Tag: Nebraska Cornhusker Football

2025 Quarterback set to visit Nebraska this week

A 2025 quarterback out of Wyoming will be visiting Nebraska on Tuesday.

Class of 2025 quarterback Mason Drube has a trio of visits scheduled for this week, and one of those trips will be to Lincoln to visit Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Tuesday. The visit was reported over the weekend on X.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback is out of Campbell County High School in Gillette, Wyoming. He holds six scholarship offers from Michigan State, Nevada, North Dakota State, Oregon State, Utah State, and Washington State.

Drube is also expected to visit Michigan State and Boston College this week and schedule an official visit to Oregon State.

As of April 1, the Cornhuskers have three commitments in their 2025 recruiting class, all from in-state prospects. Running back Conor Booth, defensive tackle Tyson Terry, and defensive back Caden VerMaas are currently committed to the Huskers.

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Frank Solich to be inducted into the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame

The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame added a former Husker to the class.

The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame added a former Husker to the class. Nebraska alumni Frank Solich will be the 22nd Husker to be inducted into the hall of fame and is Nebraska’s first inductee since 2022 when Zach Wiegert earned an induction.

Solich played and coached for Nebraska, serving as the Huskers’ fullback and head coach. As a fullback, Solich joined Bob Devaney’s first recruiting class and finished as a three-year letterman. In his final season, Solich was named All-Big Eight fullback and the Huskers’ 1965 team co-captain.

He still holds the school’s single-game rushing record for fullbacks, which he set in 1965 against Air Force. In the game, Solich rushed for 204 yards, which added to his season rushing total of 580 yards.

Following his playing career, Solich rejoined Nebraska’s football team as a coach in 1979, coaching the freshmen and then the running backs until 1998. Solich then took over as head coach upon Tom Osborne’s retirement and held the role until 2003 before being let go.

In his tenure as the Huskers’ head coach, Solich went 58-19, leading Nebraska to bowl games each year, including the Fiesta Bowl in 1999 and the Rose Bowl in 2001. Solich then joined the University of Ohio as its head coach and remained there until 2020, when he officially retired.

Solich finished his coaching career with a record of 173-101 in games and 7-9 in bowl games.

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Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy expected to enter transfer portal

A second Nebraska quraterback is expected to enter the transfer portal this month.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy is heading back into the transfer portal. Two years after arriving in Lincoln and transferring into the Huskers’ program from Florida State, Purdy will be searching for a third school.

Sean Callahan of HuskersOnline was the first to report the development.

The 22-year-old signal-caller out of Arizona recently completed his redshirt sophomore season with the Cornhuskers, playing in six games and completing 31 of 57 passes for 382 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also had 180 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown this season.

Purdy has appeared in 16 games as a Seminole or Husker for his career, completing 85 of 163 passing attempts for 846 yards and six touchdowns while throwing seven interceptions. On the ground, the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has totaled 73 carries for 315 yards and three touchdowns.

The 6-foot-2 quarterback was a consensus four-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle, ranked as high as No. 126 overall by ESPN. He was also considered a top-10 quarterback in the nation by both 247Sports and Rivals.

Before committing to Florida State, Purdy also had offers from Arizona State, Boise State, Boston College, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan State, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, UNLV, Utah, and Washington State.

With Purdy’s departure, the Huskers will be left with three scholarship quarterbacks on their roster in 2024, with rising redshirt junior Heinrich Haarberg and a pair of true freshman quarterbacks in 2024 signees Dylan Raiola and Daniel Kaelin. Earlier this month, Jeff Sims also entered the transfer portal after playing in five games for the Huskers this season.

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REPORT: Huskers add Baylor transfer QB Blake Shapen to list of targets

Add Baylor quarterback transfer Blake Shapen to the list of potential quarterbacks for Nebraska.

Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt and Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord are two of the most recent names to be discussed at the quarterback position for Nebraska when it comes to the transfer portal targets. But there is another name to throw in that group as well.

