Will Nebraska Football Make Special Teams Special Again?
In November of 2020, Matt Rhule gave a speech to the American Football Coaches Association during which he laid out five keys to winning football. The list is as follows: 1) Don’t beat ourselves. 2) Make special teams special. 3) Dominate the trenches. 4) Win the toxic battle (i.e. turnovers and explosive plays). 5) Great […]
Blackshirts Facing Major Changes as We Assess the State of Nebraska’s Defense Heading into the 2025 Season
T.J. Birkel Matt Rhule is known as a defensive guy. He’s always prioritized defense, and that was certainly borne out in his first two years as the head man in Lincoln. In 2024, the Huskers ranked 18th in total defense, 17th in scoring defense, and 9th in rushing defense. The numbers were even better in […]
Assessing the State of Nebraska’s Offense Heading into the 2025 Season
T.J. Birkel In 2024, Nebraska ranked 103rd nationally in scoring offense, 96th in rushing offense, 66th in passing offense, 106th in yards per play, and 94th in total offense (NOTE: final rankings are subject to change once the college football playoffs are completed, but they won’t change by much). The Huskers were even worse in […]
Matt Rhule Leads Nebraska Football Into an Era of Great Unknowns
T.J. Birkel The last time Matt Rhule was a head coach in college football (before Nebraska, that is) was 2019. That’s not too long ago, but the sport has seen seismic shifts since that time. The transfer portal and players being able to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) were not factors yet. […]
As Husker Veterans Celebrate Bowl Win, Emerging Youth Movement Provides Hope for the Future
Nebraska beat Boston College 20-15 in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, finishing 7-6 in Matt Rhule’s second year leading the program. It was the Huskers’ first winning season since 2016 and first bowl win since 2015. While Nebraska fans will undoubtedly be hungry for more in 2025 and beyond, […]
Three Takes on Nebraska’s 2025 Football Schedule
T.J. Birkel The Big Ten released schedules for the 2025 season last week. While we already knew Nebraska’s opponents for the coming season, we now know all the dates, bye weeks, and locations for the upcoming campaign. As the Huskers prepare for the Pinstripe Bowl, Husker Nation can already start marking their calendars and making […]
Four Thoughts on Scott Frost’s Return to Central Florida
T.J. Birkel In a somewhat surprising development, Scott Frost was named head coach at the University of Central Florida over the weekend. As most Husker fans know, it will be his second stint at UCF. After laying low since being fired by Nebraska in 2022, Frost is back on the major college football scene in […]
Three Takes on Nebraska’s Pinstripe Bowl Berth
T.J. Birkel It’s official: Nebraska will play Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 28. The game will take place at Yankee Stadium in New York City. After finishing the regular season 6-6, many were predicting this is where the Huskers would end up. Here are three quick takes on Nebraska’s first bowl game […]
Trying to Make Sense of a Wild Week for Nebraska Football
T.J. Birkel Husker football fans awoke from their slumber on Monday morning, perhaps still a little salty about the loss to Iowa, but comforted by the knowledge that the Big Red will be playing in their first bowl game since 2016. At this point, Monday feels like a year ago. We will try to unpack […]
Iowa Loss Shows the Huskers Still Haven’t Overcome the Biggest Hurdle
T.J Birkel The Nebraska football team lost to Iowa 13-10 on a walk-off field goal in another Black Friday classic. Unfortunately for Husker fans, nine of the last ten games in this series have gone Iowa’s way, with four of those wins coming on last second Hawkeye field goals. This one was particularly painful for […]