“I’ve been working this whole winter on fixing just these little things, but then you get in the heat of the battle, and you go back to what you know,” Haarberg said. “And so when we go and do 11-on-11 sometimes, I go back to these bad habits.”
Thomas noted on Thursday Haarberg’s ongoing mechanics work. Thomas also said coaches want Haarberg to show more “concise” decision-making in his fourth year. Haarberg called Thomas, previously the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback coach, “really intelligent” and capable of helping all of the QBs.
“He’s got different insights into mechanics, footwork, tweaking little things,” Haarberg said. “That’s been helpful for me.”
Haarberg’s strength — what Satterfield once called Haarberg’s “superpower” — is hard-nosed running. He led NU in both rushing yards (477) and touchdowns (five), and some of the Huskers’ biggest play-action passing plays sprung from a defense’s fear of Haarberg’s speed.
In wins over Northern Illinois, Louisiana Tech, Illinois and Northwestern, Haarberg rushed for 98, 157, 82 and 72 yards. If the tide seemed to turn in a win over Purdue — when Haarberg ran 19 times for 22 yards, sustaining a cut under his chin after a particularly vicious hit — Haarberg said the decline started earlier than that.
“I hit Illinois last year and I was starting to feel all those hits racking up,” Haarberg said. “Just little injuries that all of the sudden blew up into bigger ones.”
Banged up, he played arguably his worst game in a 20-17 loss at Michigan State, completing 12 of 28 passes for 129 yards and two interceptions. He left during the Maryland game with an ankle injury and didn’t appear against Wisconsin or Iowa.
Purdy, Haarberg’s friend, started those games, and appeared ready to battle for the starting job with Haarberg and whichever transfer QB Matt Rhule plucked from the portal. For a minute, that looked to be Ohio State’s Kyle McCord, who visited in December.
Until Raiola stunned the recruiting world, flipping from Georgia to Nebraska just before the early signing period. McCord went to Syracuse. Sims and Purdy left, too.
Haarberg became the old guy. The only old guy. He plays video games and cards with Raiola and Kaelin. Golfs with them, too. All three said the expected boilerplate things about their growing relationship in the QB room.
“When we’re out of here, we all try to just relax, have fun, whatever it is,” Haarberg said. “They’re really fun guys to be around.”
But only Haarberg has seen Michigan’s winged helmets coming at him from all directions. Only he’s absorbed three hours of blows to his ribs from Big Ten defenders. He has lessons to impart. He also has a job to win against freshmen who, almost paradoxically, have the advantage of not having collegiate game tape to critique.
“I’m not going to change who I am,” Haarberg said. “I’m not going to take myself too seriously. At the same time, I have to know when it is time to step up and be the older guy, when to lead.”
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