Matt Rhule ‘proud’ of Nebraska football effort, plus more Cornhuskers news

It’s not easy to wake up once again on a Sunday morning thinking what could have been for Nebraska football.

The Huskers lost to No. 4 Ohio State 21-17 on Saturday at the Horseshoe in Columbus, but Nebraska football outplayed a team expected to compete for a national title. Hell, they were the preseason favorite to win the whole thing.

It’s not like Nebraska football played a perfect game either. There were red-zone mistakes, a penalty that forced a field goal instead of a fourth-and-one, and of course, getting stuffed on fourth-and-goal at the one.

Dylan Raiola missed a wide-open touchdown pass on a drive that ended with a punt. If even one of those things goes the other way, Nebraska probably wins the game. Hell, it wasn’t that far from building a double-digit lead — if only it could execute when it mattered.

The offense finally got Nebraska football the lead, but the defense allowed Ohio State to take it right back before a Raiola interception on the final drive sealed the Huskers’ fate.

Still, Nebraska football went toe-to-toe with the most talented team in college football. They held the vaunted Ohio State offense to 267 yards. The previous season-low for the Buckeyes was 411, at No. 1 Oregon.

Afterward, Matt Rhule said Nebraska football isn’t about moral victories, “We’re the University of Nebraska,” he said. “We aren’t here to lose.”

But the head coach did say he was proud of the Huskers, just like every supporter of the program should be after that effort.

“I was proud of that football team today,” he said. “Proud. They didn’t back down — they had some really tough breaks. They had some things really go against them. Even the way we started. And they competed. It’s the first time since I’ve been here that I felt a championship mindset in the locker room.”

Proud of this team. Now carry it over to end week and end his lack of bowl game hell.

It’s time.

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— HuskerBR (@HuskerBr) October 26, 2024

Nebraska isn’t about moral victories, but if the Huskers can turn this one into a win next week, and a few more down the stretch, then this will be a turning point, a positive one in the Matt Rhule era.

Just beat UCLA.

Nebraska Cornhuskers rally to beat Michigan in volleyball

The Nebraska volleyball team sputtered out of the gate against Michigan on Saturday at home, but in the end, the Huskers swept the last three sets to win 3-1 over the Wolverines (26-28, 25-17, 25-11, 25-21).

It was a defensive battle as the Huskers hit .206 compared to .152 for the Wolverines. Harper Murray was a driving force for Nebraska with 17 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. She also added three aces.

Merritt Beason stuffed the stat sheet with 16 kills and a .370 hitting percentage, along with three aces of her own and three blocks. Andi Jackson also managed 10 kills and five blocks. Bergen Reilly had 42 assists and 10 digs, while Lexi Rodriguez had 14 digs for the Huskers (20-1, 10-0) who have won 17 in a row.

Nebraska basketball holds final exhibition

The Nebraska basketball team will be back on the court at home on Sunday in an exhibition game against Division-2 Grand Valley State (1 PM CST, BTN+).

Nebraska basketball opens the season on Nov. 4. But this will give the Huskers one last chance to fine-tune some things before the season tips off.

Nebraska is currently ranked 56th in the Kenpom rankings. They were picked 12th in the Big Ten preseason poll and are projected to just miss the NCAA tournament by ESPN.

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