Matt Rhule was bursting with pride on Saturday afternoon in talking about senior running back Rahmir Johnson, who the Nebraska head coach revealed was playing with a heavy heart for a while now.

Johnson lost his mother late in the season. But that didn’t stop the Harlem native from finishing off his Cornhusker career in his hometown at Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, and it didn’t stop him from doing it in style.

Johnson was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after rushing 10 times for 60 yards and a 4-yard touchdown run early in the 2nd quarter that put Nebraska up 7-0 on the way to a 20-15 victory over Boston College. Johnson also caught 1 pass for 9 yards, and he put the game away with a game-clinching carry on the Cornhuskers’ final drive.

“I’ll probably get a little emotional saying this, so please forgive me. But, you know, Rahmir has never allowed anyone to know what happened to him this year. But a year ago, he got hurt and missed the whole season. And I sat with him in my office as he wept, and the opportunity was there to come back. He decided to come back with no guarantees. His mom was really, really sick for the whole season. … I asked Rahmir to go home, and he wouldn’t go home, he had to play a game with his teammates and went home on the bye week,” explained Rhule after Saturday’s victory that gave Nebraska a winning record at 7-6.

“He asked me not to tell anyone. He didn’t want to be a distraction. … He lost his mom in November. I mean, those are the kids that got me into coaching. Those are the men that keep me in coaching, so he’s awesome. For him to go out there and do that today, for him to get that run, for us to have to get him out of the stands to get the MVP trophy. It was never about him. I told him I was going to share that. … I think this was a fitting end for him. I hope he wears his pads home on the subway and takes that MVP trophy out to dinner somewhere.”

Johnson came to Nebraska in 2019 under Scott Frost and remained with the program through all the ups and downs that have transpired. And in an even more fitting touch to end his career, his final carry of the Pinstripe Bowl gave him exactly 60 yards, meaning he will finish his time in Lincoln with exactly 1,000 yards rushing.