Since becoming Nebraska’s head football coach, Matt Rhule has made it clear that he will not tolerate turnovers. He even said as much at the start of the season.
No matter how talented you are, if you fumble the football, you can’t play for us.
With running backs Gabe Ervin and Rahmir Johnson out for the remainder of the season, Anthony Grant has now become RB1. Last season, Grant ran for a team-high 915 yards and six touchdowns, but fumbling has been an issue since training camp.
When asked about Grant’s performance this season, the head coach has made it clear at his Tuesday press conference with the media that he’s had enough.
“He’s not okay with me because he keeps fumbling the ball. I love Anthony but you can’t play for us if you can’t control the ball. He’s got to improve that. He’s not in the dog house because people take things the wrong way. He’s got a skill that’s not showing up. It’s all technical. Football is never emotional. It’s always technical.
Grant has 280 yards rushing on 64 carries with three touchdowns and a long run of 34 yards. Rhule also made it clear that this is a problem that he and the running back need to solve together.
“I have to get that fixed for Anthony. Anthony has to fix that for Anthony, or he can’t play. You can’t fumble the ball in practice on Tuesday, fumble the ball in practice on Wednesday, fumble in the four minutes on Saturday, and think you are going to play the next week.”
Nebraska is looking for its first 1,000-yard season since Devin Ozigbo did it in 2018. Find a photo gallery of Anthony Grant’s career below.