Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule is praising one of his upcoming opponents. Rhule recently praised University of Texas El Paso head coach Scotty Walden as the teams prepare to face off on August 31.
Walden is a younger coach, at 34. He was the head coach at Austin Peay from 2020-2023 before taking the UTEP job on December 4. He compiled a 26-14 overall record with the program after serving as interim head coach for Southern Miss in 2020.
Now, he is looking to take over a program coming off a 3-9 record in the 2023 season. The season opener will feature two teams trying to turn the corner, with Nebraska finishing 5-7 in 2023.
Rhule has nothing but respect for Walden, as the latter has been visible in the Texas camp circle. He spoke about the coach following practice on Saturday, as transcribed by Husker247’s Brian Christopherson.
“Scotty Walden is going to do a great job. He’s an excellent coach. And if you go back and watch the Tennessee game last year when he was at Austin Peay, that’s 6-6 at the half,” Rhule said. “So they’re going to come out here and they’re going to try to run 200 plays. They’re going to take their shots. They’re going to challenge us all over the field.”
This game will certainly not be one where the Huskers can relax. After all, they have not won an opening game since the 2019 season. That year, they beat South Alabama by a 35-24 margin and were ranked 24th at the time. Husker fans hope this is the year the tides turn.
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