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(Photo: Getty) Nebraska closed non-conference play with a 34-7 win over North Dakota on Saturday night, and Matt Rhule liked how his team handled a difficult opponent to prepare for. "Good win versus a good team," Rhule said. "I have a lot of respect for their program. I've been here now a few years. This is one of the hardest teams preparation-wise to get ready for. I'm sure they're going to win a ton of games. Very difficult schematically to deal with." Rhule thought the defensive staff and players did a nice job. And after allowing two explosives early, the defense only allowed two more first downs until late in the third quarter. Nebraska was especially strong on third down, where North Dakota was just 1 for 13. "Offensively, there were some moments that weren't as good as we would've liked," Rhule said. "But I think any time we rush for over 200 yards we're going to be pleased with that." Nebraska ran for 277 yards by game's end. "There was some good, some bad. We'll continue to try to improve those things," Rhule said. But the coach thought the non-conference schedule was what they needed and Nebraska got out of it mostly healthy, though Rhule didn't immediately know Carter Nelson's status after going down with a fourth-quarter injury. More from Rhule's postgame: