Former Husker Mickey Joseph, now the head football coach at Grambling State, included in his comments before his team’s game at Ohio State last Saturday the fact that among reasons for scheduling the game was the money Grambling State, an FCS program, would receive.
It would be the budget builder the program was paid for a 70-0 loss.
Akron probably scheduled the Zips’ trip to Lincoln, at least in part, for the same reason, though the 68-0 result was hardly expected. And Akron is FBS.
Where is this headed? Nebraska plays Houston Christian at Memorial Stadium at 11 a.m. Saturday in a situation similar to Grambling State’s. Houston Christian is FCS.
It’s a scheduled win, you might say. The Huskers are 15-0 against FCS opponents.
That’s not how Matt Rhule is approaching Saturday’s final nonconference game, however. “Just because a team’s in the FCS … does not mean they’re not a good football team,” he said Monday.
When he was coaching at Temple, he’d rather play what would be a Power 4 team now that “doesn’t win than playing Villanova,” Rhule said. “Every kid at Villanova is a winner because they win all the time. Teams that win know how to win. Teams that don’t win, bad teams, do bad things.”
Times are different now because of NIL money and the transfer portal. Sometimes it can almost be professionals against amateurs. Two weeks into the season, four Big Ten teams besides Ohio State and Nebraska have scored 66 or more points. USC beat Missouri State 73-13 the first week. Minnesota defeated Northwestern State 66-0, Oregon defeated Oklahoma State 69-3 and Washington defeated California State-Davis 70-10 the second. All losers were FCS except Oklahoma State
Even so, winners still know how to win. The question is where Houston Christian fits. The Huskies are 1-1, opening with a 69-0 win against Arkansas Baptist (NAIA), followed by a 20-10 loss to Eastern Kentucky (FCS). Despite the loss, Houston Christian’s defense has stood out, according to Rhule.
And besides, as he has said, you have to play the man, not play the brand. Saturday’s victory underscored his approach. Even though the Huskers led 33-0, he “went after them at halftime,” he said. “I freakin’ lost it in the locker room.”
He wanted to know where the “killer instinct” was.
Rhule’s halftime remarks have gone viral on social media. You can see the speech.
The players responded, quarterback Dylan Raiola said Tuesday. “We took it,” he said. “That’s our leader. That’s our guy that we trust and we love and care for tremendously, so when the head of the snake says that, we respond, we take it seriously, and I think we went out after half, we went back out there, the defense got a stop and the offense went down and scored.
“So he just challenged us and we answered the call. And I think when you have those types of moments, it builds a lot of team character and you have a coach that cares that much when you’re up 33-0 at half, you’ve got something special.”
Rhule wanted to “get the attention of the backups” at halftime, according to offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, “the second team, third team,” said Holgorsen. “It wasn’t just the offense, it was special teams, it was defense that went out there and played to that standard.”
The Huskers scored 35 points in the second half and maintained the shutout, thanks to a blocked field goal attempt by Riley Van Poppel.
“Teams are supposed to come in and they’re supposed to say, ‘I never want to … don’t schedule them again. That’s the mentality we’re supposed to have,” Rhule said. “That’s why I went off in the locker room, to coaches and players.”
