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[00:01]
A
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[00:32]
B
He's from the third largest village in the world, Skokie, Illinois, Middays with Matt on 1620 the Zone. You know, you know, friends are, friends are valuable in life. You know, what's life without friends? So what's, what's, what's life without people that you enjoy the company of? And we bring in somebody who I thought was my friend. I thought I would often enjoy the company of them. But I found out what his true colors were yesterday when he relentlessly made fun of me over my under bet that actually ended up getting doubled during the hall of Fame game yesterday. We bring in Austin Jacobson, notable Carolina points for that, by the way. No, they don't. They don't. Notable Carolina Panthers fan Austin Jacobson, who wanted to rub in me doubting his quarterback, joins us here on MIDDAYS with Matt. That A.J. go ahead.
[01:24]
C
Well, I've been told that there was, you know, a lot of rallies, a lot of things going on in this country. And I thought it was very important that I come out here and I make a political stance that there is only one king left and it is Haynes King for the Carolina Panthers.
[01:39]
B
What's it with you? And like, you make political statements and you like, you're like running for Congress half the time when you're on the show. You know, last time you tried pitting me again against teachers unions. I don't know why you felt like you needed to do that.
[01:52]
C
Yeah, that's, it's very interesting that you're trying to pit this against me when clearly you hate public school. You only support private because you're from the third largest village in the Chicago area. What was it, Skokie? Whatever it is, it's nowhere close to, you know, the grand mecca of Texas high school football where Haynes King was bred and born and rebirthed to become one of the nation's greatest quarterback. Haynes King, our God, our goat, our king, our God.
[02:20]
B
You're calling him a God after he won the hall of Fame game?
[02:24]
C
Did you see he walked off the hall of Fame game? He didn't even Say, let's go for the tie, coach, he said, I want. No, you didn't. You know why? Because when I called you last night and you hung up on me, you asked what the final score was because you were playing tetherball or something like that with your friends.
[02:36]
B
I wasn't playing tetherball. I was playing nascar. Yeah, I watched my Carson first off. I watched Carson back. I actually was going to watch the players who might actually start for NFL teams one day. That's what I was there to watch. All right? I wasn't there to watch guys who highlights of their career is going to be the hall of Fame game. I was there to watch people who might make an impact in the league one day in a regular season capacity. And that's why I watched all of Carson Beck's passes. And then he got taken out of the game. And I go, my job here is done.
[03:02]
C
Interesting. So you'd rather hang out with sloth boy Carson Beck than Haynes King, the winner of the first game of the 2026 NFL season? Sounds like a loser mentality. You just go take your Cardinals out of here and just go sit somewhere else, huh?
[03:14]
B
Oh, you're calling them my Cardinals? No, no, no. I don't. I don't want that team to be associated with my name. I'm just.
[03:20]
C
Well, they were the Chicago Cardinals first, weren't they? Don't you support your local programs? I thought you were pro Chicago.
[03:25]
B
There's nothing loyal about Scottsdale, Arizona to me. I appreciate. I appreciate you, though.
[03:29]
C
Trying to make you also know they're not in Scottsdale. They're in Glendale, but that's very close.
[03:32]
B
You know what? Glendale, Scottsdale, you know, Glenn Powell, Norman Powell, who cares? It's all the same. It's. It's all a dry heat.
[03:41]
C
No wonder you're a private school guy, that all these public schools just look the same deal. Interesting.
[03:45]
B
I never said anything about public school. First off, my mother is a Chicago public school teacher for 33 years, so I've been an ardent supporter of public schools.
[03:54]
C
That's crazy.
[03:56]
B
Well, no. I mean, Nebraska was a public school. Nothing private about Nebraska. How are you? How's Pinnacle playing championship.
[04:05]
C
Pinnacle bank championship is great. I'm out here spreading the good word of Haynes King to many people and asking them if they watched the game last night. Many people have said no, which is totally fine because they're golf heads. They're not football people out here. The football heads were at home, and they came to work late because they stayed up to watch Haynes King last night. The golf is fine.
[04:24]
B
It's okay.
[04:25]
A
There's no.
[04:25]
B
It's no comparison to Haynes, though.
[04:27]
C
No, I mean, Haynes King, the number one underwear brand coming to America, but. Yeah.
[04:33]
B
Have you put wise on all your Hanes underwear?
[04:36]
C
No, I don't have any Hanes.
[04:38]
B
Oh, Fruit of the Loop, You Fruited Loom guy. Reebok.
[04:41]
C
I don't know. Can I check right now?
[04:42]
B
Yeah, go ahead and check. I'll check. I don't even know what mine is.
[04:45]
C
Everybody check.
[04:46]
B
Everybody take about 10 seconds and check.
[04:48]
C
Yeah, the tag is in the back. Hold on. This Porta Potty, quick. And I'm gonna look for you.
[04:53]
B
Yeah, I'm Hanes, actually. Boxer boxers. I'm a Haynes man.
[04:58]
C
Yeah, I used to be the difference in the audio with me and the pork, actually. Yes, that's very funny.
[05:04]
B
I can hear the echo next to me.
[05:06]
C
Yeah, that's very. That's actually very funny. I get naked at the Pinnacle Being Championship right now.
[05:11]
B
Yeah, that's what I mean. I want to know what, like, what brand is.
[05:14]
C
Oh, I am wearing a Haynes King. Who would have thought?
[05:16]
B
I'm wearing Hanes Kings as well. Are you briefs or boxer briefs or boxers?
[05:21]
C
Well, you know, I'm getting up there in age, Matt, and eventually I want to have kids, so I just. I gotta go with, you know, the boxer shorts. So nothing tied up in here.
[05:28]
B
Oh, yeah, I'm.
[05:29]
C
Little Jays will be running around.
[05:31]
B
Yeah, I guess I might be Boxer shorts, too. I used to be a brief sky, and then as I've gotten older, I just kind of like the looseness of everything, you know?
[05:40]
C
Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Okay, let's just see if anyone. Oh, yep, the porta Potty right next to me was occupied, so that's cool. Embarrassing. Someone heard that whole conversation.
[05:47]
B
Yeah, that's totally okay. I mean, I mean, I really hope somebody took a video of you doing a radio interview entering a Porta Potty.
[05:55]
C
Well, luckily, there's nowhere in the world that this will get posted or podcasted to do, so I'm sure I'm safe.
[06:00]
B
I think you're totally okay. Have you eaten anything nice at the Pinnacle Bank Championship? What has your breakfast, lunch, and dinner look like?
[06:07]
C
Great question. So, hobbies. Cantina has been great. It's open to the entire public. If you want to walk down, just get grounds tickets and do that. Our herd at Sports Pavilion has had some excellent Euros yesterday for lunch. That was delish. Love that. And then, of course, you know, Pinnacle Pain Championship also has some name brand sponsors Like Oscar's pizza and Wings and you know, I love the pizza. I wish that they would have some wings out here. Oscars wings are some of my favorite in the entire city. So one of these days they will bring wings down for me and I will be a very, very happy boy.
[06:35]
B
Char buff.
[06:37]
C
Oh, duh. I mean, you double char buff those things. Yeah, whatever you can do.
[06:41]
B
Have you ever been to End Zone in Lincoln? Have you been to that place?
[06:44]
C
You know, I have not eaten as much in Lincoln as I need to, but no, so I have not. I need to get my palate a little bit further down in the capital city.
[06:54]
B
I mean, it'll only take you like six trips to really do it in the Haymarket, you know, like. Yeah, you don't need to be there down there too much to hit all the good spots. At least in the downtown area. I don't really know the surrounding areas of Lincoln too well. Am I.
[07:08]
C
What are you Yaya's pizza guy?
[07:10]
B
Yes. But I loved Yaya's when I was in college, but I've admittedly had way better pizza here in Omaha. But Yaya's was the place I ate at for pizza in Lincoln. Yes.
[07:21]
C
Yeah, no, I, I not, I'm not disparaging anything I did like Yaya's, but my fiance's family being from south of Lincoln and the smaller community there, they. It's like namesake. Like they will bring it back down from work and it was like a family meal. Like it was a big deal when Yaya's came in. But then this is also the same family that like celebrated at the door and waited on, you know, waited on bated breath when Valentino's arrived as well. So I don't really know.
[07:47]
B
That is. Yeah. I'm sorry. I laugh so hard at that just because it's just like, you know, I've. I've come from a. A different caliber. I just think that. Yeah, yeah.
[07:55]
C
When you introduced like, you introduced like the arrow to a foreign, you know, like, island that hasn't seen. They only have spears. They're like, oh my God.
[08:02]
B
Yeah. This is incredible.
[08:03]
C
Something could be this good.
[08:05]
B
Yeah. Yeah. This was a little bit too thin for me, if that makes sense. Like, I don't know.
[08:10]
C
Have you had that problem before? Too thin.
[08:13]
B
I've actually had the other problem of pizza being too thick. Like, that's kind of why I'm not like a. I'm not the biggest Detroit style pizza fan. I like Detroit style pizza, but it's. It's just, it's a little bit too pan puffy for me. I would say that. Like, I mean, I would. I would name about four different places here in Omaha that cleared Yaya's. I think Paisan's being number one. I think Paisan's is still my number one pizza here in Omaha. For me, personally.
