Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg may not have started the season as the starting quarterback, but he has earned the job. Head football coach Matt Rhule has been asked multiple times about the evolution of his quarterback’s play throughout the season, including following the Husker’s 31-14 victory over Purdue.
“The week before I thought he was hesitant. This week, I think he was just not quite sure what to do and he hasn’t played a super ton. So we are going to work on that this week because both fumbles, the play was dead. He knew he was done. Probably needs to get down on those plays and not because he is a sheep but he just probably needs to skip a rock and get a yard. We will just play second and nine. We are trying to make sure as a staff like we spent time this morning going back through ourselves and ‘hey what are the things that are happening? And how can we fix those?’
When asked about his quarterback’s health, Rhule was blunt on the subject.
“He is a little bit beat up but you know what, he is the quarterback at Nebraska.”
Tight end Thomas Fidone II told the press that he agrees with his head coach’s assessment of Haarberg’s play.
“He’s a dog. Anyone can see that. He’s been taking hit after hit like you said. I have always known he’s a dog and everyone is just seeing it now. He is putting himself in a place where people are seeing how hard he works and how tough he is. People are noticing that. Obviously it isn’t fun as a quarterback getting smoked every play but that is the type of offense we run and type of player he is. He is just showing how tough he is. Everyone gets to see that now.”
In six starts this season, Haarberg has thrown for 838 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also run for 446 yards and four touchdowns, with a long run of 72 yards.
Find a photo gallery of Haarberg’s sophomore season below.