Amie Just: Matt Rhule takes accountability but isn't panicking about Nebraska's slow start

It’s a rough stat.
Two weeks into the season, every Big Ten team has recorded at least one win. Well, every Big Ten team but Nebraska. Yes, even Northwestern. Yes, even Indiana. Rutgers is 2-0.
Nebraska, though, isn’t panicking — at least outwardly.
My three takes from Matt Rhule’s Monday availability.
Jeff Sims’ starting status is up in the air
Before Nebraska fans get too worked up about this, Sims’ status has nothing to do with his turnover habits. He was unable to practice Sunday night due to his ankle injury, and Heinrich Haarberg and Chubba Purdy took the reps instead.
Nebraska will get a better idea about Sims’ injury — not a true high-ankle sprain like originally feared — on Tuesday at the earliest or later in the week ahead of Northern Illinois.
“With quarterbacks, I never know the ankle — what that’s going to mean,” Rhule said. “I’d have to see him before I know much more about that.”
That begs the question: if Jeff Sims is healthy, will he start?
Rhule effectively said yes, though he did offer that he wants to see Sims practice first.
“Jeff’s our starting quarterback, so if this (injury) hadn’t happened, he’d still be out there,” Rhule said. ”... That being said, we can’t keep turning the ball over. There’s that fine line.”
OK, what’s the fine line?
Sims is responsible for at least six of Nebraska’s eight turnovers — an FBS high, by the way — through two games. Four of those were interceptions and at least two were fumbles. There’s an argument to be made that he was in part responsible for Gabe Ervin’s fumble, too.
“Jeff’s our quarterback, but Jeff also has to protect the football,” Rhule said.
Yes, he does. That should go without saying.
Rhule continued.
“When the ball’s on the ground — things are going to happen, especially on the road — we have to dive on the ball and just hold the ball there,” Rhule said. “I’m obviously not getting that point across. I need to get that point across to everybody, and as best as we can, we move forward. But, I don’t know what (Sims) looks like, so I don’t want to comment too much. If he was 100% healthy, I’d have him out there with the ones.”
Rhule’s taking it on the chin publicly right now. It’s nice to hear that someone is taking accountability for Nebraska’s mistakes through the first two games, but it’s not entirely on Rhule. He’s not the one out there.
Based on what we saw on Saturday and what was said then and Monday, ball security has to be the No. 1 priority for the offense this week. Has. To. Be.
If Sims can’t go…
At the end of training camp, Rhule said usage for Haarberg vs. Purdy will be situational. But that’s presuming they’re both healthy.
Purdy “had a little tweak of his groin” roughly a week and a half ago, Rhule said, so Haarberg has been getting all of the reps with the second-team offense. Purdy had been able to practice, just not at full speed. That’s why Haarberg played when Sims went out, but it’s also why Purdy was able to fill in for one play against Colorado when Haarberg’s helmet came off.
Though, Rhule said Monday that Purdy said “he feels good, so we’ll see how the week goes.”
That says to me that if Sims can’t go, it’ll probably be Haarberg since he’s gotten more full-speed reps in the past 10-plus days, but it’s good for Nebraska that Purdy is feeling better.
Regardless, there’s a lot to pay attention to this week for the quarterbacks.
The word of the day
Rhule said the word “painful” at least seven times on Monday — five of which came in rapid succession in reference to turnovers and learning how to win.
“We’re learning how to win,” Rhule said. “It’s painful right now. It’s painful. It’s painful. It’s painful. I get it, everything’s painful. We’re never going to waste a crisis. We’re not going to waste these losses. We’re going to learn from it.”
A few questions later regarding the expectation of the team moving forward: “This is kinda what you get when you hire me. It’s not gonna be a quick fix, not overnight. It’s gonna be, what we believe, built to last. We take advantage of these painful, painful moments. We sit there and as a coaching staff we say to ourselves, ‘Our goal is in three years we'll look back and say that we did our best coaching during these weeks.’ I understand if there’s frustration. We’re trying to learn how to win.”
For Nebraska fans, that’s a word you’re familiar with.
But Rhule made a good point Monday that’s worth mentioning.
“We made a decision to build it the right way and adequately represent the values of Nebraska,” he said. “While we’re not getting the result we want right now, it doesn’t mean I am at all deterred, where I know some people are like, ‘It’s been how many years of this.’ For me, it’s two games. Two games of what we are trying to build, so I am so excited to come home.”
A fair point for what it’s worth.
He doesn’t have the years of exhaustion, the years of falling short.