Matt Rhule no longer tolerating moral victories after NU’s first loss

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska’s fourth-year coach is still in search of a signature win with the program, and after losing a thriller to Indiana, he believes his team can compete with the Big Ten’s elite.

After all, the Huskers dominated the No. 7 Hoosiers on paper, and held the lead for most of the game, but they crumbled down the stretch when it mattered the most. Falling to a team in the AP Poll is something Nebraska fans are too familiar with over the years, and a narrative Matt Rhule desperately wants to change.

Although Rhule didn’t accomplish that feat, he wants his players to keep their heads high, knowing the Huskers’ best days are still ahead of them.

“We believe in ourselves, we think we have a really good team, and we’re trying to become a great team,” Rhule said. “Obviously people don’t have respect for our program, or for us to get to the national spotlight, which is fine, but we don’t worry about them, we’re not trying to prove anyone wrong, let’s just go play.”

There are several positive aspects of the game Rhule wants his players to be proud of. Nebraska (5-1) led Indiana in total offense, passing yards, rushing yards, first downs, third down conversions, plays and time of possession. Not to mention the Huskers’ lead at halftime was their first over a top-10 opponent since 2018.

Nebraska was more physical than Indiana in the trenches, and if it wasn’t for some suspect officiating in crucial moments, the game could’ve had a different outcome. However, once the smoke cleared at Memorial Stadium, it was a 20-17 loss, and a tough pill to swallow for Big Red Nation. Now Nebraska is 0-31 against AP Top-25 opponents since 2016.

Rhule understands that type of close loss is going to sting for a bit, but he doesn’t want the naysayers to have pity on his team. Blowing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter didn’t help either. The Huskers left it all out on the field, and pushed the reigning National Champs to their limit, but the afternoon still ended with a loss, and in Rhule’s eyes that performance wasn’t good enough.

“When we played we did a lot of things that were good as anyone could do, but we did some things that didn’t win the game, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time on a moral victory,” he said. “I’m not going to spend my time being depressed, listening to someone say hey, good job, or toxicity, I’m going to go to work tomorrow, and be like we have to fix and improve this.”

There were two plays that the Blackshirts didn’t execute, and those turned into explosive touchdowns. The offense had three trips to the red zone in the first half, that ended in a field goal, a touchdown and a missed field goal. Rhule realizes there’s still plenty of room for improvement, and remains confident that the Huskers will get there.

Nebraska doesn’t have time to dwell on the loss to Indiana though, with a trip to Oregon looming, and that game is going to have a very late kickoff time. Regardless, Rhule feels the Huskers will respond to adversity, with team captains and other leaders helping everyone shift their focus to the Ducks.

Rhule knows the Huskers’ schedule is about to get a lot tougher as they navigate through the Big Ten gauntlet, but in his mind they’re better prepared for it because of depth, and experience. Everyone can see Nebraska is better, and that this is Rhule’s best team yet. The Huskers still have everything can play for, including a Big Ten Title, and a first-ever Playoff berth, but they have to get back in the win column, and stay there.

Nebraska will likely have another opportunity to beat a ranked team in November when Ohio State visits Memorial Stadium, followed by a trip to Iowa. So basically the Huskers still control their own destiny.

With players like quarterback Anthony Colandrea, a deep backfield, underrated receivers, and a defense that flies to the football, Rhule expects his squad to swiftly rebound and make some noise in Big Ten play.

“There’s a lot of teams that lose a ball game, and then go on to have a great year.”