Matt Rhule reveals Nebraska's motivation level to make a bowl game
After jumping out to a 5-3 start this season, Matt Rhule and Nebraska have dropped three games in a row and now need to beat rival Iowa to make a bowl game.
Beating Iowa isn’t going to be an easy task for Nebraska. However, Rhule has emphasized that the Cornhuskers are ready and motivated with the chance to become bowl eligible in Rhule’s first season with Nebraska.
“I’m motivated every week,” Matt Rhule said. “I think it would be great for our program. It would be great for our young players. It would be great for our older guys. I know our older guys are motivated. I think, look at the last three weeks. We get knocked down and we get right back up and they come back each week.”
At one point, Nebraska went to 35 bowl games in a row. From 1962 to 2016, Nebraska only missed out on going to a bowl game four times. However, the Cornhuskers haven’t been to a bowl game since then. Getting back to a bowl game matters for the fans and the program.
“I don’t think there’s any question that they’re motivated to try and get it done and try to get this win. Like I said when we were at 5-3, I didn’t want to just win one more, I wanted to win them all. I don’t want to win five or six, I want to win each week. I truly believe it when I say go 1-0 each week, I know they want to win,” Rhule said.
“They’re sitting here, it’s senior day, a lot of these guys, it’s their last game in the stadium. They’re playing a ranked team with a chance to go to a bowl game. If they lack any motivation, it’s all there for them. I’ve seen this group do nothing but fight every week all year.”
Beyond the emotional boost of making a bowl game, there are huge practical benefits for Matt Rhule. Teams that make a bowl game earn practices for that bowl game that teams that didn’t make it to a bowl don’t get to have. For a rebuilding program, it’s a huge deal.
Early betting lines for the Heroes Game have the Hawkeyes as a 1.5-point road favorite. The over/under is 27.5 points.
Matt Rhule shares appreciation for senior class
The seniors at Nebraska didn’t sign up to play for Matt Rhule. Still, they’re there now and ahead of their final regular season game, Matt Rhule shared his appreciation for them.
“I just wanna express my deep, deep, deep gratitude for the 24 guys that are gonna walk out on Friday as seniors; some guys are still making some decisions. You can’t do this job without buy-in from players. And these players, well, I think they bought into us. More importantly, I think they cared deeply about Nebraska and Nebraska football,” Rhule said.
“When I see Ethan Piper, when I see Nick Henrich limp off the field the other night; they’ve given us everything. They’ve absolutely given us everything, and I’m just very, very, very grateful.”