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Nebraska QB Jeff Sims Practicing Again, But Status for Saturday Undetermined

Backups preparing for action; turnover issue is on front burner for Huskers and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield

Joe Hudson

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Nebraska quarterback Jeff Sims, hobbled by an ankle injury during last weekend's loss at Colorado, was on track to return to practice Wednesday evening. Whether he plays in Saturday's home opener against Northern Illinois has yet to be decided. 

"He'll be out there tonight and go as full speed as he possibly can," offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said before Wednesday's practice.

Asked about the criteria for allowing Sims to play against Northern Illinois, Satterfield replied, "That's more of a Coach Rhule question than my question. But it's the kid's health first before we put him out there."

Backup QBs Heinrich Haarberg and Chubba Purdy are "preparing like they're going to be the starters," and both have had "a good week so far," Satterfield said.

The Huskers' problem with turnovers — four per game thus far — needs to be cleaned up, he said: "We've got to fight like hell to win the turnover margin. We're not giving ourselves a chance to win."

Satterfield said the onus is on the staff to help solve the issue. Referring to Sims' dropped shotgun snaps against Colorado, he said: "We have to work during the week with more crowd noise. I have to do a better job of making sure we're utilizing certain snap counts with the motions we use. I've got to be smart with the play type, especially with the motions we're using, especially down in the student section where it got really loud. All of that comes into play. ... It's all of us, it's not just Jeff."

Husker defensive coordinator described Northern Illinois' offense as "a physical group" that presents "a lot of variety, a lot of different formations, and that'll be a challenge."

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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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