Nebraska’s coaching staff isn’t about to let Maryland’s 54-3 loss to UCLA fool them.
That kind of result can tempt people to write the Terrapins off quickly, but Matt Rhule is pushing the opposite message this week: every Big Ten game has its own life, and last week’s score means very little when the next kickoff arrives. Rhule pointed back to his own experience at Nebraska, when the Huskers were blasted 56-7 by Indiana two years ago and then pushed eventual national champion Ohio State all the way to the final drive in a 21-17 loss.
"I don't believe last week carries over to this week," Rhule said.
There’s also no shortage of respect inside the Nebraska building for what Maryland can still bring to the table. Rhule said Mike Locksley was coaching aggressively against UCLA, including going for it on fourth down in his own end while trailing. Even in the loss, the Terps defense forced the Bruins into 2 of 10 on third down and allowed 19 first downs.
Rhule also made clear that Nebraska remembers what Maryland looked like in last year’s meeting. The Huskers edged the Terrapins 34-31 on a last-minute touchdown in College Park, and Rhule said the Nebraska sideline came away fully aware of the threats Maryland presents at every level.
"Just a couple pick sixes, a couple tough plays. We know Malik Washington.
We played him last year. We know what Malik can do," Rhule said.
"There's no one here that didn't leave the field against Maryland last year talking about those edges, talking about those inside guys, talking about the skill guys that they have. We all know who they are.
I think pretty much everybody on our team probably at some point in their life has had a game that gets away from you."
Still, Rhule said Nebraska can’t afford to get caught up in the opponent anyway. The focus, he said, stays on the Huskers’ own execution and whether they can play to their standard.
"We're just going to play. Play our best.
Play to our standard and play to our level," Rhule said. "If it's good enough, great.
And if not. But we have enough things to worry about on our own technically that if we don't fix them - but the same is probably true for everybody."
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