[08:38]
C
There you go. Yeah, that was a good. That was a good episode.
[08:40]
B
Probably Dolomides, which is probably where we should record episode three.
[08:46]
C
Yeah, I've been there. I've been there.
[08:47]
B
Oh, Dolmie is great. Oh, meetings is phenomenal. I'm trying to think of when you go no at end zone, they also do the. Like, the char buff wings. Like, they also do the grilled wings. And if you get, like, the. If you get sweltering, that was my go to flavor. So if you ever eat an end zone, go and eat there. That's a. That's a good little grilling. I haven't had Oscars car buff wings, though, unfortunately, so I have to. I have to try that out. Skip says virtuoso. That's one of your favorite places, right? Or is it La Casa? Which one are you?
[09:19]
C
I'm. I'm virtuoso.
[09:20]
B
Yeah.
[09:21]
C
One of one. And it's a drive for me to get down to Benson, to be able to go there. They're usually out of supply, but when I can make the trip, it's, like, well worth it. I mean, that's like my North Star. I will try my hardest on my dying breath to crawl up to Benson and make sure that I'm going down all of those freaky one ways and everything else that goes on down there just to make sure that I can get some virtuoso at least, like, once a quarter. You know, I do what I can to help support local business.
[09:45]
B
Sure. Yeah. I have to get there. I pass. I don't go to Benson as much as I should, honestly. But every time I pass through Benson, I'm like, wow, this is a very lively place. They got a lot of very interesting restaurants and bars got in there. All right, let's talk Husker football. You want to go?
[10:00]
C
Want to do that? Yeah, I'm ready.
[10:03]
B
I view this training camp, this fall camp, as Matt rules most important of his career. I think that you're a Carolina Panther fan and think that maybe the fall camp heading into his final season could be up there. But I think this one is of particular importance because I look across this Nebraska football roster, and I don't know how many guys are on this roster where I go, you know, what? If they play the same as they did last year, this year, if they play at the same level, they're like, they're gonna be fine, right? I don't find too many of those players. There's a lot of players across the board that need to improve and need to get better. Now, I think it's a different conversation of how many players need to get better and will they get better? I think those are two different conversations. But when you look across this roster, right, do you. Do you kind of share that same sentiment in terms of there's a lot of player development to be done and are you encouraged by anything that you've heard, you've seen, or maybe things you saw last season to think that a lot of players will take that jump that they need to take?
[11:10]
C
I like the attitude and the mentality that we had heard, especially Jameer Khan, you know, just that very first day, he was one of the first, like, out of the main media room breakout session guys, from what it looks like, just from, you know, videos and all the different media conferences that were posted. I really liked what he had said just about that last month of the season. Just, you know, it's almost like the Dylan quote, right? Like, it feels like you could take it so blatantly out of context. You're like, whoa, they didn't have a plan. And then he kind of reiterated. He was like, I'm not saying the coaches didn't have a plan. I'm saying we kind of checked out. Like, he did not have that mentality, the right effort and everything to keep going forward. The point that you're, I think, asking is a little bit more on, like, the personal player side, right? That who is getting better and how are they getting better, and what jumps and leaps do they need to make to improve their personal games? I see it more as almost a position wide that I have to frankly, just assume. But also I feel confident in the fact that the people that they brought in outside of the transfer names, just strictly on the coaching staff, I think will be a big difference maker. And I've always come back to this point as well, that I think Matt Rule always likes to have his assistant coaches be the ones who take the least amount of credit, but the most amount of the brunt of the disappointment when something comes up. And I think that that was a big issue last year because it was something that I think was said in either the press conference after John Butler was dismissed or a Sports nightly that followed that with Matt Rule, where He said, you know, I don't like having coaches that, you know, blame the players and say the players aren't good enough. I like to have coaches that try to solve the problem and never point the player in the wrong direction. For that perspective. I think that maybe too many times last year, and again, this is just me speaking without having been in a film room having, you know, broken down tape and all that other stuff. There may have been a lot of opportunities that the coaching staff and especially the assistant coaching staff on the defensive side put players in the wrong positions too many times. And maybe it wasn't a skill issue, maybe it was just a coaching issue, maybe it was a lack of confidence, maybe a scheme that was too complicated. Any of those, I think could be kind of the difference maker and a differing factor into how you perceive how a player performed from last year. And I'll say this, and you know this too, when you're confident about something and you can speak about it in radio, in the classroom, in football, you can go 100 miles an hour on something that you feel 100% confident in. But if you have any hesitancy, you don't know where you're going, you don't know what your assignment is, you feel a little bit lack of control in the situation, you're naturally going to take a step backwards. It's hard to go 100 miles an hour when you're hesitant that you don't know where the curve of the road is coming to. I think Nebraska will feel a lot more confident maybe because of simplicity of scheme, but probably more because they understand what their assignment and what their role and responsibility is. And for that I think just a long winded answer your question. That's why I feel confident that everything you said, maybe, maybe not to, in my opinion the most important training camp in that rules career, but I think one that you could see the biggest leaps and bounds, especially on the defensive side because a lot of those guys I feel like already are exuding a little bit more. We know what's going to happen and now we can play with our hair on fire.
[14:16]
B
I think two mortal sins were committed on the defensive staff last year. The one that you mentioned, and this is something that Matt Coach Rule said all the time. When I went to those press conferences, he said, don't tell me what the players can't do. Always. That's his go to line. Don't tell me what the players can't do. He always said it every time he said it. He was very passionate about it. He really, really wanted you to know that's what he believed. And when John Butler gets up there and says we need to get better players, you know, for the D line, I think that that was mortal sin number one, and I think mortal sin number two, and I don't know if it's exclusive to Matt Rule, I think it's just a mortal sin. And coaching overlook opponents. Don't tell your guys, like, oh, you know, we, we got nothing to worry about, you know, and he said it himself when it came to the Minnesota game that there were assistant coaches who like, why are we wearing so much about Minnesota? You know, and, and he had to put them in their place and be like, what are you doing? What are you doing? You know, and I think those, those sins, you know, they were committed by guys that aren't there, you know, and, and they've replaced those, those guys with, I think, dudes that they're confident in that they have a lot of continuity with, but also with just the confidence of teaching and the confidence of developing players. And I think that is a, a pretty big difference between last season and this season. To your points. Like, I, I, I find myself like you, where I just, I have more confidence in the headsets this season that I did last season.
[15:55]
C
Yeah, I'm right there with you. And I mean, you've already heard it a little bit, too. I thought it was pretty telling. And of course, I'm sticking mostly on the defensive side, but I thought it's pretty telling that a lot of the defensive players have already said, you know, our install is kind of done. Like, we're pretty much set in what we're going to be running, what we need to be learning about this new scheme and this new system. And if you remember that first year under Tony White, those first few weeks, a lot of times I remember Tony White went up there and he was like, we still have a ways to go. We still have some things to learn. And that defense played pretty well. So obviously he was a complex system. But it'll be interesting to see because something tells me that Rob or defense is not as simple as it's coming across, but maybe the simplicity per position or just per role or whatever your fit is in this scheme makes it simpler, and then it appears to be a lot more difficult for an offense when they're going against it. And you know, if you want to speak it just in layman's terms, maybe the best defense is one where every individual knows exactly what they're doing and the offense doesn't. Understand what each defensive player is doing.
[16:56]
B
Well, I mean, there were times where it's like they weren't set, you know, like. Yes, they weren't set. Yeah, get set. You know, there. There were moments where it's like there was a lack of communication and it seemed like the backside of the defense was doing something completely uncomplimentary to the front side of the defense. Defense, you know, and. And we talked about this with Jay Moore, where you either spill or you contain. And then the linebackers in the secondary, they. They do what the complimentary pieces to what the D line is doing. And especially in that Penn State game, they were doing opposites. So really just. I mean, sometimes it just boiled down to last season, like, guys get in your spots and know what you're doing. And, and I do think, though, there's a massive advantage to new eyes. I think that they've had the same system for the last couple of years. I think there's a big advantage in terms of bringing in Orich, bringing in his guys, having a new set of eyes, and maybe finding things that maybe Nebraska's previous staff overlooked because they were so used to, you know, what. What players they had, if that makes sense.
[18:01]
C
Yeah, no, I hear you. And I think one. Michael Zapier had tweeted this out earlier this week as well, that maybe some of that transitional defense and everything that comes into it is a part. Because Rob Borch brings people in that have worked under his system that know what he already wants, what he wants to get done, and especially at some of those positions where you have guys that play with their hair on fire, and Vincent Shavers and Owen Chambliss is there now to be able to kind of help you out in the defensive backfield. No one was questioning that the defensive backs were talented, but were they always in the right fits? Were they in the right schemes? How many times did they feel like they were out of position for late breaking tackles that got away from them, that sort of stuff? Well, you bring in Dwayne McDougal and you've got guys like that who are able to make those positions, you know, make you maybe understand a little bit more about what the responsibility or what the concept of this, what where you fit into the role. I think it helps at all levels and especially the defensive line. I mean, you're going to see, I think, the biggest leap from a year to this year in the defensive line especially. And listen, I'm going to. I'm going to keep pounding the table for Williams win area until maybe he leaves Nebraska. But in terms of guys that when you, I said this from the beginning, that I think in terms of anyone that walks off the bus and you just line up all of Nebraska and you say, okay, it's this guy's name, this is his position, this, all this sort of stuff. If you look at Williams Winery, I think a lot of teams across college football would be like, I might take a chance on that guy if he's my defensive lineman. So I think if, if he gets everything going, if he has that right mentality, if he understands his fit, who knows what his ceiling could be at Nebraska. But that's probably more for him to decide at this point because all things considered, I think that everyone else on that defensive group is going to get better. So we'll see kind of where everyone's role ends up and who ends up becoming the linchpin of that group.
[19:40]
B
You watch tape, what do you think he needs to get better at? Is it the bend? Is it the get off? What is it?
[19:45]
C
I think, you know, I don't, I don't watch too much of it necessarily and I haven't specifically watched, of course, Williams, but I thought the most telling one that you can tell I personally, is that the Michigan State game, he was just physically dominant and it felt like a coming out game for him especially. But I don't think that he can take over every single game with just pure physical brute strength or with, you know, I'm better than you, I'm going to get by you, I'm going to get in your head all game and it's over. I think that there were plenty of times where he maybe either was hesitant, didn't have secondary moves, or maybe just didn't understand where his fit was and became more of a rotational piece and then just got, not necessarily moved or washed out of the way. But I think that there were just too many times when he relied on, hey, I'm just going to be better than this guy. And wasn't going to, that just wasn't going to cut it in the Big Ten, especially with the teams that they played last year.
[20:36]
B
Yeah, it'll be, it'll be very interesting to see what, what the D line looks like because I mean this, this kind of defense in General gives me 2023 vibes. Austin gives me 2023 vibes. Where I agree, new DC, new system, his system, his guys help implementing that system, new eyes on the product. And then there's another layer with. When we went into 2023, it was is, is Ty finally going to break out? Is Nash finally going to break out? These guys. Like, we went into 2023 thinking the D line was going to be a weakness because we saw guys who, who had experience, who didn't play as bel as well as we thought they would when they got into the field and then they exploded. I. I wonder. I just, I'm curious if maybe that that repeats again, that this same process and, and maybe is it unfair to ask is maybe that's Matt Rules thinking? Maybe, hopefully thinking, hey, if I, you know, this is what we did in 23, where we brought in a new DC and they were able to unlock something in the D line, you know, with guys who had experience. Do you think that might be a part of the thought process here with Orich coming in and the D line needing to get better?
[21:46]
C
Well, I mean, then it would be the same process and thought process in 2025 too, because. Sure, same thing.
[21:51]
B
Yeah.
[21:51]
C
Not a new defensive name necessarily, but a different defensive scheme and also a new defensive line coach. So maybe that's just the, you know, that. That is, if nothing else, you can just say straight up that that is probably where he sees I can have the most success, not only just with this year's roster, the teams in pass, but at Nebraska is if my team relies on its defense and relies on its defensive line for us to win games and control games. And truthfully, this is something I talk with Ravi all the time about. Listen, if you decide that you want your program to be one in the trenches, more often than not, you're going to be a winning program. And obviously you have to develop. You have to get those players right. You have. They have to play well, that sort of stuff. But teams, programs at any level, high school, middle school, NFL, Arena League, all that, if you decide that, hey, we're going to be built around excellent athletes and excellent, you know, bulldozers and, you know, stop gates on the pass in the, you know, passing front on the offensive line and pass rushes on the defensive line, all that sort of stuff, you're usually set to win a couple of games just because you're going to be better in the trenches than another team is. And I think that's why Matt Rule looks around the Big Ten and he says, this is why Minnesota's beating us. This is why Iowa has beaten us. This is why other Big Ten teams have beaten us. So maybe it's time for us to take this as seriously as they do. Not saying he hasn't before, but I think it is one of those things that this has been. That's why he makes the changes. And I still applaud him for that. That a lot of people could have said, hey, you know what, the defensive line will get better under year two of Terry Braden and, you know, John Butler. There were a lot of things that went well for the defense, but it wasn't up to his standard. So he made dramatic changes. And I think a lot of people are excited about those changes because of the reasons why we just kind of laid out from the previous year.
[23:29]
B
I just, I, I think that this team is closer to what he thought he would build when he first got here to Nebraska. I think this team is, it's closer to the original model that he wanted to build and I, and we'll see how it works. But there's, there's a comfort in that for me. Because of that, I think this team can do some of the things he originally wanted to do that he originally set out to do. In terms of what they're going to look like on a set Saturday, I think that looks closer to what he wanted when he first got here compared to what they've looked like the last two years. And that's part of the reason of, of who they had behind center, you know, taking snaps. So we will see, we'll talk about, we'll have all these types of conversations until they actually snap the football against Ohio in a couple of weeks. A.J. have fun at PBA championship, my man. Have a good time and we'll talk to you soon. All right.
[24:18]
C
The PBC championship. But yes, we'll have fun there too.
[24:21]
B
I appreciate you.
[24:23]
C
Yep, no problem. We'll see you later. See. Yeah.
[24:25]
B
Austin Jacobson. I've heard that sports, I get 23 vibes and I, and I get the vibe where he came in. He said, I wanted to run 75 yards of the fourth quarter and we want to be a physical football team and we want to be dynamic from the line of scrimmage and you know, when he first got here and he didn't have the five star legacy commit, you know, fall, you know, fall to him. When he first got here, he got a running quarterback, he got a dynamic quarterback, he got a dual threat quarterback. He wanted that type of play. He got it now in Anthony Calandria, when he got here, he brought in a DC who had his system or who had that DC system and he wanted that DC to implement his own system. He's now got it with, with Rob Orch. I think there are some very interesting similarities between the things he said he wanted to do in year one and the things he's doing now and, and he got, you know, they got a little bit away from it in 24 and 25 because they had to. They didn't have a running quarterback. Right. But now I, now I think they're closer to that model and I think his original model is one that could win in the Big ten. We'll see if it happens.
[25:31]
C
All right.
[25:32]
B
Balls. Coming up next year are my days with Matt.
[25:34]
A
When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: Middays With Matt

