Tag: Nebraska Head Football Coach Matt Rhule

Nebraska quarterback talks evolution of Husker offense

Nebraska’s starting quarterback met with the media on Tuesday afternoon.

Nebraska’s starting quarterback met with the media on Tuesday afternoon. Heinrich Haarberg was asked about the current evolution of the Husker’s offense between the start of the year and now.

The Husker’s signal caller told the assembled press that things are constantly evolving, and recent injuries haven’t helped.

“I think we saw from spring into the fall that this offense is constantly evolving, just because we have so many dynamic players. We have had a couple injuries, guys that need, as we said, need to come along a little bit. So, when guys like Marcus (Washington) go down, that kind of takes away some of the experience on the outside, so you have to change a little bit. But I don’t think we’re going to shift entirely as an offense. It’s just shifting the load a little bit.”

Jeff Sims had started this season under center, but injuries and a problem with turnovers led to sophomore Heinrich Haarberg taking over as the QB. Rhule says that Haarberg will remain the starter for the foreseeable future.

“But to me, Heinrich’s played well, Heinrich’s done some good things, so he’ll be the starter.”

Haarberg has thrown for 631 yards for the season with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also run for 353 and three touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per rush.

Find a photo gallery of Heinrich Haarberg’s season below.

Osborne helping coaching staff learn option football

Since becoming head coach, Matt Rhule has placed an emphasis on running the football.

Since becoming head coach, Matt Rhule has placed an emphasis on running the football. The Cornhuskers are currently 20th overall in rushing offense, averaging 200.5 yards per game and 5.01 yards per rush.

The head coach made an appearance on 365Sports and was asked about his desire to develop a physical run first offense. Rhule says that the weather in Nebraska has played a large role in creating the offensive identity of the program.

“I think we played three games now with like 15-plus mile per hour winds. We played in 25 to 30 mph winds at times in the game at Illinois. So to be an Air Raid offense, I don’t know would work out great for us. Playing defense, playing special teams. We blocked a kick and stole a possession on kickoff team in that (Illinois) game. Being a team that can run the ball and run the option, I think that’s smart for us.”

Nebraska has run the option from the I-formation this season, to the delight of fans everywhere. Rhule went on to say that they even brought in a Husker legend to help with some pointers on the option.

“We came in this Monday and Coach (Tom )Osborne came in and watched film with us because we’ve been running some option plays, and we asked him him to come in. I called him and asked him to come in. You get to do a film session with Tom Osborne. It’s like the relationship I had with Grant Teaff. Those are coaching icons. When they’re willing to look over your shoulder and help you but never want to step on your toes, it’s really special.”

Nebraska will take the field next on October 21 when the Huskers welcome Northerwestern to Memorial Stadium. Find a brief photo gallery of Tom Osborne’s career below.

Rhule confident in all three quarterbacks moving forward

Nebraska has had two quarterbacks start games during the 2023 season.

Nebraska has had two quarterbacks start games during the 2023 season. Transfer quarterback Jeff Sims and sophomore Heinrich Haarberg have both led the Big Red offense on the field.

Haarberg has thrown for 621 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also added 352 yards on the ground with three touchdowns. Sims has thrown for 220 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. He’s also added 153 yards rushing.

Head coach Matt Rhule believes Nebraska has the quarterbacks that can do the job.

“I think that room has that culture. I’ll be honest you, had Chubba not gotten hurt that day, I’m not so sure Chubba wouldn’t have gone out there first. I think Chubba would have done the same thing. That’s not a knock on Heinrich… (Jeff Sims) he’s back healthy now just out there. He’s competing like crazy. We have three quarterbacks that I believe we can win with.”

Rhule also said that he believes his current starter, Heinrich Haarberg, is still learning how to become a starting quarterback and take of his body during the wear and tear of a long season.

“I think Heinrich is ready for his moment. He’s capitalized on it. He has a long way to go. He’s leaving a lot of things out there. The wear and tear of running him as many times as we’re doing, that can have an effect on you.”

