Well, Matt Rhule must be yet to get over how their 2024 season went! After all, they rounded it off with a 7-6 overall record, which is definitely not the standard. However, gone are those days. It’s time for Rhule to hit the ‘REFRESH’ button and get ready for a new start. One of their most crucial revamp projects right now is their running back room. After all, their offensive coordinator, Dana Holgorsen, had a hard time fixing the loopholes.
Here enters someone who has already walked through the same path. That’s none other than the former Huskers running back Roy Helu. While Helu comes with a golden piece of advice, Rhule’s squad witnesses some major shake-ups in the rankings! But what is it?
Matt Rhule’s RB room gets blessed with timeless advice
While college football programs mostly are having glow-ups, Matt Rhule’s Huskers lost all their glow. As Adam Carriker mentioned on his podcast, ‘Carriker Chronicles,’ on March 11, “Two years ago Nebraska was number two in the Big 10 and rushing offense.” In the 2024 season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers rushing offense’s rankings were around the 90th percentile in terms of rushing yards per game (RYPG) at 130.6 (186th in Rushing Yards). The turning point came with their loss to USC by a 28-20 margin. Their OC wanted to see a little bit more out of his running backs. Rhule’s running backs have struggled with explosiveness throughout the season. Not to forget how their cracks got exposed by not being able to hit the holes. On that note, Carriker had one question for Helu!
“What advice would you give the running backs in order to hit the holes more effectively?” Well, Helu did not have a chance to play under Matt Rhule. The RB played for four seasons between 2007 and 2010. However, he still has some sage advice for the Huskers given their current situation. The ex-Nebraska player advised to practice, “Patience.” Also, the Huskers’ running backs should look through Le’Veon Andrew Bell Sr.’s tapes from his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2014 to 2018. Selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Bell rushed for 3,346 yards and 33 touchdowns in 40 career games.
Well, we know how running backs often fall under the pressure to speed things up. But Helu suggested, “When you run a wide zone scheme as a running back, you’re going to feel like you have to rush. Because as you’re running, things are supposed to open up, and the linemen are running too, so in your mind, you start to speed stuff up in a gap scheme.”
So what’s the golden rule that Matt Rhule’s running backs have to follow now? “Slow down your footwork and rather be chastised for missing the because you were too slow than going too fast.” Once the running back sees a clear path or a crease in the defense, they need to be able to burst through it with speed and power. For that, they need to follow the ‘slow and steady wins the race’ formula.
Meanwhile, Rhule’s RB room is getting revamped!
How Matt Rhule’s RB room is changing course
Last year in December, the winter window of the transfer portal ushered in some bad news for Matt Rhule and Co. The Huskers running back room took a hit when Dante Dowdell transferred to Kentucky in December. After all, the athlete did have some significant contributions to the program. He made seven starts and finished the season with over 600 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, there has been a role change as with Holgorsen’s entry, he had to give up his RB1 spot to Emmett Johnson.
Even then he was all set to return for the next season with Rhule’s squad. That’s when the Wildcats dished out a hefty NIL cheque. With his departure, the spotlight falls on Conor Booth. The 6-foot, 210-pound Wahoo (Neb.) Bishop Neumann star was offered on June 13, 2023, after camping in Lincoln. Well, he holds some impressive stats—having rushed for 2,159 yards and 31 touchdowns while eclipsing the 100-yard mark in every game.
Besides Booth, suspense is building up for top target Jamarion Parker, who has now signed with Matt Rhule’s squad. The 5’11” and 175-pounder rose to the limelight after rushing for 243 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman. As a junior, he rushed for 1,644 yards and 22 touchdowns on just 147 carries. It’s time for Matt Rhule to play Roy Helu’s advice on looping on the speakers in the RB room.
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