Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule speaks to the media on Thursday September 11, 2025, prior to the Huskers’ home game against the Houston Christian Huskies.
00:00 – Rhule on 9/11
01:22 – What were your memories of 9/11?
04:42 – Has the team responded to attention to detail the way you’ve wanted them to?*
07:08 – Did you have any thoughts on the transfer portal window in January?
09:51 – How much more is Dylan Raiola doing in pre-snap than he was last season?
12:44 – What challenge does Houston Christian’s team pose?
14:20 – How impressive has Gunnar Gottula been?
16:33 – How is Malcolm Hartzog’s health?
16:44 – How has Jamir Conn done?
17:33 – What stood out about Gabe Moore when recruiting him out of the transfer portal?
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Nebraska football roster: Javin Wright, Ceyair Wright, Jacory Barney Jr., Marques Buford Jr., Janiran Bonner, Riley Van Poppel, Dane Key, Malcolm Hartzog Jr., DeShon Singleton, Vincent Shavers Jr., Heinrich Haarberg, Andrew Marshall, Demitrius Bell, Cameron Lenhardt, Bode Soukup, Jalyn Gramstad, Justyn Rhett, Nyziah Hunter, Jamir Conn, Amare Sanders, TJ Lateef, Dylan Raiola, Dasan McCullough, Elijah Jeudy, Marcos Davila, Luke Longval, Willis McGahee IV, Quinn Clark, Larry Tarver Jr., Kahmir Prescott, Cortez Mills Jr., Emmett Johnson, Rex Guthrie, Maverick Noonan, Isaiah Mozee, Blye Hill, Conor Booth, Derek Branch, Jamarion Parker, Kenneth Williams, Jeremiah Charles, Roman Mangini, Brice Turner, Kwinten Ives, Caleb Benning, Carter Nelson, Braylen Prude, Tristan Alvano, Vincent Genatone, Mario Buford, Trent Uhlir, Marques Watson-Trent, Preston Okafor, Mekhi Nelson, Rowdy Bauer, Donovan Jones, Kamdyn Koch, Thomas D’Onofrio, Bryson Webber, Dawson Merritt, Tanner Terch, Derek Wacker, Michael Booker III, Luke Lindenmeyer, Izaac Dickey, Roger Gradney, Connor Schutt, Kevin Gallic, Gage Stenger, Cayden Echternach, Caden VerMaas, Danny King, Malcolm Simpson, Christian Jones, Rocco Spindler, Justin Evans, Dylan Rogers, David Hoffken, Jacob Bower, Ethan Duda, Julian Marks, Pierce Mooberry, Ashton Murphy, Elijah Pritchett, Mason Goldman, Jake Peters, Henry Lutovsky, Rahmir Stewart, Sam Sledge, Brian Tapu, Teddy Prochazka, Grant Brix, Houston Ka’aha’aina-Torres, Preston Taumua, Turner Corcoran, Landen Davidson, Nolan Fennessy, Tyson Terry, Gibson Pyle, Brock Knutson, Tyler Knaak, Jason Maciejczak, Gunnar Gottula, Jacob Brandl, Shawn Hammerbeck, Jeremiah Jones, Hayes Miller, Eric Ingwerson, Archie Wilson, DJ Singleton Jr., Keelan Smith, Mac Markway, Jackson Carpenter, John Hohl, Kyle Cunanan, Aidan Flege, Kamryn Koch, Archie Wilson, Kevin Gallic.
