Matt Rhule provides update on health of Heinrich Haarberg

On Saturday, head coach Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers came up just short in overtime on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers. The game featured two teams sitting at 5-5 on the year and one win away from being bowl-eligible. In the end, Nebraska could not overcome Wisconsin without quarterback Heinrich Haarburg, falling 24-17.

With his top-performing quarterback of the season out, Rhule turned to sophomore quarterback Chubba Purdy to run the offense. But could Harberg have played against Wisconsin? And what is his status heading into Nebraska’s final game of the regular season? Rhule addressed these questions and shared his thoughts on Purdy’s performance against the Badgers.

“He could go. It’s like I said to you guys on Thursday,” said Rhule. “He was in uniform, just hadn’t really practiced, and kind of been out there on a limited basis. So made sense to put Chubba out there and let him play.

“I thought he had a good week, and I liked the way he looked last week. He certainly came out like gangbusters and got us going. But I think even in the interim, on the plays we didn’t quite get, I wouldn’t put any of that on him. I thought he did a really nice job.”

Purdy played well against Wisconsin on Saturday despite Nebraska not leaving Madison with the win. He finished the game with 274 yards of total offense, with 169 yards passing and 105 rushing. Purdy also had two touchdowns in the game, one rushing and one passing but did throw an interception.

Early point spread for Heroes Game

The battle for the Heroes Trophy returns Friday night as Iowa and Nebraska battle it out in the last game of the regular season. A Black Friday staple, this year’s game will be the last stop for the Hawkeyes as they get ready to go to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship.

Iowa enters the game as a 1.5-point road favorite, according to FanDuel. The over-under is set at 27.5.

How to watch Iowa vs. Nebraska

Date/Time: Nov. 24, noon ET
Channel: CBS, FuboTV
Location: Lincoln, Neb.

It’s been an interesting year for Iowa, to say the least. The Hawkeyes entered Week 12 with the worst total offense in the country, averaging just 243 yards per game and 18.8 points — which ranked 123 out of 133 FBS programs. They make up for it with their defense, though, which averages just 12.3 points allowed and 281.5 yards per game.

Still, Iowa found itself atop the Big Ten West with a chance to win the division entering its game against Illinois. The Fighting Illini didn’t make things easy thanks to a fourth-quarter rally, but the Hawkeyes did just enough to get the 15-13 win to punch their ticket to Lucas Oil Stadium. They’ll face the winner of Ohio State vs. Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Dec. 2.

Deacon Hill had a decent day for the Hawkeyes, throwing for 167 yards and a touchdown to help lead his team to victory. It’s the program’s third trip to the Big Ten Championship — its first since 2021 — and it comes as Brian Ferentz is on his way out the door.

As for Nebraska, Year 1 of the Matt Rhule era is going fairly well, all things considered. The Cornhuskers entered their game against Wisconsin knocking on the door of bowl eligibility as Rhule orchestrated an impressive turnaround from a 4-8 record a year ago.