Leaderboard

Our fan base still overreacts when we play good against a weak opponent. HH played ok but the defense he faced was significantly weaker than Sims faced in the first 2 weeks. That said, I think you have to continue the trial by fire with him until it doesn't work.

Stood next to him for about 3 mins during the Red Burns Brighter 3rd to 4th quarter. he seems to be taking it all in yesterday. Talked to him and his family for a bit. Momma seemed to enjoy (impressed with facilities/academic support etc) her visit here on Saturday.

There is no way on gods green earth you are a Nebraska fan.

we don't live in an alternate universe where we can trade rhule for sanders either but this thread is still here.

We have improved more than many will recognize. The D is obvious. But special teams coverage is damn good. O line is still weak but better than it has been. Our rushing totals through three games bear that out imo. At QB I dont know. I still think Sims has a higher ceiling but not if he can’t stop peeing down his leg. HH was solid and didn’t force things but he isn’t going to scare anyone. Tough call imo but lean HH for now. Also the team is much better coached. Fewer bonehead penalties. Played with energy throughout. I like what Rhule is building but it’s going to take time. I do think he will make this a program we can be proud of in a few years though

The absolute irony of saying that Deon is the biggest game changer in 50 years and then mentioning Saben in the next paragraph.

Being at the game, and seeing it in person, one thing that stuck out was this: Thomas Fidone. I didn't realize that kid was so big - for whatever reason, I couldn't see it on TV before. Wherever he lines up, the guy in front of him is literally out-manned significantly. Is it crazy to thing that a 6-10 yard curl would be nearly automatic? He could basically box-out the defender, and the QB (HH or JS) just throw it chest level. Pitch and catch. At this point, we don't really have any real difference-makers, no real edge on offense. We can't run it real well, and we definitely aren't a huge threat passing downfield. Fidone, however, could be a problem for defenses. Not that we should force it, but he would pull defenders away from places they would probably rather be, opening up other receivers, or setting up running lanes.

Dude…for next years class, they are currently ranked 76th with 8 commits. is that going to improve? Yes. But no way is he going to have the # 1 class. You’re belief in the hype machine is 180 degrees from mine. Alabama is not going to hire Deon. Colorado is perfect for him because their s#!t fans don’t care about if their stud QB tries to poke other players eyes or the HC has zero respect for anyone but himself.

80 new players. Being put in adverse in-game situations, road and home, and sitting at 3-0. What he is doing is remarkable.

Exactly. I’m really sad for a lot of the people being overly pessimistic. I wonder where they will find joy in life if they can’t at least enjoy the 24 hours after a beat down at home. We did what we should’ve done with a quarterback making his first start. He managed the game well. The team we beat last night beat Boston College, which almost beat Florida state, were it not for their own mental mistakes. Alabama has more talent than most people in the world and is struggling mightily. Upsets and close calls all over college football. Just enjoy the progress and the process.

Yeah this is, unfortunately, a routine disappointment now. I figured it wouldn't be a quick fix in year one under Rhule but that doesn't make it hurt any less. This is the tried and true winning formula if they can stick with it, though. Play good defense, avoid special teams mistakes, and wear down the opposing defense enough to where in the 3rd/4th quarter they're a bit gassed and the run game becomes more fruitful. It may not be pretty in the first three quarters but it'll help lead to wins and that's ultimately all that matters.

The defense, starters vs. starters, gave up 74 total yards of offense. That's damned impressive.

No. Just develop Haarberg.

I actually think Sanders and his team will act like babies when they lose. They aren't handling winning with dignity, so no reason to think they will handle losing with it.

The perspectives are different because one of them is coming from a Husker fan and the other is you.

Sims is the more talented QB of the two, period. Yes, he needs to make better decisions overall, but Sims has a better chance at winning in the Big Ten -- HH just isn't talented enough.

HH played a good game but still feel that we need to temper the enthusiasm a bit. From what I saw he pretty much locked onto one receiver as well. Against a better team that’s not going to work. He should have had one interception as well that was dropped by the defender.

Frost recruited talent just fine, it's the retention (especially at WR) and development parts that he was godawful at.

