Dave Feit: Is Nebraska Embracing Its Inner Iowa?

The recipe for success against Northern Illinois could work as a Year 1 identity for coach Matt Rhule’s Huskers

Kenny Larabee, KLIN

I ’ll be the first to tell you that Nebraska-Northern Illinois was not a classic contest. Aside from the footnote of it being Husker head coach Matt Rhule's first win, most of you* won't look back on this game a decade from now.

*Unless your last name is "Haarberg".

But I don't care.

It's okay to enjoy - heck, savor - a three-phases win on a beautiful late summer evening. I don’t care if it was a MAC team. There have been far too few of these in recent memory.

I'm resisting the urge to point out just how few home games Nebraska has won in its last X tries, because doing so would defeat my purpose: Take a deep breath and remember how much fun it is when Nebraska wins football games.

Yes, there is a legitimate quarterback discussion brewing. Top 5 Michigan looms on the horizon before what - on paper at least - could be a manageable stretch of Big Ten games that will likely determine how many people view Rhule's first season.

So, before we look too far ahead, let's be sure to take a moment to soak in the joy that comes from a no-doubt victory.

Trust me, we'll have plenty of time to obsess over big-picture stuff.

Things I believe

Don't tell the people on the east side of the river, but NU stole their game plan. Saturday was "Ag Day" at Memorial Stadium. There were numerous tributes to farmers and ranchers throughout the game. I tried to look from my north stadium seats to see if Nebraska had some type of helmet decal - similar to the "ANF" (America Needs Farmers) sticker than Iowa wears to commemorate the day.

There was no helmet sticker. But as it turned out, Nebraska paid tribute to their Heroes Game* rivals with their play on the field.

*Now sponsored by Pioneer Seed!!!

Let me know if Nebraska's first half recipe sounds like something you've seen on Black Friday or a sleepy 11 a.m. BTN game: Swarming defense. Run-heavy offense featuring a tight end with next-level potential. Conservative play calling and a desire to win the field position battle through punting and special teams.

Honestly, for where Nebraska is currently at, it's not a bad strategy. The Huskers aren't exactly blessed with a ton of game-breaking talent, so if this is what it takes to win games, I'll sacrifice points (both style and scoreboard) for results.

Especially since I don't think this is Rhule's long-term vision.

Tony White's Blackshirts are worth the price of admission. As much fun as it is to watch the defense on TV, they're even better in person. They line up all over the field, shifting and moving and teasing pressure before the play.

Once the ball is snapped, they come from all angles creating pressure, shutting down the run, and blanketing receivers. The open-field tackling is elite. And on the few times when it is not, there are four other guys rallying to the ball.

NIU's Rocky Lombardi was hearing footsteps from the first drive. He was more rattled than any 7th year quarterback should be.

Nebraska knows how to put on a good show for the fans (and recruits). The game day experience continues to improve. By now, I'm guessing you've seen a video of the sensory overload presentation that occurred between the third and fourth quarters. Fire cannons, fireworks, lights, "Thunderstruck", and oh yeah, a few dozen drones in the northeast corner painting pictures in the night sky.

Nebraska did the drones for the amazingly epic Volleyball Day in Nebraska, but I didn't expect to see them back in the sky for Northern Illinois. We’ve come a long way from the days when the band would play “Hey Baby” while we tried to figure out which helmet the Valentino’s logo was under.

We can debate if the production values are done for the fans who continue to sell out the stadium or for the dozens of recruits - in multiple sports - that Nebraska is trying to woo, but I appreciate that Nebraska is making an effort to make the Game Day Experience more exciting.

I have some additional ideas that we’ll talk about down the road.

Things I don't know

Is there a quarterback controversy? For the purposes of this question, we're sticking strictly within the team. There will be a separate, on-going debate within the fan base given Haarberg's success… and the fact that Nebraska won. But we're going to focus only on the people whose opinions matter: Matt Rhule and Marcus Satterfield.

I feel confident in saying that as long as Jeff Sims is injured, Heinrich Haarberg will continue to start. But what about when Sims is back at - or close to - full health?

To me, the biggest unknown is how this staff handles injuries. Tom Osborne had a policy that a starter would not lose their job because of injury. But Osborne had the benefit of a well-established, deep program that always won 9+ games a year. Rhule is trying to rebuild, and his program would benefit from the extra practices that come with a bowl game.

So, which quarterback do the coaches feel gives this team the best chance to win? Haarberg or Sims?

My gut impression is Sims will return as the starter when he's healthy. There's a reason Sims was plucked from the portal. And there's a likely a reason we never heard Haarberg was pushing for the starting job in camp. That's not a knock on Haarberg, it's just acknowledging that Sims has the higher ceiling.

The obvious caveat is the turnovers and decision making. Sims has clearly struggled with that in his two games. If that continues, patience from the coaching staff (and the home fans) may wear thin. Haarberg's debut showed that Nebraska has a viable option.

Did Nebraska find an offensive identity? I'd be curious to know how many of Nebraska's 68 offensive plays were some variation of an option or zone read. Haarberg takes the snap, reads one player, and determines if the ball goes to the back or if he keeps it. Throw in some play action passes, and some screens, and try to keep the chains moving.

Regular readers will know that I absolutely abhor the "identity" discussion. But after the first two games - where the only thing Nebraska did well was turning the ball over - it was nice to see Satterfield playing to the perceived strengths of his offense: a quarterback who can run, above average running backs, and a blossoming tight end.

It's worth pointing out that 50% of Nebraska's completions and 45% of their passing yards were brought in by tight end Thomas Fidone and running backs Gabe Ervin and Anthony Grant. I suspect we’ll see the same formula against Louisiana Tech, no matter who is taking snaps.

