Nebraska fired offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen on Saturday, one day after a 24-13 loss at Illinois. The Huskers are now 5-4 after starting the season 5-0. Four straight losses later, the offense has averaged just 13.5 points per game during the skid. Holgorsen is out. Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas takes over play-calling for the final three games.
The numbers are ugly once you split the season. Through nine games the Huskers are averaging 30.2 points and 425 total yards per game. The first five games looked different — the offense was efficient, scoring in bunches against lesser competition, and the team looked like it had something. The last four games have been a different story: 54 total points, repeated stalled drives, and an inability to finish when the game got tight. Against Illinois they outgained the Illini 426-376 and still only scored 13. That is not just a scheme problem or a talent problem. That is an execution and identity problem.
The low point came on fourth-and-1 in the third quarter. Nebraska lined up in an empty set and threw. Incomplete. That is not who fans wanted this team to be. When Matt Rhule was hired he talked about bringing a physical, run-first identity to Lincoln. The Air Raid-style hire never fully matched that promise. Holgorsen has said he likes to meld an offense to what the players do best rather than forcing a rigid philosophy. I reject that approach. You need a clear identity. You recruit high school players and transfer portal targets with that identity in mind. You stick to it. Nebraska needs to be a physical run team that uses the quarterback in the run game and leans on play-action. Instead, the last two games both featured more than 40 pass attempts. That is not the identity the program sold, and it is not the one that travels in the Big Ten.
Marcus Satterfield was the original offensive coordinator. He held the job for Rhule’s first two seasons. In 2023 his offense ranked near the bottom of the country: 18.0 points per game (123rd), 312.8 total yards (roughly 116th-120th), and a passing game that averaged just 135.9 yards (bottom 10 nationally). The one bright spot was the run game, which checked in around 177 yards per game and ranked near the top half of the country. In 2024, before Holgorsen took over late, the numbers improved slightly but stayed mediocre — roughly 23.5 points and 359 yards per game, with the run game dropping off and the passing game finally climbing above 220 yards. Holgorsen’s 2026 numbers look better on paper (30.2 points, 425 total yards, 182 rushing yards, 243 passing yards), but in practice it has not resulted in wins.
Glenn Thomas is the interim. He has been on staff since 2024 and worked with Rhule at Temple and Baylor. He gets three games to show something different. Fans are already restless and calling for Rhule to be fired. His buyout is massive — reports have put it in the $50 million range after the recent extension. That number makes a midseason or immediate postseason firing unlikely and unaffordable. The best realistic outcome is a clean offseason search for a slam-dunk offensive coordinator — the way Rob Aurich has worked out on defense — and a new special teams coordinator.
This season already feels like a wash. Optimism for 2027 is hard to find, and 2027 is a long way off. The only path that feels like it could force the university’s hand is if Nebraska loses out and gets blown out by Iowa. That is still possible. Everything else points toward another year of waiting.
