By Rock Westfall
Two weeks ago, the Nebraska Cornhuskers were riding high at 3-0, with a national ranking of 24 th and a raucous crowd in the 400 th straight sellout at Memorial Stadium, dating back to 1962. Nebraska was a 9.5-point favorite over the Illinois Fighting Illini for the FOX Friday night telecast. Everything was laid out for the Big Red to enjoy a big night. Instead, they failed to meet the moment in a 31-24 overtime loss . Nebraska was not mentally prepared or focused and paid a painful price for its lack of readiness.
Last week against Purdue , Nebraska suffered from an Illinois hangover and took a precarious 7-3 lead into the final frame before they exploded for 21 points and a 28-10 win.
As I wrote afterward, the Purdue win was a hideously beautiful clutch performance. It was the type of game that should have long-term benefits. The Big Red overcame itself and intense pressure for the win and did not get discouraged or panic at crunch time.
Successfully prevailing against such adversity will serve the Cornhuskers well, perhaps as soon as Saturday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers Packs Physicality & Mental Toughness
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights bring a record of 4-0 and one of the top running backs in the game, Kyle Monangai, to Memorial Stadium. So far, Monangai has amassed 589 yards, 6.1 yards per carry, and six touchdowns.
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has high praise for Monangai.
“He’s like the Matrix. Nothing ever hits him. He’s running, and he has such elite body balance and contact balance. He sees it coming, so no one ever gets a true shot on him. It’s always a glancing blow. I think he’s really, really, really a great player,” said Rhule.
Monangai’s success is a significant contributor to the good start of Minnesota transfer QB Athan Kaliakmanis , who is a solid game manager with a 150.0 rating, 7.9 yards per attempt, and a 7/1 TD/INT ratio.
The Rutgers offensive system helps protect and complement a defense with mediocre metrics. Rutgers has national defensive rankings of 68th overall, 37 th against the pass, 99 th against the rush, and 29 th for points allowed. The Scarlet Knights rank only 89 th for takeaways, which does not match up well against Nebraska, who ranks 22 nd for fewest turnovers committed, two of which were garbage time interceptions thrown by Dylan Raiola at the end of halves.
Rutgers's style is emblematic of respected head coach Greg Schiano , a fundamentalist who emphasizes the elimination of mistakes while waiting for opponents to self-destruct.
Last week, Rutgers scored a 21-18 win over the Washington Huskies that was emblematic of the Schiano style. The Scarlet Knights were outgained 521 to 299 in total yards, and Washington enjoyed a 23-15 first down advantage. Yet the Huskies were unable to finish drives, going 2-12 on third downs and 2-4 on fourth downs.
Rhule perfectly emphasized the point while discussing how Rutgers operates.
“You face some teams like Rutgers, who don’t give up explosive plays. They make you earn it. Coach (Greg) Schiano doesn’t give up explosive plays,” said Rhule. “They sit there and play three or four quarters with rugged, rugged players, and they’ll try to knock you back into the quarterback’s lap. It’s a whole different animal that we’re facing this week with the way they play.”
The Pick – Nebraska’s Time To Profit From Illinois Debacle
What sticks in the craw of Husker Nation is that, despite not being in sync against Illinois, Nebraska still could have and should have won. Now comes the opportunity to learn from that loss and apply the painful lessons that emerged from the failure against the Fighting Illini. The Big Red knows it can’t afford to admire its headlines or think of itself as invincible. Rhule should find it much easier to sell the importance of preparation and mental readiness this week.
The Rutgers bend-but-don't-break defense is respectable, but it doesn't measure up to Nebraska's Blackshirt standard. Offensively, Husker running backs Donte Dowdell and Emmett Johnson have the opportunity for productive if not breakout days. Meanwhile, Dylan Raiola gives the Huskers a quarterback advantage. The true freshman plays with the poise and maturity of a senior and has more playmaking potential than Kaliakmanis.
Schiano has a reputation for good kicking teams. Yet, incredibly, the Big Red has better numbers on kickoff returns, punts, and field goals.
Rhule is not shying away from his expectations for more production from the kicking game.
"We know what to do, and I mean this sincerely, and we have the guys to do it. We just need to go do it," Rhule said. "That's the phase we're in. You can't be a different guy in practice than you are in games. We make those kicks in practice. I expect us to make them in games."
While Rutgers will bring its best team in recent memory to Memorial Stadium, Nebraska has the edge in talent and experience..
Nebraska 27, Rutgers 10
The 401 st consecutive sellout should go much better on Saturday.
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