Ten minutes into his press conference after a 30-27 loss to Michigan, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule was offered the opportunity to provide a little uplift as his team heads into the bye week.
“I don’t like where we’re at right now,” Rhule said. “I feel like somebody hit me with a hammer right now. I wanted to win the football game, and I thought we would win the football game.”
The Huskers, instead, never led. They tied the game twice, at 10 and, after a 52-yard Hail Mary, at 17, but relinquished those leads. They allowed 286 yards rushing to the Wolverines — including 75, 54 and 37-yard touchdowns — and seven official sacks (it was really eight since offensive guard Henry Lutovsky caught a pass for a 12-yard loss).
“There’s things that were exposed that have to be improved or we won’t be the team we want to be” Rhule said. “There’s other things that I thought were excellent.”
The improvement is clearly in run defense — where Rhule cited tackling as a prime issue on Justice Haynes’ 75-yard touchdown — and protecting Raiola.
“In pass pro, I thought, there were times we just gave them too much credit,” Rhule said. “We’re backing up, we’re catching them, like ‘what are we going to do?’ Just not really being super physical.”
With its run defense, Rhule said, players have to get off blocks better and make more tackles. He cited Bryce Underwood’s 37-yard quarterback draw — in which he went untouched to the end zone — as an example.
“If you get in five wides and run quarterback draw, it’s going to be a tough play,” Rhule said. “You’re going to need the D-lineman to make a play. We’re going to have to, as a team get past — and I think they have, I’m not saying anything about our team — but we’re going to have to get past the ‘perfect call’ world. We have a call, there’s going to be stress on somebody, you going to have to make a play.”
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Sam McKewon
Sports Editor
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