I learned that the HH hype train is already out of control. He’s def a D1 athlete but he’s not a real D1 qb yet….but I’m not sure Simms is either. I like that it puts pressure on Simms to play better as he’s sucked. Bad mistakes. Beginner level football bad. Defense is baller. This staff is equal to the last staff as far as baffling rb rotation. Oline is better than last year and still pretty bad. I also learned somehow you can play college ball for 7 years. That’s crazy.

Matt Rhule in his post game presser said: Pretty cool to hear that. And I don't think he's just sugaring the fan base's churros with that comment.

Well, to be fair…it’s shoved down our throat on every network’s commentary. Rents been paid.

Ha! Yeah, Fidone is huge! I was at the game too and noticed that.

Totally agree and I thought he needed to never play because he was so bad. But now playing a true NT spot, head up, he is really good.

They were playing Colorado State, the fact they had to come back in the first place says alot

This post is such a mic drop that I'm half tempted to close this thread. +1

How about we let Hutmacher be the next him for a year before labeling him the next greatest interior d lineman college football has seen in decades! Also, I agree with the poster who talked about first down management. Too often the offensive is playing behind the sticks on first down and it’s hard for the players to overcome that.

And very well could be seeing it right now with neon.

I watched some of the CU/CSU game and heard the sideline guy (I think) say that Sanders told him “they aren’t there yet and he still needs 6 or 7 more dudes”. Well hell, if NU had 6 or 7 more dudes on offense, NU would be a top 15 team also with the defense the team has. I don’t understand how the reporter thought that was some big revelation. Quite a few teams might be to 20 teams with “6-7 more dudes”.

But this is the first time in a few years where the weak opponent didn't leave Lincoln with a W or lose in a nail biter. That credit goes to coaching

HH worked the field especially after he settled in. game management and ball control was definitely better..

How long has it been since we had screen passes that actually worked? Its a big difference on offense to have those executed and working properly in terms of keeping the defense honest, and they called 2 tonight at the perfect times for key first downs. I cant tell if NIU just tackles extremely well or if we just dont have the players that can make a single player miss or break a tackle when needed. Probably a little bit of both, but it seems like getting players like that would have led to some bigger plays tonight.

I just don't think you put Sims in again. Rely on your defense and don't turn it over.

Is it crazy to say Nebraska should be 2-1 with Haarberg at QB?

Let's get our transitive property on! Tonight we beat Northern Illinois. Northern Illinois beat Boston College two weeks ago. Tonight, #3 Florida State squeaked by Boston College 31-29. Guys, I think we've got a shot against Florida State!

If there's a "most improved player" award, it maybe goes to Nash Hutmacher. The guy's motor is real and he just shows up on every down to do some damage. Tony White makes Erik Chinander look like hammered dog s***. The disguised coverages and secondary play is really doing some good things. And our tackling is pretty great. I try really hard to not dog on play calling because I think it's often times pretty lazy by fans. But there were long stretches of this game where Satterfield just looked so dumb. I get it, you're trying to make them think you'll always run on first down so then you call a drop-back passing play. But it cost us pretty bad several times. On the second drive he completely went away from the zone read running plays. Why? Our running backs showed some individual effort in the second half to keep fighting and cut outside to keep looking for space. We've needed more of that kind of stuff ever since Dedrick Mills graduated. I hope nothing causes Haarberg to transfer out. He has some real potential.

I agree, it’s not ideal either way. The answer to our QB woes is obviously not currently on the roster. Until we have an answer in the QB room, I think all he can do is lick his lips and go with whatever works at the time. Unfortunately it appears that the portal pick up was a shot that isn’t panning out. Gonna have to give it another go next year and hopefully also get some QB recruits. The biggest help would be getting the OL rebuilt into something respectable so that we have better opportunity with some better QBs. Still think we could’ve landed Raiola if he would’ve thought he wouldn’t get murdered back there.

The high ankle was a post-game guesstimate after CU. The staff later said it wasn't a traditional high sprain. He was cleared to practice Wednesday before NIU game. And he took reps. I think when he got hurt in the Colo game he tapped out. He could have gone back in, possibly, but the staff sat him. And probably a smart thing to do for all. After seeing HH make his way through his first college football start ever, and playing pretty good in that regard, he should be the starter against LaTech. I'm sure the staff likes the job he did and the momentum, but prolly needs to see more. Meaning, can HH keep it going, improve, make some throws to add another element to the offense? Or is he going to show mistakes and regress? What about turnovers? I think you give HH the keys to the LaTech game. But also, if we get down by 10-13-16 early on, don't panic. And don't pull him and expect to roll out Sims to suddenly save the day. Have a plan to play both for a series or two. Or stick with one and keep the other holding the clipboard. Short leash theory is the worst thought for competitors, especially QBs, kickers, and pitchers.

