Nebraska running back declares for NFL draft

A Nebraska running back has declared for the NFL draft.

A Nebraska running back declared for the NFL draft. Anthony Grant posted the announcement on social media on Saturday afternoon.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for all that they have done for me. Bringing me as one of their own. Taking the time to help me elevate as a player and also a person. I couldn’t thank you all anymore, from the coaching staff to the academic staff.

I appreciate everyone who’ve invested their time in helping grow as an athlete and as a man throughout my time here. I have built some relationships and bonds that I will never forget and will also have a special place in my heart for all the years to come. I love you all.

I will forever be a Nebraska Cornhusker and with that being said I’m officially declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft.

Grant spent the last two years at Nebraska after starting his career at Florida State. In 23 games as a Husker, he ran for 1,328 yards and nine touchdowns.

His best season came in 2022 when he ran for 915 yards and six touchdowns. Grant had a reduced role in 2023 due to issues with fumbling.

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Nebraska’s plan at running back moving forward

Nebraska has been dealing with a rash of injuries on the offensive side of the ball during the 2023 season.

Nebraska has been dealing with a rash of injuries on the offensive side of the ball during the 2023 season. The running back position has been impacted as heavily as any Husker unit.

Gabe Ervin Jr. and Rahmir Johson are both done for the year after suffering injuries earlier in the season. Ervin dislocated his hip and Johnson dislocated his shoulder.

Ervin started the first two games for the Huskers and totaled 196 yards on 38 carries. He has 95 carries for 414 yards and three touchdowns for his career.

Johnson had 12 carries on the season for 65 yards, including a 44-yard run against Northern Illinois before his season ended. He’s amassed 739 yards in five seasons on 172 carries with six touchdowns.

The position has seen a three-man rotation of Emmett Johnson, Anthony Grant and Josh Fleeks. The leading rusher for Nebraska is quarterback Heinrich Haarberg, who has 424 rushing yards on the year.

Matt Rhule told the media that it’s still a work in progress.

“It’s one of those deals where Emmett (Johnson) can kind of do everything for us and Emmett had some good plays for us. Anthony (Grant) held on to the ball, Anthony had a great run on a run. Josh Fleeks is a guy we want to continue to get in the game so I think all three of those guys are going to continue to play and I’d like to have more plays. I’d like to have more tailback runs so hopefully we can continue to get those guys more involved but it’ll be all three of those guys pending a good week of practice and pending ball security.”

Nebraska will take the field again on Saturday when the Huskers welcome Purdue to Memorial Stadium. Find a gallery of Nebraska’s running backs below.

Husker football fends off Illinois to win 20-7

Nebraska hit the road for a Friday night lights matchup with conference foe Illinois.

Nebraska hit the road for a Friday night lights matchup with conference foe Illinois. Both teams were coming off tough losses and were looking to right the ship. Mistakes plagued the Huskers and the Fighting Illini throughout the night. But Nebraska managed to make the most of them, pulling away from Illinois in a tense 20-7 win.

The Huskers’ defense returned to form following the blowout loss to Michigan, announcing it with a major goal-line stand on the first drive of the game. Illinois finished with just 21 rushing yards, forcing quarterback Luke Altmyer to throw 47 total passes. Altmeyer completed 29 of those passes for 289 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Issac Gifford led the charge for the Blackshirts, finishing the night with eight total tackles, four solo tackles, three pass breakups, and 0.5 tackles for loss. Gifford and the defense delivered big plays for Nebraska, including a forced fumble, an interception, a blocked punt, and even a kickoff recovery.

This gave Heinrich Haarberg and the Husker offense numerous opportunities to score. Haarberg finished the game 12-of-24 through the air, throwing for 154 yards and one interception. On the ground, Nebraska rushed for 158 total yards, with Haarberg leading the way with 82 yards and a touchdown. Haarberg’s touchdown came following the kickoff recovery, which came following a touchdown run by Anthony Grant.

But missed opportunities, ten penalties, and three turnovers by Nebraska’s offense kept Illinois alive throughout the second half. Following the forced fumble, Nebraska only produced a field goal, which made it the 20-7 final score.

Unlike its previous outings, Nebraska’s defense managed to fend off the Fighting Illini, forcing its third fourth-down stand on the night with under two minutes to play. The Huskers ran out the clock from there to seal their first victory over Illinois since 2019.

Nebraska, for the third straight year, stands at 3-3 through six games and enters its bye week. The Huskers will return from the bye week and host Northwestern to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Memorial Stadium. The kickoff time for the game is to be announced.

Grant extends Nebraska’s lead to 10-0

Anthony Grant helped extend Nebraska’s lead against Illinois on a fall Friday in Champaign.

