In Indiana, fittingly enough, Matt Rhule did his best Norman Dale after the Huskers topped Purdue in West Lafayette on Saturday afternoon 28-10.

“It might not be for everybody, but we are just a growing team,” the head man said after his team dominated the fourth quarter, before going full Hickory pep rally. “People can spend all their time thinking about what we are not, I choose to see what we are.”

If you have not seen Hoosiers (shame on you, first) but early in the movie the team star Jimmy Chitwood has decided he’s not playing for new coach Norman Dale. And, so at the preseason pep rally, Coach Dale introduces his team to the town.

“We want Jimmy. We want Jimmy. We want Jimmy.” The crowd goes on. Before the coach stands up for his guys.

“I would hope you would support who we are, not who we are not. These six individuals have made a choice to work; a choice to sacrifice; to put themselves 23 nights for the next four months to represent you — this high school. That kind of commitment deserves and demands your respect.

“This is your team.”

It kind of makes you think The Mirror should shut the heck up. But friends at South Central Chiropractic in Sutton said we should keep typing. So, away we go.

A Game We Needed

In that post game press conference, Rhule went on. It’s really worth a listen if you have a minute.

“We are getting a little bit better in different areas,” he said. “We went on the road after a devastating loss last week and we found a way to win. It wasn’t the best football. We have a lot to fix, but I am proud of the heart of that football team.”

The man is honest.

So, let’s chat about this box score. Nebraska possessed the ball nine times (10 counting the last). Each drive advanced to Purdue territory. Every, single one. Three punts, three field goal gaffes before three straight touchdowns in the second half.

Nebraska is not Alabama or Georgia (more on that later). But, the Huskers are getting closer to being a team that might break down another door soon. The Colorado win is starting to look better.

The Mirror has harped on the run game. Ugh, sorry. You can read last weeks disaster here. It’s still not great.

But, it brings The Mirror to that Georgia, Alabama game on Saturday. Georgia 50 runs, 26 passes. Always gonna put you in a bad spot but they had a chance to win the game! The Tide had to be pounding the rock right? Nope. 33 passes, 30 runs. Alabama had eleven (11!!!) running back runs during the game. That’s it.

Maybe we are just getting old and the game is passing us by? Who knows.

The Mirror is just going to keep watching this offense. It’s loaded with weapons. It’s moving the ball pretty consistently. It’s NOT turning it over. Consider on Saturday:

• They had 18 runs for 108 yards on first down.

• On 16 first down pass attempts, Raiola was 10-for-11 for 133 yards and was sacked once (net yards 125). Nebraska also drew four pass interference penalties on first down.

It all screams pretty dang good. And the 21 points suggests Matt Rhule has plenty of stuff to practice and execution to work on in practice this week. Can’t beat that either.

DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING: Just a few words on the defense. Elite? Getting closer. Only 12 first downs for Purdue. Five sacks for 35 yards. Another score, you’ll take those. Got the offensive coordinator fired, too. Nebraska will need a gritty performance this weekend against a team that won’t stop running it. Rutgers is pretty good, still not quite ranked? Beatable.

WORKING ON SPECIAL: Nebraska needs better special teams. Whole world knows it. Rhule knows it. Foley knows it. Have to get at least serviceable in the field goal game. Would be pretty good if they win us a game (or two) down the stretch. And, stop making tweets like this. Guy is a loser.

The Standard

I guess we’ll make grading the standard a weekly thing here. See how it goes.

1. Win the turnover battle. They did it again. Again. This has been super refreshing. And a score too? GRADE: A+. 

2. Most physical team in football. Still not sure. You all know we need more runs, we want more runs. But, can we flip this over? The defensive line was fantastic. 1.6 yards per rush when you include the five sacks. Good stuff. And, The Mirror’s favorite play of the game? Dante Dowdell’s ½ yard touchdown run. Fun. GRADE: B+.

3. Culture of execution. Still too many penalties. The early false start when Nebraska was going to hammer it on fourth-and-short early seemed to set the tone for a lackluster first half. GRADE: B-.

So, Nebraska is 4-1 with an amazing opportunity coming on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. They’ll need to possess the ball. They’ll need to score. They will need complimentary football. They’ll likely need special teams. The goal?

Compete and get a little bit better. That kind of commitment deserves and demands your respect.

A big week awaits. We wish the weather was a little more fall — a little more football. Here come the Scarlet Knights. Remember The Mirror, always free thanks to our sponsor. But, be careful. You might get what you pay for.