LINCOLN, Neb. — The development out of preseason camp at Nebraska that received the most attention over the past several days involved coach Matt Rhule’s Saturday choice to place a scrimmage on lockdown.
So yes, excitement has taken a backseat to the mundane. For the Huskers, the end of August remains too distant to see light at the end of the tunnel. Adrenaline from the start of camp has dwindled.
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“You’ve got to double down on the process,” linebacker Princewill Umanmielen said Tuesday.
As Nebraska scrimmaged on the grass outside the Osborne Legacy Complex on Saturday, Rhule kept doors closed to the typical crowd of players’ family members, high school coaches and former Huskers.
He said he wanted to eliminate distractions — and plans to do it again this Saturday for another scrimmage — to “create a bubble” where his players can perfect their craft before taking it to the arena Aug. 31 when UTEP visits Memorial Stadium.
“We’re being nitpicky with a lot of things,” junior running back Gabe Ervin said. “We don’t want to hear (about) it every day. But we’ve got to. We’ve got to be that nitpicky on details.”
GO DEEPERCan Isaac Gifford spur change at Nebraska? 'He plays like everything is on the line'In two weeks, the adrenaline will be back. For now, the mental fight continues.
No matter the measures required to keep the Huskers’ focus on daily improvement, Rhule plans to do it this month.
“Stay in the moment,” he said. “That’s part of my process of getting us to be a team that doesn’t struggle at the end of a game.”
Nebraska lost three November games last year by three points and a fourth in overtime.
Let us, too, take a moment to step back and identify objectives for Nebraska in the two weeks before this season begins:
strive#GBR x #WhatsNExt! pic.twitter.com/uvFVxgnRu4
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) August 13, 2024
• Manage the QB situation. In the offseason, Rhule and the Nebraska offensive coaches enjoyed the luxury of time. When Rhule addressed quarterback play in the spring and summer months, he often went out of his way to mention freshman Dylan Raiola alongside junior returning starter Heinrich Haarberg and freshman Danny Kaelin.
They split reps in April practices and traded series in the spring game. But time is growing short. Raiola appears the heavy favorite to start. A defined playing order — likely to be clear to the quarterbacks in advance of an announcement — threatens to disrupt positive energy within the group.
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The hope inside is that good vibes prevail. But the reality is, not everyone will be thrilled. The last time Nebraska named a freshman as its starter ahead of an opening game (Adrian Martinez in 2018), his primary competitor left the team immediately (Tristan Gebbia to Oregon State).
Rhule has said repeatedly that he expects to need multiple quarterbacks to win in 2024. In these last days before a winner emerges from the eight-month-long competition, Rhule is stressing the importance of experience.
“The thing I’m looking for from the quarterback, the difference between the great ones and the average ones, in my opinion, is what it looks like when things are going wrong,” Rhule said. “If you’re Danny or Dylan, you haven’t had a lot of things go wrong yet. So we’re trying to expose them to strenuous situations and see how they respond. They’re doing a good job of responding to it. But you know, it’s going to be a fire out there.
“Heinrich is used to the fire. He’s felt the fire. So can you handle the fire?”
GO DEEPERProjecting Nebraska's 120-player roster: WRs improve, O-line lacks depth• Keep it clean. The scrimmage last week included a few turnovers, Rhule said, in addition to personal fouls committed by the offense.
Still, Rhule said, he thought the play was clean. “The ball was moved. Passes were thrown and caught.”
Nebraska has repeatedly emphasized a need for improvement over 2023 in the turnover categories. The Huskers lost the ball 31 times a year ago to rank in a tie for worst nationally. Their turnover margin (minus-17) ranked second to last.
Young players make mistakes, Rhule said. And the Huskers look set to rely on several freshmen, notably Raiola. Freshmen receivers Jacory Barney and Carter Nelson are also in line to play, along with two or three defenders.
So it’s up to the veterans to set a standard. Despite a defense stocked with juniors and seniors, coordinator Tony White said he wasn’t pleased with the tackling in the Huskers’ first scrimmage.
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“That’s been something that’s bugging all of us,” White said.
No need exists to sound the alarm. But Huskers on both sides of the ball recognize the importance of cleaning up their play in the next seven to 10 days.
• Free the Huskers’ minds. It’s easy to play like no one’s watching when no one actually is. The challenge for Nebraska is to play without feeling the burden of expectations when the seats are full.
Rhule brought this dynamic to light one week before he closed practice to outsiders.
In a moment captured by Nebraska’s “Chasing 3” cameras — and included in the documentary with a green light from the coach — he gathered the Huskers early in the Aug. 3 practice that was open to fans at Memorial Stadium.
“If you guys want to know why we’ve lost a lot of close games, you just saw it,” Rhule told the players.
He admonished them for a sloppy start and challenged the leaders.
“This is why we lose,” Rhule said in the video clip, “because the minute there are people here, we don’t do what we do anymore. … Do everything right. You can’t change your shot with the game on the line. You do what you do. And I’m demanding you do it right, or I promise you this will be a long night, for no reason other than I’m not losing. And that was losing. Not the result. The process sucked.
“It’s time to win. It’s time to win. Winning is every day.”
The play at that Saturday night practice, observed by media, improved. But what happens when Memorial Stadium fills in 18 days? The coach is striving to make the fix before fans return.
The Huskers’ work continues behind closed doors.
(Photo: Robert Goddin / USA Today)
Mitch Sherman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering Nebraska football. He previously covered college sports for ESPN.com after working 13 years for the Omaha World-Herald. Mitch is an Omaha native and lifelong Nebraskan. Follow Mitch on Twitter @mitchsherman
