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Dana Holgorsen Fills Two Critical Needs For Nebraska Bowl Push

New offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen adds two new dimensions for the Big Red

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By Rock Westfall

Second-year head coach Matt Rhule and his Nebraska Cornhuskers are down to two chances to win one game for bowl eligibility. On Saturday, the Big Red will host the struggling Wisconsin Badgers on Senior Day at Memorial Stadium. 

Nebraska is in peril with a three-game losing streak. It faces the prospect of a five-and-out catastrophe that may finally break the steadfast loyalty of Husker Nation after losing its final four games in 2023 while needing only one more win for a bowl.

It surprises many veteran and seemingly knowledgeable college football observers when they discover that Nebraska has yet to go to a bowl game since the 2016 season. That surprise reveals the power of the Nebraska brand and what is at stake.

Earlier this month, Rhule vowed he would do whatever it took to get Nebraska into a bowl game. After a 5-1 start, a 5-7 finish would be a body blow to the credibility of his program. But there is a new wild card personality that may save the season.

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Holgorsen’s Command Presence Takes Center Stage

Following a soul-crushing home loss against a UCLA team that Nebraska was favored to beat, Dana Holgorsen was brought aboard by a desperate and dispirited Rhule to serve as an analyst. Within days, he was promoted to offensive coordinator in place of Marcus Satterfield, who was demoted to tight ends coach.

From the start, Holgorsen has brought an assertive command presence and a credibility that nobody else on Rhule’s staff can possibly match.

Satterfield had served with Rhule at previous stops, making him a “safe” choice for offensive coordinator. However, nobody else in football was pining for Satt to become their offensive coordinator. In fact, Satterfield was struggling in that role at South Carolina and needed a lifeline that Rhule provided.

Satterfield lacked credibility for the massive rebuilding project that Rhule launched.  He lacked the presence necessary within the locker room to gain the full faith and credit of his players.

By contrast, Holgorsen is a proven success both as an OC and head coach. While at Oklahoma State, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2010.  Additionally, he posted winning records as the HC at West Virginia and Houston. In his 13 seasons as a head coach, Holgorsen produced ten bowl berths.

However, after going 4-8 at Houston last year, Holgorsen was fired. Rhule and Holgorsen flirted in Lincoln last winter, but Holgorsen decided to take time to heal. Now, he is back with a vengeance.

The Bad Cop With Instant Credibility

At his first Tuesday press conference as the Nebraska OC, Holgorsen flashed a head coaching presence by publicly calling out the wide receiver corps for its poor blocking. The rant made Husker Nation do a doubletake. No other Nebraska assistant coach dared to do what the brassy Holgorsen did that day.

Matt Rhule, while demanding, never calls his players out in public. Rhule is a preacher’s son and prefers a New Testament approach with positive reinforcement and building relationships with his players. He has been a one-man band in selling his program to the faithful and prospects.  One would be hard-pressed to find a better pitchman and Pastor of the Big Red Football pulpit.  

Rhule preaches the Big Red Gospel with Gusto. He perpetually gives nods to Husker history, tradition, and the greats of its past. Nebraska fans instantly respond to Rhule and appreciate his reverence for the program, which has served to buy his rebuild time. All of those traits are necessary to turn around the Husker program.

But Rhule offered quite a tell in his Monday press conference following the UCLA defeat. He said that he needed guys (players and coaches) who felt like he felt after the loss, which appeared to be as a man who swallowed a grenade. Apparently, too many Huskers accepted the loss too easily. Nebraska fans are still not over it and are justifiably wondering if they care more than the players.  

It is fair to ask if Nebraska players are spoiled and coddled. They just moved into the plushest facilities in college football, with every perk and comfort in the world being offered. The training table is more lavish than brunch at the Waldorf Astoria. Additionally, the players are idolized by Husker Nation, adored as heroes, and play at a stadium that has been sold out since 1962.

Did Nebraska players abuse the positive approach of Matt Rhule? Does the positive approach of Rhule need a balance? Are the players too comfortable and taking the Nebraska brand for granted? Does the good cop need a bad cop? A vehement “yes” would be an odds-on answer to those questions.

Dana Holgorsen can say and do things as the Nebraska offensive coordinator that no other assistant can get away with. That is because he has a superior body of work and resume to the rest of the staff. In fact, Dana Holgorsen is nearly a second head coach and one with a record of success. He is the bad cop necessary to push Nebraska into the postseason.

Can anyone say, “Gravitas”?

Matt Rhule added a man of substance, presence, and fearless swagger to his staff at the most critical point of the season. Indeed, he fulfilled his vow of doing anything to make a bowl game.

By hiring Holgorsen, Rhule may have saved the season and his program.

Holgorsen brings credibility and accountability at a most desperate time for Nebraska.  

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