Husker head coach Matt Rhule said in the postgame he loved how his team kept taking the field on Friday night.
When would the knockout blow come from the offense? Who would deliver it? Turns out the Blackshirts would themselves. Relentless and undeterred by being called back to duty repeatedly to put the clamps on a victory.
When Anthony Grant fumbled in the fourth quarter – the third turnover of the half for the offense – Matt Rhule heard all around him how eager his defense was to just go out there and shut down Illinois again. Heck, they basically told him to get out of their sideline huddle.
«I can’t tell you what they were saying to me, but they were saying some things to me,» said the Husker head coach, enjoying their pluck. «They wanted to keep playing. So that’s the team that I want to coach. And I’m proud of them.»
The Blackshirts balled out and bailed out all night – doing it once again after that Grant fumble to stamp a win. Nebraska’s defense had a goal-line stand, forced two of Illinois’ three turnovers, stuffed a fourth-down at midfield and constantly tilted the field, only blinking once in the 20-7 win over Illinois.
It wasn’t just about one side of the ball to the head Husker, though.
«They played like a team. They’re tough,» Rhule said. «We went out Sunday night (and practiced physical). I asked them, ‘Was Sunday night worth it now?’ They said, ‘100 percent.’ When mistakes happened guys were owning it.»
Hard work is not punishment, the coach said at one point in the postgame.
If the second half was perhaps maddening at times to some Husker fans due to turnovers and failings to take advantage of short fields, and those false starts – my gosh, the false starts, which we’ll address in a moment – Rhule was not discouraged by that either after a win that moved his team to 3-3 on the season.
Rhule highlighted some really good Illinois defensive players the Huskers were squaring off against. «And I thought for the most we had protection. I think we’re a tough, resilient bunch. We didn’t like the way we played last week. We battled here. And when it was going well we didn’t just relax. I’d like to clean some things up but I thought we attacked.»
Whatever ups and downs quarterback Heinrich Haarberg had – finishing 12-of-24 for 154 yards and running for 82 – Rhule was complimentary of his play.
He was also defensive of his O-line and tight ends with all those false starts.
«I was really, really upset with the officials tonight. And I never talk about officiating but I just want to make sure I defend my team,» Rhule said. «…For the second week in a row, (a team) came out and was just yelling ‘Move’ and ‘stem.’ And you’re not supposed to be able to do that as far as I know. I called the league and they say you can’t do that. So we’re not a sloppy team. We’re not a sloppy team. That is not football to me. I’m not faulting Illinois for doing it. If they say you can do it, you can do it. But after about the third or fourth time, I was like, ‘At what point are we going to figure out that every third-and-1, fourth-and-1, they’re yelling, ‘Move. Go.’ Our guys are just trying to play football.»
Rhule repeated he just wanted to defend his guys.
The defense’s play on Friday didn’t need any defense of its execution, holding Illinois to one second-quarter touchdown and just 21 rushing yards.
«I thought our defense played exceptional,» Rhule said.
He can’t wait to see the film on the goal-line stand to start the game, with Nebraska turning away a promising Illinois opening drive a foot from the end zone on both third and fourth downs.
«I thought those were phenomenal plays. …» Rhule said. «To do that and then to come out and hit Marcus Washington on that big pass the way we did … to me, to have a 99-yard drive (after that), even to just kick a field goal, that was a heckuva start for us. And I really believe that’s kind of what we needed, that resilient beginning.»
Nebraska’s offense found the quicksand in the second half after finding some clutch plays early to help the Huskers sprint to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter.
That included a fourth-and-5 conversion to Alex Bullock on the Illinois 39. And then a third-and-10 strike to Ty Hahn for 21 to help the Huskers score their first touchdown.
«We were going for as many (fourth downs) as possible until it got down inside the 20,» Rhule said. «There was really, really a wind factor in this game … But yeah, we knew we were going to go for it. Heinrich (Haarberg) made an unbelievable play. Some guys stepped up. Ty (Hahn) stepped up. Malachi (Coleman) stepped up. And then they ran to Cover 2 on a play that was man beater. In a million years you’d never draw up to hit Ty Hahn down the sideline (on that play) and Ty made a catch.»
Stick with the guys and they stick with themselves and start making some plays, Rhule added.
«They’re going to get off that bus tonight knowing they’re good football players.»
At midfield before the game the Huskers gathered for their tradition team prayer.
There was a point where linebacker MJ Sherman spoke. Passionate. Pointing at the big board behind the end zone in Illinois’ Memorial Stadium.
We know some of what he was saying now.
«MJ said it before the game. The scoreboard is going to be 0-0 the whole game,» Rhule said. «People may not like me saying this: Our guys hear what everyone says about them and they worry about what people think. … I just kept saying at some point you’re going to play in the games the way you play at practice. Instead of just worrying about winning, they just wanted to keep taking the field. They’re like, ‘We’ve got this. Let’s go. Let’s play again … Play like Sunday night. Play like Sunday night.’ I got in there a couple of times and they’re like, ‘Hey, we got this.’ Basically, get your ass out of here.»
A coach will take that.
But for the record, what were his words to the defense after that Grant fumble? «Do you guys love AG?» he asked them. Yeah, they said. Now get out of the huddle.
The defense wanted Nebraska’s offense to play aggressive, Rhule added. It wanted the Huskers to go for fourth downs even if there was risk. The thought was that they’d come out and put up a stop sign anyway.
Whether onlookers found it unappealing viewing or not is immaterial given the use of the result, with the win providing Nebraska a jolt heading to a bye week before home games against Northwestern and Purdue to finish October.
«I just really hope people instead of really jumping ahead to what we’re going to be, I just hope they kind of enjoy this ride,» Rhule said. «Coach Pat Riley calls it the innocent climb. Like, you know how bad Emmett Johnson felt after he fumbled that ball and he came over to me like looking at me?’ And I was like, ‘Nobody cares. Keep playing.’ Now, we do care. But this is like this innocent climb where these kids are out there giving their all of this.»
Imperfect. Obviously. It will be the rest of the way too.
«But it’s a beautiful phase. Watching young people learn how to win and fight for each other.»