Matt Rhule: 'You're never going to be a relevant team in the Big Ten if you can't win on the road'

The Nebraska Cornhuskers opened the season with four straight home games, but now they’re ready to hit the road for the first time against the Purdue Boilermakers. It’s a game that head coach Matt Rhule knows is vital to his team.

In recent seasons, Nebraska has struggled in road games. That’s something that Rhule knows he needs to address and fix if the Cornhuskers want to find more success in the Big Ten.

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“I think the improvement happens during the week,” Matt Rhule said. “I think our guys have had a great week of practice, a great week of preparations, a great week of honest evaluation from staff, coaches, everyone. I think you learn more about yourself when you go through some adversity than when you have success. The great ones, they don’t just bounce back, they bounce back and elevate. We’re looking to see ourselves bounce back and elevate.”

Road games have been a challenge for Nebraska in recent years. Last season, which was the team’s first under Matt Rhule, the Cornhuskers won just one game on the road. That was against Illinois. Now, the first road test of 2024 is coming off a loss that the Cornhuskers need to bounce back from.

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“You’re never going to be a relevant team in the Big Ten if you can’t win on the road. You go into hostile environments, you travel, stay in a small hotel, guys are doubled up. It’s just different. It’s a part of the process of, I think I said last week, I said, ‘Learning how to win.’ Maybe I should change what I’m saying to learning to play championship-caliber football. Learning how to win at that level,” Rhule said.

“I think part of that is going on the road and playing at the level you need to play to beat someone. I’ve been pleased with the week, we’ll see how we do the next two days leading up to the game and then at the game.”

While Purdue is Nebraska’s first road test of the season, the Boilermakers won’t be the last. The Cornhuskers have back-to-back road games against currently unbeaten Indiana and Ohio State. They’ll also have a game in Los Angeles against USC before finishing the season on the road against Iowa.

That first road test for Matt Rhule and Nebraska against Purdue will be played on Saturday, September 28th with kickoff scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST. It will be played at Ross-Ade Stadium.