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Matt Rhule Sees Lots to Like and Work on as Nebraska Football Hits Season’s Midpoint

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Matt Rhule Sees Lots to Like and Work on as Nebraska Football Hits Season’s Midpoint


Nebraska head football coach met with the media Monday for what will probably be the only time during the Huskers’ off week. He discussed the state of the team at midseason, Saturday’s win against Rutgers, the upcoming game against unbeaten Indiana, and a lot more. Below are Kaleb Henry’s notes, and above is the video of Monday’s half-hour session.

  • Did a normal Monday. Will practice Tuesday through Thursday then be off through Sunday.
  • Happy with the turnover margin. *a couple of false starts on this presser because of reporters’ phones falling lol*
  • Being a physical team is a work in progress
  • Against Illinois, got caught looking at the scoreboard instead of just playing
  • Culture of execution, in terms of penalties, would like to see improve. Especially pre-snap penalties and personal fouls and such. Drawing a lot of penalties too.
  • Special teams is a tale of two things: punts landing inside the 10, fake a punt, stop a fake…but giving up blocked kicks and punts.
  • Run game offensively “is not where it needs to be”
  • A lot of things to work on. Doing a good job self-scouting right now.
  • Riley Van Poppel played on Saturday, something that was planned ahead of time.
  • Some potential redshirt guys have played 2 or 3 games already.
  • James Williams impacted the game against Rutgers after the tough decision to redshirt last year.
  • Dylan Raiola “has been great”. Has had some wow moments.
  • Was hard to get into a rhythm offensively with starting field position in the second half, though that’s not an excuse.
  • Not just a “do your job guy”. “Do your job AND go make a play”.
  • Guys on offense need to do better at not getting tackled. “Those 12 yards runs have to start being 50 yard runs”
  • Ceyair Wright “has done an excellent job”
  • Goal line stand was “good calls by Tony (White) with great plays by players”
  • Not sure of the rotation for DBs if/when Tommi Hill is good to return.
  • Isaac Gifford blocked the wrong guy on the first blocked punt.
  • Personal protector missed a block on the second blocked punt.
  • Wishes he had done the fake punt earlier.
  • One of the best things Rhule has ever seen is Brian Buschini struggling through pain but getting throws in during halftime in advance of the fake punt.
  • “That last punt was as big a play as I’ve been a part of”
  • Fake punt was a call and not a decision by the punt team in the moment.
  • Tristan Alvano is beginning the phase of testing where he’s at for health and returning.
  • Blye Hill is set to play four of the final six games to hold onto his redshirt. A good backup if Tommi can’t go and Ceyair would be out.
  • Heinrich Haarberg needs to play more. The challenge in getting Haarberg in more and getting him the ball is having so many talented players on offense.
  • Not surprised by the 6-0 start for Indiana.
  • Brought over a lot of guys who know how to win with new coaching staff. Already had some good players there.
  • “You would have never though Alabama would have lost to Vandy”
  • The transfer portal has changed the game on who can have success.
  • Great teams of the ’90s and 2000s were stacked with talent. That talent is being spread out a little more with the portal and NIL.
  • No one has talked with Rhule about wanting to redshirt and hit the portal.
  • Ty Robinson is a force this year because of his development. Allows him to be out there for multiple different packages.
  • “I still wake up at night upset we lost to Illinois”
  • Proud of the work and growth by the team through the first half of the season.
  • Rare for Rhule to have the team with two tackling days during the week, something they did last week ahead of Rutgers.
  • James Williams can be anyone he wants to be. “My kids love him; my dogs love him”
  • Terrance Knighton has done a good job of building a room of camaraderie.
  • Won’t do much recruiting during the off week. Going to do more on the second off week.
  • “I’m a button pusher, no doubt.”
  • Unbelievably physical in the spring and training camp and then apprehension in season about player load.
  • “In order to play great defense you have to practice great defense.”
  • Not allowed to quit. You can lose, don’t want to lose, but people aren’t paying to watch the team lie down.
  • No thinking with pregame physicality drills. It’s just about coming together and celebrating the team being physical.
  • Happy for Micah Mazzccua getting in and playing well. Can be whatever he wants to be but has to stay focused day by day.

More coverage

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MORE: Nebraska-Indiana Game Gets 11 a.m. Kickoff

MORE: Topline Takeaways: Gritty is Pretty in Nebraska’s Win Over Rutgers

MORE: QB Grade: Dylan Raiola vs. Rutgers

MORE: After Decades of Watching on TV, 80-Year-Old Fan Attends First Nebraska Volleyball Match

MORE: 2027 Quarterback Recruit Schedules Second Nebraska Visit

MORE: Dave Feit: It Wasn’t Pretty, But We Should Embrace Nebraska’s Win Over Rutgers

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.



