Dave Feit’s hot version of the Huskers’ Holgorsen Hire

With the news of Dana Holgorsen takes over Nebraska’s stagnant offense For (at least) the last three games of the 2024 season, I will give a handful of reactions and opinions:

This was absolutely the right move, even though it caught us off guard.

I couldn’t believe how many people seemed shocked that Rhule made this move. While there is little (if any) precedent for bringing in an outside coordinator for three or four games while the previous player is demoted to strictly a position coach, consider the alternative.

What would have been your reaction if Matt Rhule stood up in front of the media and said, “We’ve been looking at a lot of things this past week. Dana provided some valuable insights, which we really appreciate. But I believe Marcus Satterfield is the right man to lead this offense against USC for the remainder of the season and beyond.”

You would have lost your mind.

And I would have been there with you.

It has become abundantly clear that the violation has been violated. There are countless reasons for this (both with the play caller and with the players executing those plays), but something – EVERYTHING! – had to happen. Even if we didn’t think it would actually happen.

I appreciate Rhule’s show of urgency.

I think what really surprised people was how Rhule left one of these friends and long-time assistants behind. A lot of people didn’t expect it, or at least not until after the season ended.

But Rhule understands the Nebraska environment. I strongly believe it is unfair for fans to lay the pain of Nebraska’s 33-56 record since their last bowl game at Rhule’s feet. That said, Rhule is responsible for 11 of those losses and only 10 of the wins.

It’s unacceptable that you can’t move the ball and score fewer points than a Brian Ferentz team from Iowa. Missing a bowl game – a sure sign of progress in his second year – leaves Rhule in for a tough Year 3, with fans losing confidence and hot-seat rumors bubbling up.

Rhule made it clear that this change is all about trying to find – at least – one win in their last three games. Waiting until the offseason to fix the offense wasn’t an option.

And just to be clear, this move may not work. I maintain Nebraska’s offensive problems run deeper than how often they call screen passes.

But Rhule had to do something.

Nebraska will not run the Air Raid offense Saturday in Los Angeles or in any of the remaining regular season games.

Think about the plays Nebraska has run all year, especially the plays that aren’t very successful (like those screen passes and the straight handoffs). These were likely installed in spring ball, repeated during fall camp, and practiced several times a week for the past two-plus months.

In other words, if the offense is struggling to execute something they’ve been working on since the spring, they’re not installing a brand new offense in two weeks — especially when there are questions about whether Dylan Raiola will be healthy enough for a play.

I know Holgorsen is an Air Raid guy, but I expect him to be looking at Nebraska’s playbook over the next three games like an insurance adjuster walking through a house after a fire. He’s going to try to save what can be saved and move on to everything else.

This move does not guarantee that Holgorsen will be Nebraska’s offensive coordinator in 2025.

While the popular assumption is that Holgorsen will be Nebraska’s offensive coordinator in 2025, the door is open to other options.

As Rhule said today, his focus is on the now. Who knows what will happen after Nebraska’s season ends? Maybe Holgorsen will take another job. Maybe Nebraska’s offense is (somehow) worse and Rhule is going in a different direction. Maybe Rhule and Holgorsen don’t believe. Perhaps the father (or uncle) of Nebraska’s five-star quarterback Dylan (and his little brother Dayton) had some thoughts on which offense would be best for his boys.

If I had to bet money on it today, I’d bet Dana Holgorsen is Nebraska’s OC next year. But in February it seemed likely that Holgorsen would be hired as an analyst or assistant.

Things change.

If Nebraska turns to an air raid, would that be the worst thing?

I’ve seen a lot of concern from fans about Holgorsen turning Nebraska into an Air Raid team, and that this type of offense can’t work in Lincoln or the Big Ten.

I say: bring it on… but do it correctly.

One of my core beliefs in football is that any offense can work anywhere, provided it does

1. Coaches to coach it
2. Talented players to run it
3. Time to perfect it.

Many Nebraska fans believe the only way the Huskers can win is to run the dadgum ball because that’s what Tom Osborne did. To that I say: consider those three points with Osborne’s option attack. He had great coaches (including perhaps the greatest offensive line coach in college football history). He had talented players who could make bad play calls look good. And by committing essentially the same offense for 20 years, there was time to perfect it. Check, check and check.

Now apply these three points to Callahan and Riley’s offenses that largely failed here. How many of these coordinators/assistants would you hire today? Joe Dailey was a good quarterback, but he was a square peg in a round hole as a passing QB. And since neither employee lasted very long, they didn’t have much time to perfect their offense. At best, Callahan and Riley checked two of the three boxes (and I’d say it was one at most).

Yes, I know how much Rhule likes to talk about the wind at Lincoln and Memorial Stadium. Having lived in this state all my life and attending competitions for over 30 years, I know what the wind is like.

But answer me this: What made Mike Leach’s proof of concept that made the airstrike a viable power conference violation? Lubbock, Texas – voted one of the windiest cities in America.

Speaking of Texas Tech, who was Tech’s Air Raid quarterback who ended up in the NFL? You know, the guy Dylan Raiola models much of his game after. I can’t think of his name (I want to say Matt? Pat?), but I know he’s pretty good – even if it gets windy at times in Kansas City or the other places he plays.

The discussion about play-callers makes headlines, but what we really need to focus on is Raiola’s availability.

In the short term, the focus should be less on who is in charge and more on who is behind the center. Matt Rhule said Dylan Raiola — injured late in the UCLA game — will “try to practice” on Tuesday. That suggests Heinrich Haarberg may get his first start of the season, and may be just one play away from Daniel Kaelin taking his first collegiate snap at the LA Coliseum.

If Holgorsen’s immediate goal is to simplify the offense — or to put it another way — focus on what Nebraska does well, things look different with Raiola versus Haarberg in the game.

There is no reason for Nebraska fans to shit on Satterfield.

The elephant in the room is easy to see: Marcus Satterfield has failed as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator, and he will be gone at the end of the season. If you believe Nebraska’s failures fall squarely on his shoulders, then go ahead and feel happy/relieved/relieved that he won’t return. But I don’t see the need to kick someone when he’s in trouble… no matter how much money his agent gets for him.

As long as he doesn’t have a negative impact on the team and continues to do his job as a professional, I’m happy to have him stay for the rest of the season. As Rhule said, it would have been easy for Satt to ask to be fired so he could cash some checks. That he chooses to finish the season and help this team achieve their goals says a lot about his character. That is something we should respect and not ridicule.

MORE: Will Dana Holgorsen’s offense work in the Big Ten?

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