Anthony Grant helped extend Nebraska’s lead against Illinois on a fall Friday in Champaign. The touchdown helped the Husker’s lead grow to 10-0 late in the second quarter.

Find the highlight below.

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Nebraska football takes down Louisiana Tech 28-14

The Nebraska football team hosted its second game of the season on Saturday afternoon.

The Nebraska football team hosted its second game of the season on Saturday afternoon. After taking down Northern Illinois to improve to 1-2, the Huskers welcomed in Louisiana Tech. Though Nebraska snatched win number two for the 2023 season, it was closer than last week’s victory, walking away with a 28-14 win.

Heinrich Haarberg started for Nebraska for the second straight week and led the Huskers both in the pass and ground games. Haarberg went 8-of-17 in the air for 107 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 157 yards and one touchdown off 19 carries. Haarberg’s touchdown run came off a huge 72-yard option, which put Nebraska up 28-7 with over 11 minutes to go in the game.

Anthony Grant and Thomas Fidone II also found their way into the endzone for the second straight week. Grant scored on the ground off a two-yard run, adding to his 135-yard rushing on the day. Fidone had only one catch in the game but made a big one, scoring a 29-yard touchdown.

Billy Kemp IV finished as the top receiver for the Huskers, hauling in five catches for 62 yards. Kemp also scored Nebraska’s first touchdown of the game off a jet sweep, which came after a fake field goal by the Huskers. Louisiana Tech responded quickly to the score, running in for a touchdown on its next drive.

Nebraska’s defense, however, delivered another big showing in the run game, holding the Bulldogs to 46 total yards. The Huskers did surrender 292 passing yards, 146 of them coming in the fourth quarter, which led to Louisiana Tech’s second touchdown. Another significant factor in the game was the Bulldogs’ penalties. Louisiana Tech surrendered 12 penalties for 100 yards, which halted many of its drives and even kept some of Nebraska’s drives alive.

The Huskers improve to 2-2 on the season but face a significant task next week as they welcome in No. 2 Michigan. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be viewed on FOX.

Two Husker running backs out for seasaon due to injury

The Nebraska Cornhuskers learned some grim news regarding the health of two of their running backs.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers learned some grim news regarding the health of two of their running backs. Head coach Matt Rhule has informed the media that Gabe Ervin dislocated his hip and Rahmir Johnson dislocated his shoulder. Both are now done for the year.

“In injury news, we had some guys’ seasons end early, unfortunately, on Saturday. Rahmir Johnson will have surgery; he dislocated his shoulder. It’s serious enough that he’ll miss the year. Gabe Ervin dislocated his hip and will have surgery on his hip, so he’ll be done for the year. And Dwight Bootle hurt his shoulder in the game and will have to have surgery, so he’ll be done for the year.”

Ervin started the first two games for the Huskers and totaled 196 yards on 38 carries. He has 95 carries for 414 yards and three touchdowns for his career.

Johnson had 12 carries on the season for 65 yards, including a 44-yard run against Northern Illinois before his season ended. He’s amassed 739 yards in five seasons on 172 carries with six touchdowns.

Rhule expressed his heartbreak for the two injured players.

Football impact aside, especially for Rahmir, who’s a senior, I can just tell you it’s heartbreaking on this end. He’s an unbelievable young man and just a leader. Gabe has done a great job for us – excellent leader, excellent teammate. My heart really hurts for those two guys.

Nebraska will rely on running back Anthony Grant. Last season, Grant ran for a team-high 915 yards and six touchdowns.  Find a photo gallery of Gabe Ervin and Rahmir Johnson below.

Does Nebraska have enough depth at running back after pair of injuries

Where does the Husker offense go from here?

Through Nebraska’s first three games of the season, there haven’t been positives to take away after each game. The offense looked sloppy in the first week before getting dominated by Colorado the following week and then beating up on a team they should be beating up in Northern Illinois. However, the winning celebration was very short-lived, as the announcement noted that Gabe Ervin and Rahmir Johnson were both done for the season due to injuries.

Both players sustained their respective injuries in the Cornhuskers win over Northern Illinois (Ervin – dislocated hip, Johnson – dislocated shoulder) and will require surgery. Against Northern Illinois, Ervin accounted for 67 yards on the ground and added one touchdown while adding 20 yards receiving to his game total. This brings his total season yardage to 199, with his 20 receiving yards taking him to 219 all-purpose.

The second best is quarterback Jeff Sims, but with his appearance questionable due to injury, you have to go through Heinrich Haarberg before you get to Anthony Grant’s 67-yard total on the season. Rahmir Johnson accounted for 65 rushing yards before his season was cut short.

