Matt Rhule Earns Most Significant Win of Nebraska Tenure

Matt Rhule faced the most challenging game Saturday night in his nearly three years at Nebraska. UCLA wasn’t the most talented opponent Rhule had faced but the Huskers’ psyche was a great unknown given the circumstances.

Nebraska was reeling after a Saturday night disaster a week earlier when the Huskers lost on national TV to USC, lost their chance at the College Football Playoff and lost starting quarterback Dylan Raiola to a broken fibula.

It was easy to imagine another loss, and maybe the rest of the season slipping away.

Nebraska was without two starters on the vital offensive line. The Huskers had assorted bumps and bruises that all Big Ten teams had going into the 10th game of the season.

And, the Huskers’ last road trip resulted in a 24-6 thrashing at the hands of Minnesota. And now a true freshman quarterback, TJ Lateef, would make his first start and it would be at the storied Rose Bowl. Quite an assignment for a young man from Southern California.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule watches his team in second half vs. UCLA. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Nebraska was without a signature win in 2025 — or anytime, really, during Rhule’s tenure in Lincoln.

And while a signature win continues to evade Rhule, the Huskers’ 28-21 victory at UCLA qualifies as something just as meaningful: It was Rhule’s most important win at Nebraska.

Victory was uncertain

The Huskers were underdogs by 1.5 points at most sportsbooks at kickoff. The Bruins were on their second head coach this season after firing DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14.

The Bruins started the season 0-4 before winning three consecutive games, including a stunning victory at home against 25-point favorite Penn State.

Which UCLA team would Nebraska face?

But which Nebraska team would line up against UCLA?

Nebraska had to seriously regroup after the USC game. Rhule had one week to get the players coached up and get them in the right frame of mind before traveling to UCLA.

Some weeks, keeping an emotionally and physically damaged team united and focused might be a head coach’s most important task. The Huskers had a plane ride to Los Angeles, an uncomfortable road game, and their leader was back in Lincoln watching on TV.

No letdowns

Circumstances were ripe for a letdown for a team that might have lost its edge and definitely lost its quarterback, the guy who had started all 22 games since he arrived at Nebraska. Many teams in similar situations faced adversity and blinked. Going into the UCLA game, no one knew what to expect.

Rhule said players pledged to buy in after the USC game. How the Huskers played against UCLA showed that was true.

An easier path apparently wasn’t acceptable to Rhule or his players. Is there a better testament to a head coach, coaching staff and players than overcoming obvious adversity?

TJ Lateef wins it

Lateef, who had started zero games since arriving at Nebraska, got the start. Heading into the UCLA game, Rhule and players talked about their support for Lateef and how hard they were working with him. They expressed confidence in their backup quarterback.

What else could they say, really?

Was it coach-speak, happy talk to keep the players and fans motivated? How much confidence did they truly have in Lateef?

Well, Lateef went out and completed his first 11 passes against UCLA. He threw three touchdown passes and didn’t throw an interception.

Lateef wasn’t losing the game for Nebraska, a legitimate option with an inexperienced quarterback, he was winning it — the Huskers marching out to a 28-7 lead.

Contract justification

The Huskers’ performance makes Rhule’s recent contract extension look like a smart move. Nebraska stepped up when rumors flew that Penn State might be interested in hiring Rhule, an alum and former Nittany Lions linebacker.

Nebraska’s record has improved in each of Rhule’s three years. Nebraska goes into its bye week 7-3. The Huskers could be looking at a nine-win regular season.

The program’s direction was reinforced on a 70-degree Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. In a season that saw the Huskers lose two one-score games — both to ranked opponents Michigan and USC — winning this one had to feel special for Rhule and his team who rallied behind him.

“To be able to run the clock down and take a knee on someone else’s field is really hard to do in the Big Ten,” Rhule said after the UCLA game.

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