Leistikow: Taking stock of big program overhauls at Wisconsin, Nebraska

INDIANAPOLIS − An argument could be made that two of Iowa’s chief rivals made the two best coaching hires in college football this offseason.
Those hires undoubtedly will have a direct impact on the future of Hawkeye football.
So, it's important to find out what’s cooking under the lid in Madison and Lincoln.
Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule made their Big Ten Football Media Days debuts Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium. They certainly drew big crowds of reporters who were curious to hear about the plans for success.
At Wisconsin, can a radical scheme change on offense take hold?
And at Nebraska, what will it take to restore a winning tradition?
The ‘Air Raid’ comes to Wisconsin. Will it work?
Count Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz as “interested” to see how Wisconsin's complete contrast in styles unfolds.
“My guess is it’s going to look different,” he added, “but they’re going to be really good again.”
Illinois’ Bret Bielema, who amassed a 68-24 record in seven seasons as Wisconsin’s head coach (2006-12) and won three Big Ten championships, said he’s most curious to see what Badgers fans think.
“I think who it’ll be strange for are the people who are going to watch Wisconsin football,” Bielema noted. “If it goes well, it goes well, but if it doesn’t go well, that’s potential land mines.”
Wisconsin’s new quarterback, SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai, is certain what's brewing will be a fan-friendly attack. No huddles. Throwing the ball everywhere. And plenty of run plays, too.
“Dynamic. Fast. Explosive. Much more balanced than people think,” Mordecai said. “Running backs are going to run the ball; they’re going to do really well in this offense. We’re going to take shots and throw the ball around the yard. As a fan, I don’t think you can ask for anything more. It’s going to be really fun to watch.”
Drifting away from Wisconsin’s traditional power style introduced by Barry Alvarez and continued by Bielema, Gary Andersen and Paul Chryst doesn’t mean the Badgers will be passing every down. While the “Air Raid” was popularized by Hal Mumme and the late Mike Leach with its short-passing concepts, the run game is paramount to what new Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo will bring to the table.
In his four seasons at North Carolina (2019-22), the Tar Heels ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing (197.5 yards per game). At the same time, they were the ACC’s top team in passing yardage, passing touchdowns and passer rating under Longo’s direction and were more than 30 yards-per-game better overall (487.5 per game) than any conference foe.
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Wisconsin's Braelon Allen debunks narrative about 'Air Raid' offense
The talented Wisconsin running back will get plenty of carries in Phil Longo's offense.
CHAD LEISTIKOW, HAWK CENTRAL
Dynamic junior running back Braelon Allen, whose combination of speed and power is reminiscent of former Badger Jonathan Taylor, said running the football will remain "important for us. It’s obviously one of the strengths of our team. Just being more balanced is going to help us run the football. Being able to throw the ball deep and having (defenses) more ready for the pass … will definitely help the run game.”
Fickell said the offensive line can go 10 deep and is the strength of the team. Combine that with Allen's explosiveness and now a pass-game ring leader in Mordecai, a veteran of the “Air Raid,” and the recipe is set. Mordecai has amassed a 66.8% completion rate and 7,791 passing yards over his five-year career that began at Oklahoma, where he was a backup to Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts and lost a 2020 competition to Spencer Rattler.
That kind of revolutionary offensive style is something Hawkeye fans have begged for in recent years to pair with an elite defense. Wisconsin is now putting its aggressive plan into place. And given Fickell’s track record in taking Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff, there’s a lot of belief among players it can work.
Someone asked Fickell if his team will throw the ball "40 or 45" times a game.
“If they can catch it and they can throw it and it can open up more lanes to run the football, yeah,” Fickell said. “You could stand up here and ask (previous) coach (Paul) Chryst, ‘What would you really want?’ And he would say, ‘I want balance.’ And you would ask me or Phil, ‘You’re an Air Raid guy, what is it you really want?’ I would say, ‘I want balance.’ We both want the same things. We just go about them in different ways."
That Iowa-Wisconsin game on Oct. 14 at Camp Randall Stadium certainly will have a unique feel.
A new era at Nebraska and new messaging from the top
Scott Frost came across as pompous during his failed five-year reign as Nebraska’s coach. Rhule comes across as relatable.
Both coaches arrived at Nebraska with big aspirations, but Rhule is much more measured and masterful at communicating how the Huskers plan to go about it.
In Year 1 at Big Ten Media Days, Frost warned that other Big Ten programs “better get us now.”
Rhule, in Year 1, talked about his players and program re-earning the respect the Huskers had in the 1980s and 1990s.
“There was a time when Nebraska football was feared, and we certainly want to get back to that,” Rhule said. “… But we're not at that point yet. We're at a point where I believe we have to take back the respect of what it means to play Nebraska.
“I want people to respect when they see that white helmet with that red ‘N’ on it. I want our fans to respect us when they pay their money to come watch us to play. And I want our opponents to respect us. And I want all of college football to respect the way Nebraska plays the game.
“And most importantly I want our players to respect what it means to be a Cornhusker and playing at Nebraska. This season for me is all about us, not just earning, but taking back respect and bringing back respect to Nebraska football.”
Rhule’s track record indicates he knows what he’s doing. Prior to his arrival at Temple in 2013, the school had one season of double-digit wins in its history. By Year 3, his team won 10 games and in 2016 he won another 10 games and an American Athletic Conference title. Rhule then took over Baylor and went from a one-win season in 2017 to an 11-win team in 2019 with a Sugar Bowl berth.
Now he arrives in the Big Ten. Rhule has stated that he wants Nebraska to be the premier developmental school in the country. There may be an adjustment period for results. The defense is switching to the increasingly popular 3-3-5 scheme. Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims was brought in at quarterback, and his physical size and gifts are impressive.
“Unreal arm talent,” linebacker teammate Luke Reimer said. “Just watching the zip he has on the ball, casually throwing it 40 yards on a dime, you don’t see that every day.”
Despite annual bluster about having his best team yet at Nebraska, Frost never had a winning season in charge and repeatedly lost close games.
There are no proclamations or promises of immediate success for Rhule's Cornhuskers program, and that’s refreshing, but there aren't excuses, either. Rhule has instituted a culture of building things around details and in the trenches – similar to what programs like Wisconsin, Iowa and, recently, Illinois have done.
“I know what we’re expecting. I know what we’re working toward,” Sims said. “And I know we can accomplish it.”
With a tough early schedule, including back-to-back road games to start the season at Minnesota and at Colorado, there is no reasonable outside expectation for instant success. Even so, the goal for Nebraska players is to show they’re different now, win or lose. And the winning will eventually return.
“We want to be on a team where you turn on the film and it’s, ‘Holy smokes. These dudes are different. They’re violent. They’re disciplined,'" Reimer said. "… No matter what the score is, no matter what our record is.
“(But) nobody’s going to wait on us. Why wait around for, ‘Oh, now it’s Year 3. Now we can be a violent team.’ We can be violent Year 1. It’s not like we haven’t been competitive in previous years.”
It'll be interesting to see where the Matt Rhule era is in Game 12, when the Huskers host Iowa on Black Friday before a national-TV audience. They've been down and out for a while. Under Rhule, it doesn't feel like they'll be down and out for long.