go? It’s not like he and Haarberg are carbon copies of one another. The game plans are wildly different for each, based on their strengths.
Don’t expect clarity there, either. At least, not until the availability report comes out ahead of kickoff in Los Angeles on Saturday. Nebraska’s going to keep it close to the vest on this one.
That’s part of why there won’t be any other people available to the media this week, outside of Rhule again on Thursday. But the biggest question out of all of them this week cannot be answered yet. Will this work? Will making an unprecedented hire with only three weeks left in the season work in Nebraska’s favor? There’s no guarantee that it will.
But there’s no guarantee that it won’t, either. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
