Stukenholtz: This is the Hardest Part

An examination of Matt Rhule’s “Championship Mindset” speech and how it translates to on-field success

Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr. (7) returns an interception against Ohio State Buckeyes during the third quarter of their game at Ohio Stadium on Oct 26, 2024, in Columbus. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Who saw this coming? 

The Blackshirts shutting Ohio State’s run game down to the tune of 2.1 yards per carry?

Nebraska’s inconsistent offense keeping pace with the star-studded Buckeyes??

Multiple made field goals!!?

A lead in the 4th quarter!?!!!?!??

It was basically the Vince McMahon escalating reactions meme (if you are not familiar, Google “Vince McMahon meme”) played out on a football field in Columbus, Ohio in front of nearly 105,000 fans and almost six million more watching FOX’s ‘Big Noon’ broadcast across the country. Husker fans had to be rubbing their eyes in disbelief and wondering how a team coming off an embarrassing 49-point loss the previous week could hang with, let alone nearly defeat, a top five team at their house. 

But for Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, it was merely another step in the process. He opened a window into his thinking as he spoke postgame.

"The hardest part of what we did when we went to Temple, and what we did when we went to Baylor, was getting guys not to say, 'oh here we go again,' getting guys not to expect to lose, getting everyone – including the people around the program – not to focus always on what’s wrong, but what’s right. And that’s hard."

Throughout NU’s 21-17 loss to Ohio State, the game never appeared out of reach. Despite fumbles on both the opening kickoff *and* the first offensive snap, the Huskers didn’t budge. They punched back. The Aidan Flege + Brian Buschini + John Hohl field goal operation worked three times, including from 54 yards to end the first half!

At halftime of a road game in which they were 23.5-point underdogs, NU trailed 14-6. How in the world could this be the two quarters immediately following Indiana 56, Nebraska 7? Rhule explains.

"Last week (at Indiana) was a low for us since we’ve been here because the minute the game got hard, we kinda looked around like, “'oh no, what’s happening to us.' Kinda like victims, like, 'this is happening to us.'"

There was definitely stuff happening to NU, though. A couple long would-be backbreaker touchdowns given up. Some questionable-to-unacceptable officiating. But Rhule is right to point out you can’t allow yourself to see it that way when you can do something about it. This week, against the Buckeyes in the horseshoe, the Huskers did something about it.

"This was a hard week. But a week that I knew, because of my experiences, would turn into something good. We would teach. Players would see us instead of us being defensive. They would see us stand like men, not blame the players, but work hand in hand with them.

We expected to come here and win the football game. We expected to win."

This is not something Rhule would have said had his team lost, say, 56-7. I’m fairly confident in that. While it’s convenient to state this after a near upset of No. 4 Ohio State, I’ll play this out and see what else he had to say afterwards.

"I was proud of that football team today. I was proud. They didn’t back down, they had some really tough breaks, they had some things really go against them, even the way we started. And they competed.

It’s the first time – the first time – since I’ve been here that I’ve felt a championship mindset in the locker room. Along with the championship mindset, as those who compete know, comes utter disappointment when you lose. So that part’s hard, it’s hard for the guys. But I saw a group of guys, even at the very end, take the field, going out there to make one more play, have a chance to compete against one of the best teams in the country. So I thought they grew up. And I challenged them: 'It better look this way next week.'"

Championship mindset. That phrase defines this speech, as it encapsulates not only the standard that Rhule continues to preach to his players, but also highlights the pain that comes with losing. Champions don’t merely win; they expect to win. Their preparation before the game reinforces to them that they are ready to win. And when that standard is maintained throughout the game itself then it becomes clear to us outside observers that the team really did put in the work that week during practice. In a results-based business, winning is no accident.

Here's where it gets tricky, and Rhule prefaced all of this with that caveat: 

"You don’t want it to sound like a moral victory because we lost, and we’re not here to lose. We’re the University of Nebraska, we’re not here to lose."

And he’s right. Simply recognizing how competitive Nebraska was against a top five team doesn’t make it a moral victory. Look no further than how NU continued to outplay OSU in the second half.

