Heinrich Haarberg didn’t play a perfect game, but once again he offered just enough to have Nebraska football fans wanting him to keep his job.
The feeling of joy and confidence tonight is probably quite a bit more muted than it was after last week’s Nebraska football win. That’s despite the fact that in a lot of way both games looked very similar.
One thing that certainly looked quite similar was the play of Nebraska football quarterback Heinrich Haarberg. For the second straight game, the man who entered the season as the backup looked great on the ground and serviceable through the air.
In fact, at times Haarberg looked positively unstoppable on the ground. He finished the game with 157 yards on 19 carries and touchdown officially. That included a 72-yard dash that showed the quarterback is quite a bit faster than his rather large frame would lead you to believe.
He actually had another long touchdown run that was called back on a phantom holding call that was so non-existent, the referees couldn’t even decide who to actually call it on. At the time, it felt like that touchdown getting called back might be enough to make the game a real concern.
In the end, Haarberg and the rest of the Nebraska football game were able to establish themselves on the ground well enough that the game was all but over when it was 28-7 and a lightning strike put a halt to the contest for an hour.
Nebraska football quarterback controversy grows
While Haarberg was once again very, very good when he was carrying the ball and running the option, there was a weakness in his armor. Haarberg was just 8-of-17 throwing the ball for 107 yards and an interception.
It’s clear at this point that he’s not a terrible passer. He’s actually pretty decent on short routes. But he’s not a gun slinger. And that leaves the door open for a stronger armed quarterback like Jeff Sims to make his case.
Whether or not he seizes the opportunity is anyone’s guess. For tonight, Nebraska football won their second straight and Haarberg did enough to get the win.