Matt Rhule calls Nebraska's performance against Iowa 'unacceptable'

Nebraska closed its regular season with a thud in Week 14. The Cornhuskers fell 40–16 to Iowa, getting blanked in the second half. 

It was a second straight blowout for the team, following last week’s 37–10 loss to Penn State. After watching his team get outscored 77–26 over the final two weeks, head coach Matt Rhule didn’t sugarcoat the moment.

“I’ll be the first to say that’s unacceptable,” Rhule said after the game. “I certainly understand how that feels to all the great fans that we have. The student section is full. People came to the game. I understand their disappointment. I understand our team’s disappointment.”

Continuing, Rhule made it clear that the frustration shouldn’t fall on his players or assistants. Nebraska finished the regular season 7–5, but they stumbled to the finish line after showing promise earlier in the year.

“I think when you end the season the way we have the last two games, it has to rest solely on me,” he continued. “I love this team. I love everything about them. I certainly didn’t think today would go that way. I thought we came out ready to play. In the end, they were the better football team. I own that I’m responsible for it.”

With the Huskers’ late-season collapse sparking negativity among the fan base, Rhule said he wants all of that directed at him, not his locker room: “I don’t want the players to panic. It shouldn’t go towards them. Shouldn’t go towards coaches. It falls on me,” Rhule said. 

“We want to be a team that gets better at the end of the year. These last few games have not been that. So I’ll take that, I own that.”

It looked like it was going to be a fun afternoon for Nebraska in Week 14. They came out of the gates roaring, taking a 7-0 lead after Emmett Johnson rushed for 80 yards by himself on a four-play scoring drive. 

They actually led twice during the game, but Nebraska couldn’t hold it, and after relinquishing the lead to Iowa, the Hawkeyes never let up in the second half. Despite Johnson’s 217-yard performance, the Huskers couldn’t hold on for the win to give them eight on the year.

Thankfully, Rhule’s team already clinched their bowl eligibility, so there’s one more chance to fight together coming up. In the meantime, they’ll be wondering what could’ve been, as Nebraska certainly had a chance to win more than seven games in 2025.