Nebraska football has not been truly feared for decades since they last played for a national championship in 2001. Matt Rhule wants that to change. The Huskers coach made his intensity clear Saturday night during a halftime locker-room speech when Nebraska led Akron, 33-0. Leaked video surfaced Monday showing Rhule delivering a fiery, expletive-laden message urging his players to embrace a “killer instinct” despite the lopsided score.
“I don’t like them frickin’ moving the ball again,” Rhule said at halftime. “They’re dropping back at the end of the f—ing half. We’re on the side saying, ‘They’ll take a knee here. They’ll run the ball.’ They don’t fear you and they don’t respect you enough yet. And if that sounds like coachspeak, then you have the wrong brain. They’re dropping back against our starting defense. They’re cutting our O-line at the end of the half. All you young guys, just go back there and chill.”
Nebraska nearly let a shutout slip away before halftime, as Akron’s 46-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright. The Huskers went on to win 68-0 for their first shutout since the 2009 Holiday Bowl. But Rhule was focused on more than just padding the scoreboard.
“I told you I don’t care what the score is,” Rhule said in his halftime speech. “I told you I care what the tape looks like. Did I trip when the ball was fumbled? No, I don’t care what happens in the game. I want to see what the next play is. You have one half. Defense, you have one half. If they try to drop back and throw it and that quarterback’s not on the ground, I want new guys in there rushing. I want them hit. I want them to never say our name again. … That’s the killer instinct I asked about. Not what does my hair look like what do I look like in the frickin’ mirror. I walk in here, guys in the mirror checking themselves out. You got a chance at a shutout.”
“… It’s about time people say I don’t want to schedule those guys anymore,” Rhule continued. “I don’t want to play those guys anymore. And if my standard’s too high, then leave. And if you’re with me, go out there and do not — I don’t want to see a f—ing smile. I don’t want to see nothing silly. I want to see a punch of guys locked in that want to see a team quit.”
The outburst reflected a broader theme in Nebraska since the Bo Pelini era ended. The Huskers have occasionally struggled to assert dominance against lesser opponents, whether Group of Five or FCS teams, leaving games closer than expected — or even losing when heavily favored:
On Monday, Rhule reflected on his outburst.
“I went after them at halftime,” Rhule said during his weekly press conference. “I mean, I freaking lost it in the locker room. I was pissed that we let them drive the ball down right before half and almost make a field goal. Like, where’s the killer instinct? … I don’t want to be a joke. I want us to be a football place. Football teams, you put away the people you’re supposed to put away. You don’t let ’em have life. So I wasn’t happy before the half.”
Rhule’s message appeared to resonate. Nebraska executed at a high level in all phases of the game, with Dylan Raiola throwing for 364 yards and four touchdowns and Emmett Johnson rushing for 140 yards and three scores. The Huskers rolled up 728 yards of total offense and never let up, even as second- and third-string reserves rotated in.
The Huskers host FCS Houston Christian this Saturday in what could be another blowout ahead of the Big Ten opener against No. 23 Michigan on Sept. 20 in Lincoln.
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