So, with two of the top three running backs out for the season, does Nebraska have enough in the backfield to carry them the rest of the way?

One point to the favor of the Huskers is the added benefit of having Haarberg and Sims as options at quarterback, as both have shown they can pull the ball down and run on their own. This is the better dynamic to Sims’ game and what makes him so effective, but his lack of a passing threat makes him a bit of a liability. Haarberg had 122 yards rushing against the Huskies, but that’s likely the worst team they will face the rest of the way, so is this production expectation sustainable?

Looking at pure running backs that have taken snaps this season, Nebraska only has two. Anthony Grant has taken 24 total snaps this season and carried the ball 16 times for 67 yards and one touchdown. So far, his involvement in the offense has been 19 percent of all offensive snaps.

Trevin Luben has one snap all season, one carry, but it went for 18 yards. Despite getting 18 yards, you know nothing of what Luben can bring now that his name will be called. He has essentially not been involved in the offense all season long.

However, in his Monday press conference, head coach Matt Rhule noted that Emmett Johnson and Kwinten Ives will back up Grant this week despite neither player having played on offense all season. Both running backs are freshmen.

Johnson is a three-star running back from Minnesota, and Ives was a three-star athlete from New Jersey. Ives totaled over 1,600 yards as a senior in high school, averaged over 10 yards per carry, and totaled over 3,000 yards combined in his final two years in high school. Johnson ranked number one in Minnesota, totaled over 2,500 yards his senior season, and scored 42 that season. Those are massive eye-popping numbers to consider as we look to lean on him some this season.

Nebraska names clear cut No. 1 running back

As Nebraska moves closer to the start of the 2023 season, the depth chart is starting to become clearer.

As Nebraska moves closer to the start of the 2023 season, the depth chart is starting to become clearer. On Saturday, head coach Matt Rhule met with the media to discuss several aspects of the depth chart.

One of the more interesting storylines was when the head coach announced Gabe Ervin as Nebraska’s No. 1 running back.

“I think we feel like Gabe is clearly the No. 1 guy. Rahmir (Johnson is) clearly the third down back and still a runner.”

Last season, Ervin was hampered by injuries. He compiled 20 carries for 94 yards.

In his two collegiate seasons, he has 57 attempts for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Rhule said he’s been impressed by Ervin since Day 1.

“I didn’t see him before, but from the day I got here I was like, ‘wow, that’s what it’s supposed to look like.’ He’s big, he’s powerful. He can run behind his pads, he can run anything you want to run. He’s good in protection.

Last year’s leading rusher, Anthony Grant, has been impressive in camp but has struggled to hang on to the football.

“When the ball is in his hands, Anthony is elite running the football. Anthony has put the ball on the ground too much. No matter how talented you are, if you fumble the football, you can’t play for us. We’re going to continue to work with AG. He’s had a good camp up until the last couple of days when he’s sort of turned the ball over.

Nebraska is looking for its first 1,000-yard season since Devin Ozigbo did it back in 2018.

Who could lead Nebraska in rushing touchdowns?

Heading into the 2023 college football season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers should field a much different-looking offense than in previous years.

Heading into the 2023 college football season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers should field a much different-looking offense than in previous years. The last five seasons have seen Nebraska’s offense operate out of the spread with mixed results.

New head coach Matt Rhule plans on developing a more physical and downhill running game. That philosophical change has forced Nebraska to remake its roster.

Not only has Rhule been successful in the transfer market, but Nebraska has seen success on the recruiting trail. Those changes could see the Huskers pushing for a bowl bid at the end of the season.

Who will end up being the Cornhusker’s leader on the ground for 2023? Scroll below to see our predictions.

Nebraska coach discusses running backs heading into 2023 season

Nebraska running backs coach EJ Barthel appeared on the Husker Radio Network earlier in the week.

Nebraska running backs coach EJ Barthel appeared on the Husker Radio Network earlier in the week. The first-year Husker coach discussed the depth of his position group heading into training camp.

Barthel says one of the first things he told his group was that he wants to see his guys succeed on and off the field.

“The biggest thing I told them when I got here was hopefully we can be friends, that would be great but ultimately my job is to you, No. 1, help develop you guys into great student-athletes and really good running backs.”

He also discussed holding players accountable and the benefit to having those difficult conversations.

“I learned a lot of things about accountability and holding players accountable, holding coaches accountable. And being able to have those tough conversations is key for development. The kids have to understand that the criticism comes from a place of care. And I think over time, through action, they start to see that you generally care. That it’s not just words. I think that’s what really creates the friendships, the bonds and trusts.”

Find comments from Nebraska’s running backs coach on the players in his position group below.