Nebraska football locked in, united ahead of season opener

Nebraska football practices in high-energy, loud environments to become accustomed to feeling the adrenaline. Matt Rhule doesn’t want the noise of a crowd to affect his team’s play.

As the Huskers transition from practicing in front of hundreds in the Hawks Championship Center to playing in front of 90,000 at Memorial Stadium this week, that preparation has never been more important.

“Our guys have worked very hard to compete against each other and we do a lot of good on good (in practice),” Rhule said. “I’d like them to go out there and spot the ball and compete; just go play. Prepare with tremendous respect for your opponent, but when you go out there, it’s about us.”

Unlike a year ago when Nebraska was tasked with playing a Week 0 road conference game, a home matchup against a UTEP program coming off a three-win season is an entirely different prospect for a season opener. NU is hardly taking its upcoming opponent lightly, though.

“These guys, they’re coming to win,” Rhule said of UTEP.

With a first-year coaching staff coming over from Austin Peay and a roster with more newcomers than returners, there are many unknowns about what Nebraska should expect out of UTEP.

What the Huskers do know is that UTEP plans to roll out an aggressive up-tempo offense that attacks the perimeter and takes chances downfield. Along with a running game that will lean upon junior running back Jevon Jackson, it’ll be a new challenge for the NU defense to solve.

“I think our fans will get a chance to see our defense tested in ways you don’t get tested in the Big Ten,” Rhule said.

Nebraska has its own changes on offense that will be debuted on Saturday. Foremost among them is the player leading the offense, freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who is set to make his first career start.

Raiola’s preparation, which has included late nights and early mornings at the Nebraska football facility, has impressed Rhule thus far. And while there’s still plenty for the young quarterback to learn, the Nebraska head coach said that there’s no “easing into it” with a safe, easy game plan.

As the starter, Raiola will be trusted to execute all aspects of the Husker offense, even if it requires playing through some mistakes in the process. Rhule believes that approach will lead to growth not just for Raiola but for the entire team.

That idea was reinforced after watching a weekend slate of college football games where programs such as Georgia Tech, Montana State and SMU retained their composure to earn comeback wins despite falling behind early.

“It’s the teams that were resilient that ride the highs and the lows of a game that won,” Rhule said. “Really it’s just about staying in the moment and playing each snap.”

The Husker head coach hopes to see the same out of his team this weekend. Nebraska’s season opener is a big game, no doubt, with the opportunity to put offseason improvements into action and begin the year with a winning record.

However, Nebraska’s upcoming game against UTEP is just one of 12 on the team’s schedule this season — so while the Huskers are focused on the Miners, they’re even more focused on themselves.

With a team-wide goal of getting better with every ensuing practice, week and game, the Huskers are simply viewing Saturday as another step in their growing process.

“We’re going to start off playing the way we want to play at the end of the year, at the beginning of the year,” Rhule said. “If it doesn’t look perfect early on, we’re not going to flinch.”