Yeah, just uh just briefly I mentioned to the team, you know, obviously it being 911 today, we went to the 911 memorial when we were in New York. And I think one of the haunting things there, especially, you know, me as a person who grew up in New York, it was special, but to be there uh in a in a almost um obviously in a very sad way, but one of the haunting things at the memorial is the phone calls from all the people that knew they were trapped and they had those recorded. So, I just encouraged our guys to make sure that a if there’s, you know, anyone that they needed a call like they hadn’t, you know, made them, you know, made amends with or um, you know, people tell them they love them. I said, “Hey, let’s let’s take today and make that part of our legacy, especially, you know, obviously there were a bunch of tragic events yesterday. So, I just uh encouraged our guys, you know, just to call, text, call home, tell people you love them and uh, so I’m just pumping to make sure my my family and all the people I’ve coached know how much I love them.” So, wanted to start with that. And then also want to congratulate all the people going into the uh Nebraska Hall of Fame this weekend. Obviously, one being Brett Maher. They’re all special, but you know, Brett obviously has done a great job coaching for us and he continues to do a great job coaching for us. Been has been awesome having him. You know, he was all a punter and a kicker. Yes. Yeah. So, that’s hard to do. So, um you know, he u he’s making a real mark. So, I’m proud of him as a coach. So, with that, I’ll take whatever you guys got. I guess you mentioned 911. What were your memories from that day? Yeah, I was at in I was at UCLA at the time and I remember um I was driving in um I drew I had I had had like a Honda 250 like you know scooter type thing and I was driving in and I I I don’t remember how like somewhere along the way I stopped and I heard the news that like a small plane you know and you know but like I obviously I have a ton of friends there and people working in that in working down there in the financial district and all those things and so um I just remember the helpless feeling of being in LA watching it on the TV that was in the main area of the UCLA football offices and um just very surreal. I remember the team voting, you know, whether we should practice that day or not. Um I don’t think any of us had a real idea of just how significant of an event it was at the time and just how lonely and homesick I felt. And obviously then then obviously the plane goes flight 93 goes down in Pennsylvania. You know, that’s you know my parents were there at the time. My sister was there. you know, that’s that’s not too far from my my grandmother and all those people. So, just obviously a lot of personal ties and you’re on the West Coast and you feel so far away. So, um but yeah, obviously a tragic tragic tragic day and you know, my my wife’s sister Cheryl passed away on TWWA 800 um which which unfortunately went down over the coast of Long Island and Father Michael Judge uh was a tremendous uh source of comfort for Julie and her parents and her family. Um so at that time you really sell like almost the invasive nature you when that happens like you have you know 200 300 cameras on your lawn and you know you’re going through the most amazing grief you know she was part of the French club from Montoursville I think 21 people from the town of Montoursville perished on that flight and uh but father Michael Judge uh in New York City was a tremendous tremendous source of um spiritual uh um I don’t know what the right I don’t know the right I wouldn’t do it justice. Um he was there for them and so he meant a lot to their family and um to Julie’s family and at the time Julie and I were just starting dating, right? And um he perished in he he was he was the priest that went in to begin to to to be with all the workers that were working in the towers, you know, the the the rescue workers. And um he perished in that. So, you know, I I remember this past year, you know, they have the reflection pools outside 911, just going and walking around it, walking around it, finding his name. I remember Ron Brown was doing the same thing cuz someone he went to college or high school with passed away. So, just just seeing those names and seeing that legacy and um but for, you know, for for Father Judge, how much he meant to Julie and her parents um it was uh just brings those things to life, you know, make you you have this terrible tragedy and then it’s the most public way how how hard that was. Um, so I thought I thought on our trip I’ve never been probably more proud of our team than when we went there. You know, that’s that’s that’s a that’s a you know, that’s a that’s a memorial. It’s not a field trip. And our guys, I thought they showed tremendous respect and and interest. You know, not many of them were alive. I think only Jav was alive. I remember Ty Robinson telling me he had just been born, which made me feel old uh when that happened when when we had the 9/11. But so that’s just uh that’s just kind of some of my memories of it. to talk about not letting up last week and into this week. Has the team responded the way that you would hope to? Has the attention to detail been where you’d want them? Yeah. And I don’t I mean not letting up, you know, that’s probably an outside thing. Like for us, we’re just trying to get better. You know, it’s all it’s all continue to improve. Continue to There’s so many things we have to improve. Um you know, before every accident there was a warning. All the all the the there’s all these things on tape. if you just remove the emotion, you’re like, gosh, that’s not good enough and that’s not good enough or that’s better than I thought. So, we’re just trying to be very surgical. So, this was a week about improving um