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Matt Rhule praises Nebraska’s attitude, effort in win over Illinois
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Matt Rhule noticed something different in his squad Friday night against Illinois.
Nebraska defeated Illinois 20-7 on Friday night in Champaign. It was the Huskers’ first Big Ten of the season and of Rhule’s tenure.
After the game, Rhule praised his squad’s enthusiasm. He said it was the first this season he’s seen continuous excitement. Rhule specifically acknowledged his defense wanting to go out and get after the Illini.
“For the first time since I’ve been here, they kept running out on the field excited to play. The defense, I can’t tell you what they were saying to me but they were saying some things. They wanted to keep playing.”#Huskers beat Illinois 20-7 for Matt Rhule’s first Big Ten win pic.twitter.com/CVkyD59W5M
— Kevin Sjuts (@kevinsjuts) October 7, 2023
The Huskers held the Illini to 310 yards of total offense, giving up just 21 yards on the ground. Illinois managed 289 yards passing, but Rhule was proud of his defense limiting the tempo attack to just 1 score.
“It was exactly what we needed,” Rhule said in his postgame press conference. “That’s a good Big Ten win when you give up seven points on the road to a team that goes no-huddle most of the time.”
A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.