ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Nebraska coach Scott Frost believes the Cornhuskers have reached the bottom.
Frost told his players in the locker room at Michigan Stadium that things can't get any worse and their 56-10 loss to No. 19 Michigan could serve as a "watershed moment" for the program in its first year with a new coaching staff.
The loss dropped the Cornhuskers to 0-3, the school's worst start in football since 1945. The 39-0 hole they found themselves in at the end of the second quarter was the largest halftime deficit the team faced in its proud, post-World War II history.
"I told them I honestly believe this is going to be the bottom right here," Frost said. "I don't know how many times I've been in a game like that, but we got beat in every phase. We're really going to find out who loves football and who loves each other."
Frost's return to his home state and the football program where he once won a share of a national title as a player was among college football's most celebrated coaching hires this offseason. He said upon arrival that there were a long list of problems that would need to be fixed before Nebraska was competing for championships again.
He said his team executed poorly against Michigan and physical got "whipped." He was happy, though, that the players competed throughout the lopsided game. He believes it's inevitable that some members of the team will stop believing or working to get better, but that losing them will make the team stronger in the long run.
"The only ones we would lose are the ones we never really had," Frost said. "... The guys we're going to actually win with and win championships with would never do that."
Frost said he doesn't think the problems are any bigger or more insurmountable than when he first arrived. He said he still believes that success will come.
"We're not ready to beat a team like this yet, but the key word to me is 'yet,'" Frost said. "I know where it's going. It certainly isn't happening as quickly as I would like, but I'm kind of excited because it's not going to get worse than this. It's only up from here."
Nebraska's upperclassmen that spoke to reporters after the game shared their coach's opinion about the season and the future at Nebraska. They said it was the responsibility of the leaders on the field to make sure that their year takes a turn for the better.
Offensive lineman Jerald Foster, a team captain, compared Saturday's loss to feet hitting the bottom of a swimming pool. Now they can "push off," he said, and it won't get lower than where they stand now.
"We have a coaching staff and players that aren't going to allow it. That's it," Foster said. "Look me in the eyes, and I hope you can see that I'm not going to let it get any worse than this."
Nebraska hosts Purdue (1-3) next week at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. The Boilermakers beat previously undefeated Boston College to get their first victory of the year this Saturday.
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