improving to get ready to play Houston Christian and improving to improve our football team. And so, I I felt I felt um this week that everything got better, but you never know till Saturday, right? You never know till Saturday, right? Um it’ll be our first, you know, day game, which I know um that question was asked earlier. And you know, you have to get up and you have to wake up ready to go on morning games. Um, you know, one of the reasons, you know, you know that the video went out of of the half what I said at halftime, which I meant, um, and one one of the reasons I was happy it was out to be quite honest with you, is because I want that standard set. That’s what, you know, that’s how you’re supposed to play. Um, you know, you go back to my remember my first year, we beat Louisiana Tech. I beat him somewhat convincingly and then there was a rain delay and we went in for the lightning delay. Not a rain delay, lightning delay. We went for the lightning delay and came back out and they scored a touchdown. I was just like, man, where is the killer instinct on us, you know? And so that’s not something you just have like you have to be good enough that it matters. Like you can be you can have all the killer instinct in the world. If you’re not very good, then it doesn’t matter. But I think we’ve been building that and I just was really pleased that they did it last week. But this is a whole new game, you know. I I go into every game thinking, hey, let’s let’s win this game 1716. Like, you know, I’m expecting a battle. Um I know I know these coaches these coaches are winners. like they’re they’re they’re they’re they’re going to do an excellent job. And so I’m expecting us, no matter what the score is, I’m expecting us to play better than we played last week. And if we don’t play better than we played last week, we wasted a week. So that sometimes you play better in a loss. Sometimes you you beat someone, you know, 45 to 14 and you don’t play better. So that’s been the whole challenge. I think the week has been an excellent week. No distractions from the guys at practice. They’ve done a great job and I’ve been very pleased. But we’ll see what it’s like on Saturday. I always make sure I say that. I got to say there’s nothing worse a coach saying, “Well, we had a great week.” You know, a great week just gives you a chance and then you got to get yourself ready to play and then, you know, good teams throw you curve balls. You have to adapt. Did you Did you have any thoughts or opinion on the one transfer the transfer portal one window January that’s starting to gain some Yeah. Thank Thank goodness. Yeah. I mean, I want kids to have a chance to transfer if they’re unhappy, if they’re not in the right setup. So, I I want them to have that. But two portal windows, I mean, it’s just torture, you know? I was like like like to me like the season’s over. You set your set your year for the next year and you build your team, right? And for the players, they set where they’re going and then they build their team. And so, you know, the thing about transferring, if a kid wants to transfer, they’re probably going to go in the portal in the first couple days, right? They’re going to go on day one, day two. What happens is is that teams lose a guy and or they thought they were getting so and so and he goes somewhere else and then they go and they try to convince people to go in the portal to fix their needs. That’s not in the best interest of the player, right? Like that’s not that’s not you know if a kid’s happy he should just stay there. If he’s unhappy she’s going to the portal. So I don’t know why we need you know 27 days. I don’t know why we need two portal windows. But again this is all this is all legal legal things. This isn’t like coaches you know this is all legal things. And so um I’m I’m happier about it. I wish it matched the financial year. So we’re paying players you know from July to July from July 1st to June 31st but the other portals in the middle of the year. Like we’re so it’s so easy to meet in college. like we just have the NFL, the best run, most parody, best league in the world, and they have the best TV viewership. They have everything. Why don’t we just do everything that the NFL does? And so they have a league year comes to an end. You have a tampering period, you have free agency, then you have a draft. We pay guys from June to July, but they can leave in January. That makes no sense. And now you’re trying to, you know, just wait. What’s going to happen? You’re going to have some coaches that get fired and the new coach comes in and he’s trying to build his team in the January portal and they have no money left. and you should be like then you’re going to have people writing waiverss and it’s going to be just you know it just doesn’t make any sense like whatever free agency is which is what the portal is free agency that should be the financial year but you know I say that in the big 10 meetings people look at me like I have three heads so I’m like all right whatever just do what you want um we’ll be fine here you know we we we got a great setup you know we got really smart people Pat’s doing an amazing job you know Logan Hogerson’s doing amazing job Keith Williams Troy Vincent our personnel department’s awesome Jonathan Baitman does a great job. And then Troy has vision and Haven has vision. So we have the right people in the athletic administration helping us. So doesn’t matter as much to me. I just like to see the game make sense. But but the one portal window it’s better cuz you know you basically go in December and then you set a contract with somebody and then they come back to you in May. I’m like, “Hey, I might leave again.” You’re like, “Well, we just signed then you have to resign a contract.” And um I just doesn’t make sense to me. So I’m glad they fixed it. And basketball