Nebraska’s changing culture, Sims’ athleticism stand out during BTN camp visit

The Big Ten Network got an all-access look inside a Nebraska football practice on Friday — and its analysts liked what they saw. Here are three takeaways from BTN's fall camp visit to Lincoln:
Sims impresses: With over 20-plus years of college coaching experience under his belt, BTN analyst Gerry DiNardo knows a good quarterback when he sees one — and Nebraska’s Jeff Sims fits the mold. While DiNardo expressed a slight concern about Sims’ turnover troubles at Georgia Tech, the junior’s athletic skills are a highlight in the Nebraska offense.
“He’s got some development to do in the pass game, and he’s learning a new system, so I think the pass game comes a little slower for quarterbacks in the portal age,” DiNardo said. “But when he did run it, he’s not just any quarterback running; he looks like a big tailback running the ball.”
The BTN crew also sat down with defensive lineman Ty Robinson, who compared Sims to Cam Newton when discussing what it’s like to go up against the quarterback in practice.
“He’s got a great arm and great game sense,” Robinson said of Sims. “He can feel us coming off the tackle when he’s looking the other way, and he’s really good at feeling the pocket."
Changing culture: Whether among analysts, players or coaches, those who come into contact with Matt Rhule often highlight a key trait of the Nebraska head coach — his approachability. Amidst a discussion of how Rhule can establish a new culture in the Nebraska locker room, DiNardo said that aspect of Rhule’s leadership will help transform the Huskers.
“Matt Rhule is as approachable of a major college coach that I think I’ve ever been around,” DiNardo said. “He’s easy to like, he’s easy to talk to, he’s nice to everybody and he welcomes everybody. When he’s the messenger, the message is usually received well.”
When DiNardo sat down with Rhule, he asked the Husker head coach about what he needs to accomplish in his first year with the program.
Rhule’s answer? It all comes down to practice.
“Guys have to buy into the way that we want to practice; it’s physical, it’s competitive, there’s three drills going on, so there’s not a lot of time to stand around,” Rhule said. “If the players say, ‘Hey, this is hard, why are we doing it?’ then it takes time. If the players say, ‘I’m going to embrace how hard this is because it’s going to make me tough,’ then you really have a chance.”
Closing out games: One-score losses haunted Nebraska in every season of Scott Frost’s tenure as head coach. As the BTN crew discussed how Nebraska can reverse that trend, Rhule mentioned a lack of conditioning, mental and physical toughness and practice in end-of-game situations as potential reasons why the Huskers struggled in past seasons.
During practice that day, Nebraska worked through high-pressure situations in the red zone, third downs and going no-huddle before also working on fourth-and-goal scenarios. Rhule is hoping that a commitment to learning these situations now will pay off down the road.
“I want to have a team that when it gets to the end of the game, they’re not panicking or looking for the perfect play call; the right players make the plays work,” Rhule said. “I think we’re going to do a lot of things well, but when it comes down to crunch time and the fourth quarter, I want to see our best. We have to practice this way in order to do that.”