Nebraska tried changing the view from which its offense was being run. Dana Holgorsen moved upstairs to the coaches’ box for Friday night’s game against Illinois, hoping a quieter setting might help him find answers. It did not.
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The Huskers scored 13 points, missed two field goals, and left Champaign with another defeat. By Saturday, Matt Rhule had made a much bigger change.
Nebraska dismissed Holgorsen as offensive coordinator on November 7, a day after the 24-13 loss to Illinois extended the Huskers’ losing streak to four games.
Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas will take over play-calling duties for the remainder of the season. Rhule announced the decision in a statement that opened with an unusually blunt admission.
“Like so many of you, I am angry, I am disappointed and I am frustrated with our results this season,” Rhule said in a statement. “As the head coach, I am ultimately responsible for every aspect of our program, including wins and losses.”
“It is my responsibility to make changes when they are warranted. While there are many areas that need improvement, our offensive plan and execution is simply not working.”
The decision comes after a 5-0 start that had raised hopes around Lincoln. Nebraska is now 5-4, and its early-season momentum has disappeared in a run of defeats that has exposed problems on both sides of the ball.
Rhule had defended Holgorsen earlier in the week. The loss to Illinois changed his position. The writing had been on the wall for Holgorsen before Friday’s game. Nebraska had lost three straight, scoring only 41 points during that stretch.
Rhule initially resisted the idea of making a coaching change, instead moving Holgorsen and offensive line coach Geep Wade from the sideline to the coaches’ box.
Holgorsen had also spoken about the need to find “a few more points.” But the Huskers went to Illinois and managed only 13.
There were opportunities to score more. Nebraska finished with 426 total yards, but the number offered little comfort after the team repeatedly failed to turn drives into points.
Nebraska kept putting together long drives against Illinois, then found ways to waste them. Four possessions lasted at least 11 plays but ended without points. John Hohl missed from 45 and 54 yards, and the offense was flagged 11 times for 82 yards.
The trouble started on Nebraska’s first trip down the field. Anthony Colandrea ran for 21 yards and got the Huskers inside the Illinois 10. A holding call erased the gain and pushed them back.
Thereafter, Nebraska could not recover from the penalty and left the drive empty-handed. There were similar problems later.
Too many possessions ended with a flag, a missed kick, or a failed fourth down. Illinois did not need to produce a perfect defensive performance. Simply put, Matt Rhule’s team kept making the job easier.
“I will continue to evaluate our program through the season and certainly at its conclusion and make additional changes where I believe they will help us win,” Matt Rhule said. “The Nebraska fan base has high expectations and I embrace them.”
On November 2, Rhule had been asked directly about the possibility of changing his staff. His answer was that he was “steady in the boat.” He also called Holgorsen “one of the best offensive minds of our generation.”
Rhule had even suggested that the problem might be his own approach. He said the Huskers had tried to do too much on offense and needed to simplify.
Now, in his November 7 statement, Rhule has made clear that the decision was about more than the result against Illinois. He also made a point of praising Holgorsen’s work at Nebraska, describing him as a strong leader with a “fantastic” offensive mind.
Holgorsen had joined Nebraska in November 2024 after working as a scout and advisor at TCU. His arrival was meant to bring a more experienced play-caller to Rhule’s staff.
The early returns in 2026 were encouraging as Nebraska averaged 43.6 points and 475.6 yards per game through its first five games. The collapse since then has been hard to ignore.
Nebraska’s slide has been particularly frustrating because the Huskers were not simply being blown out every week. The first three defeats in the streak came by one score, and Nebraska had held fourth-quarter leads in each of them.