The Nebraska Cornhuskers are coming off a debilitating loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini. Riding on the wave of a lot of hype, especially with touted freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, the undefeated Illini may have humbled the Huskers. Head coach Matt Rhule may have helped light another fire under them this week.
Rhule spoke about the importance of winning on the road on Thursday. The Huskers will hit the road this weekend against the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette.
The Nebraska head coach discussed how they’ve had to prepare for Purdue and their offense. He spoke highly of their “difficult” defensive scheme. He talked about their “great week” of practice and what happens when you go through adversity.
“I think you learn more about yourself when you go through some adversity than when you have success. The great ones don’t just bounce back, they bounce back and elevate. We’re looking to see ourselves bounce back and elevate,” he said. Then Rhule made quite the declarative statement.
“You’re never gonna be a relevant team in the Big Ten if you can’t win on the road,” he said. “You go into hostile environments. You travel, stay in a small hotel. Guys are doubled up. It’s just different, right? It’s part of the process of learning to win. Learn to play championship-caliber football. Learning how to win at that level. Part of that’s going on the road and playing at the level you need to play at to beat someone.”
Nebraska and Purdue kick off at Noon Eastern. We’ll see if Rhule’s words on his team pay off.