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Big Ten Report – Nebraska takes first place from Michigan, is 16-0

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Big Ten Report – Nebraska takes first place from Michigan, is 16-0


It was a very exciting and high-scoring Saturday in Big Ten basketball. Michigan’s flaws finally caught up to the Wolverines. Their loss to Wisconsin became a source of hope for everyone else in the Big Ten. Nebraska keeps rolling, and the Huskers now look like the top team in the conference, with star Lamar Wilkerson going off in yet another game.

Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Saturday night in Big Ten basketball:

No. 10 Nebraska 83-77 vs Indiana

Jamarques Lawrence and Lamar Wilkerson battled in a shootout as both players had career nights. Indiana has been hot this season, almost as hot as Nebraska. Ultimately, the Cornhuskers proved to be battle-tested once more, and Lawrence led the Cornhuskers to overcome a 16-point deficit to secure a big victory. The Cornhuskers continue to be one of the best stories in college basketball, as their win streak moves to 5 in a row in the Big Ten. They are 16-0 overall.

Wisconsin 91-88 vs No. 2 Michigan

Down goes Goliath. Just like I said in one of the last Big Ten reports, no game is a layup. Michigan almost lost its last game to Penn State. Every team the Wolverines face will give them their best, and all they have to do is upset them. The Badgers did exactly that. Nick Boyd and John Blackwell both had 20-point showings and looked like stars. The Badgers entered the second half down 14 points, and just like last game for the Wolverines, another lead was lost. Michigan missed 8 of their last 9 shots, to end the game, which was one of the biggest reasons for the loss of the lead. The Wolverines were not on their game, and for the first time this season, and it cost them big time.

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No. 5 Purdue 93-85 vs Penn State

Braden Smith puts together a complete game, flashing his scoring ability and his elite decision-making. The Boilermakers took care of business and handled Penn State exactly like Michigan should have. Penn State’s hot three-point shooting start kept them in this game, but it was the Boilermakers’ insane crowd, insane defense, and stars stepping up that propelled them to an 8-point win.

UCLA 67-55 vs Maryland

Another day, another game where the Terps get outmatched. The Bruins were coming off two losses heading into this game, and they got the exact bounce-back game they needed. While the Bruins were amazing defensively, the Terps still dominated the glass. That makes for trouble for the Bruins against the competent Big Ten teams. Had the Terps been able to buy a bucket, they fairly well could have stolen this game. Instead, the Terps move to 0-5 in the Big Ten. The Terps can’t catch a break early in this season, while the Bruins get the exact break they needed to move forward.

Overview

Michigan does not learn from its last game, and they suffer their first loss of the season. The Badgers get a huge scoring outburst from their two guards, as another guard, Braden Smith, is dominant in an impressive win by Purdue over Penn State. As the Big Ten is continuing to ramp up the dominant newcomer, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are now the leader of the sole undefeated team in the conference.

What’s next

Illinois and Iowa highlight the day with a big-time matchup to start the Sunday slate. Big implications in this game, and whoever wins can really consider themselves a legitimate Big Ten contender. Northwestern and Rutgers will match up after that one, and both teams could desperately use a win to get back on track and build some type of momentum. The final game will be Ohio State and Washington squaring off. The Buckeyes will look to build some consistency before their matchup against Michigan. Bruce Thornton getting hot again would definitely help with that.



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Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman

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Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman


New Husker offensive line coach Geep Wade has stayed busy in his first few weeks on the recruiting trail for Nebraska football.

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Nebraska extended a scholarship offer Saturday to in-state offensive lineman Barrett Kitrell. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Class of 2027 interior lineman from Ashland confirmed the offer on social media. Iowa offered him earlier in the week, and he has other Division I offers from South Dakota State, Kansas and Iowa State.

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Kitrell has visited a number of schools through his junior season, stopping at South Dakota State, Wyoming, Iowa State, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

Kitrell has family ties to Nebraska football across two generations. His father, Barry, was a fullback for the Huskers from 1984-88. His brother Bo was a Husker fullback and tight end 2014 to 2018.

In addition, Barrett’s brother Blake was a Tulsa wide receiver, while brothers Brett and Bryce played at Ohio, having been recruited by Frank Solich.

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Barrett Kitrell is a three-sport athlete for Ashland-Greenwood, competing in football, basketball, and track and field for the Bluejays. He has seen varsity action in all three seasons of his football career, playing in 33 games. The Bluejays have won a playoff game each of the past three seasons, advancing to the Class C1 semifinals this past year.

Kitrell becomes the third offensive line prospect offered by Wade and the Huskers this week, joining Grinnell, Iowa, prospect Will Slagle and 2028 prospect Wyatt VanBoening from Mundelein, Illinois. VanBoening also is the son of a former Husker, Simon VanBoening, a linebacker on the Huskers’ 1997 roster.

