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But that doesn’t change his message to the team: "Act like a champion."

“They’re more together this year, and they have been all summer, and that’s the biggest improvement,� Boyd said earlier this week at practice. “They’re more together and kind of leaning on each other.�

Coming off last season's 0-9 campaign, the Rockets return four starters on offense and just two on defense, and they are in the midst of a quarterback competition between 6-foot-1, 155-pound junior Grant Matson and 5-10, 140-pound sophomore Zayne Scully. Both didn’t play a snap at QB last season.

However, the Rockets have as good of a chance as any year to stack some wins.

Lincoln Northeast hosts Omaha Northwest, which also hasn’t won a game since 2021, to start the season. The Rockets also play Omaha Benson in Week 3 and Omaha Buena Vista in Week 7, both of which were winless last season.

For senior tight end and defensive end Levi Sherman (6-2, 215), who was last year’s leading receiver with 572 yards and had 28 tackles on defense, wins can also mean doing his job as a leader of the team.

“I think my job is to just prepare everyone for the game or whether it’s their next class,� he said. “I’m really just trying to pour into them on and off the field.�

To senior offensive and defensive lineman Alex Buescher (6-2, 220), wins can also mean being fundamentally sound in practice.

“Wins in practices are just getting the reps right every single time,� he said. “Not making little mistakes like taking the wrong steps or not blocking.�

The quarterback competition will play a key role on the field. Boyd said both Matson and Scully have good individual skill sets and have done well in leading the offense.

“It’s nothing personal and they both know whoever gets the job is going to be the right fit for the team,� Boyd said. “That’s all I can ask for from the quarterback position.�

Sherman said Matson has done well at identifying open receivers downfield, and that Scully has been a good decision maker.

Rushing for 470 yards as a team last season, Buescher knows that an improved rushing attack could help the two inexperienced quarterbacks.

“We’re doing a lot more drills against stronger defenses against our offense,� he said. “We’re practicing a new set of steps and getting it down.�

To get some wins, he knows there’s still more to do during fall camp.

“Getting a couple of wins would just put me over and make me happy, but we have to work if we want to win a lot this season,� Buescher said.

Boyd said if the players do what is asked of them, the wins will come.

“We tell our players to just get better each and every day,� Boyd said. “I’m not asking you to go out and get 100% better. I’m asking you to come out, act like a champion and go into the next day. If you come out and give me all your effort, you have gotten better.

"You just have to keep fighting and keep getting better and don’t let a 0-9 season define you. We have a young group who are out working. No matter wins or losses, they showed up this summer. I think it’s going to show.�

As a leader, Sherman said a successful season in his eyes would be preparing the underclassmen for the future of the program.

That being said, Sherman also wants to see the team’s work pay off on the field.

“It’s pretty exciting we get a chance to show who we are and what we bring to the table,� he said.