Rhule's big bet on Sims and Nebraska's way forward against NIU

The Huskers have questions to answer, particularly at QB, as they make their home debut. Here's how Nebraska keeps Northern Illinois at arm's length.

Nebraska QB Jeff Sims throws against Colorado. | Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

“He’s so super critical that he doesn’t want to make mistakes. Our conversations were, ‘Dude, you just gotta play.’ If you watched him the last two weeks of practice, he looked elite. I mean, he didn’t miss a throw.”

That was quarterback Jeff Sims’ offensive coordinator…in 2021. He was speaking after Georgia Tech lost its season opener to Northern Illinois, 22-21. Sims was knocked out of the game in the first half, but he’d already rushed six times for 34 yards (5.7). He’d also completed 4-of-9 passes for 2.6 yards per attempt. Sims would miss the next two weeks with injury.

Nebraska fans are living the Jeff Sims Experience through two weeks. Matt Rhule put a lot of chips on the transfer quarterback, and the risk and upside of such a bet were well documented. Sims has always been a guy whose talent and potential were enticing. He has also always had high turnover numbers and mediocre passing stats.

Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results? You could say it has here, but it hasn’t. Not quite. After two games, Sims’ passing numbers were so much worse than his past performance. That’s the good news.