College Football Best Week 1 Plays: Matt Rhule’s Huskers lead at #3

A year ago, Matt Rule suddenly found himself out of a job after being fired by the Carolina Panthers.

Now he’s back in the college game, tasked with rebuilding a Nebraska program hungry to rediscover its past dominance–and he loves every second of it.

“I’m having the best time of my life, really,” he said last week. “So I feel as happy as I have been for a really long time. My family is here now. My girls are happy, my family is happy, my wife is happy, the son is healthy. I really enjoy this team.”

Rhule makes his Nebraska debut tonight, as the Cornhuskers take on the Minnesota Big Ten showdown on FOX.

Here are the most important plays from the game.

Nebraska in Minnesota

14:03, third: Landing in Nebraska!

That was an exciting way to start the second half! First, Rahmer Johnson returned the kickoff 65 yards to put Nebraska in great field position. …

Matt Rule then called a trick play, Jeff Sims fumbled the ball, caught it, and threw a TD hit, giving the Huskers a 7-3 lead.

:07, 2nd: Intercepted!

Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims led Nebraska on a stellar drive late in the first half, going for runs of 5 and 9 yards, and also completing a 15-yard pass, as the Huskers drove deep into Minnesota territory.

But with at least a chance of getting a field goal to tie the score before halftime, Sims instead slipped a pass into the arms of Minnesota’s Trayvon Jones in the end zone.

Minnesota’s Trayvon Jones picks Jeff Sims

8:48, 2nd: Go Sims!

Nebraska had a nice little drive, but on the third and long, Huskers QB Jeff Simms threw a pass that sailed, and was intercepted by Tyler Knobin.

Minnesota coach PJ Flick took a moment to praise quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis’ balance.

12:31 Second: The gopher hits first

All that possession finally paid off for a Minnesota team led by PJ Flick, who took a 3-0 lead on a 34-yard field goal by Dragan Kesic.

0:00 First: Defensive struggle

Minnesota was making another long drive when the first quarter ended, heading to the Nebraska 34-yard line.

Minnesota held the ball for 10:27 in a first quarter that ended tied 0-0.

7:55, 1st: The Sims is a problem

The Gophers got the ball first and held it for over five minutes before finally having to punt. They pinned the Huskers to a one-yard line, but freshman Nebraska quarterback Jeff Sims gave his team some room to breathe with a 26-yard dash on a determined run.

However, the Gophers defense held strong, forcing a punt.

Pre-match scene

New faces on the scene

Big Noon welcomes two new stars to the lineup: Former NFL quarterback Mark Ingram to provide analysis…

…and Chris “The Bear” Valeca to provide all your betting tips.

“The ultimate experience”

Looking ahead to Saturday, Urban Meyer took a look at the expectations levels for Deion Sanders’ Colorado team.

The Ultimate Experience: Urban Meyer on Deion Sanders in Colorado

Great afternoon survey…

Matt Leinart wants to know who you’ll pick in this game.

Ass and partner in the game? Why not!

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