Matt Rhule has his first win at Nebraska with the Huskers taking down Northern Illinois in Week 3. While it was a big win for the Huskers, there was a moment early in the game that threatened to put Nebraska in a deep situation.

That moment came when the offense turned the ball over with their backs to Nebraska’s own end zone. Fortunately, the defense did its job, limiting NIU to a field goal before gaining control of the game the rest of the way.

During his Tuesday evening radio show, Rhule admitted he didn’t always like how Nebraska responded to miscues against Colorado. However,  Saturday’s win showed him the Huskers are starting to play as a true team.

“I didn’t love the way we always responded as a team,” said Rhule. “It was never anything negative but it’s not just about saying ‘Hey don’t worry about the offense, let’s go out there and play’… Great teams say ‘Hey let’s go pick up the offense.’

“We just want them to understand all of this is about all of us playing together, having each other’s back. And I thought it allowed the offense — and certainly Heinrich (Haarberg) — of playing a little free. Because you cannot play QB thinking ‘If I make a mistake I’m coming out.’ There’s way too much happening, so when they went out and made that stop, I thought I learned something about our defense.”

The defense did its job throughout the Week 3 win, limiting NIU to 12 first downs and 149 yards of offense. Now, the Huskers will prepare for Louisiana Tech before putting their defense against B1G competition the rest of the way.