Matt Rhule 'absolutely pleased' with quarterback play in scrimmage

Nebraska has a slew of mobile quarterbacks in Lincoln, and they tore up their defense on the ground during Saturday’s scrimmage, according to head coach Matt Rhule.

Junior transfer QB Jeff Sims, redshirt sophomores Heinrich Haarberg and Chubba Purdy, and redshirt freshman Richard Torres all showed off their dynamic playmaking skills to their defense, bouncing around the field and running for big gains, Rhule says. It adds another layer to Nebraksa’s offense ahead of Rhule’s highly-anticipated first season as head coach.

“I thought [the quarterbacks] played really well. They all bring something different to the table. I think we probably turned the ball over twice, so we have some things we have to correct,” Rhule said after the scrimmage. “But we’ve got a lot of good situations. We’ve got third down. We’ve got two-minute. We’ve got in the red zone and I thought for the most part, they played pretty well.

“And again, that added dynamic that they bring — some of the guys bring — of being able to run. And also when Richard is in there, we do some different things with Richard. When Heinrich’s in there, we do some different things with him. Absolutely pleased with the quarterbacks today.”

The versatility under center across the board added a dynamic that Rhule and the Nebraska coaches had yet to expose the Cornhuskers’ defense at this point in the spring. He wanted to see how his guys would read and respond to the offensive wrinkles that Rhule and his offensive added based on his personnel on the field.

Returning starting QB Casey Thompson and cohort Logan Smothers have been limited in the spring and did not participate in the inital scrimmage. Thompson and Sims are expected to be the No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart on opening weekend, but Purdy and Smothers split time in the backfield last season while Thompson battled injuries.

“That is as talented a quarterback room as I’ve ever been a part of,” Rhule said about this year’s. group earlier in the spring. “So, it was good to see those guys out there.”

It’s unsure if Thompson and Smothers will be able to return for Nebraska’s April 22 Red-White spring game. If not, Sims and Purdy can be expected to take the opening snaps for their respective squads when the game kicks off at 1 p.m. CDT in Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.