Matt Rhule made the first predictable move of every coach that finds himself on the hotseat. Hide his own shortcomings and calm an angry fan base by firing a coordinator. Rhule announced yesterday that offensive coordinator Dana Holgrosen is his sacrificial lamb and is no longer a coach at Nebraska. He’ll be replaced by QB coach and co-offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas.
The move isn’t unexpected. Perhaps what is, is that he didn’t double down and fire special team’s coordinator Brett Maher as well. I mean there is already discontent and bru-ha-ha, so does it matter.
I like Dana Holgorsen, but I won’t try to defend him. He’s made several questionable calls over the last three games. The latest, calling an empty set pass inside the Illinois 25-yard line on a fourth and one. What happened to the jumbo set he was so excited about early in the year?
The jumbo was often successful. So much so that I was begging him to run it every down against Washington just to get the running game going.
But let’s face it. No matter how much Dana said he gave up the ‘Air Raid’ offense and was kicked out of the Mike Leach fan club, he was a pass happy coordinator at heart. It wasn’t a horrible thing. It just didn’t fit with what Nebraska needed in the Big Ten.
And while Dana is creative, running the ball has always been a second thought for him. He never closed his eyes at night dreaming of fullback runs and power-I formations. Rather he dreamt of how to get his No. 1 receiver wide open out of a five-receiver set. It’s who he is, you can’t change his spots.
Because of that there was a lack of run plays called, when things got tough, Dana did what he was comfortable with and passed the ball.
But no matter what happens next, it all falls back on Matt Rhule. Because when he hired Holgorsen, he never looked at the success rate of trying to change a spotted cat into a pit bull.
On Deck
So now it’s QB Coach/Co-Offensive Coordinator Glenn Thomas’s turn. And while I’m hopeful. It scares me. Because Thomas is somewhat of a Rhule crony.
I’d love to think Thomas knows his quarterback and knows that Nebraska must be able to run the ball for the passing game to be successful.
I’d love to think that wide receiver’s coach Daikiel Shorts Jr. and assistant Andrew Verboys can be professional and not be personally affected by Holgorsen’s firing. Shorts was a Holgorsen guy, Verboys, a Shorts guy who established a good relationship with Holgorsen.
I’d love to think that all the wide receivers won’t give up due to the thought of seeing the ball less (that is, if Thomas gets it right).
And lastly, I’d love to think the only thing Thomas listens to from Rhule is using the jumbo set, not every micro-managing thought.
At his point I can’t say Thomas will be an improvement. But I also can’t say he won’t be either. So, I’ll say this, he’s well thought of by 5-Star 2027 QB commitment Trae Taylor. And with that in mind, if Thomas does well in two of the next three games…he’s the coordinator next season.
According to Husker247, Taylor once said this about Thomas, “It feels like you’re talking to a wizard almost. Or someone of that sort. They’re always very on point with what they’re saying. He teaches it, not just goes over it. I’m in a lot of meetings where they just go over it and don’t teach it. The way he teaches it fits me the best.”
Taylor has been committed to Nebraska for well over a year and is scheduled to enroll in January. He’s never wavered on his commitment to the Huskers, but he does have one caveat. He’s all ‘N’ as long as Matt Rhule is head coach. With that in mind, I’m going to guess Taylor knew about Holgorsen before the world did. And you can also bet it gave Thomas the inside track to the job.
Taylor posted on ‘X’ a couple of hours before it was announced Holgorsen was out.
“Stay on that side. I’m always going to stand behind @CoachMatt Rhule. I’m just as invested in this program as the next person. #GBR.”
The Money is There
Stay with me here. I’m going to share a cautionary tale first. In 1922 Nebraska went to a new form of identifying license plates. They looked at the population of each county and assigned a number, Douglas became no. 1, Lancaster became No.2 and right down the line.
Of course, population changed over the years and in some instances the counties ran out of numbers due to size, so counties like Douglas and Lancaster went to a new format. But most of the counties stuck with their assigned number from 1922.
Enter Richardson County and Falls City, Nebraska. Now let me say I’m not picking on Falls City. Rather I’m suggesting they are a perfect example and one of thousands of Nebraska towns that fell into the same trap.
In 1922 Richardson County was assigned No. 19 in the state. Being in the very southeastern corner of the state, Falls City was seen as a possible exploding hub of growth. And because of that city planners acted accordingly with a vision of the city growing.
Over the next 80 years they put in multiple streetlights, added parking meters, made streets one-way, tore up brick streets and uprooted trees killing quaint shaded streets to add four lanes with concrete media’s and turning lanes. They cut down all the trees downtown and around the courthouse.
All done in the name of progress and growth.
Only the growth never came. Ever. Taking growth into account, Falls City would be somewhere in the high thirties now rather than nineteen.
And how does the city look now? The parking meters are gone along with the one-way streets. There are less streetlights, no need to set for traffic that isn’t there. They’ve torn up some of the concrete-turning lanes, and they’ve planted multiple trees back in the very same spots they were cut down. None of it was ever needed. All done for a population growth that never came.
Imagine if they had all the money spent over the years in a account now.
And that is why I’m telling you the University of Nebraska has the money to do whatever they want.
Stop trying to expand and grow a dying stadium. Have the foresight to recognize the sellout streak is all but dead. The need for more seats is a prayer and a wish.
Scrap the stadium improvements. But wait, hasn’t it already started and in full go at the end of the season? I didn’t say not to continue demolition. Lose the south stadium. It’s falling down and the fans hate it anyway. You’ve already upset fans with losing seats. Nothing lost.
For now, continue with seatbacks and West and East improvements. Otherwise, Memorial Stadium can go back to being an open horseshoe for now. Only build back if and win it’s needed. Take a breath, refill the money coffers, if that’s even a realistic possibility.
You may not believe it, but my shining example is Northwestern’s Ryan Field. It’s the future of college football. In thirty years only a few mega stadiums will remain.
So, stop the madness and concentrate on fielding a winning team first. The rest will come. Forget progress for the sake of progress.
My point is, use the money in the right way. First things first. Win football games. Everything else is secondary. But don’t use it for stadium improvements or NIL. I don’t care how much Rhule whines, more talent isn’t the problem.
So, if you want to fire Matt Rhule. Fire him. The money is there if you don’t throw it at something of less priority first.
There should be but one singular goal. Winning football games, with or without Matt Rhule.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Photos courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home – Falls City Journal – Falls City, NE
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