Which Coaches Will Matt Rhule and Nebraska Face in 2025?

First of Three Parts

Coaches often are the face of a college football program. Sometimes they are a stoic figure on the sideline. Sometimes they are a fiery force.  Sometimes they are something in between.

While players come and go — every few years — a coach’s shelf life potentially can last decades. Highly successful coaches often fulfill that tenure.

Today and the following two days, we’ll take a look at the background of the coaches who Matt Rhule and Nebraska will face in 2025. Rhule’s college career record is 59-56 (.513) in nine seasons. Rhule is 12-13 (.480) in two seasons at Nebraska. He was 11-27 while coaching the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.

Today, here are the coaches the Cornhuskers will face in August and September.

Aug. 28: vs. Cincinnati (5-7)

At Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
8 p.m. CT, ESPN

Bearcats coach: Scott Satterfield

Satterfield record: 84-64 (.568) in 12 seasons at Cincinnati, Louisville and Appalachian State. He is 8-16 (.333) in two seasons at Cincinnati.

Satterfield vs. Nebraska: 0-0

Rhule and Nebraska vs. Cincinnati: 0-0

Satterfield has been the Bearcats coach since the 2023 season. He coached Appalachian State to three NCAA Division I FCS national championships (2005-07) and eight conference titles. He earned 2018 Sun Belt Coach of the Year at App State and 2019 ACC Coach of the Year at Louisville.

His offenses have averaged more than 200 rushing yards per game 11 times in his 12-year coaching career. His team finished in the top 30 among rushing teams 11 times. His teams have gained at least 200 yards in passing and rushing in five of the last six seasons.

As a player, Satterfield started 27 games at quarterback at App State.

Sept. 6: Akron (4-8)

At Memorial Stadium
6:30 p.m. CT, BTN

Zips coach: Joe Moorhead

Moorhead record: 60-53 (.530) in seven seasons at Akron, Mississippi State and Fordham. He is 8-28 at Akron (.222).

Moorhead vs. Nebraska: 0-0

Rhule and Nebraska vs. Akron: 0-0

Moorhead is another offensive guru who was the play-caller for five teams that won conference championships: Akron (2005), Connecticut (2010), Fordham (2014), Penn State (2014) and Oregon (2020).

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley played under Moorhead at Penn State in 2019.

Moorhead was a quarterback at Fordham.

Sept. 13: Houston Christian (5-7)

At Memorial Stadium
11 a.m. CT, FS1

Huskies coach: Jason Bachtel

Bachtel record: 21-16 (.567) in three seasons at HCU and Howard Payne University. He is 5-7 at HCU (.416).

Bachtel vs. Nebraska: 0-0

Rhule and Nebraska vs. Houston Christian: 0-0

Offense is the name of the game with Nebraska’s early opponents. Bachtel will begin his second season as HCU head coach. He was the offensive coordinator in 2023.

Bachtel was the head coach at Howard Payne University in 2021 and 2022. His HPU teams averaged 489.4 yards and 38.4 points per game in those two seasons. In 2021, HPU ranked fifth nationally in passing offense and 13th in total offense in NCAA Division III. 

In 2022, HPU was ranked 10th nationally in total offense.

Bachtel was the 2020 offensive coordinator for Texas 4A state champion Argyle High, a team that averaged more than 48 points per game. In 2019 and 2019, he was the East Texas Baptist University offensive coordinator. His ETBU offense ranked sixth nationally in total offense in 2018 and 12th nationally in 2019.

Bachtel was a quarterback at Howard Payne.

Sept. 20: Michigan (8-5)

At Memorial Stadium
2:30 p.m. CT, CBS

Wolverines coach: Sherrone Moore

Moore record: 8-5 (.615) in one season at Michigan

Moore vs. Nebraska: 0-0

Rhule and Nebraska vs. Michigan: 0-1

Moore is expected to miss the Nebraska game as he sits out the second game of a two-game suspension. Curiously, Michigan and/or Moore chose the Nebraska game for the head coach to sit out — along with the Week Three game against Central Michigan. The Wolverines open at home against New Mexico and play at Moore’s alma mater, Oklahoma, in Week Two.

Moore’s suspension is self-imposed for his alleged involvement in the Connor Stalions scouting scandal.

Moore is in his second season after replacing Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines were 8-5 in 2024. They finished the season with a huge upset victory at Ohio State, then defeated Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

During the Wolverines’ national championship season in 2023, Moore was 4-0 as the interim head coach while Harbaugh twice was suspended. Moore defeated eighth-ranked Penn State on the road and second-ranked Ohio State in Ann Arbor.

Moore spent six years on the Michigan offensive staff before his promotion to head coach.

Moore was an offensive guard at Oklahoma.

More from Nebraska on SI