Tag: Matt Rhule

Matt Rhule gives praise to a Husker legend on Tuesday

Matt Rhule was able to reconnect with Ndamukong Suh recently.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule gave props to a Husker legend earlier this week. Ndamukong Suh will be inducted into the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend.

Suh was one of the most dominant players in Cornhusker history. During his career at Nebraska, he recorded 215 combined tackles and 24 sacks. He also proved to be a ball hawk, recording four interceptions.

Suh was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 when he tallied 85 combined tackles and 12 sacks on the season. He was also named the AP Player of the Year and finished fourth for the Heisman Trophy.

Rhule gave Suh his due when the coach met with the media on Tuesday.

“I don’t even want to think about when I crossed paths with him in the NFL, he’s just so dominant. He was a Heisman candidate as a defensive player, he’s the most dominant defensive player at least in my recent college history. What I love about Ndamukong is as dominant as he’s been on the field, then he shows philanthropy giving back to the university which you don’t always see.

There’s little doubt that Suh was among the most electric defensive players in Husker history. He also had a very productive NFL career, recording 600 tackles and 71 sacks in 12 seasons.

He was an impact playmaker on both levels of football, and Rhule can certainly attest to that. Ndamukong Suh and the rest of the 2024 Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Friday, Oct. 4.

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Matt Rhule gives positive status update on Micah Mazzccua

Matt Rhule provided an update on the offensive lineman.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule gave a status update on offensive lineman Micah Mazzuca. Rhule confirmed that the offensive lineman was suspended for this past weekend’s game at Purdue. The coach indicated that Mazzuca was reinstated this week.

Mazzccua was a key player on the Nebraska football offensive line for the first two games of the season. He did not play in the Illinois game and was inactive for Saturday’s game against Purdue. He transferred from the Florida Gators in January after a previous stint at Baylor.

It will be interesting to see how he factors into the offensive line plans moving forward. The Huskers benefited from his ability to run block and his size. Rhule has indicated that he will remain in a reserve roll heading into this weekend.

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Matt Rhule passionately defends players following Purdue win

Nebraska Football coach Matt Rhule made it clear he would fight for his players.

Nebraska football won a tough game against Purdue on Saturday by a 28-10 score. Coach Matt Rhule was upset with the officiating throughout the afternoon. He made his opinions known and even received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the game. He wanted to defend his players, as he made it known in the post-game interviews.

Rhule picked up his second win over the Boilermakers as Huskers head coach. It was a game that saw Nebraska score all 28 points in the second half. It was a flip of the switch, with Nebraska struggling offensively for the first half of the afternoon.

Rhule was passionate about defending his players, as reported by 1011 News’ Chase Matteson.

“We had a tough go of it last week. Here’s what I know: Someone’s gonna have to start to fight for Nebraska, alright, so I’m here to fight for Nebraska. Troy (Dannen) our A.D. will fight for Nebraska in that way. But you know, I wanted the fellas to see me out there fighting for them today.”

It’s never easy to win on the road. It’s never easy to win at Purdue. Nebraska football accomplished both of those things on Saturday afternoon.

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Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule discusses hiring Brett Maher

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have added former Huskers kicker Brett Maher to their staff.

One of the major talking points about Nebraska’s loss to Illinois last Friday was the kicking game. Kicker John Hohl missed a potential 39-yard game-winner late in the fourth quarter. The miss, combined with starting kicker Tristan Alvano being banged up, has caused plenty of questions for head coach Matt Rhule.

During his Monday press conference, Rhule was asked about the kicking game and what the Huskers have been doing with the position group this season.

“We hired Brett Maher. He’s on staff. Brett’s coaching for us. Working with those guys,” Rhule said, the first time the second-year head coach acknowledged the addition of the former Husker kicker to the program’s coaching staff. “He’s here for the meetings and practices,” Rhule added.

When asked to expand on Maher’s role, Rhule told the media, “Brett’s just kind of consulted for (special teams coordinator) Ed (Foley) for a while. Brett, his life has shifted right before the first game. Ed would kind of use him as a sounding board, show him some video.”

