Nebraska HC on Challenge Bruins Pose Against His Huskers

The UCLA Bruins face another tough Big Ten opponent this Saturday afternoon in hopes of winning back-to-back games for the first time this season. Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule previewed his upcoming opponent.

Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks off the field after defeating the Colorado Buffaloes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (2-5) look to take their momentum from their most recent win over Rutgers in Week 8 along with the preparation from this past bye week into their upcoming conference battle on the road against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3).

Cornhuskers second-year head coach Matt Rhule broke down both sides of the the Bruins team and what they bring to the table that has made them successful of late.

Rhule tipped his cap to the Bruins' ability to stop the run as they rank fifth best in the Big Ten in run defense, allowing an average of 98.6 rush yards per game.

"They're going to challenge you with their run defense," Rhule said. "They are big and physical and athletic on defense, and teams that normally run the ball really well struggle to run it against them. Then they pressure you and play man [coverage], all the things that at times have bothered us. So, this is a real opportunity for us this week to show that we fix some of those things."

The Bruins' leading tackler is junior linebacker Carson Schwesinger who is having his best season to date. He leads the team in tackles (72) and sacks (2) and is finally becoming a pivotal piece of the defense after not much playing time in his first two seasons as a Bruin.

Schwesinger must be heavily involved this Saturday to stop the run game and make open field tackles on short slant routes and check downs to come up with clutch third-down stops. There is no surprise the Bruins rank so high in defending the run when this man is on the team.

The Bruins' offense has impressed Rhule almost as much as the defense has, although the focus from him came in the passing game, which has been much more successful than the rush.

Not to mention, the Bruins have former Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in that same position. His expertise showed last week against the Scarlett Knights, exposing a defense to what a true NFL mind can craft in the passing game.

"Offensively, they are sophisticated; I mean, it's a sophisticated offense that can run the football but really really can throw it as well with a sophisticated NFL passing offense," Rhule said. "So, you know, for all the good things we did, we gave up three explosive plays in the passing game last week; we'll have to show that we can handle that."

It has not been a good year running the football for the Bruins, as they rank dead last in the conference in rush yards per game by a considerable margin (64.6) and have had to count on the passing game to generate any type of offensive success.

Through the air, the Bruins are gaining 237.6 yards per game, which is in the upper half of the conference. Due to the failed rush attack, they have opened up the playbook to better suit an offense that throws the ball much better than they carry it.

Senior quarterback Ethan Garbers ranks in the top 10 amongst Big Ten quarterbacks in completion percentage (64.9%) and is coming off the best game of his career, throwing for 383 yards and four scores two weeks ago.

Another big name to watch for is senior wide receiver Moliki Matavao who was silent for much of the year until last week. Garnering a season-high six catches and 104 receiving yards, Matavao will be a guy going forward to positively impact the offense with his speed and catching ability.

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