How the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team Can Rebuild Their Winning Legacy
I remember sitting in Memorial Stadium back in 1997, watching Tommie Frazier lead the Cornhuskers to yet another dominant victory. Those were the days when Nebraska football wasn't just a program—it was a force of nature. Fast forward to today, and we're looking at a team that's gone 5-7 for two consecutive seasons. As someone who's followed this team through thick and thin, I've been thinking a lot about what it would take for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team to rebuild their winning legacy.
Let me take you back to that incredible 1997 season when we went 13-0 and shared the national championship. The team averaged nearly 47 points per game while holding opponents to just over 16. That's the standard we're chasing. But here's the thing—rebuilding isn't just about recruiting better players or installing new schemes. It's about something much deeper that I was reminded of recently while reading about volleyball player Alyssa Valdez. She said something that really stuck with me about her conference experience: "Itong conference na 'to is more on mental toughness. Sobrang laking bagay din ng conference na ito for me and sa team namin kasi dito talaga namin nasubok yung tibay ng loob ng bawat isa and yung mental toughness talaga." That Filipino athlete's insight about testing mental toughness and inner strength—that's exactly what's missing from our current football program.
Looking at our recent struggles, particularly those heartbreaking 7 losses by single digits last season, it's clear that the issue isn't talent alone. We've had decent recruiting classes—ranked around 20th nationally in 2022—but we're collapsing in critical moments. Remember that Minnesota game where we led by 11 points in the fourth quarter only to lose? That wasn't a physical breakdown—that was mental. The players looked uncertain, the coaching decisions became conservative, and you could feel the tension radiating from the sidelines. It reminded me of watching a boxer who's technically sound but flinches at the first sign of real pressure.
What Valdez described—that conference testing their mental toughness—is precisely what Nebraska needs to replicate. We need to create environments where our players are constantly pushed beyond their comfort zones. Not just in games, but in practice, in conditioning, even in team meetings. I'd love to see Coach Rhule implement what I call "pressure inoculation"—deliberately creating high-stress scenarios where failure has consequences but isn't catastrophic. Think two-minute drills where the entire team runs laps if they don't execute perfectly. Or bringing in sports psychologists to work specifically on closing out tight games.
The solution isn't just about X's and O's either. We need to rebuild the culture from the ground up. When I talk to former players from the 90s, they all mention the same thing—there was an unspoken expectation of excellence that permeated everything. Current players need to understand they're not just playing for themselves or even for this season—they're playing for every player who ever wore the scarlet and cream. That might sound like romantic nonsense, but watch any documentary about the Alabama or Georgia programs today—that cultural foundation is what separates good teams from great ones.
Here's what I think the roadmap should look like. First, establish an identity. Under Scott Frost, we never really had one—were we a spread offense team? A power running team? The defense changed schemes multiple times. Under Matt Rhule, we need to pick an identity and recruit to it relentlessly. Second, we need to develop quarterbacks properly. We've started 4 different quarterbacks in the past 2 seasons—that kind of instability kills offensive continuity. Third, and most importantly, we need to build that mental toughness Valdez described. Not as an abstract concept, but as a tangible, trainable skill.
I'm optimistic about Coach Rhule—his track record at Temple and Baylor shows he understands rebuilds. But he needs time and support. The impatient part of me wants immediate results, but the realistic part knows that proper rebuilds take 3-4 seasons. If we can develop a core group of players who buy into the mental toughness philosophy, who embrace pressure rather than fear it, we could see meaningful progress as early as this season. Not championship contention yet, but certainly bowl eligibility and competitive games against the big dogs like Ohio State and Michigan.
What gives me hope are the small signs of progress—the improved defensive rankings last season (up to 45th nationally from 101st two years prior), the recruiting wins in states like Texas and Florida, the way players speak about the new strength and conditioning program. But the real transformation will happen when we stop talking about mental toughness and start demonstrating it in those critical fourth-quarter moments. When Nebraska football rediscovers that inner strength Valdez described—that "tibay ng loob"—that's when we'll know the rebuild is truly working. The journey back won't be easy, but for those of us who remember what this program can be, it's a journey worth taking.