Matt Rhule spent last week telling everyone he was steady in the boat. One more loss later, he made the move.
Nebraska has fired offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen and co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas will take over play-calling duties, per a school release.
The decision comes the morning after a 24-13 loss to Illinois that dropped Nebraska's record to 5-4. It was the Huskers' fourth straight loss after a 5-0 start.
Holgorsen's offense averaged 43.6 points and 475.6 yards per game through the first five weeks. Then it stalled. The offense scored only 41 points during the three-game losing streak heading into Champaign, and managed 13 more on Friday night.
On Monday, Rhule publicly backed his coordinator, calling Holgorsen "one of the best offensive minds of our generation". Instead of a staff change, Holgorsen and offensive line coach Geep Wade moved to the coaches' box, while run game coordinator Lonnie Teasley assisted from the field.
It didn't change the result. Trailing 14-7 with about three minutes left in the third quarter, Nebraska faced fourth-and-1 at the Illinois 25, and Holgorsen put Anthony Colandrea in an empty backfield and threw from the pocket. It fell incomplete. Rhule said afterward that Holgorsen made the call and felt good about it. Nebraska also committed 11 penalties for 82 yards, and outgained its opponent for the ninth time in nine games.
Rhule has been here before, just from the other side of the transaction. In November 2024, Holgorsen was added as an offensive consultant and then promoted to offensive coordinator and play-caller, replacing Marcus Satterfield, who was moved to tight ends coach. Nebraska signed him to a two-year contract in December 2024, and the Huskers went 1-3 in November last season to finish 7-5.
Holgorsen arrived with one of the deepest résumés in the business. He coordinated offenses at Texas Tech, Houston and Oklahoma State before head coaching runs at West Virginia from 2011 to 2018 and Houston from 2019 to 2023. He went 61-41 in eight seasons at West Virginia and 31-28 at Houston before being fired after a 4-8 season in 2023.
Thomas is about as close to Rhule as any coach on the staff. He spent five seasons with Rhule at Temple and Baylor, developing record-setting quarterbacks P.J. Walker and Charlie Brewer. As Temple's offensive coordinator in 2016, his offense averaged 413.6 yards and 32.4 points per game, and Baylor went 11-2 with a #7 ranking and a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2019 with Thomas as co-coordinator.
His NFL time includes three years as Matt Ryan's position coach in Atlanta, and he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UNLV in 2020 and 2021 before one season in the same role at Arizona State, followed by a year as an offensive assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is in his third season in Lincoln.
Tabbing Thomas in this situation allows for a smooth transition and his advantage is obvious. He has been in the quarterback room with Colandrea every day, and Holgorsen said he met with Thomas and the quarterbacks after every series. There won't be a new language to learn with three weeks to go.
Nebraska needs one more win for bowl eligibility. The Huskers visit Rutgers on November 14 and host Ohio State on November 21 before closing with Iowa on November 27.
See Rhule’s full statement on the decision below, and stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
