When a loss can light up that fire in you, losses are good, right? While others might not be on the same line, Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers have no scope to deny. Even though the Huskers had yet to overcome their dark tunnel, they already got a glimpse of the light waiting for them in the end. The pain inflicted by Curt Cignetti and Indiana seemed to have sparked a personal vendetta within Rhule’s army.

So much so, that they suited themselves up as their best versions while facing off against Ryan Day’s Ohio State. And the rest is history. Right now Rhule holds a positive outlook on life while landing big praise from CBS Sports bigshot.  

A veteran’s take on Matt Rhule transforming Nebraska’s pain to power

It’s natural for the Nebraska fans to still not be over the ominous day, October 18. The day when Hoosiers crushed the Huskers, 56-7. FIFTY SIX – SEVEN, can you imagine the trauma? But Rhule did not let his team go down the rabbit hole, looking for the areas where they went wrong. Nebraska’s defensive backs’ tackling woes worked in favor of Cignetti’s team, transforming short receptions into explosive plays. But apart from finding out the loopholes, Rhule ensured that the squad rose from the ashes. As rightly put by NFL veteran-turned-analyst Adam Carriker, “We might look back and say that was a turning point.”  

Coming off “the darkest week since he’s been here was the week after Indiana heading into Ohio State,” as Rhule rightly pointed out, is no easy job. What was the exact feeling? “Getting your bu- t ki- -ed and going into a game where everyone expected to get your bu – – ki – -ed.” But actually, Nebraska cashed in making use of their lowest moments to bolster their mental game. “You could see a mental shift in certain things, certain players in and around this team,” Carriker pointed out. Well, the shift in their attacking scheme could be felt in how they left Day’s boys in a pool of cold sweat. 

How does Matt Rhule hold the Cornhuskers together? 

Yes, you might be wondering that ultimately the Buckeyes defeated the Cornhuskers 21-17. Time for you to not just focus on the end result, but on what transpired in between. While Rhule’s program kept it dull during its first three and final two drives, in between they gashed Ohio State repeatedly on extended drives. Raging across the gridiron, they scored on five of eight possessions in that stretch, leaving Day’s squad to take a backseat. That’s where Rhule landed a huge praise from the CFB analyst.

You need to have luck by your side in order to land a favor, even after losing the game. However, this would not have been possible if Rhule had not held the reins at the right time, saving his program from getting washed away by the tide of sadness and lack of motivation. During the post-game conference, the HC stated, “I feel relieved. I feel disbanded that we lost the game. I thought we were going to win the game. I feel… beat up for the guys.”

That was enough to woo Josh Pate. The analyst then shared his thoughts taking inspiration from Matt Rhule’s positive mindset, “What I think he’s saying is that they preached certain things during practice this past week, and for that matter they’ve preached certain things in that program about process-oriented thinking over result-oriented thinking.” Now let’s see will Matt Rhule light the way for Nebraska’s tunnel exit.