Tony White and Matt Rhule 2023 Nebraska vs Northwestern football — Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Tad Stryker: Getting Their Minds Right

Mental toughness, belief on upswing in Rhule’s Husker football program

Author:
Tad Stryker
Updated:
Oct 21, 2023 11:36 PM EDT
Original:
Oct 21, 2023

In this story:

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Northwestern Wildcats

On a day when Husker Nation celebrated the state’s most valuable tract of land, at 10th and Vine streets in Lincoln, Matt Rhule showed everyone he’s slowly improving the most important real estate on any Nebraska football player — the six inches between the ears.

Having spent much of the last six years losing ugly one-score games in the Big Ten, the Cornhuskers went out and won one Saturday, 17-9 over Northwestern, and conquered a mental test in the process.

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Last year in Ireland, Scott Frost and the Huskers led Northwestern by 11 points midway through the third quarter, then collapsed.

Saturday on a beautiful day that commemorated 100 years since Nebraska played its first game in Memorial Stadium, Rhule and the Huskers led the Wildcats by 11 early in the fourth, and hung on.

It’s slow progress — almost imperceptible outside the state’s borders — but it’s small steps in the right direction, steps toward recovery. And just maybe, if the brief-but-dynamic flight of a freshman wide receiver is a foreshadowing of future events, that recovery can be accelerated.

The patient is still unpredictable, capable of irrational self-destructive decisions, but seems to be stabilizing. One indicator: Husker football is no longer making weekly trips to the emergency room after shooting itself in the foot.

Another more tangible milestone: Nebraska just won its fourth game in its last five. That hasn’t happened since 2018, when Frost’s first Husker team reeled off a similar stretch after losing its first six games.

This marks the first time Nebraska (4-3) has been over .500 during the second half of the season since 2019, and that team was on the cusp of a four-game losing streak. This year’s team gives every indication it will avoid a catastrophic dropoff.

Rhule’s relentless gospel of “focus-on-the-next-snap” — positivity amid negative circumstances — is slowly soaking into the Husker mindset.

There’s no denying that getting a break from the conference scheduling gurus helps. It also helps to have a trustworthy defensive unit, and Tony White is developing a deep and talented one. The Blackshirts just put together their first back-to-back single-digit conference games since 2010, and the first time ever since joining the Big Ten. Getting 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks helped a ton.

Signs of consistency are starting to creep back into the Husker football program. Even more important, so are signs of belief.

The Huskers’ win (the third consecutive home win over Northwestern) happened despite two catastrophic pass interceptions that set up the ‘Cats in Husker territory in the first quarter. Nebraska could have been staring at a quick 14-0 deficit, but the Blackshirts allowed only a single field goal.

“Our guys were comfortable in that stressful environment,” Rhule said in his postgame press conference.

Can you conceive of last year’s team being able to survive a start like that? In fact, Rhule brought even it closer to home.

“I think we would have lost (this) game at the beginning of the year,” Rhule said. “But now, with all the adversity we’ve been going through, and the toughness we’re building, that’s a game that we now won.”

It happened because the Huskers righted the ship quickly, and didn’t let the bad start stick in their minds. Nebraska committed just three penalties for 30 yards, with just one pre-snap penalty by the offensive line. Meanwhile, Northwestern (3-4) had more than twice as many flags for twice as much yardage. It also happened because Rhule has a better grasp of the Big Ten in just half a season than Frost did in four-plus seasons at the helm.

Rhule and his staff have been working to scrub the self-destructive residue out of this team while bringing in young players to handle key roles, most notably, rushing the passer. It was especially evident on defense, and Rhule proudly pointed out the contributions of freshmen Princewell Umanmielen (seven tackles, two of them for losses, including a sack) and Cam Lenhardt (three tackles, including a tackle for loss). Meanwhile, a seasoned vet, junior safety Isaac Gifford, had another seven-tackle game, including a spectacular one-armed takedown of Cam Porter on a third-and-10 screen pass that appeared ready to spring for big yardage in the third quarter. Gifford held Porter to a six-yard gain and forced a punt.

On offense, he highlighted redshirt freshman Justin Evans-Jenkins, who took over at left guard for Ethan Piper (who could put no weight on his lower leg as he left the field in the second quarter), then moved to center in the second half to replace Ben Scott, who also sustained a lower leg injury.

Rhule also pointed to a career-best 73 yards on 12 carries by redshirt freshman running back Emmett Johnson.

He didn’t have to point out Malachi Coleman, the true freshman who started his first game at wide receiver and caught a game-clinching 44-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.

That pass was the bright spot of the day for Heinrich Haarberg, who threw the two first-quarter picks, missed other wide-open receivers and fumbled the ball twice. Haarberg also appeared to lack his usual decisive style running the football. Rhule never made a move toward replacing him, and Haarberg, even though his stat line was unimpressive, rallied and stabilized his game.

“I think we have to continue to be aggressive,” he said. “We have to coach our way and work our way through these phases of where it’s not super pretty right now, but we just keep playing.”

Playing through bad breaks. Shrugging off bad plays. Rhule has flipped the mindset. The stretch run will determine to what degree.

Northwestern interception 2023 vs Nebraska football USATSI_21700979 — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Devin Turner intercepts a pass that was thrown behind Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone in the first quarter

Heinrich Haarberg and Emmett Johnson 1Q 2023 Nebraska vs Northwestern football USATSI_21700990 — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska's Heinrich Haarberg hands the ball off to Emmett Johnson during the first quarter.

Northwestern 2023 - haarberg runs — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg runs the ball during the second quarter.

Anthony Tyus run Northwestern vs Nebraska football 2023 — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Northwestern running back Anthony Tyus III is brought down by Nebraska's Isaac Gifford (2) and Javin Wright (33) during the second quarter.

Northwestern 2023 - Matt Rhule talks to an official — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule talks with a referee during the first quarter.

Haarberg Heinrich Haarberg 1 2023 Nebraska vs Northwestern football — Kenny Larabee, KLLIN

Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg runs three yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter.

Northwestern 2023 - haarberg — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg (10) and tight end Luke Lindenmeyer celebrate after a touchdown by Haarberg late in the second quarter.

Johnson Emmett Johnson 1 2023 Nebraska vs Northwestern football — Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska's Emmett Johnson breaks free for a big gain in the first quarter.

Northwestern 2023 — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg runs the ball out of the end zone after starting one the 1-yard line against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium.