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Nebraska Football’s Heinrich Haarberg Packages More Than Gimmicks

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Nebraska Football’s Heinrich Haarberg Packages More Than Gimmicks


Heinrich Haarberg is not the starting quarterback for Nebraska football.

Unless you’ve been under a rock since the midway point of the 2023 season, this isn’t a surprise. But that fact doesn’t stop the Nebraska native from being a threat to defenses when he gets on the field with the first team offense.

Haarberg got on the field early against Northern Iowa, first lining up in the backfield next to quarterback Dylan Raiola. Haarberg floated into the flat to the right and Raiola threw to fellow freshman Carter Nelson on a screen. On the next play, Haarberg split out wide to the left. Again, Raiola found Nelson, this time on an option route that Nelson took into the end zone.

Two plays, two uses as essentially a decoy.

“I think there’s a lot of things that we want Heinrich to be able to do,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said after the game. “Every time he goes in, we don’t just want him to be a Wildcat quarterback.”

Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg rushes for a short gain against Northern Iowa.

Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg rushes for a short gain against Northern Iowa. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

And yet, most playmakers aren’t getting the ball simply by being on the field. As matter of fact, Haarberg being on the field is for more than just that particular game.

“We’d like to get a little bit more out of the quarterback run part of it, but I’ll be honest, one thing I’ve learned: every time we put a quarterback run on tape, another team has to practice it,” Rhule said. “(The plays) don’t necessarily have to work. I just have to chew up 20 minutes of (the opponent’s) time each day, worrying about option and worrying about those things.

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“Because we can run all the options with Heinrich. We can get under center still and run belly G-option. I need (the opponents) practicing that, because that’s less time they’re practicing the other stuff that we’re doing.

Haarberg’s full use as a football player came in a spurt in the third quarter.

The Husker junior lined up to the left of Raiola, running an angle route out of the backfield and making a catch for eight yards. On the next play, he lined up to the right of Raiola and ran the ball to the left for five yards. On the final play of the sequence, Raiola split wide while Haarberg lined up in shotgun behind the center to run a quarterback power to the left for one yard.

“We all have our own traits and we have a lot of talented people on this team,” Haarberg said. “Trying to get everyone the ball that we can.”

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His QB1 enjoyed having the athletic veteran on the field at the same time.

“Love seeing him make plays,” Raiola said. “We all knew he was capable of it.”

Haarberg also got some run in the fourth quarter with Raiola pulled from the game due to the large lead.

“What I was really pleased with Heinrich was when he got in at quarterback, the way he managed that third down, (to) find the check down was awesome,” Rhule said. “They were bringing a lot of zero blitz. He checked, they checked, he reloaded it on the long touchdown run.”

That touchdown run was from 36 yards by Emmett Johnson late in the fourth quarter.

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Henrich Haarberg (10) replaced Raiola at quarterback for the final eight minutes of the game against Northern Iowa.

Henrich Haarberg (10) replaced Raiola at quarterback for the final eight minutes of the game against Northern Iowa. / Amarillo Mullen

At the end of the game, Haarberg was 3-for-3 passing for 34 yards, adding seven yards on the ground and a catch for eight yards. Opposing defenses may want to spend more than 20 minutes on what Haarberg can do on the football field.

MORE: LOOK: Photos From Nebraska Football’s 34-3 Win Over Northern Iowa

MORE: Nebraska Football Favored by a Touchdown Over Illinois in Early-Betting Lines

MORE: Analytics Review: Nebraska Football vs Northern Iowa

MORE: Nebraska Football Inches Higher in Both Coaches, AP Polls Following Northern Iowa Win

MORE: Stukenholtz: That Old Familiar Husker Football Feeling

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.





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Big Ten Report – Nebraska takes first place from Michigan, is 16-0

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Big Ten Report – Nebraska takes first place from Michigan, is 16-0


It was a very exciting and high-scoring Saturday in Big Ten basketball. Michigan’s flaws finally caught up to the Wolverines. Their loss to Wisconsin became a source of hope for everyone else in the Big Ten. Nebraska keeps rolling, and the Huskers now look like the top team in the conference, with star Lamar Wilkerson going off in yet another game.

Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Saturday night in Big Ten basketball:

No. 10 Nebraska 83-77 vs Indiana

Jamarques Lawrence and Lamar Wilkerson battled in a shootout as both players had career nights. Indiana has been hot this season, almost as hot as Nebraska. Ultimately, the Cornhuskers proved to be battle-tested once more, and Lawrence led the Cornhuskers to overcome a 16-point deficit to secure a big victory. The Cornhuskers continue to be one of the best stories in college basketball, as their win streak moves to 5 in a row in the Big Ten. They are 16-0 overall.

Wisconsin 91-88 vs No. 2 Michigan

Down goes Goliath. Just like I said in one of the last Big Ten reports, no game is a layup. Michigan almost lost its last game to Penn State. Every team the Wolverines face will give them their best, and all they have to do is upset them. The Badgers did exactly that. Nick Boyd and John Blackwell both had 20-point showings and looked like stars. The Badgers entered the second half down 14 points, and just like last game for the Wolverines, another lead was lost. Michigan missed 8 of their last 9 shots, to end the game, which was one of the biggest reasons for the loss of the lead. The Wolverines were not on their game, and for the first time this season, and it cost them big time.

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No. 5 Purdue 93-85 vs Penn State

Braden Smith puts together a complete game, flashing his scoring ability and his elite decision-making. The Boilermakers took care of business and handled Penn State exactly like Michigan should have. Penn State’s hot three-point shooting start kept them in this game, but it was the Boilermakers’ insane crowd, insane defense, and stars stepping up that propelled them to an 8-point win.

UCLA 67-55 vs Maryland

Another day, another game where the Terps get outmatched. The Bruins were coming off two losses heading into this game, and they got the exact bounce-back game they needed. While the Bruins were amazing defensively, the Terps still dominated the glass. That makes for trouble for the Bruins against the competent Big Ten teams. Had the Terps been able to buy a bucket, they fairly well could have stolen this game. Instead, the Terps move to 0-5 in the Big Ten. The Terps can’t catch a break early in this season, while the Bruins get the exact break they needed to move forward.

Overview

Michigan does not learn from its last game, and they suffer their first loss of the season. The Badgers get a huge scoring outburst from their two guards, as another guard, Braden Smith, is dominant in an impressive win by Purdue over Penn State. As the Big Ten is continuing to ramp up the dominant newcomer, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are now the leader of the sole undefeated team in the conference.

What’s next

Illinois and Iowa highlight the day with a big-time matchup to start the Sunday slate. Big implications in this game, and whoever wins can really consider themselves a legitimate Big Ten contender. Northwestern and Rutgers will match up after that one, and both teams could desperately use a win to get back on track and build some type of momentum. The final game will be Ohio State and Washington squaring off. The Buckeyes will look to build some consistency before their matchup against Michigan. Bruce Thornton getting hot again would definitely help with that.



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Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman

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Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman


New Husker offensive line coach Geep Wade has stayed busy in his first few weeks on the recruiting trail for Nebraska football.

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Nebraska extended a scholarship offer Saturday to in-state offensive lineman Barrett Kitrell. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Class of 2027 interior lineman from Ashland confirmed the offer on social media. Iowa offered him earlier in the week, and he has other Division I offers from South Dakota State, Kansas and Iowa State.

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Kitrell has visited a number of schools through his junior season, stopping at South Dakota State, Wyoming, Iowa State, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

Kitrell has family ties to Nebraska football across two generations. His father, Barry, was a fullback for the Huskers from 1984-88. His brother Bo was a Husker fullback and tight end 2014 to 2018.

In addition, Barrett’s brother Blake was a Tulsa wide receiver, while brothers Brett and Bryce played at Ohio, having been recruited by Frank Solich.

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Barrett Kitrell is a three-sport athlete for Ashland-Greenwood, competing in football, basketball, and track and field for the Bluejays. He has seen varsity action in all three seasons of his football career, playing in 33 games. The Bluejays have won a playoff game each of the past three seasons, advancing to the Class C1 semifinals this past year.

Kitrell becomes the third offensive line prospect offered by Wade and the Huskers this week, joining Grinnell, Iowa, prospect Will Slagle and 2028 prospect Wyatt VanBoening from Mundelein, Illinois. VanBoening also is the son of a former Husker, Simon VanBoening, a linebacker on the Huskers’ 1997 roster.

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Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade | Nebraska Athletics

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The Huskers are aiming for a massive overhaul of their offensive line, starting with replacing Donovan Raiola as the position coach. Wade, who came to Nebraska from Georgia Tech, has been retooling his line in early 2026 with transfer portal additions, bringing in Iowa State’s Brendan Black and South Carolina’s Tree Babalade. Nebraska has seen three linemen choose to exit via the portal: Brian Tapu, Houston Kaahaaina-Torres and Jason Maciejczak.

