Coach Matt Rhule challenged the Nebraska football team to take accountability for its two losses during its idle week, and he hopes to see those results on the field Saturday.
The Huskers are coming off of their lone break in the schedule in which Rhule allowed players time to rest and heal while his staff spent time recruiting. The team did a few days of strength and conditioning workouts before starting preparation for Washington.
“You have to have a mindset and week of you better be ready for war, man,” Rhule said. “You better be ready to not just fight, but fight and find a way to win, and that’s the place that we’re at right now. We’re trying to find a way to win those winning moments in the fourth quarter, to win a big football game.”
One thing that may help the Huskers win is the return of freshman running back Jamal Rule. He injured his ankle against Oregon in the first half and did not return afterward. Rhule did not say whether the back will be back against Washington, but he said the idle week gave all of the backs time to rest.
“This bye week comes at a really good time for Jamal; it comes at a really good time for even Mekhi (Nelson),” Rhule said. “He doesn’t complain about it, but he hurt his ankle going into whatever game it was, I think maybe Maryland, and just fighting through it. With (Vincent) Genatone going down, Isaiah Mozee obviously went down last week, getting this bye week’s great for him.”
Rhule also said that he expects senior safety Jamir Conn to be questionable heading into Saturday’s game.
The Huskers welcome the Washington Huskies into Memorial Stadium Saturday night. Washington is coming off of its idle week as well with a record of 4-3 and some questions at quarterback.
Third-year signal caller Demond Williams Jr. started Washington’s first five games before suffering a rib injury against Iowa. Prior to that, he went for 1,396 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Huskies other option is third-year quarterback Elijah Brown. He took over for the injured Williams against Iowa then led Washington to its first conference win against Purdue. This season, Browns has passed for 578 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
With Washington featuring the No. 3 passing offense in the Big Ten, Rhule said Nebraska’s preparing for both quarterbacks.
“They push the ball down the field,” Rhule said. “This is not like a dink and dunk only, this is a true play action, push the ball down the field offense as well. They have the guys to do it, so they have to be elite with their arm, and then they both use their legs to get in and out of trouble.”
The Husker defense will look to defend that pass attack without fifth-year defensive lineman Anthony Jones Jr. He broke his foot against Oregon but hopes to return later this season.
Rhule said that he expects other players to step up in Jones’s absence. This includes sophomore lineman Kade Pietrzak and senior Cameron Lenhardt among others.
“It’s going to come down to this week of practice and how they do during this week to show if they’re ready to play, but for me, I certainly believe they’re ready to play,” Rhule said. “I certainly believe that they’re ready to go. I think when you lose Jamir and Anthony, the one thing you do lose is you lose a lot of grit, brotherhood on your team.”
Although the Huskers may be without a few key players, Rhule is focused on ensuring the coaches put the players in winning positions. He said there’s not a sense of urgency; rather, he’s focused on execution.
“Going into this year, knowing that Washington was probably going to be the Blackout game, they were preseason ranked 16 in the country, they hit their stride last week, they beat Purdue,” Rhule said. “This is the University of Washington; it’s pretty cool. I’m hoping that’s all our guys need to know, to be quite honest.”
As for the blackout game Rhule mentioned, it will be Nebraska’s second consecutive one, and the coach is excited.
“I think Troy Dannen did an amazing job of making sure that it was a night game, and it should be an unbelievable atmosphere,” Rhule said.
Kickoff between Nebraska and Washington is set for 7 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network.
