Tag: Matt Rhule

Matt Rhule pleased with the running game in Nebraska’s win

Nebraska’s rushing attack was a key component in Saturday’s victory.

Nebraska’s running backs room played a significant role in Saturday’s 40-7 win over the UTEP Miners. Coach Matt Rhule talked about their contributions following the win.

The running backs had 47 carries for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Emmett Johnson was the leader in the game, carrying the ball eight times for 71 yards. Dante Dowdell had eight carries for 55 yards, while Rahmir Johnson had 11 carries for 50 yards. Gabe Ervin Jr. was the red zone weapon, scoring two touchdowns on six carries.

All told the Nebraska running backs room got the job done, averaging 4.7 yards per carry as a group. Rhule was pleased with the effort the running backs put in, as he said in his press conference following the game.

“They all made plays. It was a shame that Dante (Dowdell) had that fumble, but he was really running well. Dante has done such a good job. At the end of the spring, I probably would have put him fourth. He was the second back in the game today. Dante, I thought he was really playing well, running the ball well, and then had that fumble. I’m happy to see him come back. Gabe (Ervin Jr.) had some plays, Emmett (Johnson) with the long run, Rahmir (Johnson), I thought he ran hard. I was pleased with the whole group, and Maurice (Mazzccua Jr.) came in and did really well too.”

If anything, Saturday’s game spoke to the depth of the Huskers’ unit. All running backs played well and perfectly balanced the Huskers’ passing attack. It also gave fans a preview of what the running back room can look like for the rest of the season.

If Saturday was any indication, Nebraska should have one of the best rushing attacks in the Big Ten yet again.

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Huskers coach Matt Rhule outlines kicking plans for Saturday

The Huskers will take a dual-kicker approach on Saturday.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule offered some clarity regarding the team’ kicking situation on Thursday afternoon. He told reporters that the program could use two kickers on Saturday. John Hohl could kick from farther out, and Tristan Alvano could handle shorter kicks. Rhule expects Hohl to handle kickoffs, as reported by the Omaha World-Herald’s Bland.

Discussions about the kicking battle continued throughout training camp. Hohl impressed both special teamteam’sches, Ed Foley and Rhule.

Alvano has been battling injuries over the course of the past couple of months. Foley indicated that Alvano would probably be ready for SatuSaturday’sner, although that would be decided prior to game time.

At the very least, this gives the Huskers the opportunity to see what they have in both kickers. It also does not force Alvano to rush back as he recovers from injury. Kickoff for SatuSaturday’se is set for 3:30 PM

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Rhule won’t ‘ease’ Raiola into first game

Rhule was asked multiple times during his press conference on Monday about easing freshman Dylan Raiola into the game on Saturday, and the head coach said that would not be happening.  

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule is making it clear he has no doubts about his starting quarterback. Rhule was asked multiple times during his press conference on Monday about easing freshman Dylan Raiola into the game on Saturday, and the head coach said that would not be happening.

“I’d rather lose the first game than the last game. So, we’re not going to ease into it. We’re going to play.”

Rhule explained that the entire playbook will be available when the Huskers take the field on Saturday.

“Dylan’s going to play. He’s going to play the plays. When we call drop back, he’s going to drop back, he’s going to go back there and take his drop, go through his progression. Just how we want him to play when he’s a junior, we’re going to start day one that way. We’re not easing into anything.”

Raiola will become only the second true freshman to start a game in the history of Nebraska football when the Huskers take the field against UTEP this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on Fox.

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Huskers coach Matt Rhule reveals timeline on starting kicker decision

The starting kicker position has been an interesting one to follow over the course of fall camp.

Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule discussed some injury updates during his press conference on Monday as the team prepares for UTEP. He revealed that the decision on who will kick in Saturday’s game will be decided either Thursday or Friday.

The incumbent kicker is Tristan Alvano. He went nine-of-15 on field goals last season. He made all 27 of his extra points in an up-and-down freshman campaign.

The coaching staff has previously praised new addition John Hohl. He has been impressive during preseason camp, making for an interesting battle at the kicking position.

With that in mind, Rhule indicated that there would be a set timeframe for when the starting kicker would be decided.