Nebraska doesn’t need to their quarterback to be the entire cocktail, just the straw that stirs the drink - a swizzle, if you will.

Should we be concerned about the depth at running back? Nebraska's running back room, once a symbol of depth, is starting to look a little thin. Starting running back Gabe Ervin Jr. had 14 carries including a touchdown but left in the fourth quarter with an injury.

Rahmir Johnson, who has been #2 back so far, did not record a carry Saturday. I do not believe Rahmir re-entered the game after a first-quarter kickoff return. He was in street clothes during the second half.

After a critical fumble at Minnesota and not playing at Colorado, Anthony Grant had a strong game. But Nebraska will need somebody to spell him.

On the final play of the game, Trevin Luben got his first career carry, gaining 18 yards. The fourth-year sophomore had some ridiculous high school stats at Wahoo (2,136 yards and 41 TDs as a senior). Presumably, this makes him the next man up ahead of (alphabetically) Cole Ballard, Isaiah Harris, Kwinten Ives, Emmett Johnson, Maurice Mazzccua, and Kenneth Williams. Mazzccua is the only one with a college rushing attempt, at Division II West Chester University.

5 things I loved

1. Heinrich Haarberg. Of course, it is Heinrich. Before the game, I wondered what kind of role / production Haarberg would be expected to take on compared to some other backup quarterback debuts. Would NU ask him to be Matt Turman? Joe Ganz? Ryker Fife? Andrew Bunch? Turns out, Nebraska needed him to be Heinrich Haarberg: run the ball with purpose, make good throws, protect the ball, and convert third downs. He was cool under pressure and did a nice job executing the game plan. He has earned whatever playing time he gets the rest of the season.
2. Nash Hutmacher. The Polar Bear has been a tone-setter on the defensive line. On the first series, he had a tackle for loss and a half sack to force a three and out. The brilliance of Tony White's system and Terrance Knighton's deep room is a guy like Hutmacher doesn't have to pace himself for a 70-snap game. He can go all out and know that his teammates can handle business while he catches his breath.
3. Anthony Grant. The numbers (7 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown, 1 catch for 9 yards) are modest, but I believe this was Anthony Grant's best game in almost a year. Instead of dancing and trying to bounce every carry to the outside, Grant was crisp and decisive with his runs. He ran with power, delivering a big blow to a NIU defender.
4. Thomas Fidone II. We're starting to see the emergence of the highly touted tight end recruit. Fidone has worked hard to overcome a laundry list of injuries. On Saturday he had his best game: four catches for 42 yards, including a touchdown and a pretty 20-yard toe-tapper on 3rd & 15. I hope Fidone finds out that I have him fourth on this list and uses that as motivation to climb even higher in the coming weeks.
5. Javin Wright. Speaking of guys who have overcome a ton of injuries but are now making plays, let's take a moment to appreciate Javin Wright's journey. I don't know the full extent of everything he's been through, but I'm pretty sure I once read that there were concerns if he'd ever play again. A week ago, I wrote "he's sooo close to a big play". On Saturday, he recorded his first interception. That's less about me being able to accurately predict this team, and more about Wright continuing to make himself an indispensable part of the defense.

Honorable mention: Phalen Sanford, Chief Borders, Quinton Newsome, Jimari Butler, Barret Liebentritt, Tristan Alvano, Trevin Luben, drone pilots, the fan who kept two unaware students from walking into the baton twirlers' flaming routine.

5 areas for improvement

1. Unsportsmanlike Conduct. No, I'm not referring to the Omaha radio show (even if their AM signal needs some major improvement). The Huskers were flagged for some stupid personal fouls at horrible times. Alex Bullock makes a great 33-yard catch and run on 3rd & 10. At the end of the play, Ben Scott comes in and blasts a Husky player late. Later in the game, Javin Wright makes a great interception, but his return is negated because Princewill Umanmielen blasted Northern Illinois' quarterback right in front of the ref. Garrett Snodgrass was flagged for roughing the passer (even if I disagree with the call). Additionally, a different crew probably would have flagged Anthony Grant for taunting after he stood over the NIU defender he had just flattened. Nebraska overcame most of these penalties, but the Huskers still aren't good enough to give up free yards by not being disciplined.
2. Punt Returns. Northern Illinois punted nine times. Billy Kemp returned two of those punts for a total of three yards, with a "long" return of four yards. As we've discussed previously, after the last five-plus years, any positive yardage is a victory. But it might be time to raise the bar a little bit.
3. Staying on Schedule. Too many times, the offense got behind the sticks on their possessions. A short gain - or loss - on first down, an incompletion on second down, and the Huskers were staring down third and long. Nebraska had 14 third-down attempts Saturday. On half of those attempts, the Huskers needed 8 to 15 yards to move the chains. Only three third down tries were shorter than five yards. Staying on schedule is really important when you don’t have a Trey Palmer to bail you out.
4. Offensive Line. Bad news: The O Line is making their third straight appearance on this list. Good news: With a 24-point win, by the time we get to this point, it's pretty nit-picky. The line allowed only one sack… which led to a turnover at the 5-yard line.
5. Seat backs. I largely support fans purchasing the padded seat backs. I get it: the Memorial Stadium bleachers aren't built for comfort. And as somebody who has had two back surgeries, I understand that a little lumbar support goes a long way. But if you use a seat back, please be courteous. They're not intended to be used as recliners. I'm struggling to find a family-friendly way to convey how close the fan in front of me was to my lap. There's a discussion to be had about fan comfort in the stadium (that we'll have soon…) but until then, try to stay out of other people's personal space.