.jpg)
2 hours ago
2
Matt Rhule’s frustration was there from the moment he stepped to the podium “Obviously very disappointing,” he said flatly. “Credit to them. They were the more physical team…they beat us pretty convincingly. Hats off to them.”
Rhule’s tone never wavered as he detailed a night where nothing clicked. Nebraska (5-2) managed only six points and 213 total yards in a humbling Big Ten defeat that saw quarterback Dylan Raiola sacked nine times. The freshman finished 17-of-25 for 177 yards, while Emmett Johnson led the ground game with 63 yards on 14 carries.
“We were just kind of out of whack the whole day,” Rhule admitted. “They pressured us. When we had chances to make plays and we ran by them, we didn’t. At no point did we make the play you needed to make to win the game.”
The head coach didn’t mince words on the physical disparity. “They were the more physical team tonight,” Rhule said. “We’re not going to make any excuses. They got after us…The very first play of the game, we had a missed assignment,” he said. “Just out of whack. And obviously Rocco Spindler going down…hopefully he’s okay.”
More: James Franklin on College Gameday
Asked about tackling, Rhule didn’t deflect. “Even the long touchdown run has to get tackled. You have to tackle those plays. We have the players to do it.”
Yet despite the breakdowns, he insisted the week’s prep wasn’t the issue. “We had a really good week of practice. We traveled really well. There’s nothing that led me to think this was going to be like this.”
The loss drops Nebraska to 5-2, reigniting questions about physicality and focus as speculation continues around Rhule’s name and the open Penn State job.
“I just think they were the more physical team as the game wore on tonight,” Rhule said. “And we didn’t make any plays to change that.
English (US)