PSU - What Did We Learn?

[TGHusker]

exactly - We haven't had a "take no prisoners" mindset in years. Sure, Smith ran up the score - can you blame him? It was a insult to Rhule but he took what we gave him and the final score could have been worse. Rhule is out of his league in the Big 10. Maybe after we go 5-7 next year, our AD will get a clue. Right now, the only bright spot I see in the future in the 2027 recruiting classs- but that feels like a century away and who knows after this year and next how many of those guys will still be committed to NU. Even with that, if we maintain the current staff, the level of development will still not get us to the top tier of the Big 10

I hear you. But that was a huge FU in addition to Smith auditioning for his job. I’d love a coach with the balls to do that. I’m pissed we are continually on receiving end of that. I’m sick of incompetent coaches, Sick of nice coaches. Sick of contract extensions for guys who don’t deserve it to only fire them the following year. And yes, I loved watching TO just play and win when teams couldn’t stop us. But it wasn’t our starters…it wasn’t through trickery. He just lined up and punched you in the throat until you choked. And he wasn’t nice or incompetent.

“I don’t hate it. I just don’t like it at all and it’s all terrible”~Michael Scott

​

 

[Corn Train]

I say to myself, don’t get butt sore when we lose again, only to get butt sore immediately down by 1 score…

 

[TGHusker]

Seems Rhule spent too much time dragging the team down his memory lane showing them his old high school and where he proposed rather than getting them in the mindset to play football

Notice: both terrible loses are because it being all about Rhule. We lose to Minny because all that week it was about Rhule going to PSU to coach. We lose to PSU because it was all about Rhule going home. Distractions galore. Of course we ultimately lose to PSU because we were out coached and they had better athletes - but the distractions don't help.

 

[Packerhuskerfan]

We can't seem to get any pressure on the QB, so then he can almost always find a 15 yard gainer in a soft spot.

 

[DefenderAO]

You might as well have just typed this:

"Scott Frost set the bar so low, the bar was laying on the ground."

Giving Scott the credit for even thinking special teams was important is total fantasy. It's one of the reasons he was a pure dumpster fire of a head coach.

We should use a different analogy than Frost and a bar.

 

[DefenderAO]

It was actually cringe-worthy listening to the announcers effusively praising NU's elite pass defense.

Nebraska's pass defense is not elite. The scheme (it doesn't work) coupled with the talent is bottom half of the B1G. Some statistician will come in and tell me "look at the numbers." I just watch the games. If the pass D is so shutdown, you have freedom to stack boxes to better stop the run. We don't stop either.

4-6 Penn State dismantled us last night. It was watching a Varsity team play a JV team. It was Minnesota all over but with 4+ stars everywhere in navy blue.

Glancing at the schedule for next year, it's ugly. We have IU, Oregon, and OSU. We start with seven home games and end with five straight on the road. We very well might lose three home games, including the final two (OSU and Washington) before the five game road game streak.

Unless DRASTIC changes are made, the ceiling next year is six wins. I'd bet on a four or five win season.

Opponent Venue Result (Prediction)
Ohio --- H --- W
Bowling Green --- H --- W
North Dakota --- H --- W
Indiana --- H --- L
Maryland --- H --- W
OSU --- H --- L
Washington --- H --- L
Illinois --- A --- L
Iowa --- A --- L
MSU --- A --- 50/50
Oregon --- A --- L
Rutgers --- A --- 50/50

If Maryland somehow beats us at home next year, it's possible to lose nine straight games.

 

[HuskerNation1]

Rhule has improved the team and program from when he arrived, but in this day and age of college athletics, it isn't about scholarships and recruiting. He has the money, he's got the facilities, he has everything every other successful coach has.

Next year needs to be a meaningful bowl or bust.

There have been marginal improvements, but he is getting paid the big bucks to make substantial improvements. The 2025 schedule was the easiest Nebraska has had since joining the BIG and we are on track to finish tied for 8th or worse in Rhule's 3rd year. Next season we play OSU, Oregon and Indiana as well as other tough teams.

 

[Trevor22]

It was actually cringe-worthy listening to the announcers effusively praising NU's elite pass defense.

Nebraska's pass defense is not elite. The scheme (it doesn't work) coupled with the talent is bottom half of the B1G. Some statistician will come in and tell me "look at the numbers." I just watch the games. If the pass D is so shutdown, you have freedom to stack boxes to better stop the run. We don't stop either.

4-6 Penn State dismantled us last night. It was watching a Varsity team play a JV team. It was Minnesota all over but with 4+ stars everywhere in navy blue.

Glancing at the schedule for next year, it's ugly. We have IU, Oregon, and OSU. We start with seven home games and end with five straight on the road. We very well might lose three home games, including the final two (OSU and Washington) before the five game road game streak.

Unless DRASTIC changes are made, the ceiling next year is six wins. I'd bet on a four or five win season.

