Injury News: Nebraska Confirms Huge Injury boost amid…..

November 8, 2023 admin Uncategorized 0

Everything Matt Rhule said Monday regarding injuries, the Michigan State game and more

The transcript from Nebraska’s Monday press conference ahead of the matchup with Michigan State.

Everything Matt Rhule said Monday regarding injuries, the Michigan State game and more

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said Monday his team has learned how to win, but that the stakes and what it takes

to win go to an even higher level in November.

Speaking during his Monday press conference, Rhule discussed his team’s narrow loss to Michigan State that

featured three offensive turnovers and a light performance from Nebraska’s defense in the first half.

“What we’re learning is that everything is about learning how to win,” Rhule said. “I think we’ve learned how to win,

but winning in November is completely different. You get everyone’s best. When you come in, they game plan you,

they attack you, they take their shots at you. We’re in man to man with a middle defender, they’re throwing posts

down the middle of the field and we have to pick those balls off. They are plays I know our guys can make that we just

didn’t go make them. That falls on me. My job is to teach them how to win in November.”

Awaiting Nebraska at home this week is a matchup with Maryland, who has dropped four straight games and, like Nebraska, needs one more win for bowl eligibility.

Here’s the bulk of what Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said Monday:

THOUGHTS ON OFFENSE FROM THE GAME WITH MICHIGAN STATE

Nebraska Football: Everything Huskers coach Matt Rhule said at his pre-Michigan State press conference

“The shame of it to me was that there were times like the first drive in the second half we’re running the ball and

getting 12 yards, 15 yards. The two things we need in order to score, we need explosive plays and converting third

downs. I know that seems pretty obvious but those aren’t always happening for us. On both touchdowns, we had an

explosive play – Heinrich (Haarberg) on a scramble and Heinrich on another scramble. In terms of hitting a big pass

or hitting a big play, we didn’t have enough of those in the flow of the game until the game got behind us. We had

runs who got to the last available tackler and he’d make the tackle. They came out in the second half much more

aggressive. They pressured us. I say that every week, kind of how people play us, they pressure us. We’re not quite

beating them to the level we want. Came out with the reverse, it’s a play away from being a homerun. We have to

make some of those plays to win these games, we have to score more points and help the defense out. Especially on a

day when the defense isn’t quite its normal self. I thought down the stretch, I told the team this could’ve been one of

those days where we showed our team forever. This is how you handle the fourth quarter and you’re down 10 points,

you get these stops, you get the ball back. If you get to the 40-yard line, we’re going to kick a field goal and I think

he’s going to make it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the last 15 yards. Hopefully for us it’s a growing experience.

We’ve got those three freshman receivers out there and they’re play man and real aggressive and grabbing us. I

warned them during the week it’s going to be like backyard football, you’re going to have to rip off. Hopefully from

what was a disappointing game, there will be some things our guys will take away from it. I’ll say we had some real

missed opportunities on offense that to me, you have to win to win games in November.”

ON DEFENSIVE ISSUES AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE

Rhule questions replay review in assessing Saturday's loss to Michigan State

“We got beat on the first drive man to man. The guy doesn’t play his guy and extends the drive. Tampa two, the

middle player comes running down on a draw fake and the ball gets thrown over his head. Double pass, the corner

comes running up. Touchdown pass, the guy jumps outside thinking it’s a fake, runs a slant. None of that has

anything to do with that. What we’re learning is that everything is about learning how to win. I think we’ve learned

how to win, but winning in November is completely different. You get everyone’s best. When you come in, they game

plan you, they attack you, they take their shots at you. We’re in man to man with a middle defender, they’re throwing

posts down the middle of the field and we have to pick those balls off. They are plays I know our guys can make that

we just didn’t go make them. That falls on me. My job is to teach them how to win in November. You have sacks, sack

fumbles, balls get batted up in the air, we catch in the red zone and we drop it. Not to talk about Mikai (Gbayor)

dropping it, I just think Mikai can catch that too. I don’t think it’s wear and tear cause they might have had a run here

and there but we stopped it like normal. We got the quarterback. If you look back through the course of the year, our

defense has done a lot of good things, but we have not taken the ball away enough and we give up explosive passes.

It’s one thing when the guy jumps up and catches a ball on you, you keep playing. It’s another thing when we’re just

not doing our job. I say this with the greatest respect for our players. I love our players. I just want them to

understand they don’t have to do anything special. They just have to do what they do. I thought this was the game the

offense answered and we didn’t get it done. And on special teams we didn’t get it done. I hold myself accountable for

the punt returns. I should’ve given Ethan (Nation) more chances on punt returns. As I looked out there I saw the

gunners running down and being in their faces. I didn’t want to put  a freshman out there for the first time in that

type of ball game. I called him in on Sunday and I said ‘Ethan I should’ve given you more of a chance,’ cause when he

got it he was ready. I hold myself accountable just like everyone else. I think it’s a discipline to do exactly what you’re

trained to do and not do something different when it’s perceived as a big game.”

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