Part Two of Two. To read Part One (3 burning questions about Nebraska, click here)
CBS Sports cameras, in a panoramic aerial image, zoomed in on the Memorial Stadium field. It was the third quarter of the Huskers’ game against Iowa.
It was easy to see so many empty seats, once filled with an announced crowd of 86,410. Memorial Stadium looked half-empty, to be polite. Fans streamed out. Fans went back to their non-football lives. Iowa just seems to do that to Husker Nation.
The eyewitnesses had left the scene.
Iowa took a 24-16 halftime lead and squeezed the Huskers the rest of the game. The Hawkeyes led, 33-16, after three quarters and won, 40-16, their 10th win in 11 games in the rivalry series.
“I’ll be the first to say: That’s unacceptable. I certainly understand how that feels to all the great fans that we have, the student section was full, people come to the game,” Huskers coach Matt Rhule said in a news conference after the game.
“I understand their disappointment, I understand our team’s disappointment. I think when you end the season the way we have the last two games [Penn State and Iowa], it has to rest solely on me.”
Did Nebraska’s 7-5 season represent progress? Or, did it represent running in place, the one-game record improvement over 2024’s final record simply not good enough?
Or, did it represent program stagnation? Are the Huskers moving in the right direction? It’s more than a fair question and one being asked across the state.
Expectations through the offseason and the summer ran hot. With the Huskers’ schedule — which missed powerhouses Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon and Washington — more than seven wins in the regular season was thought to be a given.
Pessimistic fans figured eight wins. Optimistic ones figured on nine wins and whispered, maybe, even 10 wins. That seemed to be the rational and reasonable range — eight or nine wins. Greater accomplishments were possible, too, as the Huskers sat at 6-2 on Oct. 25.
But those accomplishments didn’t happen. You are what your record says you are. Right now, Nebraska is 14-11 over the last two seasons, with a bowl game remaining.
“I love this team, I love everything about them,” Rhule said. “I certainly didn’t think today would go that way …
“I understand that times like this can get a little bit negative. Honestly, that should all be directed to me, I don’t want the players to panic, it shouldn’t go towards them. I think it has to fall on me.”
Football is a short season, 12 games. It’s over before you know it. Every game means everything. No sport is prone to more overreaction than football.
Every error is magnified. Every loss is devastating. Victories are celebrated but more emphasis and criticism are placed on the losses than the wins.
After the Iowa loss, Rhule mentioned that 2024 and 2025 were the first back-to-back years the Huskers qualified for a bowl game since 2015 and 2016 [he said 2013, 2014]. True statement? Yes.
Soothing for a fan base with long memories and bigger expectations? Maybe not. Did that fact take away the sting from yet another loss to Iowa?
Definitely not.
“Is it enough? No. But is it better than it was? Yes,” Rhule said. “But if I’m a fan right now, I’m mad. I’m walking away mad.”
“Some people are supporters, like good for them. They’re passionate about this place.”
“I love being the head coach of University of Nebraska. I love being in Nebraska because people are passionate about this. So I don’t want my message to be anything other than I don’t want it to be hope and all. It wasn’t good enough, man.”
“I know where we’re headed. I know what we’re doing. I know where we’re moving forward. I believe in what we’re doing. I believe in the recruits that are bought into us. I believe in the signing class Wednesday.”
“And so I don’t want to overreact. You know, these last two games weren’t good enough.”
Occasionally through the season, Rhule talked about how difficult it is to win in the Big Ten. He wasn’t making excuses. His opinion was honest and fact-based.
The Big Ten is a beast. The conference has won the last two national championships. Ohio State and Indiana currently are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation.
And Oregon, ranked No. 4, probably can beat most teams.
Can’t say that about Nebraska. Not anymore.
Nebraska’s 2026 schedule is a potential beast. There are seven home games and five away games.
Home games:
* Ohio University
* Bowling Green
* North Dakota
* Indiana
* Maryland
* Ohio State
* Washington
Away games:
* Illinois
* Iowa
* Michigan State
* Oregon
* Rutgers
The Huskers were 4-3 this season at Memorial Stadium, 2-2 on the road and 1-0 at a neutral site.
“I think people have a right to be upset, OK, with how it ended,” Rhule said. “For me, all I can say is I am going to have some of the best recruits here today.
“I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can as long as I can. I’m going to surround myself with really positive people, not toxic people, and just try to continue to move the program forward.”
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule (right) and defensive coordinator John Butler on the sideline during the 2025 game against Iowa. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Rhule was given a contract extension that was announced on Oct. 30, two days before the USC game. The Huskers lost that crucial game, knocking them out of College Football Playoff contention. Nebraska wound up losing three of its last four games.
“We want to be a team that gets better at the end of the year and these last two games have not been that,” Rhule said after the Iowa game. “I take that. I own that.”
Nebraska feels like a program at the crossroads. Look at next season’s schedule. Do the math, as fans do. Are there eight wins on the 2026 schedule? How about seven wins?
How many wins are there with a relatively inexperienced quarterback, if Dylan Raiola doesn’t return? Running back Emmett Johnson could head to the NFL. Johnson gained 1,451 yards on the ground and was the Huskers’ leading pass receiver.
Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson takes a handoff from quarterback Dylan Raiola. Both players could be elsewhere in 2026. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN
If the Huskers win seven games again next season, how does that play with the fan base? Good enough? Right direction? Nebraska is a program that needs a big win, an unexpected win. Its 2026 schedule says there will be chances for just that.
What the Huskers do next season will be a reflection on what they did this season. Final grades are being tallied about 2025. What happens in 2026 might be even more relevant about the program’s overall health.
There are miles and miles to go before next season becomes an obsession. There is a bowl game and for those who think bowl games aren’t important, think again and put yourself in Nebraska’s shoes.
Nebraska offensive lineman Rocco Spindler: ‘We have to stay as a brotherhood.’ / Kenny Larabee, KLIN
“With these next couple days off it’s a lot of reflection on what guys want individually and what we want … as a group,” offensive lineman Rocco Spindler said in a news conference after the Iowa game.
“We have to stay as a brotherhood in the locker room. There is going to be a lot of outside noise … but we have to stay together and have a great month of preparation for the bowl game.
“Guys have to be willing to execute, meet those standards, then also rise to the occasion and be ready for the bowl game.”
A strong bowl performance, and a win, will be a boost to Nebraska’s confidence, and give it a solid foundation toward the offseason.
At least that’s the plan.
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