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Matt Rhule updates Heinrich Haarberg’s status, QB plans for Week 12
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Matt Rhule and Nebraska are heading into a Week 12 matchup with another shot at bowl eligibility against Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers are also looking for some stability at quarterback after a dreadful Week 11.
In the loss to Maryland, Nebraska saw Heinrich Haarberg injured and a trio of Haarberg, Jeff Sims and Chubba Purdy struggled to get things going. Overall, all 3 QBs contributed a turnover as Nebraska finished with 5 and lost the turnover battle to the Terps.
On Thursday, Rhule said Haarberg will practice on Friday and make the trip to Wisconsin and will be available for the game. As for his full status, that will be determined by how Haarberg feels on game day and if he looks good in warmups.
“Heinrich’s gonna practice (on Friday). He’s obviously been out there on a limited basis, Chubba and Jeff have gotten most of the reps. He definitely wants to play, he’s pushing to come back and play,” said Rhule. “We’ll see how he does today, get him to the game and warm him up. He’s definitely be available in some capacity but whether he starts or not, I think it will depend on how he feels on game day. We wouldn’t want to put him out there if we weren’t able to run him and do the option.”
As for the status of QBs behind Haarberg, Rhule is happy with the results he has seen from Sims and Purdy throughout practices.
“I think Jeff and Chubba have done a really nice job this week. Any time you have the things that have transpired, I think everyone comes in determined, knowing that they can fix some of those things and I think we fixed a lot of those things,” Rhule explained. “…They’ve been able to get a lot of reps and they’ve done a nice job, so we’re prepared to play either one or both.”
We’ll see who gets the starting reps against the Badgers, but QB1 will need to play efficiently, no matter who it is. Nebraska’s defense has done its job time and time again throughout the season, and it’s time for the starting QB to make some plays in support of the defense with a shot at a bowl game.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.