Tag: Nebraska Head Football Coach Matt Rhule

Rhule says Husker quarterback will ‘bounce back’ against Colorado

Matt Rhule told the media on Monday that he’s impressed with how the quarterback has responded following last Thursday’s performance. `

Nebraska quarterback Jeff Sims had a less-than-stellar debut for the Cornhuskers. The Georgia Tech transfer threw for 114 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions in Nebraska’s loss to Minnesota last Thursday.

Sims would be successful on the ground against the Golden Gophers. He carried the ball 19 times for 91 yards with a long of 26 yards. While the overall performance was disappointing, head football coach Matt Rhule told the media on Monday that he’s impressed with how the quarterback has responded following last Thursday’s performance. `

“Yeah when I left last night he was in there watching tape, so he’s not the first quarterback that’s ever thrown three interceptions. The great ones bounce back from it even better. I think you find out about people when they go through a little bit of adversity, so obviously he had not been trending that way. Got in the game, made some plays that he would take back if he could, but he can’t, so we’ll just be there for him as he gets better this week.”

Sims now prepares for week two when the Cornhuskers travel to Boulder to take on the Colorado Buffaloes.

 

Studs and Duds from Nebraska’s 13-10 loss to Minnesota

As much as things change, they stay the same.

As much as things change, they seem to stay the same. Nebraska had many opportunities to put away Minnesota in the season opener only to fall short,  13-10.

From missed throws, interceptions, fumbles and dumb penalties, there is much for the Cornhuskers to clean up before they take on Colorado. Even in a loss, some players stepped up. Some other players we want to see more of as Nebraska builds off this loss.

Here are Nebraska’s studs and duds from Week 1 against Minnesota. Scroll below to take a look and see for yourself who shined and who didn’t.

Husker football falls to Minnesota in season opener

Despite all the new, it seemed to be same old Nebraska.

Nebraska enters the 2023 season with a new head coach, a new coaching staff, and many new players. But despite all the new, it seemed to be the same old Nebraska as the Huskers blew a 10-3 lead to Minnesota to fall 13-10 to open the year.

The Golden Gophers’ win came off the foot of Dragan Kesich, who nailed a 46-yard field goal as time expired. Kesich’s kick came following two straight Nebraska drives, resulting in turnovers and ten total points for Minnesota. The Huskers also suffered numerous penalties, suffering seven on the night, resulting in a loss of 55 total yards, including one on the goal line right before halftime.

Outside of that, it was a tense battle throughout. Only three points were scored in the first half, which was by Kesich to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead. Right before halftime, the Huskers attempted to score a touchdown with 11 seconds left. The choice resulted in an interception and no points, which came back to haunt Nebraska in the end.

But the Huskers opened the second half up with a bang. Rahmir Johnson kicked things off by returning the kickoff 65 yards to set his team up. Then, off a broken play, Jeff Sims took a botched lateral from Anthony Grant and found a wide-open Alex Bullock for a 34-yard touchdown.

Outside of three interceptions on the night, Sims went 11-of-19 through the air for 114 yards. He also rushed for 91 yards off 19 carries. Later in the game, Omar Brown snatched an interception, leading to Tristan Alvano extending Nebraska’s lead to 10-3 off a 27-yard field goal.

Then, with less than five minutes left, Grant fumbled, setting the Golden Gophers up near midfield. This led to Athan Kaliakmanis nailing a pass to Daniel Jackson on fourth down for a 13-yard touchdown, tying the game with 2:32 left.

Sims followed it up with a backbreaking interception with less than a minute left. It all culminated with a game-winning field goal by Kesich, sealing the defeat for the Huskers.

This is the fourth straight season Nebraska opens the season with a loss. The team’s next game will be at Colorado on Sept. 9. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and can be viewed on FOX.

Husker receiver no longer with team

A Nebraska wide receiver is no longer with the team.

A Nebraska wide receiver is no longer with the team. Head football coach Matt Rhule has confirmed Zavier Betts has left the team and is no longer with the program.

Rhule told the media that Betts came to him and told him that his heart simply wasn’t into it. It’s a surprising change for the receiver who specifically cited Matt Rhule as a primary reason for returning to the program.

“It was honestly a really easy decision for me to come back and to play. But I really did it for my family and then for the fans, really, because I know a lot of people were sad when I left. Honestly, I felt like I let everybody down, so I wanted to come back and show everybody.”

Nebraska will kick off the 2023 season on Aug. 31 at Minnesota. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time.

Find a photo gallery of Zavier Bett’s Nebraska career below.

Matt Rhule on quarterback Jeff Sims: ‘he’s an NFL player’

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule is making the media rounds leading up to the season opener on August 31.

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule is making the media rounds leading up to the season opener on Aug. 31. Rhule sat down with Kathryn Tappen of NBC Sports to talk about a variety of subjects, including projected starting quarterback Jeff Sims’ impact on Nebraska’s offense heading into the season

He’s a triple threat. He can throw it. He can run it. And he can beat you with his mind as well. He can get to the right play. He’s an NFL player. I think he’s under the radar. Not being talked about a lot. Which is probably good, there’s not a ton of expectation on him. I know our entire team is going to go out and fight for him cause because they believe in him. He’s such a great leader. He’s such a great teammate.

Once starter Casey Thompson transferred during the offseason, it was clear Sims was in the driver’s seat for the starting job. And having heard Matt Rhule talk about his quarterback in the past, it’s clear he thinks highly of his first-year signal caller.

Sims comes to Nebraska having spent the last seasons at Georgia Tech. In 25 career games, the quarterback threw for 4,464 yards and 30 touchdowns, with 1,152 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Find a photo gallery of Jeff Sims college career below.

Four Nebraska football players first to earn single-digit numbers

The 2023 Nebraska football season is three weeks away and the Huskers took another step closer to kickoff by handing it their first batch of single-digit numbers.

The 2023 Nebraska football season is three weeks away and the Huskers took another step closer to kickoff by handing it their first batch of single-digit numbers. Back in March, head coach Matt Rhule explained to the media his tradition of awarding single-digit numbers to the toughest players on the team.

“What we decided was, you know what, 1 through 9 and now 0 through 9 would go to the nine or now 10 toughest guys on the team. And when I say ‘toughest,’ we define that for the guys, but really, the guys who best exemplify what it means to be a Cornhusker, to be accountable, to be dependable, to be tough, hardworking, competitive every single day. And so, as we get into training camp … the players will vote on it, and we hope it kind of becomes our tradition.”

On Wednesday, he handed out four of those numbers, leaving six remaining for the upcoming season.