Head Coach Matt Rhule met with members of the media ahead of Saturday’s game against Purdue. He spoke on the importance of special teams, mindset and the remainder of the season.

“Especially in games like this week, where weather could be a factor, you want to play great on the special teams,” he said. “Purdue has dynamic kickoff and punt return games. They blocked a field goal against Iowa in a crucial time, they’re excellent on special teams. We’ve made some good plays on special teams, pinning the ball down, Tommi (Hill) with the kickoff return last week. We’re also missing some opportunities. We had a punt block last week, we missed it. We’re just going to continue to try and get better at it…Guys fill in the void as we have injuries. I think special teams are vital. They’ll be really vital this week. We’re down our starting kick returner. We’re down our starting punt returner. Those are big things, so other guys have to step up.”

Rhule discussed the team’s mindset of finding a way to win, even when they’re not playing their best.

“The danger, and it goes back to Bill Parcells, who used to talk about the psychology of results,” he said. “There’s four things to it. One of them is, when you don’t play at the level you want to play at, when you don’t play well and win, sometimes you start to think ‘hey, I can win.’ That’s why you’ll hear me say I don’t care about the score all the time. Obviously, I want to win, but I care about how we play. There’s a standard.”

He also talked about the process of the rest of the season.

“We have 29 days left in the season,” Rhule said. “That’s it. We could do anything for 29 days. And so I just want them each day to get a little bit better for 29 days and see if we can’t earn ourselves another chance to play another ball game.”

Nebraska would enter November with five wins for the first time since 2016 if it can beat the Boilermakers for the first time in three years.

The Cornhuskers also would maintain control of their destiny in the Big Ten West race.

The Boilermakers have lost four of five games and need to win four of their final five to become bowl eligible.

Last year Devin Mockobee ran for 178 yards against the Huskers.

Purdue (2-5, 1-3 Big Ten) at Nebraska (4-3, 2-2), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

Line: Nebraska by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Purdue leads 6-5.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Nebraska would enter November with five wins for the first time since 2016 if it can beat the Boilermakers for the first time in three years. The injury-plagued Cornhuskers also would maintain control of their destiny in the Big Ten West race. The Boilermakers have lost four of five games and need to win four of their final five to become bowl eligible.

KEY MATCHUP

Purdue's ground game vs. Nebraska's run defense. The Boilermakers have struggled most when they’ve become one-dimensional, leaning too heavily on QB Hudson Card. This game certainly has that look. Cornhuskers coach Matt Ruhle’s run defense ranks second in the Big Ten in yards allowed per game (78.4) and yards per carry (2.6). If it’s a similar story Saturday, Card may have to carry the Boilermakers.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Purdue: RB Devin Mockobee. If anyone is going to help alleviate the burden on Card, it’s Mockobee. Last season, he shredded the Cornhuskers for 178 yards to set the Boilermakers’ single-game freshman rushing record.

Nebraska: DT Nash Hutmacher, nicknamed “Polar Bear,” is playing at an all-conference level. He had 2 1/2 sacks and seven tackles against Northwestern last week, both career highs, and will make it difficult for the Boilermakers to attack the middle.

FACTS & FIGURES

The latest additions to Nebraska's long injury list are starting offensive linemen Ethan Piper, Turner Corcoran and Nouredin Nouili and starting WR Billy Kemp Jr. Piper and Corcoran are out for the season; Nouili is out one to two weeks; and Kemp is out multiple weeks, coach Matt Rhule said. ... The matchup pits two of the league’s first-year coaches. Ryan Walters lost his first such matchup against Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell. ... Purdue has won four of the last five in the series. ... Nebraska has 24 sacks through seven games, already the best total since it had 27 sacks in 2019. ... Boilermakers Kydran Jenkins and Nic Scourton have combined for 9 1/2 sacks, the highest total of any Big Ten linebacker duo. ... Purdue S Dillon Thieneman leads all FBS freshmen in tackles (62), solo tackles (45) and interceptions (three).

No. 3 Ohio State's focus after big win is to keep Badgers' stadium from becoming a house of horrors

Things to watch during Week 9 of play in the Big Ten Conference:

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 3 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) at Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

Ohio State coach Ryan Day expects a juiced-up crowd at Camp Randall Stadium when the Buckeyes visit on the weekend before Halloween. Even though the Badgers have lost nine in a row in the series, Ohio State seems to get pushed to the limit every time it plays in Madison. The previous two games there went to overtime.

The Buckeyes must guard against a letdown after their big win over Penn State. They appear to be getting healthier. RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Emeka Egbuka and CB Denzel Burke are expected to play.

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is a former Ohio State player, position coach, defensive coordinator and interim head coach. There's no doubt a win over his old team would be sweet for the West-leading Badgers, who finish the regular season with a very manageable schedule (Indiana, Northwestern, Nebraska and Minnesota).

BEST MATCHUP

Purdue (2-5, 1-3) at Nebraska (4-3, 2-2), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

Nebraska has won four of its last five games under first-year coach Matt Rhule, has matched its 2022 win total and is in the thick of the West race. FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Cornhuskers as a 2 1/2-point favorite against a team that has beaten them in back-to-back years.

The Huskers are without three starting offensive linemen and their top receiver because of injuries and will need the defense to continue being stout.

Purdue, the defending West champion, has lost four of its last five games under first-year coach Ryan Walters and must go 4-1 down the stretch to make a third straight bowl.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Penn State, which hosts Indiana, is 12-0 at home against the Hoosiers. Indiana has lost 10 of its last 11 Big Ten road games. ... Maryland's nine interceptions are tied second-most over the first seven games in 20 years. The 2018 team had 13 picks at this point. ... Minnesota's 12-10 win over Iowa last week was its first since 1981 when it didn't score a touchdown. The Gophers beat Iowa 12-10 in that game, too.

LONG SHOT

Northwestern (3-4, 1-3) is a 13 1/2-point home underdog against Maryland (5-2, 2-2), according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Wildcats have no chance if their offense performs like it did at Nebraska last week. QB Brendan Sullivan has started the last two games in place of the injured Ben Bryant, whose status for this week has not been announced.

The Wildcats' defense has given game efforts, but it could be a long day if it can't get off the field against a Taulia Tagovailoa-led offense that's second in the Big Ten at 422 yards per game.

IMPACT PLAYER

Michigan State QB Katin Houser will be in bounce-back mode when he makes his third career start, and second on the road, against Minnesota. He was just 12 for 22 for 101 yards and an interception in a 49-0 home loss to No. 2 Michigan last week. The redshirt freshman was solid in a loss to Rutgers that should have been a win, and it looks like the job is his to lose after replacing an ineffective Noah Kim.