LINCOLN, Neb. — During this final week of spring practice at Nebraska, the search continues for clarity at two traditionally high-profile roster positions.
The Huskers did what they could in 2023 with the resources on hand at quarterback and running back. Injuries and a barrage of turnover-related problems led Nebraska to start eight players at the two spots. None of the six combinations lasted more than four games.
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Nebraska scored 18 points per game and gained 5.1 yards per play, figures that ranked in the bottom quarter of the FBS and largely prevented coach Matt Rhule’s first team from making a bowl game.
This spring brought a hard reset to the competition at both spots. With the Red-White game set for Saturday at 11:30 a.m., the picture is starting to get clearer. And while the quarterback depth chart inspires confidence thanks to the promise of Dylan Raiola, questions about the running backs’ readiness to make a Year 2 jump under position coach E.J. Barthel will linger into the summer.
“The big challenge for us is to take the next step,” Barthel said on Tuesday after the 13th practice of spring. “Not (to) just be good enough.”
Good enough is what Nebraska got from Emmett Johnson in six starts last year, rushing for 411 yards as a redshirt freshman after injuries ended the seasons of Gabe Ervin and Rahmir Johnson and Anthony Grant took himself out of the mix with fumbling problems.
Emmett Johnson earned praise from Rhule for his work in Nebraska’s second major scrimmage of the spring — dominated Saturday by the offense, according to the coach — and a hat tip from Nebraska great Ahman Green, who was in attendance.
“He can do it all,” Rhule said.
Johnson said he’s still determined to prove himself every day. His apparent rise this spring offers reassurance at running back. But in reality, the Huskers likely need several backs.
“From the experience of last year,” Barthel said, “the more depth, the better.”
Ervin suffered a hip injury last September, his second serious setback in three seasons, and is not a full participant this spring. Neither is Rahmir Johnson, the sixth-year senior who has endured multiple injuries; if healthy, he projects as a third-down back. Redshirt freshman Kwinten Ives and sophom*ore Dante Dowdell, the Oregon transfer, are still working to master the Nebraska offense. The Huskers elevated walk-on Maurice Mazzccua, who was impressive in practice last fall and this spring, to work with the top groups.
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“Running back is a position (where) we’re still feeling ourselves through,” Rhule said.
If the young backs can’t master the pass-protection schemes, according to Rhule, playing time will be sparse.
“You gotta learn it now,” he said. “So I think there’s some steps to be made at the running back position for us.”
Meanwhile at quarterback, there’s a different situation afoot. It has become increasingly challenging by the day for Nebraska’s offensive braintrust to hide its smiles over the progress of Raiola. The five-star true freshman has begun to show up in practice as national observers might expect.
Day 12 ✅#GBR x #WhatsNExt! pic.twitter.com/CWxSjFnBwg
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) April 20, 2024
Rhule, Satterfield and first-year quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas would prefer to extend this competition as deep as possible into the offseason.
“I think one of the biggest things you have to see is how quarterbacks handle frustration,” Rhule said.
He cited the growth of quarterback Charlie Brewer at Baylor early in his career, when Rhule acted deliberately in awarding the starting job. Brewer benefited from the experience and led the Bears to 11 wins and an appearance in the Big 12 championship in his third season on campus.
“I want them to have to fight to earn it,” Rhule said.
Three months into his time in Lincoln, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Raiola has heated up with the spring temperatures. The school-produced highlight reel from Nebraska’s scrimmage last Saturday featured him more than competitors Heinrich Haarberg and Daniel Kaelin. A deep Raiola connection to speedy receiver Jaylen Lloyd, with the QB running to his right and throwing off balance, excited the masses.
“We challenged him to get his energy going,” Satterfield said, “because people are going to feed off him. He played like he was at recess. He played like he was in third grade out on the playground, flying around, moving around, dancing around, giving people high-fives. That bled into our offensive guys.”
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Still, Satterfield urges caution with Raiola and other quarterbacks.
“Sometimes, we look at them like, ‘Hey, why don’t you go out there and be Peyton Manning?’” Satterfield said. “Well, they’re not ready to be Peyton Manning yet. They’re trying to figure out, when the horn blows, which direction to run.”
At both positions, the depth chart matters little in April, Rhule said. Progress matters. His advice to the quarterbacks and the running backs: Don’t worry about where you stand.
“Just worry about what the tape looks like,” Rhule said. “Do you look like a Big Ten winning quarterback?
“If you do, your time will come.”
Ervin, while rehabbing from hip surgery, bought into the message. He said that a year ago, at the end of spring practice with a new coaching staff, the Huskers didn’t yet know what to expect.
“Now we know,” Ervin said. “We’re embracing that process that they’re instilling, because that process is really good. Coach Rhule and his staff know what they’re doing.”
Amid the changing picture in its offensive backfield, Nebraska prioritized a reduction in turnovers this spring. Fumbles and interceptions marred the Huskers’ spring scrimmages a year ago, foreshadowing an FBS-high 31 turnovers committed in the fall.
How has it looked?
“I don’t even want you to ask me stuff like that,” Satterfield said Tuesday as he looked for a piece of wood on which to knock. “We’ve improved.”
Nebraska tempted fate too often in 2023. Whatever could go wrong with its quarterbacks and running backs often did. The Huskers have spent much of this spring — and all offseason — deep in preparation to upgrade both positions.
(Photo of Emmett Johnson: Jeff Hanisch / USA Today)
