Matt Rhule sets clear expectations for Nebraska in ’24

INDIANAPOLIS — Matt Rhule isn’t messing around.

The second-year Nebraska skipper has his talking points and he’s sticking to them. Unlike many, Rhule isn’t opting for the “we’ll see how it goes” nonsense.

No, he’s setting expectations. Unequivocally. Publicly. Sure, he’s not proclaiming specific win/loss totals, but he’s not not saying them, either.

While at the televised podium at Big Ten Media Days, he said, “When we go to our bowl game” not “If we go to our bowl game.” For those keeping track at home, that means at least six victories.

In his later media availability at the side podium, Rhule amped it up a notch when asked directly about what he would consider a successful season.

“I expect us to be good. I expect us to win. I expect us to be relevant in the conference,” Rhule said. “… I won’t say ‘10-2’s good’ or ‘8-4’s good.’ (Because if I do that), I’m sitting here telling you I’m thinking we’re going to lose four games. I want to go out and try to win every game. That seems right to me.

“So I guess what I’m saying to you, Amie, is I expect us to be a really good team. I expect us to be competitive. I expect us to be in the mix in this conference. There’s a lot of things that we have to do to get that done.

“But if we’re 5-7 again? That’s not gonna be good enough. What does that mean? I really don’t live that way other than — I’m telling you, I’m confident in this team. I expect us to be a good team. I think we have the depth to withstand injuries. I think we have players who can make plays. Go play it out and see what happens.”

There’s a lot to unpack there.

We’ve come a long way from then-offensive coordinator Mark Whipple saying that he didn’t know if the players on the team believed they could really win every game and then interim head coach Mickey Joseph backing him up.

And that wasn’t that long ago — 21 months if we’re being precise.

So, let’s break it down.

“I expect us to be good. I expect us to win. I expect us to be relevant in the conference.”

Good and relevant are, well, relative terms. What’s good for Ohio State is great for Nebraska. What’s good for Indiana isn’t necessarily good for Nebraska. Since the divisions have gone by the wayside, does finishing eighth in an 18-team league mean Nebraska’s relevant? Do they need to finish higher? How much higher?

Winning, though, there’s no gray area there. You either win or you lose in college football. There are no ties. This isn’t soccer or even the NFL.

A six-win season would be the best season for Nebraska since 2016 when the Mike Riley-led Huskers went 9-4. A 10-win season would be the best for Nebraska since 2012.

“I won’t say ‘10-2’s good’ or ‘8-4’s good.’”

When he explains it, his thinking is sound.

If he were to, hypothetically, project an 8-4 campaign, that means that he already thinks they’ll lose four games. But Rhule doesn’t think that way. It’s not in his nature. He’s of the ilk that believes there’s always a chance.

“I want to go out and try to win every game. That seems right to me.”

Will they win every game? Probably not.

That Ohio State game in late October looms large. So does USC. And Wisconsin. And who knows what to make of UCLA at this stage? Same goes for Colorado, a team with 40-plus transfer portal additions once again.

But Rhule always believes there’s a chance. And he has to. If you go into a game thinking you’re going to lose, you’ve already lost.

“So I guess what I’m saying to you, Amie, is I expect us to be a really good team. I expect us to be competitive. I expect us to be in the mix in this conference. There’s a lot of things that we have to do to get that done.”

Competitive. They were competitive last season but fell short time and time again. The 13-10 score margin happened so frequently that it should haunt everyone’s nightmares. However, finding a cure for the turnover plague will help with that.

If Nebraska’s turnover problem didn’t rear its head last season, Rhule quipped that the Huskers could have been a nine-win team last season.

“It’s ridiculous,” Rhule said. “I don’t think we were necessarily a nine-win team. That speaks to the credit of a lot of good things we did, but one thing messed it up. So we’ll fix it.”

“But if we’re 5-7 again? That’s not gonna be good enough.”

That’s straightforward enough.

“I’m telling you, I’m confident in this team. I expect us to be a good team. I think we have the depth to withstand injuries. I think we have players who can make plays. Having the depth to withstand injuries is a must. We all saw that first-hand last season with what felt like week after week of freak season-ending injuries, especially on the offensive side of the ball.”

While the offensive line loses a couple of starters, there’s at least a decade of collective starting experience there with center Ben Scott, tackle Bryce Benhart, tackle Teddy Prochazka and jack-of-all-trades Turner Corcoran.

The running back room? Solid. Can’t go wrong with Gabe Ervin, Rahmir Johnson or Emmett Johnson. All are proven options when healthy.

The receiver room? More veteran than last year. They get Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda back (remember him?) after he went down with an ACL injury in the season opener. Transfers Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor seem to be the real deal. The freshmen from last year — Malachi Coleman and Jaylen Lloyd — showed flashes of what they could be, and the sky’s the limit for them. And don’t count out what freshmen like Jacory Barney or Carter Nelson could do, either.

Of course, the quarterback room gets plenty of attention with five-star prospect Dylan Raiola presumably leading the charge, but you can’t forget about returning starter Heinrich Haarberg and how he could make an impact, somehow, with his athleticism. Pair that with true freshman Danny Kaelin and NAIA star Jalyn Gramstad, too.

“Go play it out and see what happens.”

Yep. At the end of the day, these are only words. They’re good words. Insightful words, even. But what really counts is what happens on game day.

Less than 40 days until we find out what this team is truly capable of.