Matt Rhule outlines the lofty expectations from Nebraksa fans

When talking about the hierarchy of traditional college football, Nebraska is a program near the top of this list.

When talking about the hierarchy of traditional college football, Nebraska is a program near the top of this list. The Huskers are a program once firmly planted at the top of the college football world but have since seen themselves relegated to near the bottom of the Big Ten on a yearly basis.

So, once you have seen your program become a far cry from what it once was, the hunger for success with each new head coach becomes more and more starved. This is something that Matt Rhule, who has seen success in rebuilding programs on a high level, has to learn to handle fast. The fans that will pack out Memorial Stadium are much hungrier than the ones in Philadelphia and Baylor – even more so than the fans in Charlotte.

On Fox Sports 1’s ‘The Herd,’ Rhule noted this hunger by the fans.

“I think people, they’re at a point now where it’s been seven or eight years and I think people are just hungry for a step in the right direction and I think people are excited about the things that we’ve done, the way we’ve recruited, the way we’ve tried to get around the state. I know people want to win.”

While saying he knows fans want to win, he even noted in the same breath that fans also want to win in the ‘Nebraska Way.’ Rhule also got around to saying how he wants the program to become a more physical team and have the ability to close out games.

“So, yes, there’s expectations and people want us to win but we also need to kind of go back to playing in the way that Nebraska’s used to playing. We need to be a physical team, we need to be hard-nosed, and we can’t lose games in the fourth quarter.

Watch the full interview below via The Herd’s official YouTube channel.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Six Huskers named to the Senior Bowl watchlist

The Senior Bowl has released its preseason watchlist of players who may be featured in their postseason game next offseason.

The Senior Bowl has released its preseason watchlist of players who may be featured in their postseason game next offseason. Nebraska has six players on their preseason watchlist to consider for selection when the offseason comes around.

The Senior Bowl is an annual postseason game played in Mobile, Alabama. The game is one of the largest showcases for NFL draft prospects.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has even previously coached in the game. It was in January of 2021 when he coached as a member of the Carolina Panthers.

Listed below are all six players from the early watchlist for the Huskers.

Nebraska announces ‘The Husker Football Show’

Details about head football coach Matt Rhule’s television and radio show for the 2023 season have been released.

Details about head football coach Matt Rhule’s television and radio show for the 2023 season have been released. “The Husker Football Show with Matt Rhule” will air on Monday nights, and the “Nebraska Football Coaches Radio Show” airs on Tuesday nights.

Jason Rathe, general manager for Playfly Sports (Nebraska’s media partner), said he’s excited about the season.

“We have revised the show format and our team is excited about the new distribution plans for our TV show. The new primetime schedule will give our fans a consistent opportunity to hear Coach Rhule break down the previous game.”

The first “Husker Football Show” will air on Monday, Sept. 4, following Nebraska’s season opener at Minnesota.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinion.

Rhule questions NCAA over tight end’s eligiblity

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are still unsure of the playing status of one of their top offensive players heading into the season opener.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are still unsure of the playing status of one of their top offensive players heading into the season opener. Tight end Arik Gilbert has still not learned the status of his transfer waiver and is not yet been cleared to play this season from the NCAA.

Gilbert started his career at LSU before transferring to Georgia for two seasons. His best season came during his freshman year at LSU where he had 35 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns in eight games.

Out of high school, Gilbert was one of the most highly regarded recruits in recent memory. 247Sports Composite gave him the highest rating among tight ends in their history.

Rhule went after the NCAA, going so far as to questioin if the insitituation really has the student-athletes best interest at heart.

“I’m just going to be really disappointed if he doesn’t get it. (Arik’s) the most deserving young man. If he doesn’t get it, they shouldn’t even have the waiver. The NCAA should not even have the waiver if he doesn’t get it. But there are a lot of parties involved. There’s a lot of entities out there that don’t always have people’s best interest at heart.”

Gilbert has been a huge addition for the Cornhuskers. He and Thomas Fidone II have the potential to be one of the most dynamic tight end duos in the nation.

Find a photo gallery of Arik Gilbert’s college career below.

Four Nebraska football players first to earn single-digit numbers

The 2023 Nebraska football season is three weeks away and the Huskers took another step closer to kickoff by handing it their first batch of single-digit numbers.

The 2023 Nebraska football season is three weeks away and the Huskers took another step closer to kickoff by handing it their first batch of single-digit numbers. Back in March, head coach Matt Rhule explained to the media his tradition of awarding single-digit numbers to the toughest players on the team.

“What we decided was, you know what, 1 through 9 and now 0 through 9 would go to the nine or now 10 toughest guys on the team. And when I say ‘toughest,’ we define that for the guys, but really, the guys who best exemplify what it means to be a Cornhusker, to be accountable, to be dependable, to be tough, hardworking, competitive every single day. And so, as we get into training camp … the players will vote on it, and we hope it kind of becomes our tradition.”

On Wednesday, he handed out four of those numbers, leaving six remaining for the upcoming season. 

 

What Matt Rhule said after the first day of camp

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Monday afternoon. 

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Monday afternoon. He started his media availability by talking about the resignation of tight ends coach Bob Wager.

“Not a lot of men would handle it the way he did. I don’t judge people by their tough moments or worse moments, I always judge them by how they respond. I really appreciate him and I’m thankful for him. It was a short time, but he brought some recruits here, he brought some of his kids here. So I appreciate him and wish his family the best. He’s a great coach. I know he’ll do great things.”