That name would be Baylor transfer Blake Shapen, according to multiple reports, including from the Omaha World-Herald and Husker Online. Communication between the two sides has gone as far as Cornhuskers offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield meeting with Shapen recently in Waco.

Shapen was originally a three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle out of Shreveport, Lousiana, committing to Baylor over about a dozen other scholarship offers, including Arizona State, Ole Miss, UCLA, and USC. Notably, he committed to the Bears after the departure of Matt Rhule from the Baylor program.

During his career with Baylor, the 6-foot-0, 192-pound quarterback played in 27 games, completing 63.7% of his passes for 5,574 yards with 36 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. This season, Shapen appeared in eight games for Baylor, completing 61.7% of his passing attempts for 2,188 yards and 13 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions. He also has 184 career rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

On top of Leavitt, McCord, and now Shapen, another name that has been discussed and will be worth keeping an eye on is Kansas State transfer Will Howard.

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Nebraska falls in overtime to Wisconsin

Based off the first two drives, it seemed as though Nebraska came to dominate on offense against Wisconsin.

Based on the first two drives, it seemed as though Nebraska came to dominate on offense against Wisconsin. But those hopes were soon extinguished on a gutsy fourth-down call by head coach Matt Rhule. Instead of attempting a 50-yard field, the Huskers went for it on fourth and one, only to be halted by the Badgers.

Then everything changed. Wisconsin outscored Nebraska 24-3 from there on out, resulting in a 24-17 overtime win for the Badgers.

Chubba Purdy earned the start for the Huskers and delivered the best showing by a Nebraska quarterback in the last few weeks. Purdy threw for 169 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown. Purdy’s touchdown pass saw him throw a dot to freshman Jaylen Lloyd, who broke a tackle and took off for a score.

But Nebraska never found its way into the endzone after that. Tristan Alvano sent the game into overtime with a 30-yard field goal after missing a 42-yarder earlier, but the inconsistent offensive play resulted in the loss.

Despite surrendering 24 points, the defense made big stops on the night, including back-to-back fourth down stops and holding Braelon Allen to just 62 yards rushing. Allen did score two touchdowns as Wisconsin slowly but surely worked its way into the endzone each time.

Nebraska falls to 5-6 on the season and will return home to host Iowa on Friday afternoon. The Huskers need to win their season finale to become bowl-eligible. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and can be viewed on CBS.

Turnovers doom Nebraska football in 13-10 loss to Maryland

The Huskers spent the entire season struggling to perform on offense.

The Huskers spent the entire season struggling to perform on offense. Nebraska averaged under 20 points and over two turnovers per game, with two quarterbacks heading into its Saturday showdown with Maryland. Somehow, the Huskers’ offense hit rock bottom, losing to the Terrapins 13-10.

Nebraska saw three quarterbacks sit under center throughout the game: Heinrich Haarberg, Jeff Sims, and Chubba Purdy. The trio combined for 86 passing yards, 66 rushing yards and five turnovers. Haarberg got the start but was benched after an interception and an injury. Sims took over and helped Nebraska score all 10 points. But he threw two interceptions and fumbled once.

Purdy then came in on what would be Nebraska’s final drive and almost led the Huskers to a game-winning score. But threw an interception in the endzone, which ended up being the play of the game for Maryland. The Terrapins marched down the field and kicked a game-winning field goal on the next drive for the win. They only scored six points off the five turnovers, but it was enough to secure a win.

This overshadowed the rest of Nebraska’s play in the game, as they rushed for 183 yards and held Maryland to its lowest-scoring scoring performance of the season, as well as forcing three turnovers.

The Huskers now stand at 5-5 on the regular season and will travel to Wisconsin next Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be viewed on NBC.

Nebraska football comes up short against Michigan State

The Huskers traveled to East Lansing, Michigan for a chance to punch their ticket to a bowl game for the first time since 2016.