Nebraska will next take the field on Saturday, October 21, at 2:30 p.m. when they host the Northwestern Wildcats. Find a photo gallery of Nebraska’s top three quarterbacks below.

Matt Rhule on Anthony Grant’s fumble troubles ‘he’s not okay with me’

Since becoming Nebraska’s head football coach, Matt Rhule has made it very clear that he will not tolerate turnovers.

Since becoming Nebraska’s head football coach, Matt Rhule has made it clear that he will not tolerate turnovers. He even said as much at the start of the season.

No matter how talented you are, if you fumble the football, you can’t play for us.

With running backs Gabe Ervin and Rahmir Johnson out for the remainder of the season, Anthony Grant has now become RB1. Last season, Grant ran for a team-high 915 yards and six touchdowns, but fumbling has been an issue since training camp.

When asked about Grant’s performance this season, the head coach has made it clear at his Tuesday press conference with the media that he’s had enough.

“He’s not okay with me because he keeps fumbling the ball. I love Anthony but you can’t play for us if you can’t control the ball. He’s got to improve that. He’s not in the dog house because people take things the wrong way. He’s got a skill that’s not showing up. It’s all technical. Football is never emotional. It’s always technical.

Grant has 280 yards rushing on 64 carries with three touchdowns and a long run of 34 yards. Rhule also made it clear that this is a problem that he and the running back need to solve together.

“I have to get that fixed for Anthony. Anthony has to fix that for Anthony, or he can’t play. You can’t fumble the ball in practice on Tuesday, fumble the ball in practice on Wednesday, fumble in the four minutes on Saturday, and think you are going to play the next week.”

Nebraska is looking for its first 1,000-yard season since Devin Ozigbo did it in 2018. Find a photo gallery of Anthony Grant’s career below.

Where does Matt Rhule’s salary rank among Big Ten coaches

On November 26, 2022, Matt Rhule signed an eight-year, $74-million contract to become the new head coach of the University of Nebraska football team.

On November 26, 2022, Matt Rhule signed an eight-year, $74-million contract to become the new head coach of the University of Nebraska football team. Under the contract terms, Rhule will make $5.5 million this season and earn $12.5 million by 2030, the final year of the contract.

The contract also contains several performance-based bonuses. Some of those bonuses include winning the Big Ten West, playing in the Big Ten Championship Game, and winning the Big Ten Championship Game.

But where does the Husker head coach currently rank among his conference contemporaries? USA TODAY Sports released their annual salary breakdown of every college football head coach.

Scroll below to find every Big Ten coach’s base salary and where Matt Rhule’s salary is placed on the list.

Rhule yet to announce a starting quarterback against Michigan

Head football coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Thursday afternoon.

Head football coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Thursday afternoon. The coach was asked about his two starting quarterbacks, Jeff Sims and Heinrich Haarberg, and who will get the start on Saturday against Michigan.

“Both guys have practiced all week,” Rhule said. “I wouldn’t say Jeff (Sims) is 100%. You know, Heinrich (Haarberg) looks good. How much can he completely open up to all those things? I don’t know what they will know until game time, but there’s been no restrictions on him. They’re both trying to get ready for practice tomorrow and we’ll be ready to probably use either one of them or both of them as needed.”

Jeff Sims has thrown for 220 yards for the season with one touchdown and four interceptions. He’s also added 156 yards on the ground with one touchdown.

Heinrich Haarberg has 278 passing yards with four touchdowns on the season. He’s also added 272 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Nebraska will host Michigan this Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT) from Fox.

Rhule says Nebraska will play the quarterback that ‘gives us the best chance to win’

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule met with the media following the Cornhusker’s 28-14 victory over Louisana Tech.

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule met with the media following Cornhusker’s 28-14 victory over Louisana Tech. The head coach was asked about the future of the quarterback position after the performance of Heinrich Haarberg.

