A prevailing message out of the Nebraska football program this week involved the need for self-examination after three consecutive losses and a directive from coach Matt Rhule to do “whatever it takes” to finish this month well.
“Bad organizations point fingers,” Rhule said. “Good organizations look at themselves.”
To look at the struggling Nebraska offense, scoring 18.3 points per game in Big Ten play, Rhule brought former Houston and West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen to Lincoln as a consultant for the remainder of this season.
Holgorsen, a product of the Mike Leach Air Raid system, coached teams over 13 years in the Big 12 to an average of 33.5 points per game. His insight could provide the Huskers and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield with a boost next week at USC and in games to close the month against Wisconsin and at Iowa.
“Are we game planning the right things during the week?” Rhule said. “That might be one of the questions we have to talk about and look at.”
Bidding to qualify for its first bowl game since 2016, Nebraska won five of its first six games as freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola lived up to his five-star billing.
Raiola has thrown one touchdown and five interceptions in the Huskers’ three-game skid. The ground game for Nebraska, a strength last season when it didn’t possess a consistent threat through the air, averages 3.61 yards per attempt — 112th nationally.
“It’s a little bit of everything, to be quite honest,” Rhule said. “If you watch us, we’re just not playing well enough on offense to have a chance to win.”
What might Holgorsen add in a short time? And does his arrival at Nebraska signal his potential hire to run the offense after this season? It deserves consideration, at least, as pressure mounts on Satterfield.
College football writers Mitch Sherman, who covers Nebraska, and Sam Khan Jr., who covered Holgorsen in the Big 12, discussed the possibility of a Rhule-Holgorsen marriage. Here is that conversation:
Sherman: Why did Holgorsen fail as a head coach at Houston?
Khan: I think the evolving demands on a head coach in this sport became incongruent with what made Holgorsen good in the first place. His strengths are coaching offense, game planning, calling plays and figuring out how to score points. But the job of a head coach today is less about Xs and Os than it is about program management, year-round recruiting, NIL and roster management.
He was ahead of the curve on transfers in the pre-portal era, aggressively tapping into that market midway through his tenure at West Virginia and that approach carried into his time at Houston. But Holgorsen never struck me as a relentless recruiter or someone who loved that part of the job. And Houston was behind the curve on NIL. High school recruiting tapered off toward the end of his tenure.
Slow starts and undisciplined play were common in his last two years. Spanning the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Cougars averaged seven penalties per game, the 14th most in the FBS. They were 58th among 69 Power 5 teams in first-half scoring average. And after fielding one of the best defenses in the country in 2021, they twice ranked worse than 100th in scoring defense, yards allowed per game, yards allowed per play, third-down, fourth-down and red zone defense.
Holgorsen seemed perpetually frustrated, tired and seeking answers, and that rhetoric was transparent in press conferences, which did him no favors. I think the job became much different than what he signed up for upon arrival in 2019. And in 2023, the Cougars were battling uphill as a new Big 12 member, a transition that was tough for each of their fellow newcomers from the Group of 5.
Dylan Raiola and the Cornhuskers offense are averaging 18.3 points in Big Ten games. (Dylan Widger / Imagn Images)
Sherman: Rhule’s strengths as a CEO and an organizer appear to match up well with the areas that bothered Holgorsen. If his time at Nebraska lasts beyond this month, how would Holgorsen fit schematically with Rhule?
Khan: It’s definitely a departure from the style of offenses that I associate with Rhule, whose teams often identify as tough and run-heavy. Holgorsen has traditionally thrown it more than Rhule’s teams, though Holgorsen joked as a head coach that Leach kicked him out of the Air Raid club because Holgorsen started to run the ball more.
Holgorsen, like many other Air Raid disciples, ditched the constant breakneck pace as defenses adapted to defending the hurry-up no-huddle. He still put the foot on the pedal when it made sense. His Houston offenses averaged 27.7 seconds of possession per play from 2019 to 2023, compared to 30.5 seconds for Nebraska under Satterfield, per TruMedia. The Cougars also ran four more plays per game than Nebraska in those same spans (68.1 to 64).
