Matt Rhule shares his format plans for Nebraska's spring game

Nebraska‘s annual Red-White Spring Game is right around the corner, as many fans will get their first look at Matt Rhule’s 2023 squad for the first time. Head coaches can go in numerous different directions regarding the format of their spring games, but after the Cornhuskers’ scrimmage on Saturday, Rhule revealed what fans should expect the Red-White game to look like this Saturday.

“I want to play Red vs White, the only way I’ll change that is if I have like seven offensive linemen,” Rhule said. “They’re gonna have the new running clock rules in the NCAA so I might run the clock, like on first downs not stop the clock to cut the plays. But I want to play a game, what I really want to do is have the teams and be like hey, you’re calling the plays for this team, you’re calling the plays for this team and then have them compete against each other. Like game plan each other, compete against each other.”

Emphasis on implementing the NCAA’s new rules to the spring game is one of Rhule’s priorities, but so is making sure that the game is competitive as possible.

“If I tell these guys let’s go run 10 half gassers, 10 40-yard, dashes they’ll complain. If I say I want to see who the fastest guy in they’ll run 30 to prove that they’re the fastest guy. So they love competition so I’d like to have this be a competition next week, so I’m planning on it being like that vs that,” Rhule explained.

Rhule also broke down and gave a preview of what to expect the Red and White teams to look like, focused on getting his best players lined up from across each other and competing at the highest level possible.

“What I will say is I see a lot of people they’ll put their one offense and one defense on one team and they go against the twos. I want my one offense going against my one defense, I want iron sharpening iron, I want my two offense against my two defense,” Rhule said. “So I’ll probably put the one offense with the two defense on one team and one defense with the two offense, so that way they’re always going against similar groups.”

The only obstacle that could potentially get in the way of Rhule’s plan is the offensive line position, one that every team has has depth issues at from one point or another. Finding 10 or more offensive linemen on your own roster to divide among teams and play in a spring game is challenging, but Rhule has a plan for that as well.

“It’s a long long long answer to say I hope we can do that, only way I’ll change it is if we were to have seven or eight o-lineman available. I’d have to put them in a difference color jersey and still do the same thing with these guys but probably have them just rotate as an o-line.

Nebraska’s spring game seems to have the makings of one of the most exciting in the country and one of the most anticipated with Rhule entering his first season at the helm. The Red-White Spring Game kicks off this Saturday at 1 p.m. CT in Memorial Stadium and will be airing on Big Ten Network.