Matt Rhule says Nebraska needs to be ready in 3 areas for Illinois

As Nebraska waited to take the field against Illinois in Champaign last October, the energy was palpable.

Fresh off a blowout loss to Michigan, head coach Matt Rhule had put the Huskers through a tough week of practice. Having arrived ready to go in all three areas of the game, Nebraska outplayed the Illini and came away with a win.

Ahead of another Friday contest this season with even higher stakes, Rhule is hoping Nebraska can bring the same level of preparation to its next Illinois matchup.

“Last year we went there and we were emotionally, physically and mentally ready,” Rhule said. “… They were a really good team and there’s nothing that was going to stop us; while I’m happy we’re at home it’s really about those three things.”

According to Rhule, winning teams enter matchups ready to go in all three areas. Last week against Northern Iowa, Rhule said the Huskers met that goal offensively but were not emotionally ready on the defensive side of the ball.

There should be considerable energy inside Memorial Stadium on Friday, which will help Nebraska reach its goals this week.

Playing a weeknight contest at home is already a unique occasion for a Nebraska football program which will also celebrate its 400th consecutive sellout this week. It’s also a game with major stakes around it given that Nebraska enters the matchup ranked No. 22 and Illinois No. 24; it’s the first ranked matchup to be played at Memorial Stadium since 2013.

Nebraska earned its ranking by taking care of business in the nonconference schedule, something that Rhule said he viewed as a “preseason” of sorts heading into Big Ten play.

“We’re trying to compete to win the Big Ten, that’s why we’re in it, right?” Rhule said. “Our approach doesn’t change, but the gravity of the situation is a little different.”

Despite one less day to prepare for Illinois, Nebraska has not made major alterations to its practice schedule this week. Players came into the facility on Sunday to watch film from the Northern Iowa game and go through their normal lifting schedule in addition to starting preparation for Illinois.

Nebraska won’t shake up its Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday practices either, though it does have the advantage of conducting its Friday walkthroughs within the team’s practice facility.

There’s plenty to get through in a short amount of time as Nebraska gets ready to play an Illinois team that looks different than it did a year ago. Quarterback Luke Altmyer, buoyed by a power run game and strong group of pass-catchers, has led an Illinois offense to a fast start that included a win over No. 19 Kansas.

Preseason question marks about an Illini defense that lost much of its starting lineup have also been answered during a three-game stretch where Illinois is allowing under nine points per game.

The Illini’s turnover margin — plus-8, tied for the second-best mark nationally — is also on Rhule’s mind given Nebraska’s struggles in that area a year ago.

“We’re a different team than we were last year,” Rhule said of NU’s win over Illinois in 2023. “Last year we only had 71 yards after contact in this game which is about as poor as you could ever be, but we had a lot of explosive plays that kind of made up for it. And then we had a bad fourth quarter where we started turning the ball over; you can’t turn the ball over versus them (this week).”

An Illinois program that Nebraska once excelled against, having won six of seven matchups from 2013-19, had won three straight games over the Huskers prior to Rhule taking over. The Husker head coach has respect for Bret Bielema, a coach who’s implemented a winning formula of Big Ten football at both Wisconsin and Illinois.

Because of that, Rhule expects a high-level test from an Illinois team he said is “on a mission” right now.

Nebraska is on a mission of its own: to make sure that once again, it is physically, emotionally and mentally ready to take the field on Friday night.

“We’re no longer the hunter, we’re no longer the unranked team that people are like, ‘Who do we have this week? Oh, we’re playing Nebraska? Okay, we beat them the last four years,’” Rhule said. “Now you’re the team that people are preparing for.”