Tristan (Alvano) is kicking, he’s in the mix. We’ll make a decision probably Thursday or Friday for who’s going to kick.”

It will be interesting to see who gets the job. It would be good to get stability in a position that has not had it over the past couple of seasons.

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Nebraska coach Matt Rhule gives injury update on Malachi Coleman

Malachi Coleman burst onto the scene as a freshman last year.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule held a press conference Monday, as the team prepares to take on UTEP in the season opener. He gave updates on several players, including wide receiver Malachi Coleman.

Coleman played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2023, making six starts. He tallied eight catches for 139 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown itself came in Nebraska’s win against Northwestern last October.

Coleman came to Lincoln with a ton of hype, ranking as the top recruit in the state of Nebraska for the 2022 class.

The wide receiver has battled injuries throughout the course of his Nebraska career, and it seems as though that is the case heading into Saturday’s game. Rhule expanded on this a bit more.

“Malachi is healthy. He had a groin, so he’s just a little bit further down on the depth chart right now.”

The Huskers currently have the wide receiver depth to withstand injuries to guys like Coleman. Currently, Coleman is at the bottom of the depth chart behind Jaylen LIoyd and Jahmal Banks. This affords him the opportunity to ease back into things, with his groin injury almost behind him.

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Huskers coach Matt Rhule lauds Heinrich Haarberg in deep QB room

Heinrich Haarberg will be a junior this year.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule had nothing but praise for quarterback Heinrich Haarberg as the latter prepares to backup starter Dylan Raiola.

It is undoubtedly a role switch from where the quarterback was last year. He went 77-of-157 on the year, throwing for 967 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He was thrust into the starting quarterback role following injuries and poor play from Jeff Sims.

Now, he is entering a wholly revamped quarterback room featuring freshman sensation, Week 1 starter Dylan Raiola, and classmate Daniel Kaelin. That said, his athleticism is certainly intriguing. He has the potential to play multiple positions, which he has tried a bit with the Huskers.

Rhule elaborated on where he envisions Haarberg in the quarterback race and broke down the versatility that the quarterback brings to the table.

“Yeah. I think that remains to be seen,” he said. “I probably don’t want to give too much out there to everybody. I think in fairness to Heinrich, I just have so much respect for him as a competitor. He can go out and do anything. Look at Coach (Scott) Frost. He was one of the great quarterbacks in college football history and then went on and played safety in the National Football League and Heinrich reminds me so much of that. Heinrich to me could be a great safety, probably he’d be a great tailback, wide out, tight end, and so we have the opportunity to use him when needed.

At the same time I don’t want to lose my number two quarterback, so there’s a fine line there. We are not going to play this year out of fear. We’re not going to play like, what if this goes wrong? I know sometimes that’s the way people think, that’s the way sometimes I think. But we made a decision that we are going to attack, that we’re going to go all in on this team and attack with everything we have and Heinrich is a part of that so we’re going to use him.”

It will be interesting to see where exactly Haarberg falls, not only in the quarterback room but on the roster as a whole. He certainly has a multi-faceted skill set that could be useful in today’s modern game. Haarberg has stuck by Nebraska through some of the leaner years. Now, he has another chance to make an impact.

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Matt Rhule discusses Tom Osborne’s current impact on program

Tom Osborne last coached for the Huskers in 1997.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule is preparing for his second season with the program. Despite his relatively new position, he still makes sure to keep in touch with the legends of the past. That includes Husker great Tom Osborne. Rhule appeared on The Jim Rome Show earlier this week and talked about what the former Nebraska head coach can still bring to the table.

Osborne still regularly shows up at Huskers practices, offering Coach Rhule insight. The latter gave Osborne a glowing review as Nebraska prepares to embark on the 2024 campaign. Osborne is still very active in giving Rhule advice, even diagramming play ideas.

He’s been everything to me. He’s helped me on a personal level. He’s spoken well of me. He’s come in and drawn up plays for us last year. We lost a quarterback and started running a little more option. At 87-year-old he comes in and grabs the marker and it’s amazing the detail.

The intertwining of current and past Nebraska football personnel is something that makes Lincoln special. As far as Rhule is concerned, he will look to establish his own story with the program as the Huskers look for their first season-opening win since 2019.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales asked which position he wants OL Brady Christensen to play

While he values Brady Christensen’s versatility, Panthers HC Dave Canales wants to see the fourth-year hog molly settle into one side of the O-line.

