Heinrich Haarberg is making his case to be the full-time starter at Nebraska. He punctuated Saturday’s career-high performance with an explosive run in the fourth quarter.
Already up 21-7 thanks to a touchdown toss to Thomas Fidone, Haarberg likely provided the final blow to the win over Louisiana Tech. He exploded through an eye-opening in the line, broke a tackle and was off to the races.
When he finally hit the end zone, Haarberg had raced 72 yards for a score and a 21-point lead over the Bulldogs. The run also put Nebraska over 300 yards rushing as a team.
Haarberg has been less efficient throwing the ball in Week 4 at 7-for-16, but he’s up to 196 rushing yards. Along with Anthony Grant, both players have eclipsed 100 yards rushing in the impressive ground effort.
We’ll see if Haarberg’s allowed a shot to reach 200 yards in the game.
Jeff Sims not listed on Nebraska’s Week 4 availability report
Jeff Sims is still trying to work his way back from an ankle injury sustained in the Week 2 loss to Colorado. Reports indicate he will not be the starter for the game against Louisiana Tech, but Sims was not included on the weekly availability report from Nebraska.
According to the official availability report, freshman defensive lineman Cam Lenhardt is the only player ruled out for the Week 4 game. Lenhardt is the only player listed on the report with no Husker listed as questionable for the weekend.
Early Saturday morning, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Heinrich Haarberg is expected to start the Week 4 game for the Huskers. Thamel did indicate that Sims is available though he’s not 100% healthy with his ankle ailment.
Sims’ absence from the availability report is a good sign he’s trending in the right direction, but it is not surprising Nebraska will give him more time, especially with the way Haarberg performed in Week 3. Should Haarberg struggle against Louisiana Tech, Sims will be available in relief as Nebraska tries to get back to .500.