Haarberg was 8/12 passing for 107 yards and one touchdown while carrying the ball 19 times for 157 yards and one touchdown. The Nebraska native was filling in for the injured Jeff Sims the last two weeks.

Rhule said that moving forward, the Huskers will play the quarterback that gives them the best chance to win.

“Jeff (Sims) was able to go but limited in what he can do, in terms of the ability to run the football. He did come in for one play. Chubba’s (Purdy) signaling and Heinrich’s finding his helmet. Jeff went in at the end, I think Jeff was probably tight there, just his ankle after being out there all day didn’t see the use of having him go reinjure that but I think Jeff’s an excellent player. He played two really tough teams on the road and a lot of things that happened people are just going to lump on him, some of those things weren’t his fault. We’re going to get him all ready to play and play the game that gives us the best chance to win.”

Nebraska now prepares to host Michigan this Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Find a photo gallery of the Huskers win over the Bulldogs below.

New starting quarterback leads Nebraska to victory over NIU

In their home opener of the 2023 season, Nebraska earned their first win of the year against the Huskies of Northern Illinois by a score of 35-11.

In their home opener of the 2023 season, Nebraska earned their first win of the year against the Huskies of Northern Illinois by a score of 35-11. The win moved the Huskers to a record of 4-1 against NIU and 8-1 all-time against the Mid-American Conference.

Sophomore quarterback Heinrich Haarberg of Kearney, Nebraska, made his first career start. He’s the first Nebraska native to start at quarterback since Noah Vedral in 2019.

The quarterback went 14-of-24 in the air for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 21 times for 98 yards on 21 carries.

Nebraska’s defense allowed 149 yards of total offense, the fewest yards since Kansas had 87 yards in 2010. The Blackshirts also totaled 3.0 sacks and 5.0 tackles for loss.

Nebraska returns to action next Saturday when the Huskers host Louisiana Tech. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m.

Find a photo gallery of Nebraska’s victory below.

Nebraska without a defensive lineman for first half vs Colorado

Nebraska will be without one of their defensive leaders on Saturday.

Nebraska will be without one of their defensive leaders on Saturday. Defensive lineman Ty Robinson will miss the first half against Colorado this weekend.

Robinson was ejected from Thursday’s loss to Minnesota. He was flagged for targeting after making head-to-head contact with quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis.

Head coach Matt Rhule told the press that Ty should be prepared for the second half.

“They played well, Ty was at a different level when he was playing. He got to the quarterback four or five times. Obviously it’s unfortunate we won’t have him in the first half but I told him he’s going in on every play in the second half when you get back. So you better rest up. Ty’s level of football in the first half was really impressive. We played a lot of guys. We were able to get some guys in for three, four or five plays. We’ll need all of that for this tempo and we’ll need all of that for this opponent.”

Nebraska will visit Colorado this Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Fox.

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Nebraska continues preparations for Colorado

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Monday afternoon.

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Monday afternoon. He talked about the team’s preparations for their game this Saturday against Colorado.

On Colorado prep and what to expect: 

“Well, I think they have really good coaches. You go back and look at their coordinators. You look at Sean Lewis from Kent State, he’s a friend. He’s an excellent coach. He comes out of Art Briles’s tree. You’re going to get the ball run from B gap to B gap. They’re going to attack you on the perimeter. They’re going to take ten deep ball shots a game. They have the guys. They can go down the field and their ball skills are elite. They have a quarterback that can make those throws. It’s really a perfect storm and perfect hire. That style of offense with that skill set of guys they have, plus the altitude and tempo in Boulder, it’s really well thought out. On defense, obviously, Coach Kelly comes from the (Nick) Saban tree. You watch Florida State film and you can’t look at everything from what they did last week. Obviously, they were facing a new offense with TCU and it’s like two different worlds of what we played last week compared to now. We’re studying everything. They have a lot of new players and we have new players so this is their first time too. A lot of work has been done this summer and a lot of work has been done right now.”