Episode: Austin Jacobsen - Hurrdat Sports (Fri 8/7 - Seg 9)

Date: August 7, 2026
Host: Matt McMaster
Guest: Austin Jacobsen (Hurrdat Sports, Carolina Panthers fan)
Network: 1620 The Zone

Overview

In this lively episode, Matt McMaster welcomes recurring guest Austin Jacobsen to dive into football talk with a blend of banter, college football insight, and local food recommendations. The first half is peppered with humor and friendly ribbing about preseason NFL takes and personal preferences, while the conversation pivots in the second half to a detailed breakdown of Nebraska football’s fall camp, player development, and the evolving mindset/coaching within the Huskers’ program.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Banter: Hall of Fame Game & Haynes King Hype

Matt and Austin's Dynamic:
- Austin mocks Matt over a lost bet (00:32), teasing him for doubting Carolina Panthers QB Haynes King in the Hall of Fame Game.
- Austin dramatically declares:
  - “There is only one king left and it is Haynes King for the Carolina Panthers.” (Austin, 01:24)
- Matt accuses Austin of turning every appearance into a political campaign, poking fun at his "statements."
- The two devolve into playful jabs about Matt’s Chicago-area upbringing and loyalty to local teams.

2. Football versus Food: Culinary Tangent

Pinnacle Bank Championship:
- Austin reports live from the golf event, sharing that many attendees are more interested in golf than the previous night’s football (04:05).
- Discussion of local food options at the event:
  - Notable shout outs to Hobbies Cantina, Pinnacle Bank Championship’s food pavilion, and Oscar’s pizza and wings (“Oscar’s wings are some of my favorite in the entire city” — Austin, 06:17).
  - Further banter on pizza joints: Yaya’s in Lincoln, Omaha favorites like Paisan’s and Virtuoso (07:10–09:20).
- Humorous, memorable moment where both check their underwear brand—comically aligning with the "Haynes King" surname theme (04:42–05:15).

