While some Nebraska football fans would rather the Huskers spend the entire offseason quietly and under the radar, that's not really something that can happen. The Cornhuskers and their head coach, whether that be Matt Rhule, Scott Frost, Mike Riley, Bo Pelini, or Tom Osborne, are always under the microscope. Rhule has learned that the hard way, and it's why he's done his best to keep things as quiet as possible this spring.
Speaking to the Omaha World-Herald, Rhule said he's trying to be "stoic" about this season after spending last year's offseason hyping the team up, only to finish the season with three straight blowout losses that have NU fans grumpy as all get out.
The Nebraska head coach is more interested in working on what will create hype during the season. In other words, he's looking at all the ways the Huskers need to win the day. Outplaying their opponents is one thing, but he also knows that the Cornhuskers need to enter a game with their opponents not looking forward to what's about to happen. That hasn't been the case since the Pelini era.
“We’ve got to become the team you fear,” Rhule told the paper. “We’ve tried to stabilize the program, become a team that’s respectable, can go to bowl games, can compete. Now that’s not good enough."
Matt Rhule says Nebraska football must become a team opponents fear
"Now we have to take the next step of, hey, you fear playing us, and we become that team that, you look at your schedule, you say ‘why the heck do we have them?’ That’s my job. That’s this group’s job.”
Rhule has already laid out one way he thinks the offense can be feared. He believes the offensive line is good enough to push people around consistently. That's how the great Husker offensive lines of the past earned a reputation as a team defenses didn't want to face. Defenses were "afraid" of what would happen when they faced off.
Now, Rhule and Rob Aurich's defense needs to be feared. The offense needs to be feared, too. Guys like Anthony Colandrea could help Nebraska take several steps in the right direction. He's someone who fits the description of a gunslinger. He'll make mistakes, but he's not all that worried about them as long as he's winning.
Nebraska football fans tend to want a team that shows humility, and like they've "been there before." However, it's possible to look as if they’ve been there and show no respect for the other team. That's how they become feared.
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