Even through all the conference expansion and realignment, the Big 10 conference has remained pretty close to it’s roots. The conference of Woody Hayes, who famously quipped, “three things can happen when you pass, and two of them are bad” has remained a physical, run-heavy grouping, focusing on size up front and being able to win in the trenches.
Programs that have entered the Big Ten over the past decade, like Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers and even Oregon and USC have not gotten that part totally figured out yet and still have to adapt. Some are closer to doing so than others.
Even a blue-blood program like Nebraska’s still has to adapt to a more physical , week in and week out style of play in order to beat teams like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern and Illinois, much less be able to go toe-to-toe with Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State.
Matt Rhule Was Going to Bring a Physical Style to Lincoln
Bo Pelini – a former Ohio State defensive back – had things heading that direction when he coached the Huskers. Mike Riley and Scott Frost never did. When former Penn State linebacker Matt Rhule was hired to lead the Big Red after the 2022 season, the hope among Husker faithful was that Rhule would bring Big Ten-style football back to the heartland. After three seasons, the results are mixed.
This season, the Huskers ran the ball better with star running back Emmett Johnson, but on defense, the failure to be able to consistently stop or even slow down the other team’s running game has cost Defensive Coordinator John Butler his job. Rhule informed Butler, who had been at the helm of the defense for just one season, that he was making another change.
The move caught many by surprise, given that Nebraska finished the regular season second in the country (only behind Ohio State) in pass defense, giving up just 141 yards per contest. It’s no coincidence that Butler has extensive experience as a defensive backs coach at both the college and NFL levels.
Nebraska lost in the trenches more often than they won
The flip side wasn’t so nice looking for the Big Red. Butler’s unit gave up 77 points in the final two games against Penn State and Iowa. On the season, the Husker defense finished #95 against the run, yielding 171 per game through the air. That was after they finished eighth nationally a year ago, giving up just over 101 yards per contest.
Much of that was due to the graduation of defensive lineman Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher, both of whom ended up in the NFL. This year’s D lineman were smaller, and far less experienced than their predecessors.
Rhule’s press release was blunt and to the point. He thanked Butler for his two season’s in Lincoln, but there was no hint of “it wasn’t you it was me” in there. Plainly, Rhule saw coaching points he wasn’t in agreement with.
Husker fans will be asking themselves between now and next September if it was Butler’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme that seemed ill-fitted for the Big Ten, or was it the “Jimmy’s and the Joes?” Rhule has pledged to get bigger and stronger in the trenches for next season, either via the Transfer Portal or the weight room. Most likely, it will be a combination of the two.
Longtime Rhule associate Phil Snow will be the acting defensive coordinator in the Huskers TBD Bowl game later this month.
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