Matt Rhule will not go quietly into the offseason. The Nebraska coach opted to make news, again, by saying some dumb stuff off the field. This time it wasn’t to preen about integrity and honesty, but rather to let college football know that he knows how the game’s played — and isn’t going to bend.
Sounding like Dabo Swinney, but without the credentials, Rhule told reporters about the harsh realities of the transfer portal at his season-ending state-of-the-program presser.
“Make no mistake that a good quarterback in the portal costs, you know, a million to $1.5 million to $2 million right now, just so we’re all on the same page. Let’s make sure we all understand what’s happening. There are some teams that have $6 [million] or $7 million players playing for them.
“We just kind of believe in doing things the old-school way, the hard way — building,” Rhule said.
Oh, great. The “hard way.” Clearly, Rhule has been watching Husker football this century because this program seems intent on making winning as difficult as possible. The transfer portal isn’t the “hard” way, it’s the way.
I would make a Mandalorian “This is the way” joke here, but I’m not sure if Rhule gets Disney+ with his Dish Network package. Also, Nebraska started a transfer quarterback this season; he just wasn’t any good.
Jeff Sims only lasted two games as a starter before turnovers/an injury sidelined him. And it’s 100 percent accurate to say Husker quarterback play objectively cost them a bowl game this year. At 5-3 after October, and with games against Michigan State and Maryland remaining, NU lost out to finish 5-7, and keep their bowl-less streak alive.
Once Sims went down/got benched, Rhule opted to go with Heinrich Haarberg, who wasn’t even in the QB room last season, and while he went 5-3 before injuries sidelined him, the offense was severely limited. Fans were begging for Haarberg to get the hook in the Maryland loss before injuries gave the staff an excuse to go back to Sims. That is until Sims got benched for more turnovers (in the same Maryland game).
When Chubba Purdy (Yes, Brock’s younger brother) finally saw playing time, the entire fanbase wondered why he didn’t play sooner. Warning: This next quote from Wednesday’s media availability is triggering for Big Red fans.
“Obviously, everyone can look at the negatives and the turnovers and all those things,” Rhule said. “I also see a lot of positives. I say to myself, if Chubba had played more throughout the course of the year, would he be farther along? I think Chubba has a high ceiling. Heinrich wasn’t even in quarterback meetings last year [during coach Scott Frost’s tenure]. He wasn’t even allowed to go to meetings. So I’m really proud of him.”
“If Chubba had played more”?!?! My guy, you’re in charge of who plays, and the fact that it took nine and a half games to finally land on Purdy is almost as frightening as Nebraska losing its first and last games of the season the exact same way, down to the final score.
In fact, the Huskers lost three games by a score of 13-10 this year, and in every one of them, NU quarterbacks threw fourth-quarter interceptions that led to game-winning, walk-off field goals. The Huskers led all of FBS in turnovers with 31. That’s damn near three per game, but sure, see who develops and forge ahead blindfolded without a backup plan.
If you’re wondering how Nebraska won five games at all, it’s because the Blackshirts repeatedly bailed out the offense. Speaking of which, defensive coordinator Tony White is likely on his way to USC, so if Rhule prefers the hard way, he’s got it.
Original source here
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