Matt Rhule on hopes for spring game format: 'The goal's to play a game'

Nebraska is set to host its annual spring game inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday as fans will be able to get a first-look at their new Huskers squad before the 2024 season.

With multiple schools putting on glorified flag football games, cutting their field in half or simply choosing to have fun rather than play traditional football for their spring games — Nebraska will not be doing any of that.

“The goal is to play a game,” Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said ahead of Saturday’s spring game. “There are two teams, you know, we’ll probably have to put the offensive line in gray [jerseys] like we did last year so they can rotate through. But it’ll come down to depth, you know. Receivers — if we have enough guys at receiver. … But I’m pretty sure we’ll have two teams.

“And what am I looking for? I’m looking for a high standard of football. It can’t be like last year where you play well for a while then you start fumbling the ball around. I don’t care if you’re a [backup] or [third-string], whoever, like the standard better be high. If it’s ugly, then we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish this spring. So I’m expecting us to play really good football. I look at this — a lot of people look at this like it’s a throwaway, like it’s a celebration. It’s football and I expect us to play good football and watch guys compete.”

The second-year Husker headman was blunt last season when telling his team that if they fumble, they can’t play. That rang true, and if Nebraska is playing a regularly-formatted football game — he expects his squad to go full-speed all afternoon and put a show on for the Nebraska faithful on hand.

While a full game is expected, Rhule did state that live special teams likely won’t be a part of the day’s events. Last year Nebraska experimented with the XFL-style kickoff but believes “that’s where injuries happen,” and feels as though that part of the game is better left for the practice field and on game day. Some teams have utilized just the kicker/punter and kick/punt returner in special teams situations this spring, cutting out all of the blocking in between. It remains to be see if Rhule will follow this format.

Kickoff for the Red-White spring game is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. CT and will be televised live on BTN and is available to be listened to on the Huskers Radio Network.