3. Huskers Football: Training Camp & Coaching Changes

Fall Camp Importance:
- Matt frames Nebraska’s 2026 fall camp as the most crucial of Matt Rhule’s career, emphasizing the need for development:
  - “I look across this Nebraska football roster, and I don't know how many guys… are gonna be fine [if they play the same as last year].” (Matt, 10:03)
- Emphasis on improvement: Both agree that significant leaps are necessary this year, especially on defense.
Coaching Attitude & Development:
- Austin notes improvement in player mentality and confidence, particularly referencing comments from Jameer Khan:
  - “It’s almost like the Dylan quote... we kind of checked out.” (Austin, 11:09)
- Austin believes this year’s simpler defensive scheme and clarity in roles will give players confidence:
  - “...when you’re confident... you can go 100 miles an hour... but if you have any hesitancy... you’re naturally going to take a step backwards.” (Austin, 13:21)
- Both reflect on last year’s coaching “sins” — Matt recalling assistant coaches blaming players and overlooking opponents:
  - “When John Butler gets up there and says we need to get better players for the D-line, I think that that was mortal sin number one.” (Matt, 14:16)
Defensive Coaching Shakeup:
- Both support the hiring of new DC Rob Orich and position coaches, believing “new eyes” and their familiarity with Orich’s system add value.
- Austin is high on the DB coordinator Dwayne McDougal and expects the defensive line to make the biggest leap this season.
Player Watch:
- Extensive discussion about Williams Nwaneri’s potential as a breakout defensive lineman, referencing his physical dominance and room for growth with technique and consistency (19:11–20:35).
Scheme Discussion:
- Matt draws parallels to the 2023 season, noting the positive impact a new defensive coordinator can bring.
- Austin underscores Rhule’s commitment to building a strong program in the trenches:
  - “Teams at any level... if you decide... we’re going to be built around excellent athletes and... pass rushers… you're usually set to win a couple of games.” (Austin, 21:51)
Rhule’s Vision and the 2026 Model:
- Matt closes by expressing optimism that this Nebraska team is finally closing in on Rhule's original blueprint:
  - “This team is closer to what he thought he would build... There’s a comfort in that for me.” (Matt, 23:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Haynes King Mania:
- “Our God, our goat, our king, our God.” (Austin, 01:51)
Porta Potty Antics:
- “I get naked at the Pinnacle Bank Championship right now.” (Austin, 05:06)
Coaching and Improvement:
- “Don’t tell me what the players can’t do.” (Recurring, Matt quoting Coach Rule, 14:16)
Defensive Leaps:
- “...the biggest leap from a year to this year [will be] in the defensive line especially.” (Austin, 18:01)
Rhule’s Philosophy:
- “If you decide that you want your program to be one in the trenches, more often than not, you’re going to be a winning program.” (Austin, 21:51)
The ‘Original Model’:
- “This team is closer to the original model that he [Rhule] wanted to build... That’s part of the reason... who they had behind center…” (Matt, 23:29)

Timestamps of Key Segments

Open, Banter, Haynes King Hype: 00:32–03:40
Food & Underwear Tangent (Porta Potty Moment): 04:05–05:55
Local Food & Pizza Discussion: 06:07–09:20
Pivot to Nebraska Football (Fall Camp Importance): 10:03
Player Development and Attitude: 11:09–13:21
Coaching Sins & Defensive Changes: 14:16–16:55
New Coaching Staff and Defensive Philosophy: 17:55–21:51
Breakout Players and D-Line Focus: 19:39–21:46
Matt Rhule’s Program Vision & Closing: 23:29–25:31

Takeaways for Listeners

Nebraska Football Outlook: The Huskers’ 2026 pre-season camp is pivotal, with an overhauled staff, heightened development emphasis, and renewed focus on building a program "in the trenches."
Local Personality: The episode blends sharp-witted midwestern sports talk, food nostalgia, and authentic fan perspective.
Entertaining Moments: From “Haynes King” wordplay to food and underwear debates live from a Porta Potty, the episode balances irreverence with informed football dialogue.
Optimism Ahead: Both Matt and Austin are cautiously optimistic that Nebraska football is finally getting closer to Matt Rhule’s intended identity and level of competitiveness.

For anyone who missed the broadcast, this summary captures both the flavor and substance of a sports talk radio segment that is equal parts comedy, community, and meaningful football conversation.