It doesn’t matter how much more talented Sims is on paper or in real life. As long as HH, or CP for that matter, take care of the ball and aren’t ridiculous turnover machines, you gotta go with them over Sims. Sure he may provide the opportunity for some bigger plays but it’s a fact that you can’t win with turnovers at a rate of every quarter of play. His ceiling may be higher but his floor is unbearably low.

It's a good problem to have. I think Sims on paper is the more talented of the two, and he obviously did some really good things in the last 9 months to not only earn the starting job but also a single digit jersey number from his teammates. I think it would be unwise for anyone to expect that Haarberg won the job yesterday. The coaches probably aren't going to push Sims aside like that. Haarberg on the other hand showed good command of the offense and the only turnover wasn't his fault. I think a lot of his teammates were inspired by his tough running and general lack of costly mistakes. I also have very low tolerance for any argument against Haarberg that has to do with the quality of the opponent, as if this isn't the same program that lost 24-19 to Troy, 45-42 to Georgia Southern, or 21-17 to NIU all within the last six years. So, to quote Kendrick Lamar, you can miss me with that bulls#!t. Winning and winning well are lost commodities around this program, regardless of the opponent.

I'd say CU's comeback last night and then winning in double OT after losing their best player to a cheap shot was the definition of responding to adversity.

I enjoyed last night. But I also enjoyed last week. It was a fun story that had a disappointing ending. I think we just get frustrated by fans who will get excited over one game but then cuss and scream next week when things don’t go so smoothly and demand people be fired.

Offense: -I hate calling out play calling, but there were several times Satterfield had me scratching my head. - Fidone needs reps. -Grant has improved over last year and I think he needs to be primary back. One thing that he did previously was “stop and wait” in the hole. He’s eliminated that from his game and he looks solid. -I’m not sold on Sims or HH yet. HH had a great game. I think his performance in his first significant time show’s potential. I think a mistake free (who knows if that’s possible) Sims is still a lot better. Defense: -Mostly the same guys playing at a different level. Frost/Chins being fully exposed. -Being able to get pressure with 4 guys is an absolute game changer. -Young talent is promising. General: - Weird to say how exciting it was to see back ups in at the end of the game.

HH, ball security, better game manager, spreads the ball/touches around, more efficient, more energy and leadership, puts the defense in better position. While Sims may be a better homerun threat that’s it. He strikes out too much that a meaningless homerun is not important. Bottom line, HH gives us better chance to win,

Learned that: (1) We got Simmed the first two games (2) Our OL is beyond horrible. We can have Tom Brady as our QB and he would struggle with this OL (3) I still don’t know if our OC is bad or our OL is so horrible that no play can work the way it is drawn. Could be that both OC and OL are equally horrible (4) Haarberg played with heart and he should be our QB moving forward. With a decent OL, he can do very well. (5) What Rhule does with his tongue is unnatural and creepy (6) Someone needs to teach our players that you are not supposed to shush your home crowd. You are supposed to do that in away games when you win. Having said that, since we are not accustomed to winning, these players want to take any opportunity to do the “shush” Really enjoyed seeing our Huskers win today. May this win be the beginning of many to come.

Not turning the ball over and playing good defense equates to winning football

Good stuff. Yeah that tunnel screen (I think it was) was such great execution by everybody involved. I thought Fidone would break some of those. I don't really love some of our slow-developing passing plays where the target is basically just two yards out from the line of scrimmage in the flat. Defenses are all over it. Either quick hit it way outside, or just go downfield. A lot of these plays to the flat out of the heavy sets just aren't fooling anybody, but Satterfield clearly loves them.

I'm leaning this direction, as well. Maybe (and I mean, maybe) Sims has a higher ceiling or 'wow' factor that stood out during the spring, summer and fall camp, but he had two games to show that and didn't. Haarberg got one shot to show his capabilities and did.