Opponent Venue Result (Prediction)
Ohio --- H --- W
Bowling Green --- H --- W
North Dakota --- H --- W
Indiana --- H --- L
Maryland --- H --- W
OSU --- H --- L
Washington --- H --- L
Illinois --- A --- L
Iowa --- A --- L
MSU --- A --- 50/50
Oregon --- A --- L
Rutgers --- A --- 50/50

If Maryland somehow beats us at home next year, it's possible to lose nine straight games.

FYI - this isn't the order they will be in. This is just listed by home and away opponents. The early season kickoff time will came out in late May. Huskers announced the 2025 schedule on Dec 11th last year.

 

[DefenderAO]

FYI - this isn't the order they will be in. This is just listed by home and away opponents. The early season kickoff time will came out in late May. Huskers announced the 2025 schedule on Dec 11th last year.

Copy. Order will definitely matter. Either way looking like three wins and three losses at the baseline.

 

[Undone]

So...is the end of year three the appropriate point to start asking whether this is the best these coaches can do, or whether they can actually do better?

I don't want to fire Rhule, and doing so is cost prohibitive anyway.

But I'm asking: is it the time to start asking whether this is the best Rhule can do here, or is that significantly more appropriate at the end of year four?

There's some young talent on the D line if we can get those guys much bigger & stronger than they are now. But we need a lockdown middle linebacker in the portal for next season or we're kind of screwed. I'm not really convinced that Shavers can get us there.

 

[lo country]

So...is the end of year three the appropriate point to start asking whether this is the best these coaches can do, or whether they can actually do better?

I don't want to fire Rhule, and doing so is cost prohibitive anyway.

But I'm asking: is it the time to start asking whether this is the best Rhule can do here, or is that significantly more appropriate at the end of year four?

There's some young talent on the D line if we can get those guys much bigger & stronger than they are now. But we need a lockdown middle linebacker in the portal for next season or we're kind of screwed. I'm not really convinced that Shavers can get us there.

I was on the Frost needs to go train year 3. Rhule is in the same territory. Does an improved record really show improvement or did we have a pretty weak schedule? Are the guys who have been here for 3 years under Rhule and Co improved? I'll say the same thing I have said with Solich, Bo, Cally, Riley, Frost and Rhule. Make staff changes or you'll end up getting fired. Rhule has "shown" he will, but there are some definitive anchors on this staff for sure that need to be gone.

He allegedly got the NIL cash so no excuses next year with players. The guys they got through the portal have performed well IMHO.

 

[Corn Train]

So we can just pick up some portal guys and that will sort us all out?

 

[chamrocck]

I didn’t see much of the game as I had a family event.

I have been reading and listening to much of the hate as is par for the course after a loss.

The bottomline is we are at a pivotal point in Rhule’s tenure. I know there is a whole lot of distraction about if this coach or that coach can cut it but I do think Rhule has properly identified the key crux of the matter in that are we going to step up in the the new CFB landscape and get the best players money can buy? If we had players on the lines I think we beat Minny and USC, and not get run over by PSU and fear that may happen again against Iowa.

The lines are woefully weak with no next level talent yet we think we are somehow going to compete against elite teams putting dudes in the league year after year.

Fix the lines, protect our QB, beat the crap out of their QB, open holes for our RB, stuff their RB. That is your foundation.

 

[runningblind]

There have been marginal improvements, but he is getting paid the big bucks to make substantial improvements. The 2025 schedule was the easiest Nebraska has had since joining the BIG and we are on track to finish tied for 8th or worse in Rhule's 3rd year. Next season we play OSU, Oregon and Indiana as well as other tough teams.

So...is the end of year three the appropriate point to start asking whether this is the best these coaches can do, or whether they can actually do better?

I don't want to fire Rhule, and doing so is cost prohibitive anyway.

But I'm asking: is it the time to start asking whether this is the best Rhule can do here, or is that significantly more appropriate at the end of year four?

There's some young talent on the D line if we can get those guys much bigger & stronger than they are now. But we need a lockdown middle linebacker in the portal for next season or we're kind of screwed. I'm not really convinced that Shavers can get us there.

We can all agree there have been improvements from Frost, but that isn't saying literally anything at all. I haven't seen enough in year 3 to convince me he can do it, so I think it's perfectly acceptable to ask that question after year 3. I think that question is in everyone's mind, some still have it in the back/subconscious but it's there. It doesn't take a good coach 4 full years to really start making a difference on the field.

We'll know early next year if this is ever going to work or not.

 

[Nebhawk]

Stating this again. Portal players that make impacts want a playoff contender. Ask yourself are we a playoff contender next season? With that schedule, we are not. We can have all the NIL money in the world, but bottom line is winning and beating Oregon and Ohio St. This current roster needs more than just a couple of pieces to compete nationally next season.