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Transcript91 lines

[00:01]
A
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[00:32]
B
He's from the third largest village in the world, Skokie, Illinois, Middays with Matt on 1620 the Zone. You know, you know, friends are, friends are valuable in life. You know, what's life without friends? So what's, what's, what's life without people that you enjoy the company of? And we bring in somebody who I thought was my friend. I thought I would often enjoy the company of them. But I found out what his true colors were yesterday when he relentlessly made fun of me over my under bet that actually ended up getting doubled during the hall of Fame game yesterday. We bring in Austin Jacobson, notable Carolina points for that, by the way. No, they don't. They don't. Notable Carolina Panthers fan Austin Jacobson, who wanted to rub in me doubting his quarterback, joins us here on MIDDAYS with Matt. That A.J. go ahead.
[01:24]
C
Well, I've been told that there was, you know, a lot of rallies, a lot of things going on in this country. And I thought it was very important that I come out here and I make a political stance that there is only one king left and it is Haynes King for the Carolina Panthers.
[01:39]
B
What's it with you? And like, you make political statements and you like, you're like running for Congress half the time when you're on the show. You know, last time you tried pitting me again against teachers unions. I don't know why you felt like you needed to do that.
[01:52]
C
Yeah, that's, it's very interesting that you're trying to pit this against me when clearly you hate public school. You only support private because you're from the third largest village in the Chicago area. What was it, Skokie? Whatever it is, it's nowhere close to, you know, the grand mecca of Texas high school football where Haynes King was bred and born and rebirthed to become one of the nation's greatest quarterback. Haynes King, our God, our goat, our king, our God.
[02:20]
B
You're calling him a God after he won the hall of Fame game?
[02:24]
C
Did you see he walked off the hall of Fame game? He didn't even Say, let's go for the tie, coach, he said, I want. No, you didn't. You know why? Because when I called you last night and you hung up on me, you asked what the final score was because you were playing tetherball or something like that with your friends.
[02:36]
B
I wasn't playing tetherball. I was playing nascar. Yeah, I watched my Carson first off. I watched Carson back. I actually was going to watch the players who might actually start for NFL teams one day. That's what I was there to watch. All right? I wasn't there to watch guys who highlights of their career is going to be the hall of Fame game. I was there to watch people who might make an impact in the league one day in a regular season capacity. And that's why I watched all of Carson Beck's passes. And then he got taken out of the game. And I go, my job here is done.
[03:02]
C
Interesting. So you'd rather hang out with sloth boy Carson Beck than Haynes King, the winner of the first game of the 2026 NFL season? Sounds like a loser mentality. You just go take your Cardinals out of here and just go sit somewhere else, huh?
[03:14]
B
Oh, you're calling them my Cardinals? No, no, no. I don't. I don't want that team to be associated with my name. I'm just.
[03:20]
C
Well, they were the Chicago Cardinals first, weren't they? Don't you support your local programs? I thought you were pro Chicago.
[03:25]
B
There's nothing loyal about Scottsdale, Arizona to me. I appreciate. I appreciate you, though.
[03:29]
C
Trying to make you also know they're not in Scottsdale. They're in Glendale, but that's very close.
[03:32]
B
You know what? Glendale, Scottsdale, you know, Glenn Powell, Norman Powell, who cares? It's all the same. It's. It's all a dry heat.
[03:41]
C
No wonder you're a private school guy, that all these public schools just look the same deal. Interesting.
[03:45]
B
I never said anything about public school. First off, my mother is a Chicago public school teacher for 33 years, so I've been an ardent supporter of public schools.
[03:54]
C
That's crazy.
[03:56]
B
Well, no. I mean, Nebraska was a public school. Nothing private about Nebraska. How are you? How's Pinnacle playing championship.
[04:05]
C
Pinnacle bank championship is great. I'm out here spreading the good word of Haynes King to many people and asking them if they watched the game last night. Many people have said no, which is totally fine because they're golf heads. They're not football people out here. The football heads were at home, and they came to work late because they stayed up to watch Haynes King last night. The golf is fine.
[04:24]
B
It's okay.
[04:25]
A
There's no.
[04:25]
B
It's no comparison to Haynes, though.
[04:27]
C
No, I mean, Haynes King, the number one underwear brand coming to America, but. Yeah.
[04:33]
B
Have you put wise on all your Hanes underwear?
[04:36]
C
No, I don't have any Hanes.
[04:38]
B
Oh, Fruit of the Loop, You Fruited Loom guy. Reebok.
[04:41]
C
I don't know. Can I check right now?
[04:42]
B
Yeah, go ahead and check. I'll check. I don't even know what mine is.
[04:45]
C
Everybody check.
[04:46]
B
Everybody take about 10 seconds and check.
[04:48]
C
Yeah, the tag is in the back. Hold on. This Porta Potty, quick. And I'm gonna look for you.
[04:53]
B
Yeah, I'm Hanes, actually. Boxer boxers. I'm a Haynes man.
[04:58]
C
Yeah, I used to be the difference in the audio with me and the pork, actually. Yes, that's very funny.
[05:04]
B
I can hear the echo next to me.
[05:06]
C
Yeah, that's very. That's actually very funny. I get naked at the Pinnacle Being Championship right now.
[05:11]
B
Yeah, that's what I mean. I want to know what, like, what brand is.
[05:14]
C
Oh, I am wearing a Haynes King. Who would have thought?
[05:16]
B
I'm wearing Hanes Kings as well. Are you briefs or boxer briefs or boxers?
[05:21]
C
Well, you know, I'm getting up there in age, Matt, and eventually I want to have kids, so I just. I gotta go with, you know, the boxer shorts. So nothing tied up in here.
[05:28]
B
Oh, yeah, I'm.
[05:29]
C
Little Jays will be running around.
[05:31]
B
Yeah, I guess I might be Boxer shorts, too. I used to be a brief sky, and then as I've gotten older, I just kind of like the looseness of everything, you know?
[05:40]
C
Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Okay, let's just see if anyone. Oh, yep, the porta Potty right next to me was occupied, so that's cool. Embarrassing. Someone heard that whole conversation.
[05:47]
B
Yeah, that's totally okay. I mean, I mean, I really hope somebody took a video of you doing a radio interview entering a Porta Potty.
[05:55]
C
Well, luckily, there's nowhere in the world that this will get posted or podcasted to do, so I'm sure I'm safe.
[06:00]
B
I think you're totally okay. Have you eaten anything nice at the Pinnacle Bank Championship? What has your breakfast, lunch, and dinner look like?
[06:07]
C
Great question. So, hobbies. Cantina has been great. It's open to the entire public. If you want to walk down, just get grounds tickets and do that. Our herd at Sports Pavilion has had some excellent Euros yesterday for lunch. That was delish. Love that. And then, of course, you know, Pinnacle Pain Championship also has some name brand sponsors Like Oscar's pizza and Wings and you know, I love the pizza. I wish that they would have some wings out here. Oscars wings are some of my favorite in the entire city. So one of these days they will bring wings down for me and I will be a very, very happy boy.
[06:35]
B
Char buff.
[06:37]
C
Oh, duh. I mean, you double char buff those things. Yeah, whatever you can do.
[06:41]
B
Have you ever been to End Zone in Lincoln? Have you been to that place?
[06:44]
C
You know, I have not eaten as much in Lincoln as I need to, but no, so I have not. I need to get my palate a little bit further down in the capital city.
[06:54]
B
I mean, it'll only take you like six trips to really do it in the Haymarket, you know, like. Yeah, you don't need to be there down there too much to hit all the good spots. At least in the downtown area. I don't really know the surrounding areas of Lincoln too well. Am I.
[07:08]
C
What are you Yaya's pizza guy?
[07:10]
B
Yes. But I loved Yaya's when I was in college, but I've admittedly had way better pizza here in Omaha. But Yaya's was the place I ate at for pizza in Lincoln. Yes.
[07:21]
C
Yeah, no, I, I not, I'm not disparaging anything I did like Yaya's, but my fiance's family being from south of Lincoln and the smaller community there, they. It's like namesake. Like they will bring it back down from work and it was like a family meal. Like it was a big deal when Yaya's came in. But then this is also the same family that like celebrated at the door and waited on, you know, waited on bated breath when Valentino's arrived as well. So I don't really know.
[07:47]
B
That is. Yeah. I'm sorry. I laugh so hard at that just because it's just like, you know, I've. I've come from a. A different caliber. I just think that. Yeah, yeah.
[07:55]
C
When you introduced like, you introduced like the arrow to a foreign, you know, like, island that hasn't seen. They only have spears. They're like, oh my God.
[08:02]
B
Yeah. This is incredible.
[08:03]
C
Something could be this good.
[08:05]
B
Yeah. Yeah. This was a little bit too thin for me, if that makes sense. Like, I don't know.
[08:10]
C
Have you had that problem before? Too thin.
[08:13]
B
I've actually had the other problem of pizza being too thick. Like, that's kind of why I'm not like a. I'm not the biggest Detroit style pizza fan. I like Detroit style pizza, but it's. It's just, it's a little bit too pan puffy for me. I would say that. Like, I mean, I would. I would name about four different places here in Omaha that cleared Yaya's. I think Paisan's being number one. I think Paisan's is still my number one pizza here in Omaha. For me, personally.
