Welcome to The Platinum Board

We are a Nebraska Husker fan community. Please either login or register for an account

  • Welcome to The Platinum Board! We are a Nebraska Cornhuskers news source and community. Please click "Log In" or "Register" above to gain access to the forums.

2023 Fall Camp Thread

How Much Big Red Kool-Aid Should Husker Fans Drink This Fall?​

Bold predictions for ’23 have been missing this summer​

Dan McGlynn 21 hours ago
Rhule-Aid

Jeremy Shipe

Husker fans don't seem to be drinking the Big Red Kool-Aid as much as they did a year ago. Last year with a retooled coaching staff, some fans were predicting double-digit wins.

However, this year's predictions are more modest ranging from a low of four wins to a high of seven.

Why the change? Are Husker fans not buying what first-year head coach Matt Rhule is selling?

I don't think so. Most Husker fans have embraced Rhule and his staff and think he'll do well at NU. But consider this: Nebraska has been a graveyard for head football coaches. All five who succeeded Tom Osborne have gone down in flames. Solich, Callahan, Pelini, Riley and Frost are all gone.

Let's just say Husker fans are a bit more cautious this year.

In 2018, Husker fans (including me) gulped down as much Kool-Aid as we could. Scott Frost was going to be the second coming of Tom Osborne.

No doubt about it. You can go to the bank with Frost, or so we thought. There were so many high expectations of him. He was going to be the savior of the Husker football program.

Until he wasn't.

So how will Rhule fare in his first year at Nebraska? Let's look at some facts as Nebraska approaches its season opener Aug. 31 at Minnesota.
  1. Against the seven conference opponents NU faced last year and will face again this season, the Huskers are 1-6.
  2. The lone victory was a 24-17 win at Cockeye.
  3. NU will face five coaches who are in their first year as their team's head coach: Deion Sanders (Colorado) Jamey Chadwell (La. Tech), Dave Braun (Northwestern), Ryan Walters (Purdoodoo) and Luke #2ndChoice (Wisconsin).
  4. Five of this year's Husker opponents had losing records last year: Colorado, La. Tech, Northern Illinois, Northwestern and Michigan State.
  5. This football season will most likely be the last of the B1G's two-division format.
  6. Next year, the B1G will expand from 14 teams to at least 18 with the addition of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington.
  7. Will that be the end of the B1G's expansion plans?
  8. I highly doubt it.
Let's look at the Husker schedule. There appear to be four "winnable" games for Nebraska this year - that is, games in which NU will likely be favored: Colorado, La. Tech, Northern Illinois and Northwestern.

Michigan appears to be the only "sure" loss. The remainder of the Husker season looks to be made up of toss-up games including Minnesota, Illinois, Purdoodoo, Michigan State, Maryland, Wisconsin and Cockeye.

If NU can take care of the "winnable" games (four wins) and come out on top in just three of the seven toss-up games, the Huskers could end up with a 7-5 record.

Seven wins would put the Huskers in a pretty good bowl game for the first time since 2016. With a bowl victory, Nebraska could end the season with an 8-5 record.

Now wouldn't that be sweet. Time to get out the Kool-Aid. It's been a very hot summer and I'm getting really thirsty.
> However, this year's predictions are more modest ranging from a low of four wins to a high of seven.

High of 7? They clearly didn't talk to the fine folks here at tPB.

I don't even tune in until we're talking 8+, simple as
 
He then predicted Colorado was going to beat us in the next segment.
I’ve also predicted that…our offense is going to be hot garbage this year. Seems like your typical let down game we’ve seen every year the past decade.
 
I’ve also predicted that…our offense is going to be hot garbage this year. Seems like your typical let down game we’ve seen every year the past decade.
I think Nebraska has a pretty good shot at starting 2-0 and everyone will overreact to it.

Minnesota replaces a lot on defense and offense and game will probably comes down to who’s less shitty on defense and Jeff sims can probably create some plays. Nebraska could also get boat raced. Who the fuck knows.

Colorado. Fuck Colorado.
 
It's a great question, Matt Rhule told the fan who messaged it into his radio show.

Who are some of the Husker players on his team he wouldn't want to coach against? Those dudes who can give opponents fits? Some good insights followed from Nebraska's head coach as he answered the question on 'Sports Nightly' on Tuesday.

And maybe there was one name Husker fans wouldn't have guessed would pop up just yet to answer like that – but it did.

"Well, I wouldn't want to coach against Jeff Sims, I can tell you that much," Rhule said, beginning with his quarterback. "Those guys are dynamic. A quarterback like him, all three of those guys, that can throw it and run it. I can't stand (going against) quarterbacks that are mobile. You drop back and play man to man, you have everyone covered and all of a sudden, boom, the quarterback's running down the sidelines. So I definitely wouldn't want to go against him."

Rhule said he also wouldn't want to have to cover receiver Billy Kemp.

"He is so quick, explosive, tough. I wouldn't want to try to tackle him. I can't wait until he catches that first punt return and starts bringing it back. And I say that with the greatest respect for all the rest of our guys."

When it comes to his defense, Rhule said he wouldn't want to have to try to block Ty Robinson.

"He and Nash (Hutmacher) are two big powerful men inside and they're really explosive. And I wouldn't want to get hit by Giff [Isaac Gifford] or DeShon Singleton."

Rhule's comments on Singleton were particularly intriguing for those trying to figure out how Nebraska is going to piece together the puzzle in the secondary.

"You talk about a guy that has really – I mean, really – made a jump. He has gone from a guy that was kind of in the two deep, kind of hanging around, to now I think he's going to be one of our best players," Rhule said.

There was a formal meeting Rhule had with players at the end of the spring. It's also useful in Year 1 of trying to get to know everyone on the roster better.

"I sat down with him, and when he left my office I was blown away," Rhule said. "I called Coop [Evan Cooper] and and I was like, 'Is he my new favorite player?' Just his maturity."

Rhule was amazed he went un-recruited out of Amite, Louisiana. So the 6-3, 205-pound safety went to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College before the Huskers' last staff came knocking.

So everywhere I went I had a chip on my shoulder like I had to prove myself, right? Because I knew everyone doubted me," Singleton said. "I didn't expect myself to be here at the University of Nebraska. So I just carried a chip on my shoulder and went to work – and I just try to win every rep. It helps me with everything when I've been through adversity. Because I know if I go through something, shoot, I know God will find a way for me to go through it."

Rhule said it cracks him up that sometimes everyone goes and fights over a player with a bunch of stars and then there is a prospect like Singleton sometimes left alone.

"Like, how is that guy un-recruited? ... And how do we go find more (like him)? That's what I'm obsessed with. There's guys out here just like him. So I'm just excited about him. He's going to be a physical safety"

 

Theme customization system

You can customize some areas of the forum theme from this menu.

  • Wide/Narrow view

    You can control a structure that you can use to use your theme wide or narrow.

    Grid view forum list

    You can control the layout of the forum list in a grid or ordinary listing style structure.

    Close sidebar

    You can get rid of the crowded view in the forum by closing the sidebar.

    Fixed sidebar

    You can make it more useful and easier to access by pinning the sidebar.

  • Color combinations cannot be used

    Color combinations are not available to you, this area may be restricted by administrators. Please contact the administrator for more information.

    Color gradient backgrounds
Back