4 lingering questions for Nebraska football after fall camp

The Nebraska football season is now just one week away. Nebraska wrapped up fall camp earlier this week and also named Dylan Raiola as the starting quarterback in the process.

Now, it’s game week. UTEP invades Lincoln Memorial Stadium next Saturday and the journey to restoring the winning ways of the Nebraska football program will begin.

I know I have been counting the days in the 2023 Iowa loss. Nebraska hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2016 and it’s time to end that drought. But as fall camp comes to an end, here are four lingering questions that remain for the Cornhuskers.

Who’s going to be the kicker?

Matt Rhule left that as an unanswered question on Friday when he met with the media. It sounds like Tristan Alvano isn’t 100 percent yet. He’s getting closer but John Hohl has been getting praise from the coaching staff and my guess is that he’ll handle the kicking duties next Saturday.

Rhule said he was worried about the kicker position and should be. This program expects to be in a lot of close games and last season, the Huskers ranked 13th in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage.

That can’t happen again and hopefully, Hohl or Alvano will emerge as a reliable option this season.

Who will start at running back?

We probably have a better idea of who will start at kicker than at running back. That’s one position that’s been hard to read throughout camp.

My bet is that Emmett Johnson will get the nod. However, I don’t know that I’d call him the starting running back. Nebraska football feels like it will use a running-back-by-committee approach.

There are four backs with different strengths and abilities. They will all be needed and I can’t rule out any of them emerging as RB1 at some point this season. Gabe Ervin and Rahmir Johnson need to stay healthy. Dowdell and Johnson also have a lot to prove, but as a whole, I’m happy with the running back room.

What happens with Henrich Haarberg?

Matt Rhule said that Haarberg will be the No. 2 quarterback. He also said Haarbarg wanted to contribute in other ways but that “he understands how the season goes.”

I took that to mean that Haarberg would like to play another position, such as tight end, but that he knows how difficult it is to get through a season with just one quarterback.

Haarberg won five games as the starting quarterback last season. It wasn’t always pretty, but Haarberg also came to Nebraska as an athlete.

I still think his best attribute is his running ability. I’d love to see a small package of runs and passes for Haarberg at the quarterback position and I wouldn’t mind seeing him in short-yardage too.

But he’s too valuable as the QB2 to move to another position, especially since he has been practicing exclusively at quarterback since the spring.

Is Nebraska football ready for the bright lights?

Matt Rhule closed practice and one of the reasons seemed to be the players not meeting expectations, as they didn’t with the Big Red Preview.

Rhule talked about how Nebraska football needs to do the same thing in games that it does in practice. They didn’t do that during the Big Red Preview and it’s been a theme.

This team has enough talent to win 8-10 games and compete for a playoff spot. Clinching a bowl berth should be the bare minimum.

However, the Huskers have to show they can handle the pressure and play their best when the lights shine bright because, in the past seven years, it just hasn’t happened.

It’s time to start.

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