Ahead of this weekend’s matchup against Michigan football, the Nebraska quarterback room has some issues. Jeff Sims, the team’s starter, is currently less than 100% due to injury, leading head coach Matt Rhule to asses his QB room ahead of kickoff on Saturday. This week, Rhule gave an update on where things stand with just a few days until the game kicks off in Lincoln, NE.

Michigan football: Update on Nebraska quarterback injury

According to Matt Rhule, Jeff Sims (starting Nebraska quarterback) is not 100% right now. Additionally, his backup QB — Heinrich Haarberg — is getting in some solid reps ahead of the game and will be ready to go if needed, perhaps even on a rotational basis.

“Heinrich (Haarberg) has looked good,” Rhule said of his backup quarterback ahead of the Huskers’ Week 5 matchup against Michigan football, per Sports Illustrated. “How much can he completely open up and all those things? I don’t think we’ll completely know until game time, but there’s been no restrictions on him.

“(Starting quarterback Jeff Sims) looks good in terms of moving and sliding in the pocket,” Rhule added. “I wouldn’t say Jeff is 100%. … We’ll be ready to probably use either one of them or both of them as needed.”

Nebraska’s offense has been, to put things lightly, less-than-perfect this year. Still, not having the team’s QB1 when facing a defense like Michigan football has — the No. 1 scoring defense in the country — will make a massive upset even more difficult for the Cornhuskers this weekend.

When Michigan football and Nebraska take the field in a few days, keep an eye on which quarterback comes in first for the Huskers.

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So far this year, the Michigan football offensive line has seen its ups and downs. This week, we spoke with center Drake Nugent — a transfer from Stanford — and offensive guard Trevor Keegan about how the O-line is handling its early-season issues. While the team is working hard to right the ship, as seen against Rutgers last Saturday, the Wolverines seem to be less concerned about some initial road bumps than many fans are.

Michigan football offensive line is addressing its issues

The Michigan football offensive line is known for being elite — over the past two seasons, it has won two straight Joe Moore Awards (given to the nation’s best OL annually) and more, becoming the first line to ever accomplish the feat.

Drake Nugent explains early woes

Still, with new transfers and some key departures, this year’s offensive line has been struggling to get off the ground. Despite this being the case, Michigan football is handling its business and continues to address its issues heading into Week 5.

“First few games, we struggled a little bit on the inside zone stuff, communication-wise, I kind of hit on that after one of the games — ECU,” center Drake Nugent explained. “But I think week by week we’ve gotten better, just communication-wise. There are obviously a few plays each game that you want back, but that’s part of the game; it’s part of football. But I think we’re on the right track.

“I mean, the more reps the better, obviously,” Nugent continued. “Kinda just get a feel for everything just communication-wise because obviously there’s some plays out there that like, you might not know what each other is doing but you got to like — there’s just like a little instinct that you’ve got to trust next to him like he’s gonna go still do it anyways, even though you guys may not have told each other the call or something like that. Maybe just something small like that. But just those kinds of plays where you’ve just always gotta be on the same page. Kind of like unspoken plays, I guess you could call them.”

Trevor Keegan says the Wolverines are close

Trevor Keegan, a team captain for Michigan football this year, also added that the offensive line wasn’t firing on all cylinders until mid-way through the 2022 season. So far, he says that there is a similar feeling in the room, and that the OL is close to clicking.

“I feel like the last two years — especially last year — I mean, we didn’t play too well the first five games,” Trevor Keegan explained. “We were like, ‘Yeah, there’s like no way we’re gonna win.’ We weren’t playing that well. Until the Penn State game and we’re like, ‘alright,’ and then we just kept rolling from there. So it’s gonna take a couple of weeks for us. I mean, we didn’t have a spring ball together but, I mean, once this thing gets rolling, we’re gonna be playing really well. When you have 9-10 in the box, it’s kind of hard to really break out the runs. So it’s gonna come soon, I can feel it.”

Michigan football ready for Week 5 at Nebraska

In two days, Michigan football will face Nebraska for its first road test of the 2023 season. There, the offensive line will look to build on its solid performance at Rutgers, carrying the Wolverines to a fifth-straight victory before heading to Minnesota in Week 6.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

As many fans have noted, Michigan football running back Donovan Edwards has not been looking like his usual self so far this fall. Still, according to Jim Harbaugh — who spoke on Monday ahead of this weekend’s game against Nebraska — there is no reason to worry about Edwards’ slow start.

Michigan football: No need to worry about Donovan Edwards

So far this fall, Donovan Edwards has gotten off to a rocky start. A slow Week 1 performance seemingly carried into the following three games, leading many fans to share concern over Edwards’ play to this point in the year.

Through four games of the 2023 season, Edwards has gotten 44 touches for 209 all-purpose yards and no touchdowns. Still, head coach Jim Harbaugh says that there is no concern over Edwards’ numbers thus far — Harbaugh says there is more to a game than the box score.

What did Jim Harbaugh say?

“He’s good,” Jim Harbaugh said of Donovan Edwards on Monday. “Like he’s always been. And we play multiple backs. Statistics really don’t mean anything to us. When it comes all the players, it’s what’s good for them individually, and what’s good as a team. I see it from the individual and in the big picture with the team.

“Each individual guy, I treat that like I’m their dad, their agent, and I want what’s best for their career,” Harbaugh continued. “So in the running back position, to make a long story short here, I just don’t believe in a guy carrying the ball 30 times a game. They probably may not have some of the stats that some of the other backs have, even Blake (Corum) running the ball really good. 97 yards, we took him out of the game because I don’t think he needs another 100-yard game as much as he needs to be healthy. But the lifespan of a back their career, I don’t know what it is on average, maybe eight, nine, ten years total, including college.

“So, while they’re not getting paid, I don’t like to take the tread off the tire. I like to keep that tread on the tire. So there’s gonna be games where one back may be featured more than another. That’s that’s kind of how it’s been here. I mean, if you look at last year, look at the year before, look at the year before that, all eight years that we’ve been here. So, we’ll probably have this conversation again.

“Like next week, Dono carries more of the load. And you might ask me what happened with Blake. Blake had a heck of a game. Dono had less carries, but really affected the game catching the football. He’s an outstanding back because he can do all the things. He can run outside the tackles. He can run inside the tackles. He can pass protect, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield and get open. So, to answer your question. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Donovan Edwards.”

Michigan football ready for Week 5 test at Nebraska

This weekend, Michigan football hits the field against Nebraska — the second game of the year that Jim Harbaugh will be coaching. During Week 5, keep an eye on Donovan Edwards to finally have his breakout game, perhaps building momentum for the remainder of the season.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!