Five of Nebraska football’s six losses in 2024 came by just one score, the lone exception a 56-7 loss at the hands of Indiana in mid-October. Months removed, losing that many close games, especially an overtime loss to Illinois and a four-point loss to Ohio State, the eventual national champions, is often cited as a cause for optimism around the program. In the moment, all it caused was frustration.
When asked about why his Cornhuskers came up short so often in close contests, Rhule didn’t mention his true freshman quarterback, a mid-season offensive coordinator change, or his team’s six missed field goal attempts last season. Instead, he cut right to the core of the problem with the simplest explanation possible.
“I think we lost a lot of those games because we just weren’t good enough,” Rhule told the assembled media in Las Vegas for the Big Ten Media Days during his media availability on Tuesday.
So, how do you fix those close losses? Maybe the simplest solution is not to play so many close games. “Our focus has been on just improving as a team because they don’t all have to be close. Some of those games, why don’t we win by 14?” Rhule posed.
Matt Rhule reveals the secret to his Year 3 success
Rhule cited the 20-15 win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl as a sign of growth for the team, preserving a 20-2 second-half lead despite two fourth-quarter touchdowns from the Eagles.
“What I saw for the first time was not a lot of panic,” Rhule said, recounting his Pinstripe Bowl experience. “But that panic comes when you don’t think you control what happens… and finally the team grows up. People always ask me about Year 3. Finally, the team grows up and they’re like, ‘I gotta go make the play.”
Rhule is known for his three-year turnarounds at Temple and Baylor, leading both programs to a breakout in Year 3 with double-digit wins. Maybe the simple explanation of ‘we have to be better’ is the secret to all of that success. Rhule appeared confident that Nebraska would be much better this season, and come this fall, we’ll finally find out.