Matt Rhule Joins Pat McAfee Show: Dylan Raiola, Big Ten, & Rebuilding Nebraska

The Husker football coach joined the former NFL punter's show on ESPN while at Big Ten Media Days.

Sep 16, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule watches play from the sideline during the second quarter against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Rhule kept his schedule jam-packed for his trip to Indianapolis this week.

The Nebraska football coach joined 'The Pat McAfee Show', speaking with the former Indianapolis Colts punter for around 40 minutes about several topics relating to Big Ten Media Days, the upcoming season, and his return to college football after a short stint in the NFL. The interview was taped Tuesday and aired Wednesday morning.

"I love where we are at," Rhule said. "I kind of like being able to sneak up on people and be the team that no one's really sure about. You don't have that very long. Once you have established yourself, everybody's gunning for you."

Rhule added that he felt that his team is ahead of schedule after going 5-7 in 2023, adding in that the Huskers lost four games by three points or less.

Jan 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers football head coach Matt Rhule during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

The Husker head coach added that he has been looking at the big picture, especially when looking at the state of college football and the Big Ten, in particular.

"When you are running in 110-degree weather, you need to be reminded of why we are doing this. We want to go play for the ultimate game and it would be irresponsible of me to walk past five national championship trophies everyday and not talk about winning championships," Rhule said. "It has been proven you can do it there."

On the Big Ten, Rhule added, "I'm grateful to be in the Big Ten. You are going to be playing the best teams. If a year ago, you had said we are going to play USC and Oregon as your two non-conference games, I would have fought somebody." Rhule continued that any conference team that is "in the mix" within the Big Ten deserves the right to be considered for the College Football Playoff.

"I'd love for someone to come to Lincoln and play in December"

- Matt Rhule on the Pat McAfee Show

Nov 11, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks with the team to the stadium before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

After briefly discussing his NFL past, McAfee asked Rhule about his prized quarterback recruit Dylan Raiola, saying that the former Colt felt the freshman's spring game performance showcased "moxie."

"Dylan's done everything right since he's been there. If you truly believe you eat what you kill, Dylan is competing with someone who went five and three as a starting quarterback last year," Rhule said. "I want to find out if they don't feel good in the middle of camp, who shows up. I know our three (quarterbacks) are going to do that."

Rhule continued on Raiola, calling him "selfless" and said he's a football player, not just a quarterback. The Nebraska head coach added that he expects to need all three quarterbacks this fall.

Jan 3, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers football assistant coach Donovan Raiola (left) and Dylan Raiola smile before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Dylan is the top quarterback recruit in the 2024 class. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

As he said during his Big Ten Media Day appearance, Rhule stated that he feels it is the football team's turn to provide success to Nebraska Athletics.

"We have the facilities. We have the fan base. In this new Big Ten, we are in the middle of the country so we will have manageable travel. We're good at a lot of sports, we won five Big Ten championships this past year. We have seven or nine kids in the Olympics. We have athletic excellence," Rhule said.

"If football gets itself together, we should be a powerhouse because we have been a powerhouse."

- Matt Rhule on the Pat McAfee Show.

View the full interview below. Nebraska starts fall camp next week and will open the season Aug. 31 against UTEP at Memorial Stadium.

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