Matt Rhule is already giving Nebraska the one thing Scott Frost never could

The Cornhuskers' coach is taking responsibility for the team's narrow losses last year.
2025 Big Ten Football Media Days
2025 Big Ten Football Media Days | Louis Grasse/GettyImages

Nebraska is probably one of the most highly anticipated, unpredictable programs in college football this season. With quarterback Dylan Raiola looking to follow up a solid freshman season in 2024, head coach Matt Rhule has an opportunity to prove doubters wrong.

The Cornhuskers' 7-6 record doesn't tell the whole story of what was almost an expectation-surpassing campaign. They lost five games last season by eight points or less, plausibly making them a potential 12-win team and a threat to the Big Ten title.

Rhule spoke to reporters on Tuesday about that specifically and provided a refreshing response.

"We lost a lot of those games because we weren't just good enough," he said (h/t On3's Brett McMurphy). "Our focus is improving as a team."

Matt Rhule is giving Nebraska an accountable coach for the first time in ages

Those who follow the Huskers are very familiar with the disappointing tenure of former head coach Scott Frost. In four seasons (plus three games in 2022 before he was fired), he failed to lead the team to more than 5 wins. During that span he lost 22 games by eight or fewer points. That's nearly 70 percent of the program's total losses under Frost's leadership.

The former Nebraska quarterback-turned-coach notoriously had some serious behind-the-scenes issues with how he handled the program. But he rarely addressed them, let alone took responsibility while in Lincoln.

During Big 12 media days, Frost - now at UCF - was asked what he learned during his time at Nebraska to which he responded, "Don't take the wrong job." Cue the outrage from his alma mater.

Frost's comments were broached to Rhule at the podium during Big Ten media days on Tuesday and he had the best response.

"This wasn't a good job. It was not a good job. But we've made it a good job. We're about to make it a great job," he said.

Rhule is providing Huskers fans with a healthy dose of humility and renewed determination to fix the glaring problems that are hampering the team from reaching its full potential. The future is bright under his tutelage and people shouldn't be surprised to see them in the College Football Playoff hunt down the stretch in November.