Head Coach Matt Rhule's Monday Presser Post Bowling Green

Nebraska is off to a solid 2-0 start to the season, granted the Huskers haven't exactly had a grueling schedule as of yet. Non the less, the Huskers have looked good and performed as a good team is expected to perform. On Monday, September 14th the Husker head coach did his usual press conference with the media, here is a rundown of what he had to say:

- Rhule opened the conference by stating that he was pleased with the progress the team has made, but noted that there are still some things that need to be addressed such as penalties

- The team will continue to fight to be better at pass protection and the pass rush. Noting that Bowling Green only had six drop backs for the Huskers to pass rush on

- Rhule wants the game this week against North Dakota to be a game that Coach Tom Osborne would be proud of

- Andrew Marshall and Jamir Conn got shout outs for how well they have been doing

- North Dakota has a good offensive line and a good overall team and the Huskers are looking forward to the opportunity to play them

- Rhule noted the difficulty in playing a team like North Dakota because they are a team that knows how to win. They execute and come into games with a great game plan

- North Dakota does a good job running power football as well as spreading defenses out. Emphasizing the elite run game that North Dakota brings into Memorial Stadium this weekend

- The talent in college football is more spread out amongst P4 and FCS schools than ever before. Noting that some of Nebraska's most productive players right now are former FCS players

- When Coach Rhule was in the NFL he made an emphasis to fly out to FCS powerhouses like North Dakota State to scout linemen

- North Dakota has 8 kids from the state of Nebraska playing football for them

- The defensive line has played well so far, but the need for improvement is always there. The stats may not indicate success, but the video is proof of improvement. However, the D-Line has not been tested in conference play yet

- Rhule has watched every team they play this year so far, something he learned from Bill Belichick. Looking for trends or habits they may have

- The Huskers were only allowed 9 days in pads prior to the first game of the season, which can explain the tackling issues seen early on in FBS

- Penalties are high this year in the B1G

- The defense has been being coached to play fast and aggressive, noting that if you're not doing that you won't win very many games

- Rhule feels that Nebraska took a step in the right direction on defense with the speed and aggression

- Part of the key for the defense playing fast is quick diagnoses of the offense and the play

- Dexter Foster made improvements from game one to game two, noting that Owen Chambliss being on the field was a positive thing for the Linebackers

- Dawson Merritt is coming along and Rhule is looking forward to getting him involved in 40 or so snaps per game

- Anthony Colandrea has been playing at a high level for a while, and he is continuing his high-level play with Nebraska up to now. Noting that Colandrea's maturity is very high at the moment

- Dana Holgorson most likely does not care if we throw it or run it 40 times, whatever works in the moment

- Justin Evans is as good of a leader that Rhule has been around

- The Huskers are 8 for 8 in the redzone scoring, and some of that success has to do with Colandrea's dual threat ability

- June used to be quality control in the coaching world, but is now busier than it ever has been

- The Huskers have an older roster and that gives them an advantage due to experience. An older player knows what they are capable of and aren't as bothered by mistakes as a younger player

- Luke Lindenmeyer did not have as many knock-downs this week as last week, but still had a good game from a blocking standpoint

- The pass protection and the pass rush continue to be an area of focus for the Huskers

- Nebraska has three QB's that can play meaningful minutes this year

- Rhule was asked about Michigan State but shut that down and stated that "we are not looking past these guys" referencing the game against North Dakota

- Colandrea and Holgorson did an elite job in gaining the first down and second down yardage required by the metrics that Nebraska uses

- Kwazi Gilmer practices like an elite professional, noting that at the half of the Bowling Green game Gilmer wanted to stay on the field and continue to play

- The sidelines can be a dangerous place, in reference to the Husker AD getting knocked down on the sidelines

Rhule spoke on Monday for around 32 minutes, hitting on a variety of topics. He did spend a long time talking about how good of a team North Dakota is. I think it is safe to say that the Huskers will be in for a battle against the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota.