Steven Sipple: Yes, the win was ugly, but this is no time for Nebraska fans to get picky
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois — Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule almost always talks fast. You have to listen closely so you don’t miss something interesting.
He was talking especially fast Friday night. If you’re a Husker fan, you have to appreciate his raw emotion.
It might even make you forget some of the mistakes and missed opportunities that plagued his team in its 20-7 win against Illinois before 46,703 spectators in Memorial Stadium.
Yes, this game got really ugly at times. Both teams contributed. But, hey, for Nebraska, this is a Big Ten road win. Those hardly ever come easily and never should be taken for granted. After all, this was Nebraska rebounding from last week’s embarrassing home loss to Michigan. This was Nebraska improving to 3-3 overall (1-2 Big Ten) and effectively taking a significant step in its bid to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2016.
If you’re Rhule and company, you take this “W” into bye week and work on flaws.
They’re not hard to find.
Nor are some positives. There are indeed elements on which a program’s first-year leader can build.
What a defensive showing, for one thing.
“I just really hope people, instead of jumping ahead to what we’re going to be, kind of enjoy this ride,” Rhule said. “Coach (Pat) Riley calls it the innocent climb.”
Nebraska-Illinois postgame nuggets
Matt Rhule brims with pride after Big Ten road win
I may be wrong about this, but it’s difficult to imagine Rhule standing at a podium in the depths of this stadium quoting a former NBA basketball coach if his team had just lost this game.
He was brimming with pride. His team responded to adversity. It also responded to that Sunday practice that created so much buzz among Nebraska fans this week.
Rhule didn’t like the way his team competed in a 45-7 loss to second-ranked Michigan this past Saturday. So, he made his players practice in full pads the next day. They scrimmaged. “They beat the hell out of each other,” according to one practice observer.
A lot of Nebraska fans loved it. I understand why.
One got the distinct feeling Rhule loved the way his team competed Friday night.
“There’s this innocent climb where kids are just out there giving it their all for this progam,” he said. “So, yeah, sometimes we line up wrong. Sometimes we have 12 guys (on the field). It’s not perfect. It can be a little bit frustrating. But it’s a beautiful phase, watching young people learn how to win and fight for each other.”
Nebraska fans’ frustrations boil over
I can only imagine Nebraska fans’ frustration as they watched various points of Saturday’s game.
Actually, I don’t have to imagine what some of them are thinking. Their thoughts are all over social media, all over my text messages.
This game makes me want to drink bleach.
Or …
It’s almost unwatchable. The offense is brutal … on every level. Scheme, coaching, execution. It’s not about missed opportunities. It looks like they have zero idea what to do inside the 20.
Yes, harsh reviews. But some of it is fair.
Leading 20-7 early in the fourth quarter, Nebraska once again had the ball in Illinois territory, and once again came away empty. This time, redshirt freshman running back Emmett Johnson dropped a handoff from Heinrich Haarberg.
Of course, Nebraska’s defense stiffened once again. My heavens, the Blackshirts rebounded in a big way. Illinois (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) managed 21 yards on 19 rushes. Granted, the Illini have a ragtag offensive line that is struggling mightily at the moment. But, hey, this is the Big Ten.
Those kids are on scholarship.
Later in the fourth quarter, not long after Haarberg fired an interception, Nebraska senior corner Quinton Newsome — a prideful veteran who lays it on the line every week — made his first career interception and returned the ball to Illinois’ 16-yard line.
Two plays later, Nebraska fumbled again. This time, it was Anthony Grant, the senior who was benched earlier this season for fumbling against Minnesota.
This was getting ridiculous, all of Nebraska’s mistakes.
Let’s be honest, Nebraska could’ve won this game 42-7 or something along those lines.
Nebraska defense has veteran Anthony Grant’s back
Rhule, though, was proud of how his team kept fighting. Fighting for each other.
To be sure, there’s a beauty in that. An innocence.
Rhule told reporters about gathering the defense and saying, “Do you guys love A.G.?”
Anthony Grant hasn’t had a great season. He rushed 20 times for 56 yards on this night — and, yeah, lost the fumble.
“They were like, ‘Yeah, we love A.G.,’” Rhule said. “I said, ‘He needs you guys right now.’ They told me to get out of the huddle.”
We’ve got this coach. That was their message.
“We’ve got special guys,” Rhule said. “I really, really care about them.”
Nebraska defenders show their level of care with the way they fly around and make plays. Safety Isaac Gifford was all over the place, leading his team with eight tackles and three pass breakups.
Linebacker John Bullock had six tackles and a sack.
Phalen Sanford has six tackles and forced a fumble.
Oh, yes, and there were those scintillating fourth-down stops. Ty Robinson denied Reggie Love at 4th-and-goal at the 1 in the first quarter. Then, Nash Hutmacher denied Kaden Feagin at midfield late in the third quarter.
The bigs came through in a big way.
No wonder Rhule was like a proud papa.
“I don’t have to prove anything to anybody,” he said. “I know what we’re doing works.”
The key, he says, is his players are “100% bought-in.”
He also feels his team was better than it was last Saturday.
He sees progress. Even if others don’t.
“We’re just a work in progress,” he said. “I’m glad to see the guys have a little success in this work in progress. They’ve just got to continue to have that humble mindset of let’s get better this week.”
Rhule really hopes fans can enjoy the ride, even when it’s as rocky as it was Friday.
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