Talk about being multitalented. One moment, he is on the sideline guiding Nebraska to a perfect 5-0 start, keeping the Cornhuskers unbeaten with a 48-23 win over Maryland. The next, he is popping up in HBO’s Lanterns, making his acting debut in the DC universe. Coaching a Big Ten program through its best opening stretch in years is already enough to keep anyone busy, but apparently that still left room for a superhero-series cameo.
And the timing only makes it better. Just hours after securing that fifth straight win, Rhule went from running Nebraska’s sideline to appearing on television in the Season 1 finale of Lanterns, titled “Dirt and Stars.”
Apparently, standard post-game celebrations like reviewing film or eating a steak were not enough for Rhule. He had a cosmic appointment to keep.
Fans tuning in for the intergalactic space-cop drama, watching the suspenseful mystery of who killed Hal Jordan, were suddenly treated to the sight of Nebraska’s main man doing what he does best: hunting down elite talent.
The cameo itself wasn’t just some random, forced celebrity appearance like they do with every other show. Because the show’s dark true-crime mystery is primarily set in the fictional town of Rushville, Nebraska, football is practically baked into the plot.
The surprise moment unfolds right after Rushville crushes its bitter rivals in the championship game. Just as the crowd is going wild, Coach Rhule makes a surprise visit to the Rushville bleachers just to see the star player, Noah Macon (played by Sean Pritchard).
The head coach walks right up to the young star to deliver the ultimate scholarship pitch, offering him a Nebraska hat himself.
“You’ve got what it takes to be a Blackshirt, Noah. Lincoln is waiting for you,” Rhule said.
And Rhule is hardly the first football figure to wander into Hollywood. Nick Saban appeared as himself in The Blind Side during its recruiting storyline, while Jim Harbaugh once had an even stranger cameo on Saved by the Bell: The New Class. Harbaugh, then an Indianapolis Colts quarterback, played Screech’s cousin and delivered a speech about what makes someone a hero. So football personalities crossing into scripted entertainment is nothing new. Rhule’s version is just particularly funny because his acting debut mostly involved doing his actual job: showing up as Nebraska’s head coach and recruiting a player.
You see, “Lanterns” stars Kyle Chandler as the iconic Green Lantern Hal Jordan. For anyone who loves TV, Chandler will always be Coach Eric Taylor from the legendary high school football drama “Friday Night Lights.” John Stewart is played by Aaron Pierre.
Watching a real-world, undefeated Big Ten head coach share a storyline with television’s most famous fictional football coach was a beautifully executed Easter egg.
Honestly, with a 5-0 record and a prime-time HBO cameo under his belt, it really does look like no evil shall escape his sight this season. He has successfully united Husker Nation and DC Comics nerds in amazement.
It remains to be seen if Noah Macon actually signs a letter of intent to play in Lincoln, but one thing is for sure: Matt Rhule’s star power is officially rising. While the Green Lanterns protect Sector 2814, Rhule is doing a pretty spectacular job protecting Nebraska’s win column.
Nebraska’s still invisible to the AP voters’ eyes after going 5-0
It is the first time the program has started a season with five straight wins since 2016, and Husker Nation is loving life right now. However, the AP voters decided ‘let’s not put them there yet’.
After a few years of rebuilding, Rhule’s master plan is finally coming together, and the team looks like a genuine problem for the rest of the Big Ten.
The Huskers officially locked in that fifth win on Saturday with a 48-23 beating of Maryland at Memorial Stadium. Things actually looked a little dicey early on when Nebraska fell behind 23-14, but the entire momentum flipped after defensive back Dwayne McDougle took an 81-yard interception straight to the house. That pick-six completely broke Maryland, sparking a ridiculous 34-0 scoring run for the Huskers over the final 33 minutes of the game.
A huge part of this undefeated run comes down to the offense firing on all cylinders.
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea has been an absolute baller, turning heads by racking up his first career 100-yard rushing game with 108 yards on the ground against the Terrapins. He also casually tossed three touchdowns, heavily feeding wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer, who went completely nuclear with 11 catches for 147 yards and two scores.
When the offense is moving like that, Nebraska is incredibly tough to stop. Now, if you ask Coach Rhule, he’ll be the first to tell you that there is still plenty of tape to clean up.
Nebraska managed to win big despite shooting itself in the foot with a season-high 16 penalties for 132 yards. The Huskers were flagged nine times for 91 yards in the first half alone, a massive jump from their previous season high of nine penalties for 65 yards against Ohio. The 5-0 start is worth celebrating, but that kind of sloppiness is exactly what Rhule will want cleaned up before the schedule gets tougher.
And speaking of what’s next, the “cupcake” tier of the schedule is officially over, and the real gauntlet is about to begin. Next Saturday, October 10, Nebraska will host the defending national champion and No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium in a huge Big Ten showdown.
If Rhule can find a way to keep the magic alive and push this streak to 6-0, Nebraska will have an even stronger case to finally crack the AP Top 25.