Tag: Nebraska Northern Illinois Football

Haarberg tells media ‘I’m heavier, I’m faster and I’m stronger’ as a running quarterback

Nebraska starting quarterback Heinrich Haarberg met with the media following the Cornhuskers 35-11 victory over Northern Illinois.

Nebraska starting quarterback Heinrich Haarberg met with the media following the Cornhuskers 35-11 victory over Northern Illinois. He started his press conference by commenting on his physical play from the quarterback position.

“I enjoy the physicality in the moment. Right now it doesn’t feel too good, but I know what the energy can do to the team. Seeing your quarterback out there going full speed ahead and not slowing down, not hesitating. That’s something that I’ve been working on since spring. Running physically, because I know that I’m not the stereotypical quarterback. I’m heavier, I’m faster and I’m stronger so I’m going to use that to my advantage and try to push my teammates.”

NIU’s head coach on playing at Memorial Stadium ‘we didn’t handle it well at all’

Northern Illinois Football Head Coach Thomas Hammock met with the media following his team’s 35-11 to Nebraska on Saturday night.

Northern Illinois Football Head Coach Thomas Hammock met with the media following his team’s 35-11 to Nebraska on Saturday night. He started his press conference by talking about the physicality of the game.

“We thought it would be a physical contest and it was. I thought our defense hung in there and played their butt off throughout the whole game. We did not do enough offensively to stay on the field long enough. I think we had six drops in the first half in critical moments that put us behind the sticks but we have to find a way to be more efficient on offense and reward our defense for the way that they are playing. Credit to Nebraska, strong and physical team. We had every inclination of what it was going to look like and it was. We have to go back and study the tape and try to improve.”

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.

Matt Rhule on the quarterback position moving forward ‘we’ve got a good situation’

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule met with the media following the Cornhuskers 35-11 victory over Northern Illinois.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule met with the media following the Cornhuskers 35-11 victory over Northern Illinois. The head coach opened his availability by crediting his players.

“I’m obviously very, very proud of the players. It’s been two hard weeks and I’m really, really proud of the way that they’ve stood together. I’m really, really proud of the way that team stood together and I think we’ve gotten better each week. It certainly wasn’t perfect tonight, but there were a lot of really good things and I thought they played like a team, which was really important to me. That first turnover, down in the red zone – defense going out there and getting the stop and holding them to a field goal. That’s really the culture we want to have. Having 96 yards rushing in the fourth quarter – that’s the culture we want to have, and putting games away and with the run game. There were a lot of things, obviously, in between. We had a couple guys go down with injuries. Rahmir (Johnson) went down and Cam (Lenhardt) went down. Gabe (Ervin Jr.) went down at the end, so hopefully they’ll all be okay. A lot of credit to Northern Illinois. I was watching that Florida State-BC (Boston College) game today. Seeing BC almost beat Florida State after seeing these guys beat BC – I knew it would be a battle and I thought our guys hung in there and did a good job.”

Studs and duds from Nebraska’s first win of the season

Studs and duds from Nebraska’s first win of the season

The Cornhuskers recorded their first win of the season Saturday night against the Northern Illinois Huskies by a score of 35-11. Coincidentally, it was also their home opener for the 2023 season, as Nebraska was the last Power Five school to play a home game after starting their first two on the road.

The win also marked Matt Rhule’s first win as Nebraska’s head coach. The Huskers now prepare for Louisiana Tech, who will travel to Lincoln next Saturday.

Scroll below to look at some studs and duds from Saturday night’s performance, and unlike previous weeks, there were more studs than duds this time.

Nebraska football takes down Northern Illinois 35-11

After starting the season off with two tough losses, the Huskers entered their home opener facing off against Northern Illinois.

It was a big game for Nebraska football on Saturday night. After starting the season off with two tough losses, the Huskers entered their home opener facing off against Northern Illinois. Last season, Nebraska suffered a loss to a non-power five school, Georgia Southern, in its third game of the season. This time, the Huskers pulled through on the night, taking down the Huskies 35-11 to earn their first win of the season.

