Matt Rhule on Ohio State: 'They have no weakness'

Nebraska committed five turnovers and six penalties and didn’t convert one of its five fourth down attempts. The Cornhuskers’ much-discussed and well-respected defense cratered in Indiana‘s Memorial Stadium last weekend, giving up 495 yards and 56 points in a 49-point defeat to the still-undefeated and now-No. 13 Hoosiers.

Everything that could go wrong went wrong for head coach Matt Rhule and Nebraska.

A week later, the Huskers likely can’t afford even one of those costly turnovers. They’re playing on the road against a No. 4 Ohio State team that’s itching to get back in the win column after an off week and, before that, a heartbreaking one-point loss to now-top-ranked Oregon.

“They have no weakness,” Rhule said Thursday of the 5-1 Buckeyes. “Probably one of the top-two or three rosters in football, great coaching staff, great schemes.

“It’s just one of those deals where you have to go play well. You start with the simple things, things we talked about all year. Like last week was the first week we didn’t win the turnover battle. So it ends up the way it ends up. So you come back this week, and you don’t reinvent yourself. You say, ‘Hey, we got to win the turnover battle.’ Coming out of the bye week, on offense we talked a lot about getting better on third down. We were 7-of-16 on third down last week.”

Rhule, now in his second year at the helm, added: “I just think Ohio State’s a great team. It’s a great opportunity for our guys.”

Nebraska is now tied for 10th in the Big Ten in turnover margin per game (+0.29). But, to Rhule’s point, the Huskers were in a much better spot in that department headed into last week’s game at Indiana, considering they had 10 takeaways and only four turnovers on the season.

They have to strike the balance between protecting the ball and creating enough explosive plays against a Buckeyes defense that’s typically stout, albeit imperfect.

Nebraska is piloted by true freshman quarterback, and one-time Ohio State commit, Dylan Raiola, a former Elite 11 finalist and five-star prospect. The Huskers have more talent than in years past, and that showed during their 5-1 start. Now 5-2, they’re still one win away from clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2016 season. And their defense is still top 20 in points per game allowed (17.7), yards per game allowed (304.3) and rushing yards per game allowed (102.86).

Rhule said there’s not one specific thing his squad has to do against Ohio State. The Huskers simply “have to go play well.”

“We have a lot of really, really, really good football players, guys who are gonna play for a long time in the National Football League, both seniors and freshmen,” Rhule said. “So you have a chance to go out and challenge yourself against the best and see where you are and develop it from there.”