Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers made a big coaching-staff move on Monday, firing defensive coordinator John Butler after his first season in Lincoln.

Nebraska finished its regular-season schedule with a 40-16 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Just one week earlier, the Cornhuskers gave up 37 points in a blowout loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Under Butler's direction, Nebraska ranked 135th out of 136 teams in terms of red-zone defense — allowing a 77.4% touchdown rate once their opponent reached the 20-yard line.

On Tuesday, Mitch Sherman of The Athletic published a story titled "Firing of Nebraska DC John Butler signals Matt Rhule’s plan isn’t progressing fast enough."

"Despite a fourth consecutive season of increased regular-season wins, a disconnect exists between the appea

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