Matt Rhule thinks Nebraska's offense can still run if QB Jeff Sims can't play due to injury

Nebraska went into this season with the hopes that junior quarterback Jeff Sims could lead the Cornhuskers to the promised land in year one of the Matt Rhule era.

What that looks like in year one of a massive rebuild is up for debate, but undoubtedly, 0-2 with losses to Minnesota and Colorado wasn't on the dream board.

Compounding the issue is the ankle injury Sims suffered at the end of the 36-14 loss to the Buffaloes. His status for Week 3 against Northern Illinois is firmly up in the air, but if there's any good news for Huskers fans, it's that Rhule has confidence in his two backups.

Rhule believes either redshirt freshman Heinrich Haarberg or sophomore Chubba Purdy can bring some of what Sims brings to the table for the Huskers.

“I just lean back on kind of what I said at the end of training camp that I thought we could win with Chubba and I felt like we could win with Heinrich,” Rhule said, according to On3. “They both can run, so we can maintain some of the things we’re doing quarterback run-wise. I think some of the plays we’ve called have been quarterback draws and maybe they’ve been seen as a scramble, but we’ve called some quarterback draws those guys can execute at a high level. So, I think both those guys can run the offense.”

To Rhule's point, Sims was Nebraska's leading rusher against Minnesota, carrying 19 times for 91 yards. He was the second-leading rusher against Colorado, going for 67 yards and a score on the ground before getting injured.

That's a big part of Nebraska's offense, so if either Haarberg or Purdy play, they'll have to be able to use their legs against NIU.

Either way, Rhule needs someone to step up on offense and get the Huskers going, because 12 points per game on offense isn't going to cut it.

“Obviously, with where we’re at right now, the offense isn’t doing what we want it to do, in general. So, I think all of us as a team have to be better as a team to have a chance to win the game, but I have a lot of confidence in both those guys and I think they both bring unique skill-sets to the table," Rhule said.