Was there anything left to redeem about Nebraska’s 24-6 loss to Minnesota? I’d say no. The team was unable to run the ball, and the worst part was that Minnesota, which didn’t have a single sack in its two previous games, sacked the Huskers nine times. Obviously, that is not to say that Nebraska didn’t put in efforts, but the team didn’t have answers for things the Gophers tried. The latter picked apart the Huskers on both sides of the ball.

That was a surprise to the Huskers’ HC Matt Rhule, too. After all, his team was the better one on paper. No wonder he was disappointed in the way it ended for them. “I thought we had a really good week of practice. We traveled really well,” he said in the post-game press conference. “There was nothing that led me to think that this was going to be like this.

“But I don’t want to minimize that on their [Minnesota] end. I mean, I think they played really well. They had a good plan. They just ran the football and, you know, part of stopping the run, as it accumulated throughout the game, was also like, not just going three and out, three and out, three and out.

“I mean, you’ve got to move the ball on offense. You’ve got to score points. You’ve got to make them be not just one-dimensional. And we just never really quite put them under any duress.”

From the opening quarter, it was clear Nebraska was outmatched in the trenches, never finding any rhythm offensively. After a low-scoring first half where Nebraska trailed 7–6, the Gophers took over with a 98-yard touchdown drive that broke the game open. Minnesota entered the night ranked 114th nationally in rushing offense with just 112.3 yards per game, and yet against Nebraska, it looked nothing like that. The Gophers churned out 186 rushing yards, exposing Nebraska’s lack of physicality and turning a supposedly favorable matchup into a big win.

Expanding on that, Rhule said, “They were the more physical team… They beat us pretty convincingly. Obviously disappointed for our guys.”

He also admitted that his team didn’t make the plays they needed in order to win. Plus, Minnesota’s defense made life miserable for sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola, who was sacked nine times. Five of those were in the first half alone, for a loss of 63 yards.

Raiola had no room to operate and spent much of the game scrambling behind a collapsing pocket. When he did have time, he hesitated on open looks and couldn’t sustain drives. And Rhule understands this. No wonder he was ready to take all the blame.

Though he has yet to watch the tape, he knows that absolutely nothing materialized in the second half. If anything, their offensive struggles mirrored the collapse on defense. Minnesota’s RB Darius Taylor, who had been limited for much of the season, broke out for 148 rushing yards and a touchdown, including a 71-yard run that highlighted Nebraska’s ongoing tackling issues. Quarterback Drake Lindsey added 153 passing yards, efficiently capitalizing on every defensive lapse.

The Huskers also committed six penalties, several of which extended Minnesota’s drives or wiped away potential stops. With this defeat, Rhule and his team are now 0–6 against Minnesota since 2018. But beyond the stat sheet and disappointment, the HC also carries the weight of regret.

Matt Rhule’s dream of ending a drought goes up in flames

Talking about their luck in winning back-to-back road games? The last time their luck favored them was in 2006. Hence, after the Minnesota game, reporter Trey Wallace tweeted, “Earlier in the week, Matt Rhule said it was ‘Mind Boggling’ that Nebraska hadn’t won back-to-back Big 10 road games since 2006. Well, that streak continues. The Huskers had 213 total yards of offense. That’s a big ole gut punch by PJ Fleck.”

But this was bound to happen. Minnesota football HC P.J. Fleck had gone through Nebraska’s scheme bit by bit. Before the game, he had revealed that many college defenses were following NFL systems. “Their coordinator came over from the NFL, very similar to (Matt) Patricia. I’m not saying they’re similar, of just their schematics,” the Gophers head coach had cracked the Huskers’ code.

Interestingly, both HCs have been friends for years. They even vacationed together last summer and went to a Kenny Chesney concert together.

But now that the Cornhuskers added another L to the list, will the head coach stick to his lofty words about Nebraska?

Since Penn State showed James Franklin the door, Rhule’s name, as a potential replacement, has started to circulate. However, the Nebraska HC did not allow the water to flow too far. Instead, he tried to shut down the rumor, saying he was sad to see Franklin go. We don’t know if he would ponder over the Penn State opportunity after his most recent loss.

But what we do know is that he can no longer mark himself safe from the hot seat. FOX’s Dave Portnoy had already issued a warning claiming, ‘tornado sirens going off in Lincoln’. So, is Rhule running on borrowed time?