-Isms: Views on life in rural America

My turn to weigh on the new Husker hire. I’m no football guru, but I’ve been around the program long enough and have plenty of connections with former players (and we talk football a lot), so I feel I have a solid understanding of what it means to be all “N” and lead one of the most storied brands in college football.

Initially, Saturday morning, as the news broke that Matt Rhule would be taking over the program, I wasn’t happy. I felt a sense of betrayal because deep down, I hoped interim coach, Mickey Joseph, would be retained. There’s no denying the team rallied after the departure of Scott Frost and Joseph is one of the main reasons for the change in culture. A different vibe radiated through Memorial Stadium on Saturdays with Joseph at the helm. I’m still hopeful he will find a spot on Rhule’s staff.

I worried I was watching flashbacks to 2004 and 2015, when other former NFL coaches landed in Lincoln and couldn’t make it work. We know how those tenures turned out.

Mostly, though, I felt anemic. Shouldn’t I feel excited about the potential of a new coach who, at former schools, turned programs around? I should, shouldn’t I? I’m still trying to convince myself.

The football program is at a critical point - get better or wallow in mediocrity. I don’t need Trev Alberts to remind me. I heard the words firsthand, in 2003, when then-AD Steve Pederson uttered the “gravitate into mediocrity” phrase when he fired Frank Solich.

Call it a curse, but it seems like we’ve been on a downward spiral ever since.

By the time Monday afternoon’s presser rolled around, I’d had an opportunity to talk with some of my former player friends and discovered it’s okay to be apprehensive about a $72 million hire. Some of them are apprehensive, too. Yet, we will continue to support the team that brings a sea of red into the state’s third-largest city on home-game Saturdays. That team includes a new head coach and coaching staff.

The introduction-turned-pep-rally was an interesting blend of soundbites. After, I’ll admit, you could sense the excitement. Hopefully, as news comes out of the program as recruiting season approaches, the razz-ma-tazz will continue to build. I was impressed.

Time will tell if the Rhule of attraction is strong between Nebraska faith and its new football coach. Ultimately, the deciding factor will take place on the field.

It’s 276 days until the first game of the 2023 campaign. I’m ready to buy into the hype and watch it become reality. Go big red.