{"id":324616,"date":"2025-12-01T19:32:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T19:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/324616\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T19:32:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T19:32:09","slug":"where-does-huskers-program-stand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/324616\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Does Huskers\u2019 Program Stand?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part Two of Two. To read Part One (3 burning questions about Nebraska, click here<\/a>)<\/p>\n

CBS Sports cameras, in a panoramic aerial image, zoomed in on the Memorial Stadium field. It was the third quarter of the Huskers\u2019 game against Iowa.<\/p>\n

It was easy to see so many empty seats, once filled with an announced crowd of 86,410. Memorial Stadium looked half-empty, to be polite. Fans streamed out. Fans went back to their non-football lives. Iowa just seems to do that to Husker Nation.<\/p>\n

The eyewitnesses had left the scene.<\/p>\n

Iowa took a 24-16 halftime lead and squeezed the Huskers the rest of the game. The Hawkeyes led, 33-16, after three quarters and won, 40-16, their 10th win in 11 games in the rivalry series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be the first to say: That\u2019s unacceptable. I certainly understand how that feels to all the great fans that we have, the student section was full, people come to the game,\u201d Huskers coach Matt Rhule said in a news conference after the game.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI understand their disappointment, I understand our team\u2019s disappointment. I think when you end the season the way we have the last two games [Penn State and Iowa], it has to rest solely on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did Nebraska\u2019s 7-5 season represent progress? Or, did it represent running in place, the one-game record improvement over 2024\u2019s final record simply not good enough?<\/p>\n

Or, did it represent program stagnation? Are the Huskers moving in the right direction? It\u2019s more than a fair question and one being asked across the state.<\/p>\n

Expectations through the offseason and the summer ran hot. With the Huskers\u2019 schedule \u2014 which missed powerhouses Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon and Washington \u2014 more than seven wins in the regular season was thought to be a given.<\/p>\n

Pessimistic fans figured eight wins. Optimistic ones figured on nine wins and whispered, maybe, even 10 wins. That seemed to be the rational and reasonable range \u2014 eight or nine wins. Greater accomplishments were possible, too, as the Huskers sat at 6-2 on Oct. 25.<\/p>\n

But those accomplishments didn\u2019t happen. You are what your record says you are. Right now, Nebraska is 14-11 over the last two seasons, with a bowl game remaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love this team, I love everything about them,\u201d Rhule said. \u201cI certainly didn\u2019t think today would go that way \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that times like this can get a little bit negative. Honestly, that should all be directed to me, I don\u2019t want the players to panic, it shouldn\u2019t go towards them. I think it has to fall on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Football is a short season, 12 games. It\u2019s over before you know it. Every game means everything. No sport is prone to more overreaction than football.<\/p>\n

Every error is magnified. Every loss is devastating. Victories are celebrated but more emphasis and criticism are placed on the losses than the wins.<\/p>\n

After the Iowa loss, Rhule mentioned that 2024 and 2025 were the first back-to-back years the Huskers qualified for a bowl game since 2015 and 2016 [he said 2013, 2014]. True statement? Yes.<\/p>\n

Soothing for a fan base with long memories and bigger expectations? Maybe not. Did that fact take away the sting from yet another loss to Iowa?<\/p>\n

Definitely not.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it enough? No. But is it better than it was? Yes,\u201d Rhule said. \u201cBut if I\u2019m a fan right now, I\u2019m mad. I\u2019m walking away mad.”<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people are supporters, like good for them. They\u2019re passionate about this place.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being the head coach of University of Nebraska. I love being in Nebraska because people are passionate about this. So I don\u2019t want my message to be anything other than I don\u2019t want it to be hope and all. It wasn\u2019t good enough, man.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI know where we\u2019re headed. I know what we\u2019re doing. I know where we\u2019re moving forward. I believe in what we\u2019re doing. I believe in the recruits that are bought into us. I believe in the signing class Wednesday.”<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so I don\u2019t want to overreact. You know, these last two games weren\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Occasionally through the season, Rhule talked about how difficult it is to win in the Big Ten. He wasn\u2019t making excuses. His opinion was honest and fact-based.<\/p>\n

