Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema talk before a game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule met with the media following his team’s 31-24 overtime loss to Illinois. The game was the first time that Nebraska opened Big Ten Conference play at home since 2017
The loss dropped the Huskers record in Big Ten openers to 6-8 overall. Since joining the conference, they have also been 3-3 against the Illini in Big Ten openers.
The game also celebrated Memorial Stadium’s 400th consecutive sellout, which started on Nov. 3, 1962, against Missouri. The Husker’s record during the sellout streak is 324-76, with a 2-2 record at home in overtime games.
Nebraska’s record drops to 3-1 on the season with the loss. Next weekend, they will travel to West Lafayette to face the Purdue Boilermakers. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT, and the game can be seen on Peacock.
Find comments from Matt Rhule and Illinois head coach Bret Bielema below.
Matt Rhule on Illinois’ game plan
Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule talks with officials after an interception during the second quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Bret Bielema on the win
Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini flags are waved after a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
“I’m very excited for our players, our coaches, and our fan base. To take part in something like tonight, you have two ranked teams playing on a Friday night on national TV, and it played out like that. I give a lot of credit to Nebraska. Matt (Rhule) has obviously done a really good job to build this environment. You don’t come to 400 straight sellouts by chance, so there’s a lot of people that made tonight happen before this.
Bret Bielema on his team’s work ethic
Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
“I can’t say enough about these guys. The attitude they work with, the perseverance, the humility, the gratitude, and all they’ve done has made this even bigger. We’ll take ourselves back to Champaign and get a chance to have a recovery day tomorrow. We can’t touch our players. As coaches, we’ll put this one to bed. I think Penn State plays at 2:30, and it’s obviously a great opportunity for us to go out to State College, another great venue, another great opportunity.
Bret Bielema on the health of his team
Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Pat Bryant (13) scores a touchdown in overtime against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
“I think we came out of it pretty healthy. Zakhari (Franklin) came out, but he was cleared to go back in there at the end; we just felt good about Malik (Elzy). There are a couple other guys who got banged up and went back in. Tanner Arkin is OK; he tweaked his back a little bit. There was tremendous perseverance by our guys: offensively, defensively, and with some really good special teams plays. I’m excited for these guys to go forward.”
Bret Bielema on only having three penalties
Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini offensive lineman Brandon Henderson (94) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
“I wouldn’t have the three penalties, but I thought we preached on it all week. My ears were blaring. We blasted those guys pretty hard on our two biggest work days in the stadium. We knew it was going to be loud today. This is a very intelligent crowd. I first played these guys when I was a young assistant at Iowa. I came over here when I was at Kansas State and knew this environment. We obviously came here two years ago. They are very intelligent fans. They know when to be loud: third downs, red area, backed up. I knew that that was going to play out, and it did today, but our guys really took in everything during the course of the week, and obviously took advantage of it today.”
Bret Bielema on Illinois’ defensive pressure in the backfield after halftime
Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Torrie Cox Jr. (5) and defensive back Miles Scott (10) celebrate after an interception in the end zone against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
“First off, they’re very good. I think their quarterback is a good player. Their wide receivers are good players. They’re opportunistic. There were some zone things that they were settling in behind our linebackers. We kind of dumped them right over the top. You can literally see this quarterback get better every play. If you’re a Nebraska fan, obviously, the bad news is you lost tonight, but the good news is you’ve got a quarterback who probably gets better every practice. From everything I’ve been told about him, his demeanor, his work ethic – just listening to Matt (Rhule) talk about him. Usually, the head coach doesn’t go over the top the way he does. If he’s saying that, that makes me think he believes in him. They’re putting their whole program behind him.”
This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: What Nebraska coach Matt Rhule and Illinois coach Bret Bielema said after the Illini upset the Huskers
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Publish date : 2024-09-20 23:15:00
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