By Sean Labar
Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers entered the 2024 college football season with heightened expectations.
Rhule took over the program that had gone stagnant under Scott Frost, and almost immediately, it looked like the veteran head coach — who had a clear track record of revitalizing struggling programs at Temple and Baylor —had already implemented a new culture. The Cornhuskers’ finished last season with just a (5-7) overall record, but were coming off 5-consecutive losing campaigns under Frost.
Rhule’s (5-7) finish match Frost’s best record as the Nebraska head coach in his five seasons leading the program.
And with Rhule at the helm, Nebraska suddenly became a destination for some of the top players in the country. The Cornhuskers’ had the No. 5 recruiting class in the Big Ten in 2023 and the No. 6 class in 2024.
But there was no bigger infusion of optimism for the future than Nebraska flipping 5-star QB Dylan Raiola, the No. 2 quarterback of the 2024 class according to 247 Sports.
Raiola had always been attached to Nebraska due to family ties, but committed to Georgia instead. But last December, he decomitted from UGA and by January, was on campus in Lincoln.
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Suddenly there was a buzz surrounding Nebraska that had been absent since the Bo Pelini era.
And after a stellar performance in the season opener where Raiola threw for 238 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the dominating 40-7 win over UTEP, all eyes were on the Week 2 rivalry showdown against No. 21 Colorado.
While it was Nebraska’s defense that helped the Cornhuskers knock off Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes 28-10, Raiola was still impressive within the game plan, completing 23-of-30 for 185 yards, a touchdown and no picks.
But in Week 4, Nebraska fell in an overtime thriller against Illinois. The Cornhuskers got demolished by Indiana 56-7 on Oct. 19 in a game where their true freshman QB threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The very next week, Nebraska hung with Ohio State, but fell 21-17. Raiola once again didn’t throw for any touchdowns and finished 21-of-32 for 152 yards and an interception.
And then came Saturday’s loss to a less-talented UCLA team at home. The Cornhuskers’ offense was stagnant throughout the game, converting just 9-of-17 on third down. Raiola finished 14-of-27 for 177 yards, a touchdown and an interception before getting hurt. Heinrich Haarberg came in to finish the game and struggled mightily, finishing 2-of-7 for 32 yards and an interception.
So after a 3-game losing streak, all of the buzz before and early in the season has been silenced.
There are legitimate questions about the Nebraska offense and on Monday, Matt Rhule didn’t shy away from answering them head on.
Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule Says Marcus Satterfield Is ‘Under Review’
In his Monday press conference, Rhule was asked specifically about offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, who has taken heat during the Cornhuskers’ skid considering the offense hasn’t scored more than 20 points in a game since Sept. 28 against Purdue.
Oh boy… pic.twitter.com/leVxWef4wU
— 🌽 Sidelines – Nebraska 🌽 (@SSN_Nebraska) November 4, 2024
Early on his Monday press conference, Rhule was asked what was specifically wrong with the offense and struggled to find an answer.
After a long pause, he responded with, “that’s a great question.”
He was then asked specifically if Satterfield would be under review this week and Rhule didn’t hold back.
“I think that’s part of my job this week is to look at it,” Rhule said. “I don’t have tremendous issues at times like why we call this or why we call that, because all those things are kind of the game plan during the week.”
“If you score 18 points, you’re going to be under fire.”
Matt Rhule plans to review his entire program, including the performance of OC Marcus Satterfield. He also called on his players to take accountability.
"We don’t call any plays that they can’t execute.” #Huskers #GBR pic.twitter.com/zGQ2wo3nA1
— Clayton Collier (@ClaytonJCollier) November 4, 2024
Rhule went on to explain a few areas he may evaluate with the offense this week, but ultimately made it clear that 18 points a game wasn’t acceptable and he plans to review every part of the program, including Satterfield as OC.
“Are we game planning the right things during the week? That might be one of the things we have to look at and talk about. If you score 18 points per game, you’re going to be under fire. It just is what it is. So, me as the head coach, Sat (Satterfield) as the OC, … everywhere.”
Rhule did make a point to mention his players also have to take accountability as coaches can only do so much, but it’s clear the heat is on.
The Nebraska offense needs to right the ship in a hurry. If not, there’s a real chance major changes could be coming.
