Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule issues 2-word answer about what makes QB Dylan Raiola special

The Nebraska football program appears to be moving in the right direction with the return of Dylan Raiola at quarterback and a refocused Matt Rhule as head coach. 

At least that's the vibe Rhule gave off during a recent interview with ESPN's Greg McElroy on "Always College Football" as the countdown to the season nears the 70-day mark.

"(Raiola has) always been a tremendous worker," Rhule said. "When you're a young player,  you can be emotional. When things are great, you're great. When things get bad, sometimes, you get quiet. You get introverted; you start to get frustrated.

Rhule peeled back the curtain on how difficult, yet rewarding, the season was.

"He and I were together in the cafeteria today, we actually had this exact conversation," Rhule said. "We had the UCLA game on TV, and he was like, 'Man, it was 13-7 at the half.'"

The Bruins game wound up being a turning point for the Cornhuskers, one Rhule says he and Raiola desperately needed.

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"We came out (of halftime) and he threw a pick-six," Rhule said. "We talked about how far he's come. To me, it's not about his highs being any higher. It's about his lows not being so low. It's the same for our whole team. What I've loved about Dylan is the consistency he's shown and bought into. He's the same guy every day.”

Rhule's team had a rocky second half of the season but rallied back to win a bowl game this past December, Nebraska's first since 2016.

The Cornhuskers' expectations couldn't be higher. Now they'll have to prove last year was no fluke.