Matt Rhule shouts out Terence Crawford for win over Canelo Alvarez

Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford made the state of Nebraska proud when he defeated Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision on Saturday night. While Crawford was making history, his hometown Huskers sept their Saturday defeating Houston Christian 59-7 during Week 3.

Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule made sure to extend his congratulations to the boxing superstar for his win in front of millions live on Netflix. He praised the new super middleweight champion for being a hometown hero while doing so.

“We are grateful, grateful that Terence would represent his home state the way he does,” Rhule said. “And then obviously just a historic night, a lot of respect for him.”

The victory propelled Crawford to 42-0 in his illustrious boxing career. The judges scored the fight 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 unanimously in favor of the Omaha-native.

At the same time, Nebraska football is off to a hot start to the 2025 season. They’re 3-0 entering Big Ten play this weekend, outscoring its opponents 147-27 in the non-conference. All the while, Bud Crawford has been repping his favorite college football program.

In fact, Crawford met the Cornhuskers’ team last season when he led them out onto the field ahead of their game against Colorado. Crawford addressed the team before they took the field. Evidently, whatever Crawford said worked. Nebraska dominated the Buffaloes’ 28-10. 

Rhule outlined why Crawford’s hometown branding is so pivotal for Nebraska on the recruiting scene. After all, kids want to be cool. Crawford makes Nebraska cool.

“It’s really cool to see Netflix, the whole world to see him as he sports the Nebraska ‘N’ on his mouthpiece, and seeing all the guys that are with them all wearing Cornhusker red,” Rhule said. “… This generation of kids who we are recruiting, and they’re great players, is (our) brand is cool.”

Having all those eyes one the Nebraska logo will likely aid in strengthening the Huskers’ image. Whether that proves to be true remains to be seen, but it’s clear the Huskers appear to be on an upward trajectory under Rhule’s guidance.

Much has been made of Rhule’s success during year three of his tenures at Temple and Baylor, and the same is expected at Nebraska in 2025. Their 3-0 record to begin the season is a strong start.

In addition, Nebraska brought in the No. 21 recruiting class in the country to Lincoln this past offseason. Rhule’s staff added the No. 22 overall transfer portal class as well, which means players are wanting to play for the Cornhuskers. If their recruiting success continues to translate to wins, Rhule will be around in Lincoln for a long time.