Week 1 Nebraska football mailbag: Talking Buffs, Dylan Raiola, Heinrich Haarberg and the O-line

what did we learn on Thursday night about the Colorado Buffalo and will Nebraska be ready let's open the mail bag [Music] next you are locked on Nebraska your daily Nebraska Corn Huskers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day thank you for making lock on Nebraska your first listen every day we are free and available wherever you get podcasts and on YouTube part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and today's episode is brought to you by Five Hour Energy it fixes tired fast with the zero sugar and a convenient portable size it is the perfect pickme up for getting stuff done go to 5our energy.com and use the promo code locked on CFB to receive 20% off your first order until September 30th on one order cannot be used with other promotions go to 5our energy.com today all right here we go happy football Friday everybody I'm Connor haer from 1620 The Zone in Omaha and M Sherman from the athletic this is it everything changes after uh after this show today you know Dylan Rola um the the it's been tamped down on him all off season there's no hiding it anymore after after there's been no hype right it's just we we've been keeping everything under under the wraps yeah indeed so this is our long awaited mailbag show we have a a variety of questions from you guys that we're g to get to um but there was a late ad that we have to throw into the show and that was last night with Colorado um ending up winning they beat North Dakota State 3126 um shador Sanders was good Travis Hunter was great um but it was it was only enough to just barely squeak by FCS is North Dakota State who I mean to give complete context that's a that's a very very good football team um but probably not at the level of some of the teams that they're going to see throughout the rest of the season including eight days from today um Mitch thoughts on last night first yeah North Dakota state is uh is is for Real as usual as as always if Nebraska had been playing North Dakota State instead of UTP on this Saturday to open in Lincoln like the Buffs did on Thursday night terrible scheduling by the way uh Colorado the Huskers would be um sweating right now you don't want that uh North Dakota State wins those kinds of games generally and almost won on Thursday night how about the Hail Mary to the goal line or to the five yard line As Time expired and it was complete if that guy somehow the receiver who caught it spins off a tackle and falls into the end zone we're talking about a whole completely different storyline here on Friday morning but as it is it was the Travis Hunter show and Nebraska will have its hands full every time he steps on the field next Saturday in week two and that's basically every play because he plays every play on offense and every play on defense and you have to know where he is at all times he's a threat to score a touchdown on any play he's a threat to come up with a huge pick some kind of a turnover big defensive um gamechanging kind of moment whenever he's out there at his cornerback spot so he is going to get discussed ad nauseum in Lincoln this week once the Huskers uh move past UTEP there's still a game on the schedule before we get to Colorado um but we're going to talk about the Buffs here and we've got a question uh about Colorado the first one from our mailbag why don't you um why don't you lead us into that Conor okay so this is from uh German Belgian waffle thank you German Belgian waffle for listening to the show and for commenting on the show our gu gbw um he wants to know if our preseason perception of the Colorado Nebraska game has changed after watching Colorado last night did did we happen to notice any weaknesses that Nebraska could exploit next week um I'll start yes indeed um you know their offensive line is still not very good um their defensive line is still not very good either um and you know that's that's just putting it all together in the first week against I don't know it's a team that you probably thought that that you were going to beat Deion Sanders I was listening to his postgame press conference right before we started this um you know they I think they had kind of the attitude that they were going to win by more um last night odd uh it's it's odd because I I I think um everyone knew that they were going to give him quite the run but I I mean it's set up for Nebraska to really take advantage in the middle of the field the only way that Colorado Mo the ball um was to throw it and and they have a very good quarterback and they have a great couple I mean they have a great wide receiver and a couple of good ones too so they're going to be on the perimeter Nebraska has got to be prepared for that but Nebraska should own the middle of the field I mean that that should be self-explanatory next week no quarterback in college football was sacked more than shadur Sanders last season and no quarterback in college football should be sacked more than shadur Sanders in week two um than what happens next Saturday night I would think if you are Ty Robinson Nash Hut maker Jamari Butler cam lenhardt James Williams MJ Sherman Prince Will umen Mellen uh what you can continue on if you're Riley Van Poppel if you're Vincent Shavers making your Collegiate debut John Bock McKai Bayer I mean Isaac gford as the safety all of