Lincoln is gearing up for a defining season. This could be another year where Matt Rhule continues the Huskers‘ current pattern. Or, he takes it back to the glory days, hopefully coming close to ending a 26-year drought. As a result of Nebraska football taking a backseat, the rest of the school has hurtled to success. Rhule not only has to make the Huskers a dominant program, but he also has to work his way within the school to get Nebraska football back on track.

The expectations are up for Nebraska to go big this season, because of Matt Rhule’s pattern of ringing in success in year 3. The Huskers look like a program that’s ready to get some business done, and maybe not jinx it with near-wins like last season. It’s been a long time since Nebraska lost its ‘dominator’ status, which effectively exited along with the departure of Bo Pelini, who mostly kept the total Ws above 9 throughout his tenure. But 2025 can be a year of change for Nebraska. Rhule brought momentum to Lincoln last year and is going into the 2025 season with the same zeal.

Nebraska football, however, is yet to catch up with the pace that other programs are rushing with. Rhule spoke about the pressure of matching up to the standards set by wrestling, softball, and volleyball, as they continue to churn out some of the best players in the country. “We are the NFL team here,” the HC said in a July 30 episode of The David Rutherford Show. “Like we are the show in town. And so, there’s a lot of people that are counting on us to play well… And so that can sometimes feel like pressure,” he added.

But Rhule has a strategy in place to get players to think on those levels. “I want them to say to themselves, like, ’Man, how lucky am I that I’m at a place where everything I do matters and my performance matters.’ And so it’s not pressure. It’s a privilege that people care that much about what you do,” he noted. It’s been some time since Nebraska got fans’ hopes up by this much. The Huskers claimed five natties – a fact that only Husker fans will seem to care about. But it’s an achievement that’s gathered some dust on it, after languishing in the league with near-finishes.

This season, Matt Rhule will debut Dylan Raiola 2.0 and an improved offense. And, Nebraska will deal with an easier season this year, because of which they will evade Ohio State and Oregon. The playoffs are the goal for the Huskers this year, like Raiola vowed last year after their bowl win. The QB, being the face of Nebraska football, is Rhule’s biggest trump card this season. His success would mean the Huskers’ success, and that’s why the QB has to be given all possible weapons to make it possible.

But fall camp is known to throw things a little out of place before the season begins, especially with players joining late because of an injury. And Matt Rhule and Dylan Raiola surely will be disappointed with the absence of some players…

A series of injuries rocks through Matt Rhule’s fall camp

With fall camp kicking off, Nebraska also presented an injury galore at the Huskers’ first fall camp practice. 4 players remained absent from practice: WR Demitrius Bells and freshmen RB Jamorion Parker, DL Malcolm Simpson, and OL Juju Marks. Not much information has been released about the nature of their injuries, but they do indicate a threat. Bell, one of the most promising WRs set to make a comeback this season, already suffered a season-ending injury last year during the spring game. Even Matt Rhule was excited about his return, hyping him up on social media, saying, “I know something yall don’t know.”

Nebraska’s freshman class is not at par with that of 2024, which means rookies taking a blow will be a problem for the depth chart. And that’s not all. These 4 join OL Turner Corcoran and DL Tyson Terry, who are dealing with a hamstring and knee injury, respectively. That’s six men down for Matt Rhule. Corcoran is a 5th-year returnee, while Terry, debuting this year in Lincoln, was already recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in his senior season in high school.

Fall camp is bound to have players getting injured, which is why fans keep an eye out for the more impactful ones among the injury announcements. The first round of the fallen hosted some promising newcomers and essential returnees. Matt Rhule needs talent and skill from anywhere and everywhere to help kickstart his 3rd year charm at Lincoln, to help take Nebraska back to its elite status. Can the HC bank on the health of his remaining players to help do that?