The Huskers traveled to East Lansing, Michigan, for a chance to punch their ticket to a bowl game for the first time since 2016. This ended up being easier said than done. Nebraska hit the roadblock that was Michigan State. The Huskers battled the Spartans and saw numerous opportunities to win. The options fell by the wayside, resulting in a 20-17 loss for Nebraska.

The Huskers’ offense saw most of these opportunities but struggled to take advantage of them. Their biggest came in the fourth quarter. After scoring a touchdown to cut the deficit to three, Nebraska got the ball back with over two minutes left. The Huskers fumbled, resulting in a Michigan State takeaway. Nebraska got the ball one more time with under a minute left but once again failed to take advantage.

Heinrich Haarberg went 12-of-28 for 129 yards and two interceptions, his worst outing as Nebraska’s starting quarterback this season. Haarberg also rushed for 37 yards off 14 carries and a touchdown. However, they also fumbled twice, one resulting in a turnover and the other on the team’s final drive.

Freshman Emmett Johnson led the charge for the Huskers in rushing, going for 57 yards and a touchdown off 13 carries. This all culminated in just 17 points, an ongoing flaw that finally caught up with Nebraska’s defense. The Blackshirts held the Spartans to just 63 yards rushing but surrendered 232 yards passing and two touchdowns.

The Huskers fall to 5-4 and will face three difficult opponents for its remaining regular-season outings. They will travel back home to host Maryland next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and can be viewed on Peacock.

Nebraska football blown out by No. 2 Michigan 45-7

The Huskers fall to 2-3 on the season.

The Huskers entered the ultimate storm of the 2023 season, hosting No. 2 Michigan in a David and Goliath showdown. But the Wolverines’ first touchdown, a helmet catch from Roman Wilson, showed how stacked the cards were against Nebraska as it was blown out 45-7.

The Husker’s lone touchdown came in the fourth quarter. Senior receiver turned running back Josh Fleeks took his only handoff of the game and went 74 yards for a touchdown. Fleek’s only run of the game made him the team’s leading rusher, as the offense rushed for just 106 total yards. Heinrich Haarberg started once again for Nebraska at quarterback, finishing 14-of-25 with 199 passing yards.

This added to the offense’s total of 305 yards in the game. However, 126 came in the fourth quarter, with 74 yards coming from Fleeks’ touchdown run. In the first three quarters, Michigan tallied 368 yards on offense, leading to five touchdowns. The Wolverines ended the day with 436 total yards on offense, with 249 yards on the ground, the most Nebraska’s surrendered all season.

The Huskers fall to 2-3 on the season, but their most challenging game of the season has now passed them. Nebraska will travel to Champaign, Illinois, to face off against the Fighting Illini. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday night and can be viewed on FS1.

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.

Matt Rhule named Nebraska head football coach

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have announced their next head coach!!

Reaction is pouring in after the announcement that Matt Rhule will be the next head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Rhule got his start in coaching as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater Penn State in 1998. Rhule would move around the coaching ranks for years before being named the head coach at Temple in 2013.

In his four years in Philidelphia, Rhule would have an overall record of 28-23, with conference division titles in 2015 and 2016 and an AAC title in 2016. He would then move on to Waco, Texas, where he would coach at Baylor from 2017-19. Rhule would get off to a rough start going 1-11 his first season but would see things turn around in just two years and would finish the 2019 season with an 11-3 record and Big 12 conference division title.

The 2020 season would see Rhule move to the professional ranks and become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. He had limited experience in the NFL, having only previously coached in the pros one season (2012) as an assistant offensive line coach with the New York Giants. Rhule would be fired after a 1-2 start in 2022 and would end his Panthers coaching career with an overall record of 11-27.

Now Rhule heads to Nebraska. Stay tuned to Cornhuskers Wire as this story continues to develop. Below is a collection of Twitter reactions to the hiring of Matt Rhule.