those guys should be watching the film of Colorado and saying we are gonna get after that guy if you get to him great and one thing about shadur that you saw again last night and I noticed it last season is that he's great at standing in against pressure like he's he knows he's gonna get hit and he's he takes it and he delivers the throws with Defenders bearing down on him like he's in a completely clean pocket so so impressive like in in a in a way that you don't see from NFL quarterbacks so you can be successful with your pass rush and still not impact their passing game uh because he makes bro Under Pressure yeah you have to get home yeah it is it is impressive it and and to a certain extent that's kind of what their offense is it's it's like all right they they realize that they're G to be you know that other teams are going to be able to get pressure on Colorado and so it's kind of having shador sit back there make a play create an extra second or two and then it's scramble drill down the field and they have a couple players in the in the wide receiving Corp who can really go back and and get the ball I mean it worked out for them on the third down last night with the pass interference call that kind of you know we thought sealed things up but then of course they threw it on the first down after that to to not seal the game North Dakota State ended up getting the ball back odd by the way one quick comment on that I mean so I was listening to Deion Sanders's press conference and and um he said some I don't want to misquote him but he said something to the effect of he like he was obviously asked why they did that and he said well shador is such a good guy that he wanted to he wanted to help out one of his teammates who doesn't get a lot of catches um and so they threw it to him on that play and I was like wait what what's going on this is a fivepoint game yeah also you're the the coach you could tell him to not do that and theoretically he should listen to you very odd I think part of it is they just don't have a running game Colorado does not have a running game it had a walk- on a walk- on despite some some players who came out of the portal after Dylan Edwards left for Kansas State The Talented freshman last year that CU had um there's a walk- on starting at that running back spot and they're not going to run for any they're not even going to try to run the ball um they might run for negative yards in eight days right and it might be a situation where they can get Jimmy horn Jr or one of their running backs loose on um you know a trick play and round reverse kind of thing and it bolsters the running yardage to a level that's not representative of the way it really really went but that's you know that happens once or twice in a game at most they don't have a real running game um from what I saw against North Dakota State last night so nebras makes them onedimensional well let's save this all and talk about it for talk about it next week we've got uh more that we want to get to and Nebraska still has has an opener to play before THS fully turn to the Buffs but I think in in you know among Nebraska uh interested observers last night was sure gave people some fodder to uh to head into week two no doubt about it all right we'll uh we'll take our first time out then we'll get to we'll get to several more questions sorry we wasted an entire segment on one question there had to talk about the Buffs a little bit but we'll roll through uh all your questions when we return here on the locked on Nebraska podcast but a quick reminder subscribe like comment YouTube help us help the show um and download the podcast wherever you find your podcasts as well you can email us lockon neb gmail.com follow us on Twitter at lockon neb appreciate you guys being with us as we head into football season we'll be back after this all right it is haer here for Factor warm sunny days are calling fuel up for them with factors no prep No Mess meals you can meet your Wellness goals with a menu of chef-crafted meals that include options like calor smart Protein Plus and keto factors fresh never frozen meals are dietitian approved and ready to eat in just two minutes so no matter how busy you are you'll have time to enjoy nutritious great tasting meals so what are you waiting for do it today with 35 different meals and more than 60 add-ons to choose from every week you'll always find new flavors to explore make your day Delicious from breakfast to dessert and you got to stay fueled enjoy effortless support for your lifestyle choose six menu preferences at def Factor meals.com loock on50 we use that code lockon colge 50 and guess what you get 50% off your first box plus 20% off the next month uh check it out Factor meals.com loock on50 all right MIT Sherman here for eBay Motors passion drive and patience that's the formula for winning championships and it's also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance they have superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more so whether you're into speed power or stock eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you will always find exactly what you're looking for and with the eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you're burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it's easy to make your car the MVP keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusion Supply eBay guaranteed fish only available to us customers okay welcome back segment number two on this Friday football Friday Nebraska opens on Saturday at 2:30 against UTEP at Memorial Stadium I am Mitch Sherman from the athletic Connor Hopper of 1620 The Zone in Omaha is here with me if you missed it on Thursday we posted our predictions show lots of picks for Nebraska this season Dylan rola's yardage completion percentage the Huskers turnover numbers leading rusher and so on and we made picks for week one so go check out that podcast if you haven't checked it out on all of the listening platforms and on YouTube um okay we're going to roll on with this mailbag episode a question from Mitch in Grand Island that we want to get to Mitch says if there's one thing that he could change about Matt rule he would like rule to be just a little more Petty he says rule does not seem like the coach who would run up the score against an opponent this these are the things that you think about going into week one right he would R run up the score against an opponent if the opportunity arrives I agree is there a team or a coach that we could Envision Matt rule running up the score against okay um I I would answer that question just by saying give it give it some time we have yet to see Matt rule um at at a program like Nebraska with all of the resources that that it has and it winning you know and it it really rolling in him I mean he's obviously really confident that he's goingon to get him back to where they you know quote unquote belong in the college football universe but I I I think he's pretty pretty opinionate opinionated rather on on a lot of issues surrounding the the sport I think he is also you know very much entrenched in like the coaching fraternity and he's been in a lot of different plac so I don't think it'll ever become personal for him but um the stuff I mean the stuff like what popped up over the summer with with fine bomb and you know just he remembers it he he could definitely be a lightning rod for for those kind of things because he says what he means so um I would I would just hang on he'll probably be embroiled in the center of some big National storyline at some point during his time here yeah he remembered Paul fbal on Thursday in his media session at at the Hawks Championship Center and and said that fine Bal Once Upon a Time liked Matt rule when Matt rule was the coach at Temple and won his season opener at Vanderbilt which was to date Matt ru's favorite memory from a season opener Paul fbal involved in that memory which I found interesting and R said uh you know that that's uh that's changed I guess he said this in a joking way but um he's never really joking um I'm looking at his 2019 uh schedule at Baylor when the Bears won 11 games they scored 63 three on UTSA so maybe he's got it out for those uh directional group of five programs from the state of Texas we'll find out tomorrow um he scored 61 against Kansas uh in a post Thanksgiving uh matchup 61 to6 at uh at Kansas's Memorial Stadium so I don't think there's a coach out there in this current situation rules friends seems to be friends with just about all the coaches um I don't think he's going to go after a coach could it happen where he gets a little petty uh because of some things that are said before a game in a future scenario involving Nebraska sure you know coaches have egos and I could see something like that happening but generally he's a nice guy it's very rarely direct um he he will definitely take shots indirectly and he'll make references to things indirectly so sometimes so indirectly you're not even sure if he's doing it indeed uh another question so it was actually a comment on our YouTube on our last uh on our last episode talking about the under for Heinrich har plays which I had the under at three and a half did you have the under I did I took the under okay um and the YouTube commenter asked if we were considering that Hinrich harberg might play in the fourth quarter of the game as the primary quarterback in if that factored into our picks I it did for me I thought about that um and I think if Nebraska's comfortably up in the game which I don't think would be till late and might might not happen you know I don't think those opportunities are few and far between and I we always talk about putting the backups into games but it just doesn't really happen that often um unless you're winning like a 100 to zero it just it doesn't happen like that Nebraska yeah Nebraska just hasn't been that program in recent years I mean look at the games even against the the the utps of the world they haven't won it by margins that allow the backups to play a ton so I I did factor that in the equation and if Nebraska's in that situation I actually think they'd be probably more likely to you know use the Daniel Kalin game you know and and get him out there for a driver or two so um I I like we talked about Hinrich you know incessantly all offseason I think they still really like him as a football player might be a good opportunity to to get a drive at the young kid for for for one or two that would be really interesting if Nebraska skipped over harberg to give Danny Kalin a drive at the end of the game I don't Envision that would happen experience you know played all last year it makes sense I still don't think it would happen I did I didn't really Factor it in but then