Close losses have been a part of the Nebraska football program's misery since at least Scott Frost took the helm. While head coach Matt Rhule has talked about turning things around in that regard, he hasn't accomplished the task just yet. One college football analyst believes that Husker fans should buckle up for more tight contests in 2025, though he thinks they might finally be set up to win more than they lose.
When the Big Ten Network came to check out the Huskers, former Michigan star Jake Butt was among the visitors. After he watched a practice, he took to Twitter to report what he saw. The good news is that he was impressed, saying he expects them to be "very much in the hunt for a playoff spot." However, he noticed enough flaws that he thinks there's some stuff to overcome.
BTN visit spotlights talent yet razor-thin margins for Nebraska football
Butt said that while he saw an improvement in the Nebraska football team's talent overall, "they are not built to blow out most of the teams on the schedule. Meaning, expect close games. Small details, focus, communication, execution will separate Neb (or someone) from the pack."
One more note from @NebraskaOnBTN practice today. What has defined Neb football?
— Jake Butt (@Jbooty88) August 1, 2025
1 score, close games. Winning or lack thereof in November. Small details.
So how do you fix/ change that?
It’s not one massive, sweeping change. In fact it’s the exact opposite… it’s the small,…
He then pointed out some of the mistakes he noticed that could lead to a close loss when the games count.
"2nd team period, first substitution. Defense doesn’t communicate. 12 men in the field. Rhule blows his whistle and has them run a gasser."
He also pointed out a rep where the receiver made a seemingly unimportant move that could be a big problem in a game.
"Offense is going through 2 min on air. 1st group great. 2nd group great. 3rd group gets in, and immediately they throw the ball to the sidelines. WR catches it and, instead of running the ball in and handing it to the official, he throws the ball to the official. Every team is taught to hand the ball directly to the official or your center. Why? Bc the official may drop it. Or the defense may "get in the way" and bat it down. That is a literal difference of 15-30 seconds on one play. That’s the difference between winning and losing. Small details."
Butt admitted that some people might think he's nitpicking; however, he believes these are the kind of things the Nebraska coaching staff has to hammer home, if they want to become a Top 25 team and get to the playoffs.