Nebraska football Head Coach Matt Rhule spoke with the media following day eight of fall camp on Tuesday.
Rhule spoke on the importance of the offensive line and the qualities that are important in that position group.
“At the end of the day, we want to run the ball and stop the run and we want to protect our quarterback and affect their quarterback,” he said. “We need big powerful guys out there that are smart and can handle all the looks and our defense certainly provides a lot of challenges.”
He also attested to the progress and confidence that he has in the quarterback room.
“The quarterbacks are playing really well. Jeff (Sims) has done a really good job,” Rhule said. “He's understanding situationally what we want from him. Chubba (Purdy) has made huge leaps, in my opinion. I thought he had a great summer. I think he's having a really good camp. I'm really proud of Chubba. You know, we came to him and challenged him in the spring, and he's done nothing but respond. It's a credit to him and his family: a lot of kids nowadays run and hide, and Chubba has taken everything head on. Heinrich (Haarberg) continues to grow and develop, so they're all three guys we have confidence in.”
Rhule spoke on the importance of the offensive and defensive lines and what he wants to see from them as fall camp continues.
“You can't be the type of team that we want to be if you don't have great offensive and defensive line play and then you add into that and the tight ends and linebackers and your front sevens. You’ll just never be built on a solid foundation,” he said. “So what I would like to see is them to continue to improve and play well and gain confidence, and also kind of begin to take over a little bit of the locker room.”
He talked about the importance of special teams and the mindset that he wants them to have.
“We're going to have to do everything right, you know, to have a chance to win games and so I want guys when they play special teams to know, ‘hey, I'm affecting winning, you know, like how I play affects whether we win or lose.’ I think we're making that progress,” Rhule said.
Nebraska continues fall camp with practice on Wednesday. The Huskers open the season on Thursday, Aug. 31 at Minnesota.