Kitrell could add athleticism to the offensive line, as he finished second in the Class B discus as a sophomore with a personal-best throw of 172’2 while finishing fourth in the shot put. Kitrell averaged four points and four rebounds per game for the Ashland-Greenwood basketball program as the Bluejays claimed the Class C1 championship in 2025.

Kitrell becomes the 16th interior offensive line offer for Nebraska’s 2027 class. The class is headlined by four-star quarterback Trae Taylor and in-state rising stars Tory Pittman III and Matt Erickson.


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IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska

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IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska


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  • Indiana men’s basketball lost to Nebraska 83-77 after leading by as many as 16 points.
  • Coach Darian DeVries cited a bad stretch, including key fouls on Tucker DeVries and turnovers, as the turning point.
  • The Hoosiers have three more opportunities for a Quad 1 win in their upcoming games.

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries thought his team played well for about 28 minutes Saturday afternoon.

In those 28 minutes, IU built up as much as a 16-point lead against undefeated Nebraska. The Hoosiers went on a 12-2 run to end the first half, then extended that lead early in the second half.

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Then, the defense started crumbling. Tucker DeVries picked up two fouls in the course of 21 seconds, forcing him to the bench. The Hoosiers started turning the ball over.

And Indiana’s upset bid fell apart, as the Hoosiers dropped an 83-77 decision to the Cornhuskers (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten).

“It’s disappointing, for sure,” Darian DeVries said. “We played well for a good 25, 27, 28 minutes, whatever, and then just had a bad stretch in there, and the game flipped. That’s why the turnovers are a big piece of that. We had, (a 16-point lead) and Tucker picked up his third and fourth foul on back-to-back possessions. Then they went on a 10-0 run right after that. That was a big turning point in the game, I thought, when he picked those two up.”

It seemed like the coaching staff (and fans) didn’t agree with those fouls, either.

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Tucker DeVries’ third foul came as he fell on the ground while trying to defend Berke Buyuktuncel’s shot. Buyuktuncel continued to attempt a shot after the fall, and he got tangled in DeVries’ legs, falling himself, and officials called a foul on DeVries. Both Tucker and Darian DeVries, along with the crowd of 13,000 fans, didn’t agree with that foul.

Tucker DeVries’ fourth foul, which forced him to the bench for eight minutes, came just 21 seconds after his third. On the Hoosiers’ next offensive possession, DeVries attempted to shoulder his defender to get more space, and got called for the offensive foul and the turnover.

Indiana (12-4, 3-2) turned the ball over on four of its next five possessions, Darian DeVries said, and Nebraska capitalized for a 12-2 run to tie the game.

“I just think we didn’t have the type of possessions we needed after (Tucker DeVries) went out again, and most of them, it was just turnovers,” Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t get shots at the goal. I thought there might’ve been one or two in there where I think Lamar (Wilkerson) drove it hard and tried going through contact, and we didn’t get one there, but outside of that, we just didn’t get very good possessions. Our movement wasn’t as good.”

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After Nebraska went on that run, all the momentum shifted to the Cornhuskers. In ways, the Hoosiers couldn’t get out of their own head, and the mistakes kept coming.

“We’ve talked to them a lot about that next play mentality,” Darian DeVries said. “Win that next play, and not compound mistakes. I thought tonight, again, for a stretch there was a period where we let one mistake turn into two. Then, instead of digging in and really making sure we get a quality possession the next time, we compounded it with another turnover. It led to back-to-back-to-back. All of a sudden your lead is gone, and momentum is real. It shifted pretty quickly there.”

This game, especially taking into account the 16-point lead Indiana once had, was a crucial opportunity for the Hoosiers to get their first Quad 1 win of the season.

But the Hoosiers, sitting at No. 30 in the NET rankings, still have three straight Quad 1 opportunities coming up in two road tilts at Michigan State and Michigan and a home game against Iowa in the next two weeks.

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Those games, much like Nebraska, will be tall tasks. But, DeVries said, if the Hoosiers can execute for a full game like they did in those 28 minutes on Saturday, they’ll have a chance at them.

“When they’re executing the way that they did the first 25 minutes, it looks really good,” DeVries said. “And they’re doing a great job, and they’re defending and getting movement and things.”

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.



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