Bret Bielema held a crisp, enjoyable, 12-minute press conference this week leading up to Nebraska’s Friday night visit. He had a lot of good things to talk about.
After last week’s walk-off win over Maryland, the Illini (5-3, 3-2) have won three straight and are “the healthiest” they’ve been, getting starting quarterback Katin Houser back last week ahead of schedule. Friday night is a blue out with Illinois wearing new alternates featuring navy helmets that Bielema and his wife paid for themselves.1 Illinois announced a home-and-home series with Notre Dame starting next year as both teams ramp up for a 24-team playoff. The Husker game is also “Dads Day,” a 100-year-old Illini tradition where players are escorted to the field by their fathers or the father figures in their life. Bielema will be escorted by his daughters, as he attended his father’s funeral on Sunday.
All very good. All very wholesome.
Matt Rhule, following Nebraska’s third straight excruciating loss, held a 50-minute press conference Monday. Its tone was closer to a “we need to talk” conversation, which has become an unfortunately familiar and identifiable type of press conference in Lincoln over the past decade. No need to summarize that one as you’ve probably already absorbed or decided you’d rather not.
Based on those two sketches, which team are you feeling better about in this game? Vibes, setting, scenario, momentum—they all point to Illinois. Much of the on-field stuff, still points to Nebraska.
Let’s try to craft a path out of the darkness for the Huskers.
