Since Friday's loss to Minnesota, the vibes among Nebraska football fans haven't been great. However, the negativity that's sprung up among the fanbase isn't being echoed around Memorial Stadium. Appearing on Sports Nightly, athletic director Troy Dannen said that while everyone is unhappy with the performance against the Golden Gophers, the overall mood is still upbeat. Dannen also talked for the first time about the rumors flying around Matt Rhule and the Huskers and whether the marriage is headed for a divorce.
"Part of our goal is to make this as attractive a place as possible so that when someone is maybe the apple of someone else's eye, they'd rather stay with you," Dannen said.
Dannen also pointed out that the university simply can't allow decisions to be made on a week-to-week basis. He pointed out a week ago that all the messages to him from Nebraska fans were to do everything to keep Rhule. This week, he's seeing a rise in messages saying that Dannen should just let Rhule go.
Nebraska AD Troy Dannen backs Matt Rhule while addressing fan frustration
"That's not the way this works. And so one of my jobs is to assess where the program is at. The tough thing for our fans is we're three years into a rebuild here (with Rhule). The fans are 15 years into a rebuild. And so I understand the frustrations of things not turning."
That last part might be the most important. While Nebraska fans are impatient because they've been waiting so long for any kind of success, Dannen and Rhule haven't been here all that long. They're working how they know to work in order to get the ship righted. They're also working in a way where they think it can be sustained success, rather than a quick fix. Husker fans should keep that in mind as the rest of this season plays out.