[08:38]
C
There you go. Yeah, that was a good. That was a good episode.
[08:40]
B
Probably Dolomides, which is probably where we should record episode three.
[08:46]
C
Yeah, I've been there. I've been there.
[08:47]
B
Oh, Dolmie is great. Oh, meetings is phenomenal. I'm trying to think of when you go no at end zone, they also do the. Like, the char buff wings. Like, they also do the grilled wings. And if you get, like, the. If you get sweltering, that was my go to flavor. So if you ever eat an end zone, go and eat there. That's a. That's a good little grilling. I haven't had Oscars car buff wings, though, unfortunately, so I have to. I have to try that out. Skip says virtuoso. That's one of your favorite places, right? Or is it La Casa? Which one are you?
[09:19]
C
I'm. I'm virtuoso.
[09:20]
B
Yeah.
[09:21]
C
One of one. And it's a drive for me to get down to Benson, to be able to go there. They're usually out of supply, but when I can make the trip, it's, like, well worth it. I mean, that's like my North Star. I will try my hardest on my dying breath to crawl up to Benson and make sure that I'm going down all of those freaky one ways and everything else that goes on down there just to make sure that I can get some virtuoso at least, like, once a quarter. You know, I do what I can to help support local business.
[09:45]
B
Sure. Yeah. I have to get there. I pass. I don't go to Benson as much as I should, honestly. But every time I pass through Benson, I'm like, wow, this is a very lively place. They got a lot of very interesting restaurants and bars got in there. All right, let's talk Husker football. You want to go?
[10:00]
C
Want to do that? Yeah, I'm ready.
[10:03]
B
I view this training camp, this fall camp, as Matt rules most important of his career. I think that you're a Carolina Panther fan and think that maybe the fall camp heading into his final season could be up there. But I think this one is of particular importance because I look across this Nebraska football roster, and I don't know how many guys are on this roster where I go, you know, what? If they play the same as they did last year, this year, if they play at the same level, they're like, they're gonna be fine, right? I don't find too many of those players. There's a lot of players across the board that need to improve and need to get better. Now, I think it's a different conversation of how many players need to get better and will they get better? I think those are two different conversations. But when you look across this roster, right, do you. Do you kind of share that same sentiment in terms of there's a lot of player development to be done and are you encouraged by anything that you've heard, you've seen, or maybe things you saw last season to think that a lot of players will take that jump that they need to take?
[11:10]
C
I like the attitude and the mentality that we had heard, especially Jameer Khan, you know, just that very first day, he was one of the first, like, out of the main media room breakout session guys, from what it looks like, just from, you know, videos and all the different media conferences that were posted. I really liked what he had said just about that last month of the season. Just, you know, it's almost like the Dylan quote, right? Like, it feels like you could take it so blatantly out of context. You're like, whoa, they didn't have a plan. And then he kind of reiterated. He was like, I'm not saying the coaches didn't have a plan. I'm saying we kind of checked out. Like, he did not have that mentality, the right effort and everything to keep going forward. The point that you're, I think, asking is a little bit more on, like, the personal player side, right? That who is getting better and how are they getting better, and what jumps and leaps do they need to make to improve their personal games? I see it more as almost a position wide that I have to frankly, just assume. But also I feel confident in the fact that the people that they brought in outside of the transfer names, just strictly on the coaching staff, I think will be a big difference maker. And I've always come back to this point as well, that I think Matt Rule always likes to have his assistant coaches be the ones who take the least amount of credit, but the most amount of the brunt of the disappointment when something comes up. And I think that that was a big issue last year because it was something that I think was said in either the press conference after John Butler was dismissed or a Sports nightly that followed that with Matt Rule, where He said, you know, I don't like having coaches that, you know, blame the players and say the players aren't good enough. I like to have coaches that try to solve the problem and never point the player in the wrong direction. For that perspective. I think that maybe too many times last year, and again, this is just me speaking without having been in a film room having, you know, broken down tape and all that other stuff. There may have been a lot of opportunities that the coaching staff and especially the assistant coaching staff on the defensive side put players in the wrong positions too many times. And maybe it wasn't a skill issue, maybe it was just a coaching issue, maybe it was a lack of confidence, maybe a scheme that was too complicated. Any of those, I think could be kind of the difference maker and a differing factor into how you perceive how a player performed from last year. And I'll say this, and you know this too, when you're confident about something and you can speak about it in radio, in the classroom, in football, you can go 100 miles an hour on something that you feel 100% confident in. But if you have any hesitancy, you don't know where you're going, you don't know what your assignment is, you feel a little bit lack of control in the situation, you're naturally going to take a step backwards. It's hard to go 100 miles an hour when you're hesitant that you don't know where the curve of the road is coming to. I think Nebraska will feel a lot more confident maybe because of simplicity of scheme, but probably more because they understand what their assignment and what their role and responsibility is. And for that I think just a long winded answer your question. That's why I feel confident that everything you said, maybe, maybe not to, in my opinion the most important training camp in that rules career, but I think one that you could see the biggest leaps and bounds, especially on the defensive side because a lot of those guys I feel like already are exuding a little bit more. We know what's going to happen and now we can play with our hair on fire.
[14:16]
B
I think two mortal sins were committed on the defensive staff last year. The one that you mentioned, and this is something that Matt Coach Rule said all the time. When I went to those press conferences, he said, don't tell me what the players can't do. Always. That's his go to line. Don't tell me what the players can't do. He always said it every time he said it. He was very passionate about it. He really, really wanted you to know that's what he believed. And when John Butler gets up there and says we need to get better players, you know, for the D line, I think that that was mortal sin number one, and I think mortal sin number two, and I don't know if it's exclusive to Matt Rule, I think it's just a mortal sin. And coaching overlook opponents. Don't tell your guys, like, oh, you know, we, we got nothing to worry about, you know, and he said it himself when it came to the Minnesota game that there were assistant coaches who like, why are we wearing so much about Minnesota? You know, and, and he had to put them in their place and be like, what are you doing? What are you doing? You know, and I think those, those sins, you know, they were committed by guys that aren't there, you know, and, and they've replaced those, those guys with, I think, dudes that they're confident in that they have a lot of continuity with, but also with just the confidence of teaching and the confidence of developing players. And I think that is a, a pretty big difference between last season and this season. To your points. Like, I, I, I find myself like you, where I just, I have more confidence in the headsets this season that I did last season.
[15:55]
C
Yeah, I'm right there with you. And I mean, you've already heard it a little bit, too. I thought it was pretty telling. And of course, I'm sticking mostly on the defensive side, but I thought it's pretty telling that a lot of the defensive players have already said, you know, our install is kind of done. Like, we're pretty much set in what we're going to be running, what we need to be learning about this new scheme and this new system. And if you remember that first year under Tony White, those first few weeks, a lot of times I remember Tony White went up there and he was like, we still have a ways to go. We still have some things to learn. And that defense played pretty well. So obviously he was a complex system. But it'll be interesting to see because something tells me that Rob or defense is not as simple as it's coming across, but maybe the simplicity per position or just per role or whatever your fit is in this scheme makes it simpler, and then it appears to be a lot more difficult for an offense when they're going against it. And you know, if you want to speak it just in layman's terms, maybe the best defense is one where every individual knows exactly what they're doing and the offense doesn't. Understand what each defensive player is doing.
[16:56]
B
