Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule has confirmed that sophomore quarterback Heinrich Haarberg will be the Husker’s starting quarterback on Saturday against Maryland. The Kearney, Nebraska native struggled in their 20-17 loss to Michigan State last Saturday.
The starting quarterback only threw for 129 yards with two interceptions and seven sacks for a passer rating of 67.3. He didn’t add much on the ground either, adding 14 carries for 31 rushing yards.
Rhule was asked why he decided to stick with the quarterback and cited his character and leadership skills as a big reason Haarberg remains the starter.
“Here’s what I love about Heinrich. Not everyone would want to be the quarterback in this situation right now. There’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot riding on your shoulders. If you don’t play well, if you don’t execute the option well, if you don’t execute the zone reads well, if you don’t execute the power sweeps well if you don’t throw the ball well – there’s not a lot of margin of error for us on offense right now. We don’t play well. Every play is really kind of squarely on his shoulders. As we continue to grow, you hope that you just hand the ball off every once in a while and we’re just playing at a level where it’s not all on his shoulders, but to go out and be the quarterback on a team that’s battling every week in close games.”
The head coach reiterated that Haarberg is embracing the pressures that come with being Nebraska’s starting quarterback, not running away from them.
“That’s what I respect so much about Heinrich. He wants to do it. He wants to be out there. As I’ve told him, when I coach Heinrich, I’m not coaching him for right now. I’m coaching him for next year and the year after. Not that we’re not trying to win right now, but we are going to address everything as it comes, and we are going to push him through because I think he’s a winner. I think he’s tough, and I think he’s learning on the job. He didn’t play for a couple of years, so he’s catching up. It’d be one thing if we were sitting here at 2-6 or 2-7 and no one was paying attention, and you can make mistakes. Here, the games are all in the balance, and everyone is watching.”
For the season, Haarberg has thrown for 967 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s also added 477 yards on the ground and five touchdown passes.
Nebraska will next take the field on this Saturday when the Huskers host the Maryland Terrapins. Kick-off is at 11:00 a.m. and can be seen on Peacock. A photo gallery of Heinrich Haarberg’s season can be found below.