After Maryland started the season 2-0, it looked like head coach Mike Locksley might be easing himself off the hotseat. After a 54-3 blowout loss to UCLA on Saturday, his underwear is on fire. However, Nebraska should start Sunday praying the Terps don’t make a move and fire Locksley ahead of the Week 5 faceoff.
The obvious reason to want to make sure the Maryland AD doesn’t decide it’s time to cut bait on the embattled Locksley is that the Terps have been very bad for most of his tenure. They’ve been especially bad in the Big Ten. Losing by 51 points to UCLA underscores how bad Locksley’s group has been, and it might push fans into a rage, demanding that he be kicked to the curb so the program can start rebuilding.
There’s another reason Nebraska should hope Locksley holds onto his job for at least one more week. Matt Rhule and the Huskers have been awful against interim head coaches.
That NU is just 1-1 against a coach who's been playing out the string for three years in the Rhule era is plenty shocking, but it’s also incredibly frustrating. Especially since that one victory was hardly a breeze for NU. Everyone involved would love to think things will be different this year, but it seems Rhule and his staff have struggled to generate the same level of excitement and drive that teams playing for pride do.
Nebraska football hopes to avoid another interim coach after Maryland's 54-3 UCLA loss
Last year, the Huskers faced off against two interim coaches. After UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster was fired early in the season, the Bruins gave Rhule and Co. a tough fight, and Nebraska eventually won 28-21.
One week later, Nebraska got blown out 37-10 by Penn State under interim coach Terry Allen. He replaced James Franklin, who was also fired early in the year. That loss might have been the most embarrassing of the Matt Rhule era. It also proved that even teams that struggled to beat anyone else could raise their game against the Huskers.
Hoping to get off to its first 5-0 start since 2016, Nebraska needs every edge it can get, especially against a Maryland team that Rhule has struggled against. In 2023, the Huskers lost to the Terps 13-10. Last year, they had to rally from a 31-24 deficit to win 34-31.
The last thing Nebraska needs ahead of the Week 5 showdown with Maryland is the Terrapins getting the added fuel of wanting to show it’s not as bad as it looked and ending up getting its coach fired. A new voice in the locker room could also help the squad play above its talent level. Too much is at stake for Big Red to risk its opponent benefiting from any kind of shakeup.
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