Let’s take a moment to recognize what defensive coordinator Tony White’s bunch did to the Buckeyes. OSU had seven possessions that ended in four plays or less, including the turnover on downs and the interception. Seven! The highlight package was significant, including Hartzog’s pick, DeShon Singleton’s team-leading ten tackles, Jimari Butler and MJ Sherman terrorizing off the edge with sacks, Ty Robinson’s run-stuffing leadership in the trenches, and even true freshman Willis McGahee IV’s forced fumble.

The improvement has been evident, both with individual player growth and above average player retention last offseason. You can see it whether it’s holdovers from the previous era or Rhule recruits.

"In terms of the development and growth of what you’re trying to build; everyone wants things to happen quickly; if you want it to be sustainable, if you want things to last forever, you have to do it the right way.

"I get asked a lot of questions about why aren’t we doing it this way or that way. I’m trying to build something sustainable. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, who knows. A lot of you guys have seen a lot of guys come here and try to do it and it hasn’t worked, so I’m trying it a different way."

Over the week between the Indiana and Ohio State games, the obvious comparison was between Rhule and IU head coach Curt Cignetti, who has the Hoosiers 8-0 in his first season. Why not Nebraska? I doubt Rhule is subtweeting Cignetti or any one coach or program in particular, but that thought is out there so of course Rhule has heard it.

There are growing pains with a true freshman quarterback. As talented as he is, Dylan Raiola still misses some throws. But based on the foundation Rhule has built, he expects that growth to happen alongside his offensive teammates who also will continue to develop.

Maybe you disagree with me. Maybe you’ve been reading this thinking it all screams ‘moral victory’ and that the words ring hollow because NU lost. If that’s you, I would challenge you to view this OSU game through the lens of what’s possible in the next four (or five) games. What did you think their record in the last four games would be before the Ohio State game, and did that change after? Or ask yourself this question: did you feel better about Nebraska’s direction after the win over Rutgers, or after the loss to Ohio State?

"Some of the football still is tough, it’s hard. You’re still coaching things out there in the middle of the game that in a year or two you hope is second nature.

"For those of us who believe in the long way, the hard way, for those of us who haven’t had things handed to us, for those of us who believe in building, for those people who believe in putting in an honest day’s work, I hope while they’re disappointed, they’re proud of what they saw. That they competed.

"And while I yelled at the officials sometimes, our players didn’t let it bother them, our players just continued to compete. I thought we played with class and dignity, and we had a chance to win."

I fully admit that I am Matt Rhule’s target audience with this stuff. The philosophizing speaks to me, and I appreciate the big-picture reflection, especially considering how quickly it came after the game. But now it’s UCLA and another opportunity to win a 6th game in a season. Under Matt Rhule, the Huskers are now 0-6 in games where a victory would clinch bowl eligibility. It’s a weight around the neck of the program whether it’s spoken about or not. 

In a speech where Rhule touched on so many different aspects of coaching, including a few careful caveats, he did publicly state the most important thing:

"…I challenged them: "It better look this way next week.'"

Almost winning against Ohio State doesn’t mean Nebraska automatically earned a home win over UCLA. All that goodwill built up in the wake of the performance in Columbus goes out the window if they let this golden opportunity slip away, not to mention the two weeks of hell that would follow during the second and final off week of the season.

Now comes the hardest part, apparently, a task so difficult it’s been almost eight years since it’s been done: winning six football games in one season at Nebraska. I say that somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but then again maybe not, right? It doesn’t seem so easy anymore!

In the meantime, we all got another glimpse of Rhule’s rhetoric and how he moves his players along. He holds them to a standard, but there is also recognition of their efforts even if they fall short. Like he said, other guys have tried and come up short. He’s trying it a different way.

“I don’t say that to justify what we’re doing, I say that so our players will understand why I’m so proud. Not satisfied, that’s very, very, very important, there are no moral victories, but proud. But proud.”

- Matt Rhule after Ohio State loss

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