Nebraska Football: 5 quick takes on Matt Rhule’s first spring game

The first Nebraska football spring game under Matt Rhule is in the books. What a day it was! Frank Solich was in the house.  And we met the remodeled Herbie. Finally! He entered the field on a motorcycle (that I refuse to believe was driven by anyone other than Ted Carter) AND later rode a John Deere tractor with a rotating t-shirt cannon that launched over 100 t-shirts in like 15 seconds.

Oh, and there was a  Nebraska football game.

Here are 5 quick takes on the game.

1. Real Football in April Is Awesome.

It was just plain fun to see tackle football in a Nebraska football spring game. No tagging off. No blowing plays dead. IT WAS REAL FOOTBALL.

I can’t remember the last time quarterbacks weren’t wearing green jerseys during a Nebraska football spring game. I also don’t recall Nebraska ever having like 23 scholarship quarterbacks on the team.

Okay, it’s just 6. But still.

That produced a physical, Big Ten-type game. A bruising contest that matched the weather. (Toward the end, my hands were so numb I thought it actually was November.)

2. Jeff Sims Wants to Be QB1.

Jeff Sims is a BIG dude. He looks the part of a big-time college quarterback.

And he played like it. He was 9-13 for 138 yards. He only ran 6 times for 14 yards with one TD. But there weren’t a lot of designed QB runs. With no green jersey, that’s not surprising.

Sims will be tough to bring down when he gets a full head of steam behind him. He ran right through an arm tackle on the way into the end zone during the second quarter.

I’m not sure if he’ll beat out Casey Thompson in August. But make no mistake. Jeff Sims will (and should) play this fall.

3. The Defense Will Be Just Fine

I was very interested in what Tony White’s 3-3-5 defense would look like. Suffice it to say I was pleasantly surprised.

The defense played hard and fast. They swarmed to the ball. They tackled well. And on pass plays, defenders were flying in from all angles. In fact, the pressure of the edge already looks better than last year.

What the offense lacks in explosive playmakers, the defense has in spades. There are athletes all over that side of the ball. There’s a lot for White to work with there.

Princewill Umanmielen (#55) stood out the most with a sack and three tackles for losses. Can’t wait to watch him wreak havoc in opposing backfields next year.

He’s a true freshman, by the way

4. The I-Formation Is Back For Nebraska Football

Do Nebraskans have a borderline creepy fascination with the I-formation and the fullback?

Undeniably, we do.

But how can you not love this?

As promised, the offense huddled. HUDDLED! They showed plenty of pro-style, power sets with fullbacks and two tight ends. We also saw various shotgun formations.

The downfield passing game was non-existent. But I don’t want to make too much of that with a new offensive system being installed and no Casey Thompson. Oh, and the 30 mph winds.

The offense still has a lot to work on. Yes, there were lots of fumbles (mostly by second or third-stringers). The other side of that is that the defense was knocking out the ball!

The offensive line struggled to get a push early. But they DID get better as the game went on. Shocker: that unit will determine Nebraska’s ceiling next season.

Here’s the big takeaway to cling to: Nebraska finally has an offensive playbook worthy of the Big Ten. That’s something worth celebrating.

5. Fearless Frankie Warmed Our Hearts

The Nebraska football spring game was really all about Frank Solich. It was his day.

The first play of the game was absolute perfection. A fullback trap in honor of #45. Everyone cheered. But then Matt Rhule grabbed the ball and, with Nash Hutmacher, started to walk toward the sideline.

Everyone wondered what was going on. (Maybe it was just me?) Ah, but then we (read: I) figured it out.

Frank got the game ball. (Hey! Did dust just blow into my eyes?)

Then there was the halftime presentation. The locker room naming announcement. And Frank’s speech in that awkward but endearing way that only Frank could give it.

Man, was great to see him. I hope he comes back more often.

It was also great to see a Nebraska football win. Even if it was against ourselves. Whatever. I’ll take what I can get right now.

Go Big Red.