looking back at it uh my score was 31 to10 so that's Dylan Rola time all the way through until the end looking in my uh in my notebook here yes 30 31 to1 I will have this with me all season whever we go um all right we have a question on email from Michael he says he's concerned about harberg as the number two quarterback Michael thinks the film is out on Hinrich after the way last season ended and he says there's no way to believe that harberg is going to win another big 10 game as a starting quarterback he is in favor of Jaylen gramstad as the number two quarterback for Nebraska and what our thoughts okay um Hinrich the film is the film is out on hinr harberg that is that is definitely true um and you hope that at no point this year he's he's expected to go out there and beat somebody who they're a lot better than him I will say like I always like to make this point much of my optimism for this year surrounding Nebraska football does not have to do with Dylan Rola it has to do with the fact that they got better in in all of these other places wide receiver another year older on the offensive line right like just on the offensive side of the ball and then you added in this like super high potential guy at quarterback but there was a world where it was going to be Kyle McCord this year there was a world where it was going to be some other guy who was in the transfer portal and there was probably a world where it could have been HRI harberg or chub perie and I think they'd still be better you know I I still think Nebraska would be better so can heinrick harberg go win a game for Nebraska this year if called upon I really think so but obviously there's there's film on him and you know what his strengths are I just think that Nebraska's a bet better around him could Hinrich harberg beat Purdue or Illinois or whatever put your big 10 team in there we're not in the business of of of degrading Big 10 teams here uh when we cover Nebraska it's seven consecutive losing Seasons uh yeah of course he could yeah Hinrich Heinrich beat five of those teams or won five games as a starter last season and I legitimately believe the talk that he's better I think I think he's much better and he has much better weapons around him so if Jaylen gramstad were to rise to the level where he should be the number two or something happens with this offense where Heinrich becomes such an indispensable part of the supplemental package that you've got to play him and put someone else as as rola's number number one backup then okay we'll get to that point we're not at that point right now I I don't think Graham's dad uh sometimes you know we told the story about Gram's dad this summer and people have heard about it you've not seen him play in a setting like this and you think well he must be really good because we haven't seen him it's like the it's like the recruiting effect of things like the recruits are all all amazing players until they actually play um Jaylen grad is a good player he's undersized and I I I think if he had won the number two job in Camp he'd be the number two quarterback Jaylen football by the way um you got a nickname all before we really saw him uh one final question in the in the segment this is from Shane uh Shane lets us know that he has made lockon Nebraska his first listen every day thank you Shane and what great branding as well we appreciate that uh with Matt rule stating that the Playbook is open for Dylan Rola do you do you change your expectations for his production no because I didn't think that it was going to be closed up I I know Matt rule made this uh this big statement uh last Friday when it was his first media opportunity after Dylan had been named the starting quarterback and he said we're going to treat him like he's a junior we're going to throw him in and he had kind of the funny sound bite where he just said this is how I feel and you know was very unmat rule like with his answer it was it was it was short and quick and he just didn't have anything to expand on um I didn't necessarily expect that but I I I didn't think they would come out in any world and say well he's a freshman so we're gonna ease him in and we're gonna give him a portion of the Playbook like the only way he was winning this job is if he was ready to be thrown into the fire so uh my expectations were that he would would be treated like a veteran before he would that was my expectation before he was named the starter that's my expectation today how I see it on Saturday this first game they're going to strive to do everything they can to make this thing like a 5050 mix in terms of the passing attempts and rushing attempts and not put too much on Dylan's shoulders well I think when we actually see it that'll that'll tell us what we need to know about kind of the the expectations for his production or whatever but stuff that he said no I mean I I kind of feel like you know they're they have not really lied to us about what they're what they're trying to accomplish and I I do think people maybe will be surprised at how much they throw the football you know like I you know it'll be an adjustment certainly from last year so maybe there's that sort of adjustment um and so I and and then we'll see what happens in the games but I think there will be some times this year where they'll put some stuff on his shoulders um but no I I expect really good production