Matt Rhule explains coin toss decision vs. Indiana

SAM MCKEWON
Omaha World-Herald

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Heading into the Nebraska game, Indiana hadn’t trailed all season.

After beating NU 56-7, the Hoosiers still haven’t trailed, scoring on their first drive and never looking back.

But Husker coach Matt Rhule had a chance to put his offense on the field after winning the coin toss. He chose, as he almost always does when winning the coin toss, to defer Nebraska’s decision to the second half. In so doing, NU defaulted to letting Indiana choose the ball to start the game.

Eight plays and 75 yards later, IU led 7-0.

“We always defer,” Rhule said afterward. He has made exceptions for windy, wet conditions; the weather was close to ideal on Saturday. “We trust our defense, right? We have a pretty darn good defense.”

Rhule said the majority of Indiana’s games had been within “one score” headed into the fourth quarter, when the Hoosiers would pull away. That’s accurate of IU’s wins over Northwestern and Maryland, but not the other five wins.

“We had them stopped, they made the first down,” Rhule said of Indiana converting a fourth down on its opening touchdown march. “… We had some opportunities, both drives, they scored early on, to get off the field. I thought we’d be better on third down, I thought we’d match up well in third down. We didn’t quite make any plays in coverage today we need to make.”

IU converted 5 of 9 third downs into first downs.

Photos: Nebraska football at Indiana on Fox’s ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ — Oct. 19

Singer John Mellencamp watches Indiana take on Nebraska during the first half of a college football game at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.

NIKOS FRAZIER, THE WORLD-HERALD