3 takeaways as Nebraska football is blown out by Colorado

Nebraska football got blown out by the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday and here are three takeaways for the Huskers.

It’s hard to imagine things going any worse for Nebraska football than they did on Saturday. There were glimpses, but this program looks like a long way from being a winner.

Deion Sanders took over one of the worst teams in college football. He gutted the roster and ran circles around Matt Rhule and Nebraska on Saturday.

The final was 36-14 in favor of the Buffs and here are three takeaways as Nebraska was embarrassed on Saturday.

Jeff Sims was a mistake

Casey Thompson’s dad told Hail Varsity Radio that Matt Rhule told Casey, “If I was you, I’d transfer.”

This seems like a good time to remind everyone that Matt Rhule sat down with Casey Thompson and his dad after spring football and said, “If I was you, I would transfer.”

That’s according to what his dad told us on @HVarsityRadio

— Elijah Herbel (@HerbelEssences) September 9, 2023

Through two games, that looks like a colossal mistake. It was one thing to have a bad game in the opener. Everyone has a bad game. But dropping two snaps that led to fumbles, throwing an interception, and the snap that hit the motion man, well, there is no excuse for it.

Sims has engineered two touchdown drives in two games. That’s not good enough on any level of football. Neither is six turnovers in two games.

If Casey Thompson was the quarterback of this team, it would be 1-1. It probably would have had a chance on Saturday too. But Jeff Sims never gave this team a chance and one of Matt Rhule’s first big decisions as head coach isn’t looking good after two games.

The Blackshirts were let down again

Was the Nebraska defense perfect? No. But it wore down in the second half and that was one reason why Colorado finished with 36 points. Shedeur Sanders did throw for nearly 400 yards though and zero interceptions. Nebraska has forced one turnover in two games.

The turnovers by the offense didn’t help and neither did the poor punting frankly. Nebraska wasn’t as sharp on special teams but the defense registered eight sacks and allowed just 58 yards rushing.

Yet, the secondary struggled to deal with Colorado’s playmakers. There were plenty of chances to get off the field and the Huskers couldn’t do it.

Three sacks by freshman — two from Cameron Lenhardt and another from Riley Van Poppel was good to see — but the defense struggled too. Still, if the offense had played complementary football, the second half could have been much different.

Matt Rhule’s honeymoon is over

The honeymoon is really over now. Nebraska didn’t look prepared and Rhule doesn’t look good for entrusting this season to Sims.

That looks like an epic disaster now and there isn’t a reliable backup. If Sims can’t play or play well, then things really could get ugly. There aren’t many easy wins on the schedule.

Seeing what Colorado did in one season and what TCU was able to do back in the 2022 season, it’s hard to understand why Nebraska football can’t do the same.

In truth, with the right coach, the Huskers could have. But less than two games in, it’s fair to ask if Matt Rhule is that guy. The early returns aren’t good and this season is already on the brink.

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