Nebraska coach Matt Rhule defends Huskers offense, Marcus Satterfield amid losing streak

As Nebraska toils amidst a three-game losing streak and continues to find ways not to achieve bowl eligibility, second-year Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule isn't point the finger inward -- not on the offensive side of the ball.

Instead, Rhule is defending offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and emphasizing it's on the players to execute Satterfield's play-calling.

Nebraska's 44 points during its three-game losing skid is a dozen less than Indiana -- led by first-year coach Curt Cignetti -- scored against the Cornhuskers Oct. 19 in the game that initiated this slide.

After scoring just 21.8 points per game during last season's losing campaign, Nebraska is averaging a scant 23.6 ppg this year -- good enough for a 100th-place tie among FBS programs. 

Heralded consensus five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola has flashed glimpses of being a potential superstar, but he also has had understandable first-year growing pains with 10 touchdown passes against eight interceptions. 

"I owe it to everyone to be honest," Rhule told reporters Monday. "I'm trying to find a way to get the players to be more consistent, so this is probably the first time you guys have heard me say, 'The players have to have play.' Like, they have to play."

Rhule then extended his comments to defend embattled second-year offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, whose work with Rhule goes back to their days together at Temple. Satterfield also has been an FCS head coach and coordinated an inconsistent offense for Shane Beamer at South Carolina before he was hired by Rhule at Nebraska. 

"They can't just say, 'Well, oh, man, did you read what they're saying about Satt?'," said Rhule, who needs one more win to guide Nebraska to its first bowl game since the Music City Bowl followed the 2016 season. "You are Satt. You are the offense. You're out on the field, like, like, Jacory's (Jacory Barney Jr.) not worried about what play-call Satt is calling. Jacory is out there flying around. 

"You can't throw a bubble out on the perimeter and guys not block. It's one man against another man. I've got to block you.

"But, all that being said, it's not consistent enough."

Open this week, Nebraska has road games at USC and Iowa sandwiched around a home tilt against Wisconsin Nov. 23 in an effort to end one of college football's longest postseason droughts among Power Conference programs.