This is the hardest part

Who foresaw this?

Blackshirts closing Ohio State game to 2.1 yards per carry?

Is Nebraska’s inconsistent offense keeping pace with the star-studded Buckeyes??

Multiple field goals scored!!?

Lead in the 4th quarter!?!!!?!??

It was essentially a Vince McMahon escalating meme (if you’re not familiar, Google “Vince McMahon meme”) played out on a football field in Columbus, Ohio, in front of nearly 105,000 fans and nearly six million more watching Big Noon » channel FOX. broadcast throughout the country. Husker fans had to rub their eyes in disbelief and wonder how a team that suffered an embarrassing 49-point loss last week could hang on, let alone almost get crushed, with a top-five team at their house.

But for Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, it was just another step in the process. He opened a window into his thoughts when he spoke after the game.

“The hardest part of what we did when we went to Temple and what we did when we went to Baylor was to get the guys not to say, ‘Oh, here we go again,’ to get the guys not to expect to lose, to get everyone… including people around the program – always focus not on what is wrong, but on what is right. And it’s difficult.”

Throughout NU’s 21-17 loss to Ohio State, the game never seemed out of reach. Despite mishaps on both the opening drive and the first drive on offense, the Huskers held their ground. They struck back. The Aidan Fledge + Brian Buschini + John Hall operation worked three times, including from 54 yards out in the first half!

At halftime of a road game in which they were a 23.5-point underdog, NU was down 14-6. How the hell can these be two blocks right next to Indiana 56 and Nebraska 7? Roulet explains.

“Last week (in Indiana) was a bad week for us since we’ve been here because the minute the game got tough, we kind of looked around and said, ‘Oh no, what’s happening to us.’ Sort of like victims, like, “This is happening to us.”

Although something was definitely happening with NU. A couple long potential touchdowns gave up. Some questionable and unacceptable refereeing. But Ruhle is right to point out that you can’t allow yourself to look at a situation in a way that you can do something about it. This week, against the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe, the Huskers did something about it.

“It’s been a tough week. But the week I knew from experience would turn into something good. We will teach. The players will see that we are defending, not us. They will see that we stand up like men and don’t blame the players, but work hand in hand with them.

We expected to come here and win a football match. We expected to win.”

Rhule wouldn’t have said that if his team had lost, say, 56-7. I’m quite sure of that. While it’s convenient to say this after nearly beating No. 4 Ohio State, I’ll play it out and see what else he said next.

“I was proud of this football team today. I was proud. They didn’t back down, they had some really tough breaks, some things really went against them, even the way we started. And they competed.”

For the first time since I’ve been here, I felt a champion’s spirit in the dressing room. Those who compete know that along with the mentality of a champion comes utter disappointment when you lose. So this part is difficult, it’s hard for the guys. But I saw a group of guys, even at the very end, come out onto the field to play one more game, to get a chance to fight one of the best teams in the country. So I thought they had grown up. And I challenged them: “Next week it better look like this.”

Champion mindset. This phrase defines this speech as it encapsulates not only the standards that Rhule continues to preach to his players, but also highlights the pain that comes with defeat. Champions don’t just win; they expect to win. Their preparation before the game strengthens their confidence that they are ready to win. And when that standard is maintained throughout the game, it’s clear to us outside observers that the team really put in the work this week during practice. In a results-oriented business, victory is not accidental.

This is where things get tricky, and Rule prefaced it all with this disclaimer:

“You don’t want it to sound like a moral victory because we lost and we’re not here to lose. We are the University of Nebraska, we are not here to lose.”

And he’s right. Just acknowledging how competitive Nebraska was against top five teams doesn’t make it a moral victory. Look how NU continued to outplay OSU in the second half.

Let’s take a moment to remember what defensive coordinator Tony White’s group did with the Buckeyes. OSU had seven possessions that ended in four plays or fewer, including turnovers on downs and an interception. Seven! The highlight package was significant, including Hartzog’s selection, top-ten tackles DeSean Singleton, Jimari Butler and MJ Sherman terrorizing with sacks from the edge, Ty Robinson’s leadership in the trenches and even a forced fumble by true freshman Willis McGahee IV.

The improvement was evident both in terms of individual player growth and in terms of above-average player retention last offseason. You can see this, whether it’s remnants of a previous era or Rule’s new recruits.

“In terms of development and growth of what you’re trying to build, everyone wants things to happen quickly; if you want it to be sustainable, if you want it to last forever, you have to do it right.

“I get asked a lot of questions about why we don’t do this one way or another. I’m trying to build something sustainable. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, who knows. A lot of you guys have seen a lot of guys come here and try to do it and it didn’t work, so I’m trying something different.”

During the week between the Indiana and Ohio State games, the obvious comparison was between Rhule and IU head coach Curt Cignetti, who went 8-0 against the Hoosiers in his first season. Why not Nebraska? I doubt Rhule is tweeting Cignetti or any other coach or program in particular, but the thought is already out there so of course Rhule heard it.

The true freshman guard is having growing pains. As talented as he is, Dylan Raiola still misses a few shots. But based on the foundation Rhule has built, he expects the growth to come with his attack teammates continuing to develop as well.

Perhaps you don’t agree with me. You may have read this thinking that it all screams “moral victory” and that the words ring hollow because NU lost. If that’s you, I’d encourage you to look at this OSU game through the lens of what’s possible in the next four (or five) games. What do you think their record will be in the last four games before the Ohio State game, and has it changed since? Or ask yourself if you felt better about Nebraska’s direction after win over Rutgers or after loss to Ohio State?

“Some types of football are still tough, tough. In the middle of the game, you’re still practicing things that you hope will become second nature in a year or two.”

“For those of us who believe in the long and hard journey, for those of us who have been given nothing, for those of us who believe in building, for those people who believe in honest work, I hope that although They are both disappointed and proud of what they saw.

“And although I sometimes shouted at the referees, our players were not bothered by it, they just continued to compete. I thought we played well and played well and had a chance to win.”

I fully acknowledge that I am Matt Rule’s target audience for this piece. The philosophizing speaks to me, and I appreciate the big picture thinking, especially considering how quickly it came after the game. But now it’s UCLA and another opportunity to win their sixth game of the season. Under Matt Rhule, the Huskers are now 0-6 in games where a win would guarantee bowl eligibility. It’s a burden around the program’s neck, whether people talk about it or not.

In his speech, in which Ruhle touched on many different aspects of coaching, including several cautious caveats, he publicly stated the most important thing:

“…I challenged them: ‘Next week it better look like this.’

A near-win over Ohio State doesn’t mean Nebraska automatically has a home win over UCLA. All that goodwill built up from the Columbus run will go out the window if they miss this golden opportunity, not to mention the two weeks of hell that will ensue in the second and final week of the season.

Now comes what appears to be the hardest part, a task so difficult that it has been nearly eight years since it was completed: winning six football games in one season at Nebraska. I say this somewhat ironically, but then again, maybe not, right? It doesn’t seem so simple anymore!

In the meantime, we all got another look at Rhule’s rhetoric and how he pushes his players forward. He holds them to their standards, but their efforts are also recognized even if they fail. Like he said, other guys tried and failed. He tries differently.

“I don’t say this to justify what we do, I say this so that our players understand why I am so proud. I’m not happy, this is very, very, very important, there are no moral victories, but I’m proud. But I’m proud.

– Matt Rhule after the loss to Ohio State

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