Nebraska picked up a convincing win over Purdue Saturday afternoon, using a dominant defense performance to push the Cornhuskers closer to a B1G West title.

Nebraska managed to hold off a late comeback from Purdue and get past some costly turnovers to secure its 5th win of the season and pick up some much needed confidence and momentum before the November slate.

After the game, Matt Rhule praised his defense for its performances and recognized that his offense did what they needed to do.

“I thought it was a dominant performance from the defense,” Rhule said in his postgame press conference. “I thought the offense made the plays they needed to win the game.”

Rhule also addressed some early mistakes that have become a trend. Last week, Nebraska started its game with an interception. On Saturday, the Cornhuskers fumbled an early kick return.

“We can’t keep starting games like this,” Rhule said.

Rhule is having success in his first season with Nebraska, but he knows better days are ahead. He emphasized the importance of getting his team to buy into the process.

“I have to continue as best I can to teach these guys the process,” Rhule said.

It was the coldest game Nebraska has played in this season, but Rhule is embracing the B1G weather and was hoping for it to be colder in the matchup.

“It wasn’t that cold,” Rhule said. “I was hoping for worse.”

Rhule is on a 3-game winning streak and posted the first undefeated October for Nebraska since 2001, but he knows that streaks and regular season accomplishments to compare to the ultimate goals for the postseason.