had one. So I was like, “Well, why does basketball have one and we have two?” So I’m happy. you you you’ve been very complimentary of Dylan’s work pre- snap and and kind of how he’s grown there. Can you maybe speak to how much more he’s doing now in that role versus maybe what he was doing at the end of last season and how he’s kind of grown? You know, he was doing a lot last year. I think from day one we’ve done it with him. I just think um I just think he’s you know it’s only game this will be game 16 for him. I mean he’s so still so young in his journey. He’s just doing it at such an advanced level and like you know you he can come out and he can he can say oh it’s man I’m gonna go to this it’s two man I’m gonna go to that it’s you know so so as a play caller um you can give him things and you can call a play and if it’s not the right play he’s going to get you into the better play not just not picking from whatever I mean they’ve given it to him more um but I think he did a lot of it last year I just think that we’ve elevated it and we’ve added more things and then the team’s just a lot better you know the offense the guy the guys, even the guys, you know, were here last year, they’re just playing a lot better. You know, we’re better up front. We’re better at a lot of positions. So, he can get the checks and guys aren’t missing them. They’re not just we’re just another year into it. I think where you see a lot of growth from him is is in the um changes, flipping of protections, too, because as I said, there’s like there’s a couple steps to it. First, a lot of guys come out and they just they play quarterbacks. They’re my throwing the ball and they get blitz in the face, get hit in the face, and they have no idea. And then the next level up is to understand, hey, two guys come over here, I’m hot. I got to get the ball in my hand. That’s where a lot of guys play in college. The next step is, hey, I’m going to get hit. I’m going to check the protection and I’m going to, you know, protect myself. He’s at the fourth step. And it happened after Iowa going into Boston College. You know, Iowa did a great job. They kept blitzing the back, keeping the back in, and then he had no relief when the guys weren’t open. And uh he started after that game going into Boston College. He he was now flipping the protection even when he knew there wasn’t a problem to the guy he thought was coming. so that the back could get out. And so he’s way up here right now. Last week, Akan brought a zero blitz. They came all out and he kind of drifted to his right away from who he knew was free and he hit Jakori on a wide toart fade down the left sidelines. So um you know sometimes like you know sometimes even as as you’re watching the game like you might like why’ they call that play? It’s like a third and whatever. Uh he threw the ball to Wood against Cincinnati like like on the 40 yardd line, 45 yd line. He saw what the coverage was. He checked to a little screen through it to Wood, you know, hoping he breaks the tackle. Bonner gets tackled, goes to fourth through. That’s when I decided to I can’t remember if I went for that one or punt of that one. But I guess my point is is like you can call the play, you can call an aggressive pass play if he’s going to get overwhelmed with the pressure. He’s going to check to something to get you out of it. Um, so I just think he’s it’s the same off it’s all the same words as last year. There’s nothing like Dana didn’t reinvent the offense. It’s all the same things. It’s just we try to do what he does well. Uh, we try to do what our players do well. And I think think he’s he’s taking these things to a whole another level in terms of hey, call the play. I’ll get you in the right play if it’s not right. What challenge does Jason’s team present uh this Saturday? Well, uh I think we have to start with their defense. What they’ve done defensively. They give you a ton of different uh looks. Okay. And so, you know, I think I think, you know, I think there was one drive in the first six plays were six different fronts. And so, you’re constantly seeing different pictures. It’s the way we play defense. So, I think that presents a real challenge. you know, they’re going to they play they show different coverages. They’ve got some excellent football players. They have a kid six who I think is as good a player as you’ll see. And so, um, getting in the right play, knowing our issues, and and converting on third down. They’ve only given up one conversion so far this year. And so, that’s difficult to do. Um, you know, offensively, they’re going to they’re going to run the football and with different runs than we normally see. They run they run counter, they run a stretch lead, they run insert. So, some plays that we need to see. Um, and uh, you know, the quarterback’s a good player. So, I think the biggest challenge though is, you know, when you go against a defense that’s had that level of success. If they don’t turn the ball over as many times as they did in the last game, they they probably win the game. And so, um, you know, when someone turns the ball over that many times, you pretty sure they probably practiced it all week. You know, it’s not like it’s not like it’s like the flu that you can’t get rid of it. Like they they I’m sure they emphasize it. So, we’re not counting on getting turnovers. Uh, we’re counting on having to play great defense and sustain drives, keep people out of the red zone, touchdown, hold them to field goals. So, um, that’s been our kind of our overall emphasis the whole week. And we have to do just for us, we have to do a better job of getting to the quarterback now. You know, teams have been getting rid of the ball pretty quickly, but we we’ve got to get to the quarterback when it comes down to those drop back long yardage or if they decide to just make it a drop