While Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule knows that his team didn't play perfectly, he likes what he saw on the whole. He also likes what he saw from some of the players he expects to lean on in 2025. He talked about the 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats on Friday to Patt McAfee, and he continued the upbeat approach about where the Huskers are that he had most of the preseason.
The Huskers had to rely on a last-second interception by Malcolm Hartzog in order to seal the victory. However, even that was seen as a step forward for a program that has struggled to close out one-score games.
How Nebraska football closed out a one-score game for a change
"Obviously we have a lot to work on," the Nebraska head coach said on this week's appearance. "But I thought the biggest thing was our best players made plays. Our tailback Emmett Johnson ran for over 100 yards. You see Nyziah Hunter here, transferred in for us, and made a big play to score a touchdown. And Malcom Hartzog picks that ball off to win the game."
Rhule outlined why he thinks his squad took a big step forward. He thinks they especially showed they can stop trying to fight themselves late in close games, and just expect to win.
"They don't panic. A team comes roaring back, a (opposing) team makes a couple plays, and they go out there and just make a couple more plays," Rhule said. "I felt for the first time last night a bunch of guys on the sideline that were like, 'No, we're not going down, we're going to find a way to make a play.'"
Having said that, Rhule understands things still need to get ironed out.
"That game came down to one play and what we're always trying to teach them is ... it's not always the one play that happened at the end of the game," Rhule said. "That field goal instead of a touchdown, that was a four-point play. So we don't want to embarrass people in public, embarrass people on camera. We're not trying to do that. But as a brotherhood we've got to have a mentality that iron sharpens iron and we have to hold each other to a high standard."
The Nebraska football team next takes on an Akron Zips team that went just 4-8 in the MAC. Knowing that, Matt Rhule is still looking for big steps forward in execution as the season rolls on.