from him this year and as we said in the prediction show like if if everything goes how I think it's gonna go he's gonna have a he's gonna have a top 10 single season passing Mark in school history right away in year one it's not a high bar it's not that high of a bar but I I I really believe that if anything about my expectations for Rola have changed in the past week is that they're actually going to put more on him than what I was thinking maybe uh go into into August I've been impressed with his maturity and impressed with the answers that teammates and coaches have offered when they've talked about him all right coming up in the third segment we're going to talk about the Nebraska offensive line we've got more questions to get to in our mailbag want to tell you right now that college football is back and the locked on college football podcast is your place to find season previews check out the four-part series that covers the power for conferences with discussions on all aspects of college the college football playoffs the expanded college football playoff be sure to check out this special on the locked on College 247 YouTube channel or on Amazon Fire TV it's part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day all right M Sherman here for Five Hour Energy a sponsor of our show if you're ever tired after lunch you're not alone in fact research shows that 70% of us hit a wall after lunch you work hard so let a 5H Hour Energy Shot help you leap over that wall instead of crashing right into it with zero sugar and a convenient portable size it is the perfect pickme up for getting stuff done 5-hour Energy has all kinds of flavors like watermelon tropical burst grape Berry and more try them all on the website you've got the option to build your own 12-pack your own 24 pack just pick the flavors they'll be delivered right to your door go to 5our energy.com that's the number five hour energy.com and get some 5our energy today use our promo code locked on CFB all caps to receive a 20% off discount on your first order offer valid until September 30th on one order only cannot be used with other promotions not good on subscriptions go to 5our energy.com and we also like to tell you about home field apparel ladies and gentlemen college football is here here and the can't miss kickoff campaign is well self-explanatory something that you cannot miss HomeField let me tell you a little bit about it premium Collegiate apparel brand they're based in Indianapolis and man their stuff is great comfortable officially licensed vintage designs the throwback stuff is so cool it's so in right now these guys are on top of the trends for more than 180 colleges including Nebraska the can't miss kickoff campaign is the thing to pay attention to right now delivers everything you might need for a football season um we're got long sleeves we got short sleeves stuff you can bundle up in we got mugs we got jackets um it's everything's in your football box it's something that you want and there's a specific Nebraska one just for you it contains three never before scen 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items at HomeField apparel.com okay back with you to finish up the show finish up the week finish up the entire preseason the next time we talk talk to you after this episode we will be reviewing the season opener Nebraska against UTEP Saturday 2:30 p.m. memorial stadium I am Mitch Sherman from the athletic Conor haer of 1620 the zone is in Omaha is here with me uh question here as we continue on the mailbag episode Scott via the email inbox wants to know how much Nebraska's receivers or lack of explosive big receivers last year contributed to the passing game wo would the Huskers Scott rites have thrown fewer picks fewer incompletions with bigger and more skilled white outs I think that's kind of a rhetorical question let's put it this way Scott Wes if the QBs from last year were able to work with the receivers this year how different would the win loss number look i' I'd like to approach it from that direction it's a great question I I although the the first one kind of got me thinking a little bit so if Nebraska had conf confidence any confidence at all in its wide receivers last year especially early in the season before um you know they started working those young guys in were trying to just get them reps it probably leads to Nebraska throwing the football more it might lead to less quarterback injuries it would certainly have been more of Le less of an up and down season would it have led to less interceptions with Jeff Sims playing quarterback I don't know I like I don't know the answer to that question but I mean there's no doubt like I I think pretty much everybody's optimism I guess I don't want to speak for everybody my optimism is really rooted right there it's Nebraska made a serious upgrade at its wide receiver room um with with proven players and it should make everybody else on the offense better I mean it's it's it's pretty simple so how would it look different if you had Banks and ner last year with Jeff Sims as quarterback I don't know he probably still is really really turnover proned um but there's there's no doubt that it evens Nebraska out a little bit from a I mean it doesn't get as bad as it did last year that's for sure remember the remember the one touchdown pass that Nebraska threw in the opening game last season