Nebraska’s spring game gave fans a glimpse of the future, but for Matt Rhule, it also brought three immediate personnel headaches into sharp focus. While none of the issues are season-ending, the three separate setbacks, ranging from on-field injuries to a key staff departure, give the head coach an early test of his program’s depth.

The Huskers had their 2026 spring game on March 28. Surprisingly, only 27,188 fans turned out to see the game, marking the smallest spring crowd for Nebraska since 2000. After the game, Matt Rhule addressed the injuries and the players who missed it.

Dexter Foster missed the game because of bruising. Rhule expects Foster to recover quickly. The linebacker transferred from Oregon, with 19 games with 11 starts, totaling 95 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and one pass break-up. “Dexter Foster, I don’t think he did anything today because he has just a bruise,” said Rhule

Probably the most disappointing news for Nebraska fans was linebacker Jacob Bower’s injury. The head coach confirmed that the linebacker suffered a non-contact blow to his knee during the final week of spring practices. He will require a surgery and is expected to face a long recovery timeline.

“We lost Jacob Bower early on to a non-contact knee,” Rhule said. “But in terms of long-term, surgical-type injuries, really, it’s just Jacob Bower we’re coming out of (spring) with.”

The Cornhuskers also had to bid farewell to an essential part of their management team, Mitch Cholewinski, the director of sports science. Cholewinski helped the athletes understand recovery modalities, serial testing to monitor athletic development, and injury risk. He also helped identify areas of needed development to increase athletic performance. The football science coordinator decided to return home to Pitts to take over the entire athletic science department.

Anthony Jones, the edge rusher of the Cornhuskers, missed the game as his partner went into labor two days before the spring action. When asked about the baby’s gender, Matt Rhule happily announced that a new pass-rusher had been born.

Continuing on the bright side, Matt Rhule liked what he saw from his players in the spring game.

Matt Rhule’s post-spring game strategy

After the Spring game celebration and seeing the fans’ energy, Rhule is all set to sail ahead. He praised his team and its performance throughout spring practices. During the game, running back Jamal Rule stole the show, finishing with 121 total rushing yards on just 10 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown sprint in the fourth quarter.

“Jamal had a really good spring,” Rhule said. “What he looked like today, he looked like all spring long. He’s very conscientious. He’s big, he’s tough, he’s fast, he’s got home run ability.”

The Huskers are in for a treat as Rhule seems content with the ongoing timeline and performance of the team.

“The great thing about this year now is we have five, six weeks now here of training and work that we can go back to, and anybody who’s banged up can get healthy,” Rhule said. “But more importantly, we’ve seen these guys now. We know what they do well. We know what they need to improve on, whether it’s in the weight room, their body weight, position-wise, anything.”

“We’ll be back in there Monday morning, starting, I think, with a 7:30 team meeting and back to work,” Rhule said.

Rhule has emphasized that there won’t be any leniency moving forward. The spring game provided the players with valuable experience in the actual game.