Matt Rhule says Nebraska, Illinois have similarities

Nebraska football outscored its first three opponents 102-20, so it sure didn’t look like NU saw those games as “preseason” opponents.

But those three wins only counted toward the Huskers’ overall win totals and bowl berth goal. On Friday, NU begins its journey for a league title.

“We’re trying to compete to win the Big Ten,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “That’s why we’re in it, right?”

And summer prognostications had the Huskers facing a relatively easy conference schedule, results over the first three weeks suggest otherwise. The first opponent, Illinois, is ranked No. 24, and by the time Rutgers and Indiana show up on the Huskers’ slate, they may well.

So prognostications, Rhule said, are “fluff.” Prologue. The real tests begin now, he said, with the Illini team that beat Eastern Illinois, Kansas and Central Michigan in the opening three weeks.

“I think we’re a physical team,” Rhule said. “We’ll find out Friday night because it’s a really physical (opponent). You look at their stats and they’re about like us in every category. We’re playing a mirror image of ourselves.”

Illinois Bret Bielema heads up the Big Ten coaches group chat and is “very personable,” Rhule said.

His teams always play good defense, Rhule said, but the schemes have changed a bit from Bielema’s first three years, when Illinois ran a “Bear” defensive front — three linemen deployed over the two guards and the center — and used mostly man coverage.

The Illini will still run man coverage, Rhule said, but they’ll bail out of it, too, and deploy a zone coverage that fools opposing quarterbacks.

NU quarterback Dylan Raiola will have to recognize whether Illinois is in man or zone coverage “on the snap.”

Jimari Butler will play on Friday night after being held out from NU’s 34-3 win over Northern Iowa.

Micah Mazzccua has been demoted to No. 2 right guard, behind Henry Lutovsky, after Mazzccua didn’t play Saturday night due to a coach’s decision.

Tyler Knaak, who had been the No. 2 right guard, moved to second-string left guard.

Mazzccua won’t play Friday, Rhule said, but remains on the team and continues to practice.

Freshman and Ainsworth graduate Carter Nelson moved to the No. 2 slot ahead of Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda following Nelson’s four-catch performance on Saturday night that led to his first touchdown.

Kai Wallin, impressive as a pass rusher in wins over Colorado and Northern Iowa, is now co-No. 2 defensive end behind Ty Robinson.

The other co-No. 2 defensive end, Riley Van Poppel, is headed for a four-game redshirt — similar to NU receiver Malachi Coleman — because Nebraska has good line depth and Van Poppel will get more snaps in future seasons.

While Nebraska coach Matt Rhule hasn’t thought much about the fact that NU is selling out the stadium for the 400th straight time, one of the first things he does with recruits is take them out to the Memorial Stadium turf and point out the program’s academic All-Americans and its sellout streak.

“My job is to make sure we win that game,” Rhule said.