Rahmir Stewart meets his mark, then delivers interception vs. UTEP

Rahmir Stewart hunted down his head coach before the game to deliver a key message: he had weighed in at 205 pounds.

A redshirt freshman defensive back, Stewart had been instructed by Matt Rhule that in order to play, he needed to reach his target weight. Stewart did what he needed to see the field on Saturday, then made the most of it by recording two tackles and hauling in a fourth-quarter interception.

“He made a play and he’s a really good football player, so I was so happy to see that,” Rhule said of Stewart.

Stewart’s takeaway was one of two in a game which Nebraska finished with a positive turnover margin. The Huskers did cough up a fumble of their own but intercepted UTEP twice, with junior Malcolm Hartzog coming down with the other takeaway when third-down pressure from defensive lineman forced an errant throw from UTEP’s Cade McConnell

Considering Hartzog had been beaten on UTEP’s 38-yard touchdown pass, the Husker safety was glad to respond with a big play of his own later in the first half.

“Coming back from the play earlier, my teammates kept telling me to keep my head up, so I was happy that I got to make that play with them on my side,” Hartzog said.

Junior Marques Buford said that while much of Nebraska’s defensive personnel is the same from a year ago, “intentionality makes a difference” as the Huskers seek to consistently force turnovers.

Two interceptions, plus a safety which put the ball back in the hands of the Nebraska offense, represented a job well done for the Husker defense in that regard.

“What I would really like to do is be plus-one (or) plus-two every game,” Rhule said of Nebraska’s turnover margin. “I just want to come out in every game plus, because a lot of these games are going to come down to the last possession and if you can steal a possession, then you have a chance.”