I texted my friend Saturday morning: “They (Nebraska) are going to lose today, I feel it in my bones.”

I wrote in my Big Ten Pick’em article “UCLA is better than its record shows and is showing some creativity in its offensive game that will give this Nebraska defense some fits. This was a classic disappointing performance from Nebraska at home after a good game the week before.

I’m angry because in the HuskerMax prediction article that my friend Geoff Exstrom written every week, I didn’t have the courage to choose UCLA right away, but I had a feeling it was going to happen.

The reason for his feeling had nothing to do with videotape, statistics or football knowledge. It had everything to do with the fact that that’s what this program had been doing since I started following them four years ago.

They win a match against a lesser opponent which gives you confidence in their abilities. They then face a good team on national television and find themselves embarrassed. You then start to lose hope, but as soon as you think you’re done with them, they almost win a game that they have no business being in. Despite losing this game, your hope is restored and you believe they will take that momentum and play. this turns into a good victory, but instead they are embarrassed again.

You then repeat these feelings of despair and hope until once again, NU is no longer in the playoffs.

But this year it was different. The team’s 5-1 start and good wins against Colorado and Rutgers justified the preseason hype the team was receiving. We convinced ourselves that the old Husker teams would lose some of the games they won. We convinced ourselves that this program had really reached a milestone.

We were wrong.

The cycle returned with an embarrassing loss for Indiana followed by a “good loss” at Ohio State capped by an even more embarrassing loss to UCLA.

Matt Rhule is in no way in the hot seat. He is a long-term program builder and his resume proves it. He came in and took over a program that was failing and was tasked with rebuilding it from the ashes. While I choose to give him the benefit of the doubt that he will ultimately succeed, the honeymoon phase is over.

Win the press conference

When former Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts ultimately chose to fire Scott Frost, he said they weren’t going to win the press conference. While Rhule has put together back-to-back five-win seasons (at least), most of the wins have come in press conferences.

Rhule looks incredible on the podium. I think you can argue that he is the best in the country at speaking words into a microphone that connect deeply with his fan base. This guy is gold on the mic and his presence and intellect are more than a breath of fresh air compared to his predecessor. It’s like a bucket of ice water was dumped on you in the Sahara. I have been to many Rhule pressers and they are enjoyable. He is caring, respectful, articulate and almost always finds the right things to say.

There’s a barrage of great words from Rhule. Here are a few that I kept in my notes

“Champions behave like champions before being champions”

“Tenacity is a skill. You train it like a muscle. It’s not something you’re born with.”

“All great teams do three things: eliminate distractions, create their own energy, be fearless and attack everything.”

“Fear of losing, fear of winning”

These are superb little nuggets. Sayings and beliefs that are not only sure to energize a team, but also a fan base. And why should we be surprised? The guy is a pastor’s son. There are times when a Matt Rhule press conference feels like a football sermon. Let him proclaim to his hundreds and thousands of supporters that everything will be fine. May the aura and tradition of Nebraska football be restored. Everything is going well and the winning days are coming soon!

But after Nebraska’s loss to UCLA last Saturday, words no longer matter.

We are past the point where it is enough to be told that standards are high. We are past the point where it is acceptable to be told that things will change and good things will happen. Fans of this team are done being told things are different because you say so.

Today more than ever, the time is for action and results. Wins against USC, Wisconsin and Iowa would be the proof that everyone around Nebraska football was looking for. This would be confirmation of what most believe, which is that this program is in good hands under the leadership of Matt Rhule.

But for now, I’m done with what people tell me; I’m ready to be shown.

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