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

It was absolutely the right decision, even if it took us by surprise.

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

What would your reaction have been if Matt Rhule had stood up in front of the media and said, “We looked at a lot of things over the bye week. Dana provided valuable information, which we really appreciate. But I believe that Marcus Satterfield is the right man to lead this offense against USC for the rest of the season and beyond.”

You would have lost your mind.

And I would have been there with you.

It has become clear that the offense is broken. There are many reasons for this (both with the caller and the players running these plays), but something – EVERYTHING! – it had to be done. Although we didn’t think it would actually happen.

I appreciate Rhule’s display of urgency.

I think what really surprised people was how Rhule left one of his longtime friends and assistants. A lot of people weren’t expecting it, or at least not until the end of the season.

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

Being unable to move the ball and scoring fewer points than a Brian Ferentz Iowa team is unacceptable. Missing a bowl game — a minimal sign of progress in his sophomore year — sets Rhule up for a tough third year, with fans losing confidence and “hot seat” rumors bubbling.

Rhule made it clear that this change was all about trying to find – at least – a win in their final three games. Waiting until the offseason to fix the offense was not an option.

And to be clear: this approach might 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 other regular-season games.

Think about the plays Nebraska has run all year long, especially the ones that aren’t very successful (like those screen passes and direct handoffs). These were likely installed during spring ball, rehearsed throughout fall camp, and practiced several times a week for the past couple of months.

In other words, if the offense has trouble implementing something it’s been working on since the spring, it won’t install an entirely new offense in less than two weeks — especially when you wonder if Dylan Raiola will be healthy enough to play.

I know Holgorsen is an Air Raid guy, but over the next three games I expect him to look at the Nebraska playbook like an insurance adjuster walking through a house after a fire. He will try to salvage everything he can and leave everything else behind.

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

Although 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, he focuses on the present moment. Who knows what will happen after Nebraska’s season ends? Maybe Holgorsen takes another job. Maybe Nebraska’s offense is (somehow) worse and Rhule is going in a different direction. Maybe Rhule and Holgorsen aren’t a good match. Perhaps the father (or uncle) of five-star Nebraska quarterback Dylan (and his little brother Dayton) had some thoughts on which offense would be best for his boys.

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

Things are changing.

If Nebraska moves to an “air raid” offense, would that be the worst thing?

I’ve seen a lot of fans worry that Holgorsen is turning Nebraska into an air raid team and that type of offense can’t work in Lincoln or the Big Ten.

I say, go for it…but do it right.

One of my fundamental beliefs in football is that any attack can work anywhere, provided it is

1. Coaches to coach him
2. Talented players to lead it
3. It’s time to perfect it.

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

Now apply those three points to Callahan and Riley’s passing offenses which largely failed here. How many of these coordinators/assistants would you hire today? Joe Dailey was a good option quarterback, but he was a square peg in a round hole as a passing QB. And since neither staff 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 loves talking about the wind at Lincoln and Memorial Stadium. Having lived in this state my entire life and attended games for over 30 years, I know the wind.

But answer me this: Where did Mike Leach’s proof of concept that the Air Raid was a viable power conference offense take place? Lubbock, Texas – named 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 that Dylan Raiola models a lot of his game around. I can’t think of his name (I mean Matt? Pat?), but I know he’s pretty good – even if it’s sometimes windy in Kansas City or the other places he plays.

The discussion about callers grabs the headlines, but we should really focus on Raiola’s availability.

In the short term, the focus should be less on who calls the plays and more on who is behind center. Matt Rhule said Dylan Raiola — injured near the end of the UCLA game — will “try to practice” on Tuesday. This indicates that Heinrich Haarberg could potentially get his first start of the season, and perhaps be one play behind Daniel Kaelin from 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, that looks different with Raiola versus Haarberg in the matchup.

There’s no reason for Nebraska fans to give a damn about 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 think Nebraska’s failures rest squarely on his shoulders, go ahead and feel happy/relieved/vindicated that he’s not coming back. But I don’t see the need to fire a guy when he’s down…no matter how much money his agent got for him.

As long as he doesn’t negatively impact the team and continues to do his job as a professional, I’m happy for him to stick around for the rest of the season. As Rhule mentioned, it would have been easy for Satt to ask to be fired so he could go cash checks. The fact that he chooses to finish the season and help this team achieve its goals speaks volumes about his character. This is something we should respect and not ridicule.

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

MORE: Nebraska Bowl Projections Head Toward Crucial USC Game

MORE: Injury Clouds QB Picture for Huskers and their new player ahead of USC game

MORE: Nebraska-Wisconsin football game kicks off at 2:30 p.m.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by adding your favorites Nebraska Cornhuskers on SIby subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTubeand visit HuskerMax.com every day.