Matt Rhule putting an emphasis on tackling for Red-White Game

LINCOLN, Neb. — There’s no denying that Big Red Nation wants to see the Huskers field a defense that’ll live up to the standard of the Blackshirts.

With the return of the spring game this Saturday, Coach Matt Rhule intends on giving Nebraska fans a glimpse of what they should expect this fall. It’s no mystery that John Butler’s defense struggled to stop the run last year, so Rhule gave him his walking papers and hired Rob Aurich out of San Diego State.

Rhule believes the defense is looking promising, and transitioning smoothly from the 3-3-5 stack, to Aurich’s 4-2-5 scheme. The players are flying to the ball, wrapping up and bringing down ball-carriers. There are several new faces on the defense, but everyone appears to be having fun in Aurich’s system, and Rhule is hoping that chemistry translates to the field in front of the Husker faithful.

“We’ll have a great crowd there, so we just want to see the same standard of running to the ball, getting off blocks and doing their jobs,” Rhule said. “I think anytime you scrimmage, tackling is of the utmost.”

Although the Huskers lost their top-two tacklers in Javin Wright, and DeShon Singleton, they return a quality defender at every level of their defense, including edge rusher Williams Nwaneri, safety Rex Guthrie, and linebacker Vincent Shavers. After all, the trio has a lot of production, and combined for 151 tackles last season. They’ll be vital pieces for Aurich to build around.

The are also some new pieces to the unit that should make an immediate impact. Aurich is admiring the work that defensive lineman Jashear Whittington is putting in. Whittington made 11 stops at Pittsburgh last year. Anthony Jones is also turning heads with his physicality, and brings a ton of experience after playing for four different Big Ten schools over the last four seasons.

Regardless, Rhule needs the defense to play with more physicality, speed, and discipline, considering the caliber of offenses on this year’s schedule, especially in Big Ten play. What he doesn’t want is the defenders trying to change up too much, knowing it still all comes down to fundamentals.

“I look forward to the defensive guys not doing something new, and do exactly what they’ve been doing,” he said. “Do not try to change the way you play, and play one snap at a time.”

Saturday’s event will be like a normal game, with a running clock, huge crowd and Rhule is eager to see the defense take advantage of the spotlight. The quarterbacks will be wearing green jerseys, so tackling them is off limits, but everyone else is fair play. Nebraska finished 98th nationally against the run in 2025. In order to improve those numbers, the defense has to make tremendous strides.

Spring ball is a time to iron out the wrinkles, and give the younger defenders an opportunity to make an impact. Rhule is confident that the defense will look new and improved after a grueling month of practice. Most importantly, Aurich’s group appears to be ahead of schedule in Rhule’s eyes. So he expects the defense to set the tone in the trenches, dictate the line of scrimmage and make some plays that the fans can be proud of Saturday.

“I’m anxious to see the tackling.”