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Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade | Nebraska Athletics

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The Huskers are aiming for a massive overhaul of their offensive line, starting with replacing Donovan Raiola as the position coach. Wade, who came to Nebraska from Georgia Tech, has been retooling his line in early 2026 with transfer portal additions, bringing in Iowa State’s Brendan Black and South Carolina’s Tree Babalade. Nebraska has seen three linemen choose to exit via the portal: Brian Tapu, Houston Kaahaaina-Torres and Jason Maciejczak.

Kitrell could add athleticism to the offensive line, as he finished second in the Class B discus as a sophomore with a personal-best throw of 172’2 while finishing fourth in the shot put. Kitrell averaged four points and four rebounds per game for the Ashland-Greenwood basketball program as the Bluejays claimed the Class C1 championship in 2025.

Kitrell becomes the 16th interior offensive line offer for Nebraska’s 2027 class. The class is headlined by four-star quarterback Trae Taylor and in-state rising stars Tory Pittman III and Matt Erickson.


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IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska

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IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska


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  • Indiana men’s basketball lost to Nebraska 83-77 after leading by as many as 16 points.
  • Coach Darian DeVries cited a bad stretch, including key fouls on Tucker DeVries and turnovers, as the turning point.
  • The Hoosiers have three more opportunities for a Quad 1 win in their upcoming games.

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries thought his team played well for about 28 minutes Saturday afternoon.

In those 28 minutes, IU built up as much as a 16-point lead against undefeated Nebraska. The Hoosiers went on a 12-2 run to end the first half, then extended that lead early in the second half.

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Then, the defense started crumbling. Tucker DeVries picked up two fouls in the course of 21 seconds, forcing him to the bench. The Hoosiers started turning the ball over.

And Indiana’s upset bid fell apart, as the Hoosiers dropped an 83-77 decision to the Cornhuskers (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten).

“It’s disappointing, for sure,” Darian DeVries said. “We played well for a good 25, 27, 28 minutes, whatever, and then just had a bad stretch in there, and the game flipped. That’s why the turnovers are a big piece of that. We had, (a 16-point lead) and Tucker picked up his third and fourth foul on back-to-back possessions. Then they went on a 10-0 run right after that. That was a big turning point in the game, I thought, when he picked those two up.”

It seemed like the coaching staff (and fans) didn’t agree with those fouls, either.

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Tucker DeVries’ third foul came as he fell on the ground while trying to defend Berke Buyuktuncel’s shot. Buyuktuncel continued to attempt a shot after the fall, and he got tangled in DeVries’ legs, falling himself, and officials called a foul on DeVries. Both Tucker and Darian DeVries, along with the crowd of 13,000 fans, didn’t agree with that foul.

Tucker DeVries’ fourth foul, which forced him to the bench for eight minutes, came just 21 seconds after his third. On the Hoosiers’ next offensive possession, DeVries attempted to shoulder his defender to get more space, and got called for the offensive foul and the turnover.

Indiana (12-4, 3-2) turned the ball over on four of its next five possessions, Darian DeVries said, and Nebraska capitalized for a 12-2 run to tie the game.

“I just think we didn’t have the type of possessions we needed after (Tucker DeVries) went out again, and most of them, it was just turnovers,” Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t get shots at the goal. I thought there might’ve been one or two in there where I think Lamar (Wilkerson) drove it hard and tried going through contact, and we didn’t get one there, but outside of that, we just didn’t get very good possessions. Our movement wasn’t as good.”

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After Nebraska went on that run, all the momentum shifted to the Cornhuskers. In ways, the Hoosiers couldn’t get out of their own head, and the mistakes kept coming.

“We’ve talked to them a lot about that next play mentality,” Darian DeVries said. “Win that next play, and not compound mistakes. I thought tonight, again, for a stretch there was a period where we let one mistake turn into two. Then, instead of digging in and really making sure we get a quality possession the next time, we compounded it with another turnover. It led to back-to-back-to-back. All of a sudden your lead is gone, and momentum is real. It shifted pretty quickly there.”

This game, especially taking into account the 16-point lead Indiana once had, was a crucial opportunity for the Hoosiers to get their first Quad 1 win of the season.

But the Hoosiers, sitting at No. 30 in the NET rankings, still have three straight Quad 1 opportunities coming up in two road tilts at Michigan State and Michigan and a home game against Iowa in the next two weeks.

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Those games, much like Nebraska, will be tall tasks. But, DeVries said, if the Hoosiers can execute for a full game like they did in those 28 minutes on Saturday, they’ll have a chance at them.

“When they’re executing the way that they did the first 25 minutes, it looks really good,” DeVries said. “And they’re doing a great job, and they’re defending and getting movement and things.”

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.



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