Well, I mean, there were times where it's like they weren't set, you know, like. Yes, they weren't set. Yeah, get set. You know, there. There were moments where it's like there was a lack of communication and it seemed like the backside of the defense was doing something completely uncomplimentary to the front side of the defense. Defense, you know, and. And we talked about this with Jay Moore, where you either spill or you contain. And then the linebackers in the secondary, they. They do what the complimentary pieces to what the D line is doing. And especially in that Penn State game, they were doing opposites. So really just. I mean, sometimes it just boiled down to last season, like, guys get in your spots and know what you're doing. And, and I do think, though, there's a massive advantage to new eyes. I think that they've had the same system for the last couple of years. I think there's a big advantage in terms of bringing in Orich, bringing in his guys, having a new set of eyes, and maybe finding things that maybe Nebraska's previous staff overlooked because they were so used to, you know, what. What players they had, if that makes sense.
[18:01]
C
Yeah, no, I hear you. And I think one. Michael Zapier had tweeted this out earlier this week as well, that maybe some of that transitional defense and everything that comes into it is a part. Because Rob Borch brings people in that have worked under his system that know what he already wants, what he wants to get done, and especially at some of those positions where you have guys that play with their hair on fire, and Vincent Shavers and Owen Chambliss is there now to be able to kind of help you out in the defensive backfield. No one was questioning that the defensive backs were talented, but were they always in the right fits? Were they in the right schemes? How many times did they feel like they were out of position for late breaking tackles that got away from them, that sort of stuff? Well, you bring in Dwayne McDougal and you've got guys like that who are able to make those positions, you know, make you maybe understand a little bit more about what the responsibility or what the concept of this, what where you fit into the role. I think it helps at all levels and especially the defensive line. I mean, you're going to see, I think, the biggest leap from a year to this year in the defensive line especially. And listen, I'm going to. I'm going to keep pounding the table for Williams win area until maybe he leaves Nebraska. But in terms of guys that when you, I said this from the beginning, that I think in terms of anyone that walks off the bus and you just line up all of Nebraska and you say, okay, it's this guy's name, this is his position, this, all this sort of stuff. If you look at Williams Winery, I think a lot of teams across college football would be like, I might take a chance on that guy if he's my defensive lineman. So I think if, if he gets everything going, if he has that right mentality, if he understands his fit, who knows what his ceiling could be at Nebraska. But that's probably more for him to decide at this point because all things considered, I think that everyone else on that defensive group is going to get better. So we'll see kind of where everyone's role ends up and who ends up becoming the linchpin of that group.
[19:40]
B
You watch tape, what do you think he needs to get better at? Is it the bend? Is it the get off? What is it?
[19:45]
C
I think, you know, I don't, I don't watch too much of it necessarily and I haven't specifically watched, of course, Williams, but I thought the most telling one that you can tell I personally, is that the Michigan State game, he was just physically dominant and it felt like a coming out game for him especially. But I don't think that he can take over every single game with just pure physical brute strength or with, you know, I'm better than you, I'm going to get by you, I'm going to get in your head all game and it's over. I think that there were plenty of times where he maybe either was hesitant, didn't have secondary moves, or maybe just didn't understand where his fit was and became more of a rotational piece and then just got, not necessarily moved or washed out of the way. But I think that there were just too many times when he relied on, hey, I'm just going to be better than this guy. And wasn't going to, that just wasn't going to cut it in the Big Ten, especially with the teams that they played last year.
[20:36]
B
Yeah, it'll be, it'll be very interesting to see what, what the D line looks like because I mean this, this kind of defense in General gives me 2023 vibes. Austin gives me 2023 vibes. Where I agree, new DC, new system, his system, his guys help implementing that system, new eyes on the product. And then there's another layer with. When we went into 2023, it was is, is Ty finally going to break out? Is Nash finally going to break out? These guys. Like, we went into 2023 thinking the D line was going to be a weakness because we saw guys who, who had experience, who didn't play as bel as well as we thought they would when they got into the field and then they exploded. I. I wonder. I just, I'm curious if maybe that that repeats again, that this same process and, and maybe is it unfair to ask is maybe that's Matt Rules thinking? Maybe, hopefully thinking, hey, if I, you know, this is what we did in 23, where we brought in a new DC and they were able to unlock something in the D line, you know, with guys who had experience. Do you think that might be a part of the thought process here with Orich coming in and the D line needing to get better?
[21:46]
C
Well, I mean, then it would be the same process and thought process in 2025 too, because. Sure, same thing.
[21:51]
B
Yeah.
[21:51]
C
Not a new defensive name necessarily, but a different defensive scheme and also a new defensive line coach. So maybe that's just the, you know, that. That is, if nothing else, you can just say straight up that that is probably where he sees I can have the most success, not only just with this year's roster, the teams in pass, but at Nebraska is if my team relies on its defense and relies on its defensive line for us to win games and control games. And truthfully, this is something I talk with Ravi all the time about. Listen, if you decide that you want your program to be one in the trenches, more often than not, you're going to be a winning program. And obviously you have to develop. You have to get those players right. You have. They have to play well, that sort of stuff. But teams, programs at any level, high school, middle school, NFL, Arena League, all that, if you decide that, hey, we're going to be built around excellent athletes and excellent, you know, bulldozers and, you know, stop gates on the pass in the, you know, passing front on the offensive line and pass rushes on the defensive line, all that sort of stuff, you're usually set to win a couple of games just because you're going to be better in the trenches than another team is. And I think that's why Matt Rule looks around the Big Ten and he says, this is why Minnesota's beating us. This is why Iowa has beaten us. This is why other Big Ten teams have beaten us. So maybe it's time for us to take this as seriously as they do. Not saying he hasn't before, but I think it is one of those things that this has been. That's why he makes the changes. And I still applaud him for that. That a lot of people could have said, hey, you know what, the defensive line will get better under year two of Terry Braden and, you know, John Butler. There were a lot of things that went well for the defense, but it wasn't up to his standard. So he made dramatic changes. And I think a lot of people are excited about those changes because of the reasons why we just kind of laid out from the previous year.
[23:29]
B
I just, I, I think that this team is closer to what he thought he would build when he first got here to Nebraska. I think this team is, it's closer to the original model that he wanted to build and I, and we'll see how it works. But there's, there's a comfort in that for me. Because of that, I think this team can do some of the things he originally wanted to do that he originally set out to do. In terms of what they're going to look like on a set Saturday, I think that looks closer to what he wanted when he first got here compared to what they've looked like the last two years. And that's part of the reason of, of who they had behind center, you know, taking snaps. So we will see, we'll talk about, we'll have all these types of conversations until they actually snap the football against Ohio in a couple of weeks. A.J. have fun at PBA championship, my man. Have a good time and we'll talk to you soon. All right.
[24:18]
C
The PBC championship. But yes, we'll have fun there too.
[24:21]
B
I appreciate you.
[24:23]
C
Yep, no problem. We'll see you later. See. Yeah.
[24:25]
B
Austin Jacobson. I've heard that sports, I get 23 vibes and I, and I get the vibe where he came in. He said, I wanted to run 75 yards of the fourth quarter and we want to be a physical football team and we want to be dynamic from the line of scrimmage and you know, when he first got here and he didn't have the five star legacy commit, you know, fall, you know, fall to him. When he first got here, he got a running quarterback, he got a dynamic quarterback, he got a dual threat quarterback. He wanted that type of play. He got it now in Anthony Calandria, when he got here, he brought in a DC who had his system or who had that DC system and he wanted that DC to implement his own system. He's now got it with, with Rob Orch. I think there are some very interesting similarities between the things he said he wanted to do in year one and the things he's doing now and, and he got, you know, they got a little bit away from it in 24 and 25 because they had to. They didn't have a running quarterback. Right. But now I, now I think they're closer to that model and I think his original model is one that could win in the Big ten. We'll see if it happens.
[25:31]
C
All right.
[25:32]
B
Balls. Coming up next year are my days with Matt.
[25:34]
A
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