So Nebraska would likely move at a faster tempo with Holgorsen as OC.
Overall, his teams still threw the ball more than Nebraska. According to TruMedia, since Rhule arrived, the Huskers have averaged 26.5 pass attempts and 37.6 rush attempts per game. At Houston, Holgorsen averaged 34.5 rush attempts and 33.5 pass attempts in five seasons, but he was more run-heavy early in his tenure.
Holgorsen’s team also threw it downfield more often, averaging 8.1 pass attempts of 15 or more air yards per game to Nebraska’s 6.6.
The biggest difference? The usage of 10 personnel (one running back, four receivers). Since the start of last season, Nebraska has used it on only 2.7 percent of snaps while Holgorsen used it on 19 percent of offensive plays at Houston, per TruMedia.
Conversely, Nebraska has used 12 personnel (one back, two receivers) on 26 percent of plays since the start of last season to Holgorsen’s 16.2 percent in five years at Houston. But it’s easier to land quality tight ends at a Big Ten school than it was at Houston during Holgorsen’s time, so perhaps the dropoff wouldn’t look so stark.
Sherman: No matter his coordinator, Rhule figures to lean more on the run in 2025. The Huskers’ inability to control games with a rushing attack has frustrated the coach. So a Holgorsen offense at Nebraska would likely more resemble some of his early Houston teams.
What are Holgorsen’s strengths as an offensive mind?
Khan: When he’s focused on game planning, Holgorsen is still one of the better play callers out there.
He’s adept at playing to his team’s strengths and taking what a defense gives him. A perfect example came last season in Houston’s near-upset of Texas. The Longhorns had two of the best defensive tackles in the country — eventual NFL Draft picks T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy. Instead of taking a stubborn approach, Holgorsen didn’t even try to establish a run game. Houston threw the ball 46 times, attacking a banged-up Texas secondary with speedy receivers. It handed the ball to a running back just 12 times.
Holgorsen has been on the cutting edge of trends, from going up-tempo to the RPO system. He often found creative ways to run. He added nice wrinkles to Air Raid staples to attack defenses. If he’s not overtasked as a head coach, I have little doubt he’d evolve further and find success. He still loves calling plays and coaching ball.
Sherman: That’s intriguing from a Nebraska perspective. The Huskers wanted this year with Raiola to use the RPO game, but it hasn’t come together. And even when Satterfield has largely known what an opponent would throw at Nebraska, his play calling and the Huskers’ execution have appeared off balance.
For instance, as Big Ten teams scouted Nebraska, many looked to mimic the success of Illinois and Rutgers and pressure Raiola. And still, Nebraska has looked unprepared for the heat. How has Holgorsen’s offensive system evolved?
Khan: He’s grown less aggressive in using up-tempo play. Most teams got away from it because the tempo puts a defense in a tough spot after quick offensive possessions.
Holgorsen generally used tight ends more over time, going above 20 percent in 2021 and 2022 with two on the field at once.
And the quarterback run game became more common. At West Virginia, Holgorsen usually went with pocket passers, though he did utilize QB Skyler Howard as a rusher. At Houston, Clayton Tune fit as a regular part of the Cougars’ rushing attack, compiling 1,197 rushing yards and 144 touchdowns in four seasons under Holgorsen.
Sherman: That he’s got a history with pocket passers and mobile quarterbacks makes him a candidate to match with Rhule. Rhule’s teams have featured both. Raiola has looked to run more in the past two games. His mobility and instincts in the pocket are strong, but he’d prefer to remain a distributor.
Holgorsen’s history and his success with quarterbacks such as Graham Harrell and Case Keenum, albeit in a system that the coach would modify for the Big Ten, could appeal to Raiola. And make no mistake, that matters.
(Top photo: Maria Lysaker / Imagn Images)
