Matt Rhule provides injury update on Jeff Sims

Nebraska quarterback Jeff Sims went down with an ankle injury during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss to Colorado.

Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule provided an update on Sims on Monday.

“Jeff was unable to practice with the ankle, so won’t know more about him until probably tomorrow or later in the week,” Rhule said. “So Heinrich [Haarberg] and Chubba [Purdy] obviously took the reps.”

With Sims out Saturday, Haarberg was 2-for-6 passing for 13 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 17 yards. Purdy failed to complete his only attempt.

While Rhule is unsure how long Jeff Sims might be out, he said it doesn’t seem like it will be a long-term injury that will sideline him for weeks.

“It doesn’t appear to be one of those four-to-five weeks, true high ankle [sprains]. It doesn’t appear to be that,” Rhule said. “So he moved around last night. We have that training area for the guys who aren’t practicing and he was moving around in there. With quarterbacks, I never know with the ankle what that’s going to mean. So I’d have to see him before I know much more about that.”

Prior to leaving the game, Sims was 9-for-15 passing for 106 yards and an interception. He also rushed 10 times for 67 yards and a score.

The good news for Nebraska is that outside of Sims, the Cornhuskers were able to stay relatively healthy.

“That’s really the one major injury,” Rhule said. “Blaise [Gunnerson] came out of the game with a banged up shoulder. We’ll see tomorrow if Blaise can go. We expect him to be able to go. But that was it injury wise.”

Matt Rhule says he never disrespected Colorado, invited Shedeur Sanders to join prayer

In addition to speaking about Jeff Sims’ injury, Matt Rhule also covered other topics on Monday.

One of those topics was Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders saying after the game he wasn’t a fan of Rhule or the program due to disrespectful comments towards his father, head coach Deion Sanders.

Rhule denied any wrongdoing or comments directed towards Sanders in that manner. He also defended why Nebraska took to midfield pregame in Boulder, which Shedeur did not like.

Rhule offered his side and explanation, saying it was a moment of prayer.

“Rhule says he’s ‘never disrespected an opponent a day in my life,’” Sam McKewon of the Omaha World Herald wrote on Twitter. “Said the pregame moment at CU was a pregame moment of prayer/ask for blessing that everybody stay safe. Said he invited Shedeur to prayer as well.”