Matt Rhule didn’t spend much time piling onto Dylan Raiola after Nebraska’s 17-14 loss to Oregon on Saturday night in Eugene.
That answer mattered almost as much as the game itself.
Raiola, Nebraska’s former quarterback, entered off the bench in the fourth quarter and helped the Ducks finish off the Cornhuskers at Autzen Stadium, with a pass to tight end Jamari Johnson in the end zone sealing Oregon’s win. Even with that ending, Rhule kept his response pointed and measured when asked about Raiola’s role in the Ducks’ comeback.
“Anybody that's played for me, I'm always gonna root for," Rhule said post game. "You know, I want the kids to all have success.
So obviously, you know, good for him to fight back from what he went through last week. At the same time, came at our expense in the end.
So I'm just going to focus on our team."
Rhule said he did not think it was “respectful” to Nebraska or Oregon to break down individual players any further after a loss like that.
The Cornhuskers did plenty to keep the game tight, but they could not find the one play that would tilt it back their way. Nebraska and Oregon each finished with 242 total offensive yards, even though the Cornhuskers had built a noticeable edge in yardage earlier in the game. Rhule pointed to fatigue, especially in the run game, as the reason things started to slip.
“I think a lot of the - you know, I won't take anything away from them. I think a lot of it was fatigue.
You know, I think just the we were on the field too much all night, you know, and something they did a nice job of - they just kind of constantly stayed on schedule. But it was really a lot of the run game, you know, was second and six, it was third and 2/4, and one,” Rhule said
He added that Nebraska was close to forcing a key stop late.
“Just, we just needed to make one more big play. Victor [Evans III] came up really big twice and now they roll out on the fades.
But weren't able, obviously, the last play we had, but they could go back to the last play of the game. They just came off the right edge versus the left tackle, and probably was four or five inches away, from knocking the ball out of Raiola's hands,” Rhule added.
Rhule was also asked directly whether the late kickoff had anything to do with Nebraska looking sluggish as the night wore on. He would not go there, saying he “would never” use the timing as an excuse for the way his team played in the second half.
Even with both offenses struggling, the defenses made the game feel like a grind from start to finish. Rhule framed the loss as another hard lesson against top-level competition, saying Nebraska is still a team that will keep fighting.
“Yeah, I'm not. You know, I don't think we're the type of team that's going to not stay with it.
You know, Indiana is as good team as there is in the country. This is as talented a team as there is in the country.
Going into the year, they said we were playing these two teams. I mean, you know, I thought they were two really good teams, and so having a game like this, you see how far you've come,” Rhule said.
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Oregons Comeback Was Fueled By Unsung Ducks Fans Cant Ignore
The slow start against Nebraska could have sent Oregon into a long afternoon, but the Ducks kept finding ways to stay in the game before the offense finally caught up to the moment. Dylan Raiolas late quarterback change helped flip the tempo, and Oregon leaned on a defense that was steady from start to finish while a few lesser-sung contributors helped keep the comeback alive.
Hudson Lewis, Jalen Lott, Brandon Smith and kicker Gage Hurych all had a hand in a win that looked anything but comfortable early on. Defensive coordinator Chris Hampton also drew credit for a unit that held firm when Oregon needed it most, giving the Ducks enough stability to turn a shaky beginning into a result that should resonate beyond just the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Have One Big AP Poll Debate After Costly Loss
A wild Saturday around the top of the AP Top 25 has set up a shakeup that should ripple well beyond the teams that actually lost. Five teams ranked inside the top seven went down on Oct. 18, including Indiana, Georgia, Notre Dame, Alabama and Texas, and that kind of chaos usually sends pollsters scrambling when the new rankings come out. For Oregon, it adds another layer of intrigue after a weekend that could reshape the order near the top of the ballot.
BYU and Oregon are among the teams whose positioning could be affected by how voters sort through all that fallout, and the debate is likely to center on more than just raw record. With so many highly ranked teams stumbling in the same week, the question is not simply who won and lost, but how far those losses should drop the contenders and who benefits most from the reset. Oregon will be watching closely, because a crowded top tier can turn one chaotic Saturday into a meaningful rise. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Late Quarterback Switch Changed Everything Against Nebraska
A fourth-quarter quarterback switch ended up changing the entire feel of Oregons 17-14 comeback win over Nebraska, as Dylan Raiola came off the bench and quickly settled in after the Ducks had been searching for a spark. The late move gave Oregon a different look at the most important moment, and Raiola helped guide the offense all the way to a winning touchdown and two-point conversion with less than 30 seconds left.
Raiola finished the rally by finding Jamari Johnson for the decisive score, capping a response that flipped a tight game in a hurry. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule pointed to the effort his team brought despite the loss, while Oregon coach Dan Lanning praised Raiolas courage and the Ducks overall performance in pulling out a game that had been slipping away. [Read more 🡒]