Football Video & Report: Oct. 15

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule met with members of the media to preview Friday’s game at Minnesota. He discussed moving on from the Maryland game.

“The only time players did media they had to answer some different things, but we’re ready for a great football game,” he said. “This is our life moving forward. It’s going to be all about being a good team and the things that come along with a good team. We’re facing a good team. It’s a 5-1 vs 4-2 game. That’s a hack of a game so it should be a great night.”

He talked about the environment at Minnesota and what he expects. 

“It was an elite environment,” he said. “The crowd was electric. We’ve prepared all week with insane crowd noise, and we’re counting on Husker Nation to show up and even out the volume to a degree. It will come to a time where, like last game, where silent cadence was done inside the ten, and it’s just what it is in the Big Ten and big time football. We’ve prepared since camp, so we’ve done sound all the time. We’ve done sound this week, so we’ll be ready if needed. The rest of it, when the game starts, is going to be who blocks and tackles better.” 

Rhule also spoke on Emmett Johnson getting to play in his home state. 

“I’m very excited, he said. “He’s a guy that could easily be a captain for us based on the voting and he’ll be a captain next year. I’m just excited for him to have a chance to go back home and play in front of those people. Our Friday walk through will be at his high school which I think is really cool. My only thing to him is just keep it football; don’t get too high or too low, stay neutral. Just play each play the way Emmett (Johnson) is capable of. If you look at the last two games when it comes to carries with all of our backs, not scrabble, but carries we’re averaging 7.1 yards a carry. We’re versus an excellent run defense so we’ll need Emmett (Johnson) to be at his best.”

Kickoff between the Huskers and the Gophers in Minneapolis, Minn., on Friday, Oct. 17, is set for 7 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on FOX. The game can also be heard across the Huskers Radio Network.