The Carolina Panthers haven’t had the simplest of times in trying to find a perfect spot for offensive lineman Brady Christensen. But Dave Canales, Christensen’s third head coach in his four-year NFL career, seems to be narrowing down a specific role for the 27-year-old hog molly—even despite his valuable versatility.

With the team’s offensive front having to shuffle around a bit this summer due to numerous injuries and absences, Christensen’s positional flexibility has come up quite clutch for Carolina. Canales spoke about that skill following Wednesday’s practice.

“Yeah, it’s a blessing for us,” Canales told reporters. “As different guys have kinda missed a little bit of time in different positions, to be able to see him—the flip-side of it is, what I would love is to just let Brady settle into a couple spots. Having the ability to play all five doesn’t mean you really necessarily should—because there’s reps, there’s time-on-task. So as we go forward, really honing in on our group and saying, ‘Ok, where does Brady help us most?'”

That wasn’t an easy question to answer for previous regimes, specifically the very first one Christensen walked into as a pro. Former head coach Matt Rhule, who called Christensen a “third-round tackle and a second-round guard” upon drafting him in 2021, played the Brigham Young University standout at four different spots (left tackle, left guard, right tackle and right guard) over a two-year span.

Last year, under then-head coach Frank Reich, Christensen was named the starting left guard. But he’d only record 54 regular-season snaps at the position before succumbing to a season-ending biceps injury.

So, where would Canales like to see him go?

“I’d really like to see him just like guard and tackle,” he responded. “And if he could, play on one side—’cause it changes when you start flipping sides.”

If the preseason is any indication, then the right side may be the right side—at least according to Canales. Christensen played 54 snaps in the summer opener against the New England Patriots, with 51 coming at right guard and three at right tackle.

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Nebraska coach Matt Rhule pleased with Dylan Raiola’s work ethic

Dylan Raiola is been a hot topic of discussion over the summer.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule praised freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola ahead of the season opener against UTEP on August 31. The coach appeared on The Jim Rome Show earlier this week and talked about what makes Raiola unique.

He has tremendous arm talent. He’s big. He’s physical. He’s powerful but its not till he gets here that you truly see what makes him special. He’s a tremendous teammate. He works at it all day long. One of the first guys in the building, one of the last guys to leave. And he’s got humble confidence that exudes from him.

This isn’t the first time that the coach has given the signal-caller his flowers. Earlier this month, he spoke on the Zach Gelb Show, and praised the quarterback’s work ethic. The coach has yet to name a starting quarterback for the opener, although it would be fair to say Raiola is undoubtedly a leading candidate.

It’s almost time for the quarterback to be able to show what he can do on the football field. After all the hype and buzz surrounding his arrival, he can finally show off his talent. There is a significant possibility he could play a big part in the Huskers seeking their first season-opening win since 2019.

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Matt Rhule has high expectations for rising freshman

Vincent Shavers was one of the top players in the Miami area.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule has been impressed by one freshman in particular over the course of preseason. Linebacker Vincent Shavers stands out as the Huskers look for more depth at the position.

Shavers was a December addition to the Huskers. He officially committed and signed with Nebraska on December 20 after flipping from the Miami Hurricanes following a visit the prior weekend.

Shavers was a decorated high school player, recording more than 170 tackles in his prep career. According to his biography on the Nebraska Athletics website, he had 46 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and seven sacks as a senior last season.

Now, it appears he is making an early impact on Nebraska’s football defense. The linebacker room is undoubtedly one to watch, with a mix of younger players and transfers in the room and the usual upperclassmen. Rhule likes what he has seen from the freshman, as Husker247’s Brian Christopherson noted.

While talking about guys possibly filling in with the Wright absence, Rhule said, “I got no doubts about V9. There might be a freshman moment here or there but I got no doubts about him. None.”

It will undoubtedly be interesting to see what role he plays. He has the ability to come down and make a tackle, as well as provide a pass-rushing presence off the edge. He may not have a significant role now, but he is setting himself up to be a big part of the Huskers’ future.

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