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Matt Rhule Emphasizes Reducing the Huskers’ ‘Lowlights’

Notes and quotes from Nebraska football’s eighth spring practice

Joe Hudson

Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson
Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson /

Highlight reels from practice can get fans' blood pumping, but the flip side of the coin has Matt Rhule pumping the brakes.

The material on the cutting room floor is what will be the difference between winning and losing games this fall, the Nebraska football head coach said after Thursday's practice.

"The highlights haven't been the reason why we haven't been to a bowl game in the last six years," Rhule said. "It's the lowlights. ... Let's talk about the amount of sacks we're giving up, or the big plays we're giving up, or the missed assignments that we have, or the missed opportunities in two minutes.

Rhule said he's "making sure that we're coaching the what not to do and what to avoid. ... Our season will be dependent upon how many times we beat ourselves on a play and how many times we don't. And that's really what you worry about with freshman quarterbacks and what you have to teach your freshman quarterbacks."

Freshmen Dylan Raiola and Daniel Kaelin are vying for the No. 1 QB job along with junior Heinrich Haarberg, last season's primary starter. Rhule likes how the competition is making them all better.

"I'm always looking for separation, because that means one guy's doing a great job, and then usually what happens is the next guy catches him. He realizes, 'Oh, I better pick it up.' ... It kind of builds a new normal: 'You're doing something at a high level. I catch you.'"

One thing the QBs are mastering as they try to outdo each other: Changing the pass protection on a play in response to the defense's pre-snap look. It started with one quarterback doing it, and then the others followed suit. Now, Rhule said, they're "flipping protections like I've never seen" in 11 years of coaching college football.

"Players learn from players way more than they learn from us,” he said.

Much more was addressed during Thursday's post-practice interviews, including depth on the offensive line, the competition at running back and the injury situation (nothing major). Also speaking were O-line coach Dominic Raiola and two of his players, Ben Scott and Bryce Benhart. Scroll past the video for coverage, and refresh this page to see the latest content. Asterisk indicates item may require a subscription. | HuskerMax updates & discussion|Spring coverage hub

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Joe Hudson
JOE HUDSON

Joe Hudson has operated a Husker-related website since 1995 and joined forces with David Max to form HuskerPedia (later renamed HuskerMax) in 1999. It began as a hobby during his 35 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, a career that included stints at the Lincoln Star, Omaha World-Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Denver Post. In Denver, Joe was chief of the copy desk during his final 16 years at the Post. He is proud to have been involved in Pulitzer Prize-winning projects in both Philadelphia and Denver. Joe has been a Nebraska football fan since the mid-1960s during his childhood in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism and economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1976. He resides a few freeway exits north of Colorado Springs and enjoys bicycling and walking his dogs in his spare time. You can reach him at joeroyhud@outlook.com.

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