Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule met with members of the media following the team’s practice on Thursday.
He discussed the challenges that USC presents.
“They’re as talented of a team and a roster as there is," he said. "They’ve got 6’3” corners, they’ve got length, power, they can rush the passer, play man, overload the box, take away the run and force you to throw the ball against big, long guys who are tremendously talented. Coach (D’Anton) Lynn has done a great job over there. We’re going to have to play our best.”
Rhule also talked about the offense under Dana Holgorsen.
“I think Dana has stepped right in," he said. "It’s still the same language. He’s adapting to everything that we do. For the players it’s still the same thing, it's just someone new in the mix. All the coaches are still coaching their guys. It’s a fresh perspective on what we were doing and I think he has gotten along well with the players and the players have practiced well this week.”
He spoke on the adjustments that he has to make to establish a new offensive plan.
“It’s really been, for me, just being flexible in terms of ‘hey Coach, what do you need? Do you need an extra meeting here? Do you need to practice this way?,'" he said. "It’s what I’ve always liked to do. I’ve never been very rigid with those things. I always liken it to, if you’re a golfer and you’re struggling off the tee, you don’t want to take a chipping lesson, you want to work on your driver. To me, it’s always being flexible in the process of what we need and adapting to Dana (Holgorsen) and what he needs to get ready, but also, he’s obviously adapted to the situation that he’s in. I give a lot of credit to him. He didn’t have to do this. He didn’t have to step in at this point. But I think he sees the challenge in it and he also sees the opportunity. The same thing for us. Obviously, it’s a little bit of a challenge, but I see a tremendous opportunity here. I have to be flexible, he has to be flexible. It’s been fun, to be quite honest with you. It’s been a great week, really two weeks, to make this thing work. We’ll go out there on Saturday, we’ll play. What I’m very sure of is that we'll get better every single day. I think we have a really good setup.”
The Huskers will face the USC Trojans on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. (CT) in Los Angeles, Calif. The game will be televised on FOX with audio coverage from the Huskers Radio Network.
🎙️ Week 10 Press Conference with @CoachMattRhule https://t.co/xMyowHBsX6
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) November 14, 2024