Matt Rhule and Nebraska are flowing through some real emotions this season. Nebraska’s last 28-21 win against Northwestern brought in some real faith for the Cornhuskers, as Nebraska’s D-line gets a shoutout. Ceyair Wright, a senior and one of six team captains, has anchored Nebraska’s nation-leading pass defense. Plus, his work ethic is infectious. He stays late after practice to sharpen his technique and guides younger players through film study. Smoothly transitioned from cornerback to nickel back, taking on more responsibility near the line of scrimmage.

If that wasn’t enough, he even earned the prestigious midseason Second-Team All-American nod. His journey and his contribution to the Cornhuskers evoke strong emotions from Matt Rhule’s staff members, especially DC John Butler. When he was asked about Wright in an interview, Butler couldn’t control his tears as he mentioned the importance of being a coach. “When I look back at my career, the things that are going to matter to me the most are the relationships that I have with players,” Butler said. “So whether it’s Ceyair or guys that I’ve coached in the past, you know, those are things that keep you going.”  

As of now, Wright’s got 10 tackles, including half a tackle for loss, and leads Nebraska with four pass breakups. But the stat line doesn’t really reveal the extent to which he has influenced Butler’s perspective. Butler’s approach is ingrained in formation and simplicity rather than trickery. He wants his defenders to master their specific roles over gimmicky pre-snap rotations. He coined “playing fast,” which means quick mental processing and fast reactions. Butler says defensive linemen have to “just go and think about things later.”

Another big priority for Butler is being strict in the rush lanes. It’s the type of response to the challenges posed by mobile quarterbacks who can break containment with their rushes. Then, off the field, Butler demands full concentration, understanding the methods, and constant effort. Matt Rhule promoted Butler in December to replace Tony White, who left after two seasons to run Florida State’s defense. And honestly, Rhule seemed pretty confident about the move. “I didn’t care about making a splash,” Rhule said of elevating Butler. “I wanted to make the right decision.”

Under Butler’s guidance, DeShon Singleton had his best season yet in 2024, starting all 13 games and racking up 71 tackles, second-most on the team. Now that’s the kind of impact coaches like Butler make on players. And even Tony White appreciates Butler’s “old-school Philly” energy. Despite the complexities of Nebraska’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme, Butler quickly absorbed the system’s nuances. And not just that, he even found ways to break down complicated concepts into manageable “buckets” for players to understand. Plus, he believes in building chemistry off the grass. Like when he was checking in players into their dorm rooms last season, he was pretty clear about one thing.

“Hey, we’re sleeping in the dorms, so no sneaking off anywhere, no nothing.” Now that’s the kind of relationship he maintained with his players.

John Butler’s plea to fans as the Trojans are coming home

John Butler isn’t just the one to have a cordial relationship with his players. He keeps the Huskers fans in the loop, too. In every single sports game, fans play a major role in boosting confidence and motivation for their players. That’s exactly why Butler makes a greedy plea to the Nebraska fan base. “I would ask every single Husker fan to be as loud, crazy, and disruptive as they can be,” Butler said.

“And we are gonna try to do the same by how we play.” And now Nebraska needs this support more as they will be facing the No.23 Trojans at home. After a solid 6-2 start and a 3-2 record in the Big Ten, Nebraska finds itself opening as roughly a six-point underdog to the Trojans. The betting lines opened with USC favored by about 4.5 points, but have since moved. Most sportsbooks are settled around a 6 to 6.5-point edge for the Trojans.

Lincoln Riley’s team sits comfortably with a 5-2 overall and 3-1 conference record. The Trojans come in fresh off a bye week and looking to bounce back from a recent 34-24 loss at Notre Dame. Nebraska, meanwhile, is feeling confident after a home win over Northwestern. But they have struggled with covering the spread this season, going just 2-5-1 against the number. Nebraska’s offense will need to step up to hit the over/under total set at 57.5 points, the second-highest this season for the Huskers.

And fans? Fans will remember the Huskers’ rollercoaster performance this season, from a narrow loss to Michigan in Lincoln to blowout wins against Akron and Houston Christian.