The Big Ten is a beast. The conference has won the last two national championships. Ohio State and Indiana currently are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation.<\/p>\n

And Oregon, ranked No. 4, probably can beat most teams.<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t say that about Nebraska. Not anymore.<\/p>\n

Nebraska\u2019s 2026 schedule is a potential beast<\/a>. There are seven home games and five away games.<\/p>\n

Home games:
* Ohio University
* Bowling Green
* North Dakota
* Indiana
* Maryland
* Ohio State
* Washington<\/p>\n

Away games:
* Illinois
* Iowa
* Michigan State
* Oregon
* Rutgers<\/p>\n

The Huskers were 4-3 this season at Memorial Stadium, 2-2 on the road and 1-0 at a neutral site.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people have a right to be upset, OK, with how it ended,\u201d Rhule said. \u201cFor me, all I can say is I am going to have some of the best recruits here today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to continue to work as hard as I can as long as I can. I\u2019m going to surround myself with really positive people, not toxic people, and just try to continue to move the program forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nebraska<\/p>\n

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule (right) and defensive coordinator John Butler on the sideline during the 2025 game against Iowa. \/ Kenny Larabee, KLIN<\/p>\n

Rhule was given a contract extension that was announced on Oct. 30, two days before the USC game. The Huskers lost that crucial game, knocking them out of College Football Playoff contention. Nebraska wound up losing three of its last four games.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be a team that gets better at the end of the year and these last two games have not been that,\u201d Rhule said after the Iowa game. \u201cI take that. I own that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nebraska feels like a program at the crossroads. Look at next season\u2019s schedule. Do the math, as fans do. Are there eight wins on the 2026 schedule? How about seven wins?<\/p>\n

How many wins are there with a relatively inexperienced quarterback, if Dylan Raiola doesn\u2019t return? Running back Emmett Johnson could head to the NFL. Johnson gained 1,451 yards on the ground and was the Huskers’ leading pass receiver.<\/p>\n

\"Nebraska<\/p>\n

Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson takes a handoff from quarterback Dylan Raiola. Both players could be elsewhere in 2026. \/ Kenny Larabee, KLIN<\/p>\n

If the Huskers win seven games again next season, how does that play with the fan base? Good enough? Right direction? Nebraska is a program that needs a big win, an unexpected win. Its 2026 schedule says there will be chances for just that.<\/p>\n

What the Huskers do next season will be a reflection on what they did this season. Final grades are being tallied about 2025. What happens in 2026 might be even more relevant about the program’s overall health.<\/p>\n

There are miles and miles to go before next season becomes an obsession. There is a bowl game<\/a> and for those who think bowl games aren\u2019t important, think again and put yourself in Nebraska\u2019s shoes.<\/p>\n

\"Nebraska<\/p>\n

Nebraska offensive lineman Rocco Spindler: ‘We have to stay as a brotherhood.’ \/ Kenny Larabee, KLIN<\/p>\n

\u201cWith these next couple days off it\u2019s a lot of reflection on what guys want individually and what we want \u2026 as a group,\u201d offensive lineman Rocco Spindler said in a news conference after the Iowa game.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to stay as a brotherhood in the locker room. There is going to be a lot of outside noise \u2026 but we have to stay together and have a great month of preparation for the bowl game.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys have to be willing to execute, meet those standards, then also rise to the occasion and be ready for the bowl game.\u201d<\/p>\n

A strong bowl performance, and a win, will be a boost to Nebraska\u2019s confidence, and give it a solid foundation toward the offseason.<\/p>\n

At least that\u2019s the plan.<\/p>\n

More From Nebraska On SI<\/p>\n

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI<\/a>, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube<\/a>, and visiting HuskerMax.com<\/a> daily.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Part Two of Two. To read Part One (3 burning questions about Nebraska, click here) CBS Sports cameras,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324617,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-324616","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}