Following Bud Crawford’s Lead, Nebraska Football Delivers Knockout Blow

Matt Rhule set the tone for Saturday’s game against Colorado early for Nebraska’s 28-10 win.

Days before kickoff, Rhule had the Huskers football team watch Terence “Bud” Crawford’s fight against Errol Spence. It wasn’t just about celebrating a local legend, but understanding how he went about competing in the ring.

“Just the way he’s so stoic and stone-faced, methodical … He walks in, he takes a punch, counterpunch, punch, counterpunch. It’s not a lot of emotion and rah-rah. It’s not a lot of flash,” Rhule said during his Thursday press conference. “He’s even dapping up Spence after the seventh round when he knocked him down for the second time.

“Like he just respects his opponent but he’s closing the distance, biding his time, and then in the 9th he attacks.”

Rhule compared the ninth round of a boxing match to the fourth quarter of a football game.

“That picture of what a great boxer, who obviously is local, but a great boxer looks like – that to me is what a great football team looks like,” Rhule said. “It’s not emotional. It’s not swinging from side to side. It’s just very methodical, stoic, and stone-faced. So I hope we play that way.”

The Huskers got the full Crawford experience on Saturday. He spoke to the team before leading them through the tunnel and onto the field.

“When he goes into the ring, he doesn’t care who his opponent is,” Tommi Hill said after the game. “He always stays calm, and how he counters. If they make a play, we’re going to have to come back and counter it. You just stay calm and in the moment. Don’t be overhyped. We just have to do one play at a time, one point at a time.” 

The Huskers delivered each blow methodically, The Blackshirts dominated from start to finish, limiting Colorado’s high-powered offense to just 260 total yards and sacking CU quarterback Shadeur Sanders six times.

The Blackshirts made a statement early with a pick six by Hill off Sanders in the first quarter and capped the game with a forced fumble by Willis McGahee IV, recovered by Jimari Butler on the final defensive play.

The Blackshirts racked up 49 yards in tackles for loss, holding Colorado to just 16 rushing yards overall. For the first 49 minutes, they held CU to negative 16 yards on the ground until Dallan Hayden broke through with a 17-yard run.

As a result, the Huskers improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2016 and appeared in the top 25 in both the Associated Press and coaches poll for the first time since 2019.

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