Nebraska Football: QB Heinrich Haarberg to start vs. Bulldogs

Nebraska football has announced the starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech. Heinrich Haarberg will start for the program.

Haarberg started last Saturday as well, with Jeff Sims battling injury. Haarberg was able to show his versatility, as he tallied 158 passing yards on 14-of-24 passing. The quarterback also added two passing touchdowns.

He was able to move the football well with his legs, tallying 21 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown.

The starting quarterback discussion was a hot topic throughout the course of this week. Coach Matt Rhule indicated that he would not have a problem with playing two signal-callers. Nevertheless, this is undoubtedly a vote of confidence for Haarberg, as he makes his second start in a row.

This decision is something that many Nebraska football fans were hoping for, including this writer. Last week, I wrote a piece saying how Haarberg should be the starter for Louisiana Tech. Honestly, it makes sense. Haarberg looked competent against Northern Illinois last week. He was able to move the football down the field, and kept the offense moving throughout the course of the game. There were not as many pre-snap mental lapses on his part either.

Sources: Heinrich Haarberg will start again this week at QB for Nebraska, with Jeff Sims available but not 100-percent (ankle). Louisiana Tech's Jack Turner will make his first career start at QB at Nebraska, as Hank Bachmeier (shoulder) is only available as an emergency…

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 23, 2023

A defensive challenge for Nebraska football

Louisiana Tech has been stingy as far as allowing passing yards. The Bulldogs have allowed only 176 yards per game. The bottom line is, Haarberg will have to be on top of his game, and will need to play at a high level. The Bulldogs will be a tougher test than Northern Illinois was last week. It will be fun to see how Haarberg plays against better competition.

One has to wonder how this will affect the Nebraska football quarterback picture moving forward. Even still, between the Sims battling the ankle injury, and the overall competence of the quarterback room, this may be the best choice.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 3:30 PM ET, as Nebraska football looks to make it two wins in a row.