NEBRASKA CITY – Husker Radio Analyst Damon Benning told his Big Red Buzz audience Tuesday that this year’s spring football game offered evidence that coaching changes are yielding better teaching, but said the needle is yet to move on the ‘doom and gloom’ of some fans heading into the 2026 season.

Benning said Nebraska is in the midst of a very difficult coaching year for Head Coach Matt Rhule, who replaced his defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, offensive line coach and special teams coordinator.

Benning said his top take-aways from the spring game include that offensive line executed with new concepts that came with coach Coach Geep Wade and run game coordinator Lonnie Teasley. He said Saturday’s scrimmage made it evident that multiple players are emerging for the defensive line under defensive line coach Corey Brown.

Benning said the coaching changes, that include Defensive Coordinator Rob Aurich and edges coach Roy Manning, are signals that Coach Rhule set out to remedy problems that led to four losses to end last season.

He suspects that Coach Rhule was bugged by the leaving of Coach Mike Ekeler last year and previous departures of Athletic Director Trev Alberts and UNL President Ted Carter.

Benning: “In coach Rhule’s defense, a lot of the guys who professed to really love Nebraska and be all in on Nebraska, the minute it got tough left Nebraska. … Meanwhile (Rhule might say) the guy you chastised for leveraging Penn State vs. Nebraska, which I never did, is still here.”

Benning: “You can clearly see the team is better heading into 2026 than they were when he took the program over.”

Benning: “I love how they are doing business. I think he’s got smarter business people. I think collectively they are pulling in the same direction.”

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