back game, we have to we have to be better. How aggressive is what Gunnar Coula did? I mean, he he starts nine games last year, then he has that surgery, which I’m sure is a bummer when he knows there’s competition at that spot coming in and just what he’s done to to put himself in the spot he is now. He’s an excellent player. I mean, I just I think if he was like, you know, if he was from, you know, somewhere else and had offers from other people, people would be like, you know, I mean, I think I think I when I got here, I watched him on tape. I was like, this guy’s a four-star player. Like, I mean, he’s excellent. Long arms, tough. It’s just, you know, it’s just, you know, I don’t know. I mean, I think I think he’s always been a good player, you know. It just, I mean, he went in, but he did the hardest thing he ever did to me was he went in against Illinois. He was third and all a sudden he was first and he went out there and he played well and um um you know that that’s really hard when you know you put that thing up against your body for those many weeks to your point. Uh but but Gunner’s um Gunner’s a guy like we didn’t know where he was going to start but I was pretty sure he was going to be a starter for us and I don’t think I don’t know I don’t think he couldn’t play center. I don’t think he couldn’t play guard. I think he could play either tackle and so you know he’s uh he’s uh he’s just an impressive young man and we’ve got him for you know a long time here. He’s a young player and so happy to see his development and I think it just speaks a lot to and I know Teddy got up and I think he said some of you guys like there’s no place I’d rather be hurt. It was kind of a weird statement but it’s it’s true. You know Mitch Mitch got a call from one of the kids who went in the portal Mitch who does our sports science and he was asking him questions. He’s like, “Hey, my new school, I’m hurt. You know, what should I do?” And, you know, we just don’t have what you guys had there. And and so, um, you know, we just have such resources in Drew Hamlin and, uh, our doctor situations elite. Our training situation is elite and, um, they care. And so, you know, a guy like Gunner not just comes back, he comes back better. You know, he comes back stronger in all these other areas. So, but I I just think he’s an excellent player. I just think, you know, because he’s a local kid, maybe we maybe, you know, we just take him for granted or he’ll go to Nebraska. The thing is when we find a local player that we want, we think, you know, hey, that’s that’s a Husker. We’ve just tried to make sure we recruit them like like not not with like, oh, he’ll come here, right? We have to we’ve recruited them. We try to Carter Nelson or the kids we’re recruiting moving forward. Recruit him like uh recruit him like, you know, we’re last on his list. And um I was here just for the end of Gunner, but a great family, you know, coach’s kid. And um I think he’s going to be a really good player in the Big 10 for a while. I think last week you said Malcolm Hartzaw got dinged up. Is he doing? You expect him to play as usual? Yeah. Yeah, he’ll he’ll be questionable for the game. I guess with that, Jir Khan played, I think, as many snaps as any defensive back. What do you think of his performance and just filling in that role? Yeah, Jir is an excellent player. He’s done a great job. We have, you know, if if Malcolm can’t go, you know, we also have some other lineups we can go with. Some other guys, we’ll move it around. You know, we had a package last year with Donnie Jones went in the game. Um but uh Jir Jir’s um tough, physical, smart, has done a great job for us on special teams um and was ready when his number was called. So we’ll uh well John I think John and Addison I mean our our defensive back plays been really good through two games. I think John Addison, Phil Snow, and uh Adam Deich, you know, they’ve done a great job of working with each player because we do so many different things with our guys um that we’ve cross trained them that I think Jir’s coming on, but we also, you know, uh way Sierra Marshall, Donnie are playing, Buford, Shore, tackler, I mean, just done a great job and Deshawn played his best, you know, one of his best games last week. G game more has come up a couple times throughout throughout the week after after Saturday’s game. What what just stood out to him when you when you were recruiting him out of the portal just cuz he obviously didn’t have no college tape to Yeah, Troy Vincent did a great job of like, hey, you know, we had to go back and watch like I think he had a couple practice clips and we had to watch like some high school tape. He was a really good player coming out and just you know had some injury history and so um you know guy just needed a he just needed a fresh start you know and um had a good spring when he was able to get back out there and he was out for the whole summer. He literally didn’t practice till last week. Last week on Tuesday was his first actual practice. So he, you know, he hasn’t done anything yet in terms of practice wise. So, but he’s got really long arms. He’s explosive and he’s a smart young man and uh he cares. So, um I would just think that you’d probably see Gab’s development accelerate because now that he’s practicing and playing and I think um I think he’s going to be a pivotal piece. You know, we just got to keep him healthy. You know, he’s got uh he’s got uh a lot of work to do there just to continually stay healthy. But he’s kind of he’s one of those guys we were counting on of hey if we can get this guy back he if he can give us you know is it 10 snaps is it 50 snaps that depends on the game but he’s an anchor in the run game and uh so we’re excited to have him and really proud of what he’s done so far. Anything else? Thanks guys.
1 Comment
Great leader. GBR.