Matt Rhule appreciates role Heinrich Haarberg accepted this season

Heinrich Haarberg started in eight games last season for Nebraska at quarterback. But that was before five-star freshman phenom Dylan Raiola took Lincoln and the college football landscape by storm as one of the best young quarterbacks in the country.

Despite losing the quarterback battle this fall, Haarberg has found a new role in the offense. A 6-foot-5, 225-pound athlete that’s now playing H-back for the Cornhuskers. Receiving a nice ovation from the home crowd at Memorial Stadium after making multiple plays during a third quarter drive last weekend.

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“I think historically I know the crowd cheers a little bit more for the kids from Nebraska when they announce their names,” head coach Matt Rhule said during his Wednesday press conference. “Which I’ll be honest, I think they’re all our kids, so I root for them all. But I do think what Heinrich has done means something to me and he’s stuck around and not just accepted a role, but accelerated a role.”

The Cornhuskers were up 24-3 against Northern Iowa when they unleashed Haarberg on the Panthers defense. A three play sequence where he caught an eight-yard pass out of the backfield, followed by a five-yard run on a handoff, capped off with lining up at quarterback for a one-yard rush.

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“I think even in the press conference we did, we maybe minimized a little bit of what Heinrich did,” Rhule said. “Like he went in the game in the red zone, where we’re trying to be a better red zone team, even caught an option route … He ran an option route and that’s a lot of trust in a close game, or you know, not an out of reach game. And then it’s 3rd & 2 and he goes back in the backfield and takes a handoff and gets a first down. And then plays quarterback the third play, I mean that’s a lot of versatility.”

Nebraska’s fans made it known that they appreciated Haarberg’s playmaking, displaying the traits of the ultimate teammate doing whatever is asked to help the team win. But outside of being a heartwarming story, Haarberg also presents a personnel changeup that Nebraska’s opponents will have to account for.

“It’s great that he’s getting a little bit of love, but it’s adds a threat. It adds a dimension that people have to practice and if they don’t practice it, we have. It takes a play off Dylan, it takes a play off someone else,” Rhule explained.

“There’s a lot of good players on offense, we have to get the ball to them, so getting the ball to different people and Heinrich fits right in there. We want to get him the rock, it just can’t be 20 plays because we gotta get the ball to this guy, and that guy. So it’s a fun challenge but a good challenge.”

Two drives later with the game out of reach, Haarberg also led a touchdown scoring drive as the team’s backup quarterback. Doing it all for Nebraska in a season where his versatility could be valuable for the Cornhuskers’ offensive attack.