Glad Doss is back
HEAD COACH MATT RHULE
***Rhule said safety DeShon Singleton suffered a significant knee injury but is expected back "at some point." Rhule wasn't sure yet when Singleton would return to action.
***Linebacker Luke Reimer was out of the hospital but would not play at Illinois. Further updates on his status will come later on. He said his ailment was "nothing football-related."
***Not having those two starters was "a big deal," Rhule said. Koby Bretz, Phalen Sanford, Tommi Hill, and De'Andre Barnes needed to step up at DB. Makai Gbayor is now a full-time ILB after working at Jack.
***Rhule said there was a chance Cameron Lenhardt could return this week after missing the past two games with an ankle injury.
***Rhule reiterated that Nebraska "didn't play very well" against Michigan and should have played better. "I don't think there's a guy in that locker room that wouldn't agree with me."
***Rhule said his No. 1 goal right now was to get the players to "stop thinking about all this other stuff." They faced adversity in several games this season and, at times, "accepted that we're going to lose."
"I want a winning mindset... We've got to get to the point where we go out and play."
***Rhule: "We have some really good players who are going to play in the NFL someday. They need to show up." He said Michigan's best players showed up, and Nebraska's top guys needed to do the same. "I want game-wreckers. I want our guys to wreck games... That's my job, and I need to get that done."
***Rhule said part of Nebraska's issues were played "not wanting to be the guy that messes up. But we need our great players to be great players."
***Rhule said he felt "very confident" in Heinrich Haarberg as the No. 1 QB. That said, he also felt confident in Jeff Sims. He said they "practiced, practiced" last night, and Sims "looked great."
***Rhule said Nebraska had an offensive identity - they want to run the ball and win with body blows. He stressed not to concern identity with success. They know what they want to be, and now it was a matter of executing consistently.
***Rhule said Sunday was a full-pads practice, and the team "competed." We played on Sunday. We didn't play on Saturday."
***Rhule said Malachi Coleman was out against Michigan because he was still on concussion protocol.
***Rhule said Turner Corcoran was "fine" and would be the starting left tackle as usual this week.
***Rhule said they liked what they saw from Emmett Johnson and Josh Fleeks at running back, while Kwinten Ives still had a way to go. With Anthony Grant, Rhule said it was still a matter of him taking care of the football.
***Rhule said Fleeks was the RB who had made the biggest jump the past couple of weeks. He should continue to have a heavy role in the rotation going forward.
***Rhule said the Illinois game would be a great opportunity to see "who are the guys" that want it the most. He said he could see that in the eyes of guys like Jimari Butler and Ty Robinson during Sunday's practice.
***Nebraska hasn't had a sack (maybe one) in the past two games after getting 14 in the first three. Rhule said that guys were still winning in the pass rush but weren't getting home. The goal is to get consistent pressure with just four rushers.
***Rhule said Tristan Alvano was "just like the rest of us" in that he, too, needed to be better. It wasn't a lack of effort; Alvano just needed to kick with the right level of confidence.
***Rhule said Jaidyn Doss was cleared to practice last week and practiced Sunday. "He's a guy who could see some reps."
***Coleman and Jaylen Lloyd were "all kind of right there" toward making a bigger impact. Rhule said Coleman had really been coming on before his concussion last week in practice.
***Rhule said preparing on a short week was nothing new to him. Not only did he play them in the NFL, but also a ton of them while he was coaching in the MAC. "It's not super, super, super ideal, but it is what it is."
"You have to condense what you're doing... But you do have to prepare a lot." He said Sunday was a great start in that process.
***Rhule said he would never consider banning social media because it's just not feasible in this day and age. "This is the modern world, and you have to choose where you put your attention."