Matt Rhule Doesn’t Fit The Current Needs Of Penn State Football

Nebraska beat Maryland in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday. In a back-and-forth affair, both the offense and defense played complementary football throughout the fourth quarter. First, with Nebraska down 31-24 and Maryland facing a 3rd and 2 from Nebraska’s 31-yard line, Dasan McCullough came flying into the backfield and picked up a four-yard tackle for loss. On their next drive, the Husker offense went 83 yards in 12 plays, kicking a field goal to make it 31-27.

The defense came back on the field down four points and got another stop, giving the ball back to their offense with 3.5 minutes left in the game. Dylan Raiola and the offense marched 81 yards in seven plays, culminating in a three-yard touchdown pass to Dane Key that gave Nebraska a 34-31 lead. The defense would get one more stop, and that was all she wrote. For the first time since the 25-24 win over Purdue in 2017 (Mike Riley’s last win as the head coach of the Cornhuskers), Nebraska’s offense was able to score a fourth quarter touchdown that gave them the lead.

Yes, you read that correctly.

At the exact same time, Penn State was on its way towards a third consecutive loss, this one to Northwestern. The Nittany Lions entered the day as a 21.5-point favorite, one week after losing a game in which they were 24.5-point favorites against UCLA. This, of course, was fresh on the heels of their brutal double-OT defeat, at home, during a whiteout, against Oregon. James Franklin, consistently a coach who won all the games except the big ones, now couldn’t even win the little ones.

Sunday afternoon the news was made official; James Franklin was out at Penn State.

Immediately, the Hot Boards* started popping up. And wouldn’t you know it, current Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule appeared on a lot** of them.

*After last week’s loss to UCLA, I was still certain James Franklin would finish the season as Penn State’s head coach. By the time Saturday night arrived, I would have been stunned to see him on the sidelines when Nebraska made its way to State College next month. I’m guessing every writer worth their salt on the Penn State beat had their stories ready to go before they went to sleep last night.

**The only reason I won’t say he appeared on all of them is that I haven’t read every Hot Board. That said, it would be a stunner to stumble upon a list that didn’t include Rhule.

Said Pete Nakos: “The former Penn State linebacker is a longtime friend of athletic director Pat Kraft and has a successful track record… with his ties to Penn State and Kraft, it is a no-brainer and will be a name at the top of the search list.”

Wrote Eli Lederman, Max Olson, and Adam Rittenberg: “The fit factor with Rhule at Penn State is off the charts. Rhule walked on for the Nittany Lions and played linebacker, and he also worked under Kraft at Temple, where he was head coach from 2013 to 2016. The two remain extremely close, although that friendship — and preserving it — might end up reducing the chances of a reunion.” They added, “Rhule, 50, also likes his gig at Nebraska and has lifted the program out of an extended slump. But can he win a national title there? He certainly can at his alma mater.”

And finally, Bruce Feldman: “It’s very doubtful he could say no to his alma mater or his old boss.”

And yet, it would stun me if Matt Rhule was Penn State’s first call.

Perhaps you’ve seen the stat; James Franklin was 1-18 against top 10 teams from the Big Ten, his lone win coming against Ohio State in the Block Six game back in 2016.

And I know you’ve seen this stat; Matt Rhule is currently 2-23 against top 25 teams. He’s 0-11 when you narrow the parameters to top 10 teams. At Nebraska, he’s 0-7 against top 25 teams and 0-2 against top 10 teams.

That right there is the biggest reason I don’t see Rhule ending up at Penn State.

You can talk to me about the relationship he has with Penn State AD Pat Kraft. You can certainly remind me that he played at Penn State under Joe Paterno. Like Bear Bryant said; “when Mama calls, you just have to come runnin.’”

But that misses the entire point. Why would Penn State fire a guy who was unable to break through a ceiling only to hire a guy who has been unable to break through an even lower ceiling?

Asking another way; why would Matt Rhule be Penn State’s first phone call?

It wouldn’t make any sense. Penn State needs something different than what James Franklin offers and what Matt Rhule would offer himself. Both Franklin and Rhule are “culture” guys first and foremost. Say what you will about them on game days, they raise the floor of a program, generate buy-in, and are (generally) very good at the front-facing part of the job.

Like Rhule in Lincoln, I’d be surprised if the detractors of Franklin’s public persona weren’t mainly in response to the on-field struggles. Rhule’s podcasting is only a bother if Nebraska loses games. Ditto for Franklin in situations like last year; after being asked about two former players being accused of rape, he handled a press conference as poorly as one could imagine. This ultimately resulted in apologizing for it at the postgame press conference following a win over Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, their in-game coaching has been a constant knock on both guys. How many times have you heard someone praise Franklin’s ability to outcoach the opposition? How often have you heard someone praise a Rhule-led team for putting together a game plan that put them over the top against a team that was viewed as better than them?

Franklin’s teams have seemed to match their coach’s vibe in the biggest games on their schedule. They seem too tight. The game seems too big. They get too conservative when they should be more aggressive.

And they lose.

And so the answer from Pat Kraft and co. would be… the guy who’s actually done worse in the biggest games on his team’s schedule?

Explain to me how that makes sense.

None of the above even mentions the agency Matt Rhule has in this situation:

At 5-1, are the Cornhuskers on their way towards the “year three” breakthrough Rhule’s had at previous stops? And if they are, why start over at a new stop right before Nebraska is able to take another step forward? He’s already left Temple and Baylor after reaching a similar point. Wouldn’t he want to see this through?

In the post-championship era at Nebraska, the recruiting of the quarterback position has never looked better for the future. On paper, at least. Best laid plans and all, but again I ask, wouldn’t he want to see this through?

And one more thing: Matt Rhule took over for Scott Frost. Frost “came home” to his alma mater with the hope of returning the program to former glory. We know what happened next. Is there a world where this actually works against Penn State, assuming Rhule is near the top of their list? That following the guy who did this very thing could be a potential eye-opener? Even if you view Frost as the problem more than Nebraska was throughout his tenure (and I do), I imagine there’d be a bit of pause given to being the next man up.

If you’re hoping Matt Rhule is in charge at Nebraska in 2026 and beyond, there’s one reason above all the others that should have you concerned:

What if the Penn State job isn’t as good as Penn State thinks it is?

And a follow up:

Because of the first question, what if Penn State gets told, “no” once, twice, or three times?

It would be then that I would finally start to acknowledge the relationship Rhule and Kraft have being a bit more of a game changer. That the pull to home – “please come here, you’re our last hope” – might suddenly be a bit stronger. Where “Matt Rhule isn’t atop the Penn State list” turns into “Matt Rhule is the next guy on Penn State’s list,” and suddenly he’s their new head coach.

My (informed) opinion? Matt Rhule is on the sidelines at Nebraska next year. Penn State is looking for a coach who can get its program over the hump. The type of coach that can win games against top 10 teams. The type of coach that can win a national championship. Are we sure Matt Rhule is that type of coach?

But until anything is official, get ready. Not since Bo Pelini was walking up and down the sidelines has Nebraska had a head coach who’s been talked about as a potential candidate for other jobs. Spicing things up, it’s only mid-October. Nebraska still has six games left in the regular season. Another idle week in there, too. Plenty of time for debates, reports, and rumors to abound about what will happen.

Not to mention; Nebraska plays at Penn State in a little over a month.

Agree or disagree, if you have a comment for Josh, send him an email: joshpeterson.huskermax@gmail.com.

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