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AMES, Iowa — Paul Rhoads chuckled when someone suggested that recent offensive problems might leave Nebraska vulnerable heading into Saturday's game against Iowa State.
“I don't know if I've ever used the term vulnerable with Nebraska, and I won't start using it now,'' said Rhoads, who will be facing the Huskers for the first time as a head coach but has tangled with Nebraska several times as an assistant.
“Bo Pelini will have that football team ready to play. We better come out fully strapped up when we take the field.''
Nebraska will come into Saturday's game off a 31-10 loss to Texas Tech in which the Huskers' offense struggled mightily. The outcome left Pelini uncertain whether junior Zac Lee or freshman Cody Green will start at quarterback for Nebraska against the 4-3 Cyclones.
The fact that Nebraska lost its last game changes little for Iowa State, Rhoads said. The Huskers had been ranked 15th nationally before the lackluster effort against the Red Raiders.
Given a choice, Rhoads was asked, would he rather face the Huskers who might have been a little less ornery had they won against Texas Tech?
“Coaches debate over that, and if you filled up a room with coaches, you could probably draw a line right down the middle,'' he said. “Some guys would like to play them when they've come off a victory and are feeling good about themselves.
“Some guys would rather face them after a loss. I used to try to pick a side in that, but I don't do that much anymore. I've got our football team to prepare and make sure we're ready to play, and that's all I can control. And sometimes, I can't control that.”
Rhoads' players, especially the ones who have faced the Huskers before, said they also see little difference in either scenario. To them, Nebraska is going to be a difficult challenge whether the Huskers are coming off a 45-point win or a one-point loss.
“I don't think it really matters,” senior safety James Smith said. “We don't worry about wins and losses. The only thing we worry about is Iowa State football and the things we have to do to get better.
“Our main focus is what we need to do to win this football game. We just have to get ready and go play football.”
Linebacker Fred Garrin agrees.
“It really doesn't matter,'' he said. “We know they're going to play hard either way.”
The football version of the chicken-or-the-egg question caught running back Alexander Robinson by surprise.
“I honestly didn't know they lost,” Robinson said. “Hey, we know Nebraska is a great team. We're going to have to play them either way, so it really doesn't matter.”
Contact the writer:
679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com
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