A sluggish 17-3 win over South Dakota State came at the “perfect time,” for Nebraska’s football team, head coach Bo Pelini said Monday, serving as a “wake-up call” and “reality check” for players who had grown overconfident after a road win at Washington.

“To a certain extent, our guys bought into the hype,” Pelini said on the Big 12 Coaches Teleconference. “They bought into all the things that were being said about them. They started believing it, instead of taking a good hard look at what we talk about each and every day: You gotta respect the game, or you get humbled.”

NU struggled to shake a winless Division 1-AA/FCS foe. The Jackrabbits ran a vanilla offense and a sell-out defense that the Huskers’ couldn’t complete solve despite its relative simplicity. Pelini took the blame Saturday; he reiterated coaching Monday, adding that NU lost its bearing against SDSU and pressed to make plays.

“Our guys didn’t play team football,” he said. “They didn’t apply their rules, they didn’t do the things they’ve been taught to do. You have to control you. You have to do what you have to do within the scheme and let plays come to you. And that didn’t happen.”

Redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez accounted for three turnovers. He could be seen, after the game’s first play - a fumble by Martinez - occasionally holding his right hand between plays. Pelini said Martinez did not hurt it.

“He’ll learn from what happened,” he said. “It goes well beyond Taylor.”

Pelini confirmed that Mike McNeill, Eric Martin and P.J. Smith are also ready to practice this week after getting slightly banged up in the game.

NU does not play this week; its next game is Thursday, Oct. 7 at Kansas State on ESPN. The Huskers will mix in “some fundamental work” with preparation for the Wildcats.

See also: How Did SDSU Do It?

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