Sophomore Henrich Haarberg stood under center for Nebraska, with Jeff Sims being out with a high ankle sprain. Haarberg stepped up to the challenge, leading the Huskers’ offense to their best outing so far this season. The Nebraska native went 14-of-24 in the air, throwing for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing yards, going for 98 yards off 21 carries and a touchdown.

Haarberg’s ground game accompanied Nebraska’s 224 rushing yards, a good chunk of them coming from Anthony Grant and Gabe Ervin. Jr. Haarberg’s top target in the game was tight end Thomas Fidone II, who hauled in four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.

Though the offensive performance seemed shaky, it helped the Nebraska defense stand out more than in the previous couple of weeks. The Blackshirts held Northern Illinois to just 149 total yards, 75 of which came on the Huskies’ touchdown drive late in the game when Nebraska was ahead 35-3.

Outside of the late touchdown, the Huskies couldn’t get the ball moving, only getting their field goal off a Haarberg strip-sack fumble which set them up in prime field position.

With the win, Nebraska moves to 1-2 on the season. The Huskers will remain home next week as they welcome Louisiana Tech. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be viewed on Big Ten Network.

What would a combined lineup with Nebraska and Northern Illinois look like?

The Cornhuskers look to get their first win of the season as they host the Huskies of Northern Illinois this Saturday

The Cornhuskers look to get their first win of the season as they host the Huskies of Northern Illinois this Saturday. While NIU comes into this week with a better record, having beaten Boston College but lost to Southern Illinois, Nebraska’s level of competition leading up to this game has been much higher.

While Boston College is a Power Five school, there’s no denying that not all Power Five programs are made equal, and BC is near the bottom of that list. So, while Northern Illinois may take over in critical areas we will list below, remember that the level of competition played is a significant indicator and grade inflator.

Going position group by position group, we look at a potential starting lineup with a combined roster of Northern Illinois and Nebraska.

Rhule says Sims’ ‘best football has not been seen yet’

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

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Thursday afternoon. The health of quarterback Jeff Sims remains the topic of conversation.

“I think Jeff is an excellent player. I think his best football has not been seen yet. I think he really wants to win and he’s trying to do things to make us win, instead of just playing each play. Being in the moment is really the message of our whole program. Play the rep and play that play. Unfortunately for us, some of those plays in the first two environments went from bad to almost catastrophic and we’re learning those lessons the hard way.”

Nebraska’s defensive coordinator talks progress after two games

Nebraska’s offensive and defensive coordinators met with the media on Wednesday afternoon. 

Nebraska’s offensive and defensive coordinators met with the media on Wednesday afternoon. OC Marcus Satterfield talked about the team’s plan if QB Jeff Sims is unable to start on Saturday. DC Tony White started his press availability by talking about the performance against Colorado’s up-tempo offense.

Tony White on playing an up-tempo offense like Colorado

“I think the key with anything on defense is to make sure that it is set in the simplest version so that the young men can absorb it and then they can execute it on the grass. That’s the word that’s been used this week. You have to focus more on the execution part and make sure that they truly understand why.”

Find more comments from Nebraska’s two coordinators below.

Rhule provides update on quarterback’s ankle injury

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 opened his press availability by providing an update on quarterback Jeff Sims.

Sims had to exit Nebraska’s loss to Colorado due to an ankle injury. Rhule said the injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue to worry about.

“It doesn’t appear to be one of those four- to five-week true high ankle (sprains). He moved around last night. We have that training area for guys who aren’t practicing, and he was moving around in there. With quarterbacks, I never know with an ankle what that’s going to mean.”

Rhule also reiterated that even with Jeff Sims’s latest struggles, he is still QB1 for Nebraska.

“Jeff’s our starting quarterback, so if this hadn’t happened, he’d still be out there. That being said, we can’t keep turning the ball over… this is a top-down, starting with me. We have to be better. We can’t be minus eight. That goes without saying, right? Jeff’s our quarterback, but Jeff has to protect the football.”

A final determination on Sims’ playing status will be made later in the week.