“We have our specials camp, we had five or six NFL kickers and we’d use them as a sounding board. With the new rule, we went to Troy (Dannen) and all those guys and asked if we could add him to the staff. He’s been with us since training camp and going into the first game,” he added.

Maher, a Fremont, Nebraska native, played for the Cornhuskers from 2008 to 2012 before playing professionally in the NFL and CFL from 2013 through 2023, playing with 12 different teams during his career.

For the Huskers, Maher was 39-for-50, a 78% career field goal percentage. All of his kicks came in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He also served as the program’s starting punter in both seasons, averaging 43.2 yards per punt over 120 career punts.

During his NFL career, Maher was 111-for-139 on kicks and holds the NFL record for most career 60+ yard field goals with four.

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Sooners face rival in latest USA TODAY Sports Bowl Projections

The Oklahoma Sooners fave a rival in USA TODAY Sports updated bowl projections.

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to bounce back as they get ready to go on the road to face the Auburn Tigers. The Sooners are coming off a disappointing loss to the Tennessee Volunteers but showed some things they can build on moving forward.

The updated ESPN Matchup Predictor projects the Sooners to finish the season 6-6, would put them just inside bowl season. It’s a difficult schedule the rest of the way, and the Sooners will have to find a way to beat one of the ranked teams remaining on the schedule to ensure a spot in bowl season.

But as things stand right now, college football analysts still have the Sooners bowling in December. Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports has the Oklahoma Sooners heading to Nashville, Tenn., to play in the Music City Bowl. And they’ll face an old rival. Smith projects the Sooners to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Dec. 30.

The Oklahoma Sooners last faced the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a home-and-home in 2021 and 2022. The Sooners won in Norman 23-16, highlighted by D.J. Graham’s one-handed interception. In 2022, Brent Venables’ first season at the helm, the Sooners beat the Cornhuskers 49-10, led by [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]’s 110 rushing yards and two touchdown performance.

If the two sides were to face off in bowl season, it could be a matchup between a pair of true freshmen quarterbacks, [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] and Dylan Raiola. Hawkins takes over for Jackson Arnold ahead of the Sooners road trip to Auburn. Raiola was named the starting quarterback out of fall camp.

Raiola has looked good for Nebraska, completing 72.2% of his passes for 967 yards, eight touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Hawkins, in his first season in Norman, is completing 59.1% of his passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.

OU and Nebraska is a rivalry as old as there is. The two sides first played in 1912, a 13-9 win for the Cornhuskers. Oklahoma holds the all-time series lead 47-38-3. A rivalry that was at one point one of the biggest in college football has only seen the two teams play twice since Nebraska joined the Big Ten back in 2011.

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Former Wisconsin coach leads program to signature win over Nebraska

Former Wisconsin coach gets signature win over Nebraska

Former Wisconsin and current Illinois head coach Bret Bielema led his No. 24-ranked Fighting Illini to a signature win over No. 22 Nebraska on Friday night.

The 31-24 overtime triumph moved his team to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in Big Ten play. The ranked matchup, paired with the hype surrounding Nebraska’s 3-0 start, the national profile of freshman QB Dylan Raiola and the Friday night national television stage makes the win arguably the biggest of Bielema’s Illinois tenure.

Related: Ranking Wisconsin’s remaining Big Ten opponents from easiest to toughest

The former Badger coach is in his fourth season at Illinois. His best season with the Illini came in 2022 — an 8-5 finish with as high as a No. 14 ranking in the AP Poll. The Nebraska win puts 2024 on pace to surpass that finish.

Illinois’ 4-0 start also includes a home win against a ranked Kansas team, plus blowout wins against Eastern Illinois and Central Michigan. The win moves Illinois’ record against ranked teams under Bielema to 4-5. In the 10 years before his arrival, the program went just 3-28 in those matchups.

Bielema’s postgame excitement captures the gravity of the road victory.

Bielema coached at Wisconsin from 2006-2012. He went 68-24, including Big Ten titles in 2011 and 2012. His controversial departure to Arkansas in 2012 cast a shadow over his tenure. Given Wisconsin’s ongoing struggles since firing Paul Chryst in 2022, many have turned around to appreciate Bielema’s ability to win during his time in Madison.

