Matt Rhule shares his belief on key to finding success in Big Ten Conference
New Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has attained success in the American Athletic and Big 12 conferences previously at his stops with Temple and Baylor, but will he be able to do the same in the Big Ten?
Every conference has different calling cards and keys to success, and Rhule recently joined ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd’ to discuss what stands out about the Big Ten and the areas in which his team will need to succeed in the conference.
“I think the defenses in the Big Ten do a great job, they just smother you,” Rhule said. “They’re physical, they keep everything in front of you, they’re built to play in November and December. When you’re in the ACC or SEC, you’re maybe not dealing with the same elements that you’re dealing with in the Big Ten, at least as it stands now. So I think that’s the biggest thing for us.”
Nobody does defense quite like the Big Ten, as they were the only conference in the Power 5 last season to boast a whopping six teams that held opponents to under 20 points per game.
The Cornhuskers haven’t done so since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011, as Rhule will look to turn things around and bolster up the Nebraska defense in order to prepare them better for conference play.
13 members of his first high school signing class play on the defensive side of the ball, along with four defensive transfer portal additions, and it will be intriguing to see how many of them are called upon to contribute in his first season at the helm.
“And I think you look at the offensive lineman in the Big Ten, I think it was last year or maybe the year before, the most guys drafted,” Rhule said. “So you’re looking at big, powerful, physical offensive line, big powerful defenses and it’s a game built for playing in the weather.”
The Big Ten had 11 offensive linemen selected in last year’s NFL Draft, upholding the consistent standard of elite play at the position.
Nebraska lost starters like center Trent Hixson and guard Brock Bando from a season ago, but return their versatile leader in Turner Corcoran who led all Cornhusker offensive linemen with 739 snaps last season, allowing just four sacks and seven quarterback hits on the year.
Younger offensive linemen and transfer portal additions like Ben Scott and Jacob Hood will likely have to contribute on the o-line as well this season, but there’s no doubt that strength in that unit and on defense could take Nebraska a long way in the Big Ten in year one under Rhule.