Matt Rhule describes Nebraska's emotions after reaching bowl eligibility

Getting to a bowl game was the first big goal on coach Matt Rhule‘s list of things to accomplish at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers had been bowl eligible since the 2016 season when Rhule took over for Scott Frost in 2023 and failed to do so in Rhule’s inaugural season.

However, Nebraska finally got past the obstacle on Saturday as it defeated Wisconsin by a score of 44-25 to reach six wins in Rhule’s second year at the helm. The coach opened up on what the achievement means for his team in his recent press conference ahead of the season finale against Iowa.

“I don’t think there’s been a game where they weren’t dying to win,” Rhule said. “This is really hard. It requires really tough people to do the stuff the we’ve been trying to do to kind of get over that hump. When you lose to Indiana the way we did and you come back against Ohio State and you lose to Ohio State and you come back against UCLA and you lose to UCLA then I make some changes and you lose to USC, it’s only reasonable that you would either lose your confidence or start to question things. Like, ‘Why are we working so hard if we don’t get the result we want?’

“It’s not like I sit there and say to the guys, ‘Don’t doubt.’ You guys asked me if this was big for me and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is big for me.’ I know I believe in what we do, but still, it’s great to have some representation of, ‘It’s working here for us right now.’ Even though you see it in practice, you like to see it in the games. So I’ve never doubted their effort.”

The Cornhuskers entered this past week in the midst of a three-game losing streak with many fans beginning to doubt whether they would reach six wins. However, the team never lost its confidence with quarterback Dylan Raiola even guaranteeing a victory and bowl eligibility.

For players who were on the roster last season, Rhule said there was a bit of extra motivation after remembering how their season ended last year against Iowa. With them set to again close out the season against the Hawkeyes, it’s an opportunity for revenge.

“I know how much the Iowa game means to our guys,” Rhule said. “I sat there last year and walking off the field after losing on the way we lost. Their players are waving at our guys like ‘Have a good Christmas.’ That was painful. So I don’t doubt that our guys are gonna be ready, but their guys are gonna be ready. It really just comes down to football.”

Kickoff between Iowa and Nebraska is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and will be televised on NBC.