To add to the Wisconsin connection, the Illinois staff includes former Badger players Aaron Henry (defensive coordinator) and Terrance Jamison (defensive line coach).

Wisconsin does not play Illinois this season for the first time since 2010. It beat Bielema and the Fighting Illini 25-21 last season on a last-minute touchdown pass to OT Nolan Rucci.

The Badgers do play Nebraska, however. Friday’s loss halts the Cornhuskers’ momentum after a flawless start to the season. The late-season matchup between the two teams could go on to largely define each of their respective seasons.

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Rhule announces another status change for Micah Mazzccua

Micah Mazzccua will be available to play on Friday.

Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule confirmed that right guard Micah Mazzccua is available for Friday’s game against Illinois. Henry Lutovsky will still start at the position, but Mazzccua will be available to play.

This is a sharp contrast to earlier in the week when Rhule said that the guard would not play in Friday’s game but would still be with the team.

This is certainly of note, given that the guard started the first two games against UTEP and Colorado. At the very least, this gives Nebraska football more depth at the guard position.

It will be interesting to see how much Mazzccua plays, if at all, on Friday. His run-blocking abilities, size, and physicality undoubtedly make him an asset to the line. Huskers. Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 7:00 p.m. CT.

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Matt Rhule gives status update on Micah Mazzccua for Friday’s game

Micah Mazzccua will not be available for Friday’s contest against Illinois.

On Monday, Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule noted that offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua won’t play this week. He will be on the team and practicing but won’t be out on the field for Friday’s game against Illinois.

Mazzccua started the first two weeks of the season against UTEP and Colorado. However, he was out of Saturday’s game against Northern Iowa. Rhule gave a brief update after the game, indicating that it was a coach’s decision to keep him out of the contest.

On Monday, the head coach told the press, “he won’t play this week. He’s on the team. He’s practicing with us. He is just working through some stuff right now doing everything we asked him to do. He won’t be available.”

Mazzccua transferred to the Nebraska football program in January after spending the 2023 season with the Florida Gators.

This will certainly be a situation that requires monitoring, as Mazzccua was a big part of the Huskers’ offensive line through the first two games of the season. Nebraska is set to take on Illinois this Friday as they look for their first ranked win since 2016.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on Fox.

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Matt Rhule gives update on offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua

Matt Rhule noted that he would elaborate on the decision later in the week.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule indicated it was a “coach’s decision” for offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua to sit out of Saturday’s game against Northern Iowa.

This is notable given that Mazzccua played at right guard in the UTEP Miners and Colorado Buffaloes games. He helped bring consistency to the offensive line, a unit that has improved each week.

Mazzccua came from Florida in January. He officially entered the transfer portal in December. He is familiar with Rhule from his connection to the Texas area and the Baylor program. After the game, the head coach was asked about the decision not to play the lineman.

“Micah, I’ll probably address that later. It was just a coach’s decision. He’s still with us. He just didn’t play tonight.”

It will be interesting to see how the situation develops, given Mazzccua was a prominent piece of the offensive line over the first two games.

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Nebraska coach Matt Rhule ecstatic with play of CB Tommi Hill

Tommi Hill has emerged as one of the best corners in the Big Ten.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule praised corner Tommi Hill, who made a significant play in Saturday’s 28-10 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.

Hill took an interception from the six-yard line in for a touchdown, to give Huskers a 14-0 lead following the extra point. It was Hill’s first interception of the season in what could be a major year for him. He has already been projected to be an NFL draft pick by ESPN and made a big-time play Saturday.

Rhule was ecstatic with his players’ effort following the victory and made sure to give Hill his due, as reported by the Lincoln Journal-Star’s Luke Mullen.

“Everyone kept talking about the other team’s corner; Tommi’s a first-rounder… I think Tommi’s one of the best players in the country.”

It will be interesting to see what Hill can do for the rest of the season as he looks to further establish himself as one of the best corners in the Big Ten. His journey from part-time wide receiver to lockdown corner has been nothing short of impressive.

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