yeah the fumble rusi basically yeah yeah that's what it took for Nebraska to be efficient early in the season this was after igc had gone down and Xavier Betts had left the team and you were kind of left with this situation where Alec Alex Bullock um the um the receiver that Nebraska had on its roster last season Billy Camp yes the Texas transfer uh that Nebraska had Washington Marcus Washington I was thinking Maurice but that's a different that's a different a different story Maurice Washington a different a different piece of Nebraska lore um that's what Nebraska was left with at the at the by by week one uh the middle of of week one the second half of that game and and the only way that the Huskers could put together um a score via the pass was to have like a a fumbled throwback to Sims who made a great play but that look when we talk this week about riola being on platform and he showed him the clip the cutup of Tom Brady and 60 throws and how he was on platform all the time and that's what they're looking for um I'm guessing that that play with Sims was like the exact opposite of everything that Nebraska would like to see from from Rola here in in week one the result was nice but the execution was was woe uh if Nebraska had had those had had had the the the better receivers with with Sims harberg as a first firsttime quarterback first year quarterback essentially and pie I'm thinking they win like one more game um than what we saw a year ago like maybe they get to six wins but uh the big thing is the overall offensive execution needing Improvement and I understand that's connected to the receiver play but uh if you're looking for the primary issue with Nebraska's offense last year I think that's a bit down the list all right well one final question from another Shane different Shane this is Shane B the last one was Shane U by the way uh Shane sorry Shane U I forgot to mention your last initial I think I know Shane you from from Way Way Back interesting Shane B has this question Shane believes that the offensive line in turnovers will make or break Nebraska's season he's not buying too much into the offensive line experience he's seen turn corkrin and Bryce benhardt struggle in their career is what it comes down to is this Shane says don't sugarcoat it do we believe the oine is ready to show Improvement and is there any depth ready to play well the depth question those are interesting questions the depth question ah it's a tough one because gunar Gula is out this week in week one he's a big part of that depth as your third offensive tackle and Henry lutovsky is available in only an emergency situation after coming back from a groin injury suffered before preseason camp he probably won't play in week one he is probably your number three offensive guard so the depth is hurting at this moment you're looking at Grant sein as the first tackle on the field Off the Bench as at at guard it's probably Tyler kak the first guy off the bench yeah they're going to play five or six linemen um even in a game that isn't necessarily like a nailbiter here in week one and you would hope for Nebraska's sake that Gula and lutovsky are back ready to go for the Colorado game and certainly by the time Nebraska gets into Big 10 play I do believe the line's better I do believe I don't believe that the line was necessarily bad last I mean let's remember Bryce benhart from 2023 it's an old tired narrative Bryce benhart is was a different Bryce benhart last year he was he was their second most reliable lineman behind Ben Scott um probably a year ago and so that's that's an old that's an old thing um and and Nebraska's offensive line frankly was not helped last year by the fact that its offense was completely dumbed down and everyone knew what they were going to do um it's difficult like the whole point of offense is to give yourself some options so I do believe the offensive line is better the offensive line is made better by the people around it and the offensive line is better individually as well are we am I concerned about Turner corkran starting all the games at left tackle yes yes I am am I concerned about Bryce benhardt starting all the games at right tackle not really um you know so I think those are a couple different conversations there um and that's the corkrin thing will certainly be something that I'll be watching yeah history says that benard's going to be just fine um I'll finish it with this thought about the offensive line and send it out into the inseason portion of this locked on Nebraska podcast watch Micah mizuka um he's the guy if you want to talk about changes upfront changes on the offensive line changes in the mentality in the meanness with which the offensive line plays watch the guy at Right Guard who's standing next to benhart see the way that he plays the game of football and how that impacts the players around him so that's my final thought of a long long off season thank you so much for making lockdown Nebraska your first listen today and every day throughout this offseason we can't wait to get through into get through the this this portion and into the season with you and want to remind you to now go check out locked on college football podcast with Spencer mcglauflin you can find that link to the locked on college football podcast in the description of this show it's part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day