Thoughts on the running back logjam, looming roster limits, ESPN doc reactions

The premise is straightforward. You ask me some questions — or vent your frustrations — about Nebraska Athletics. Any sport. I attempt to answer them.

If you want your question included in the next edition of the mailbag, find me on Twitter/X at @Amie_Just, Threads/Instagram at @_amiejust or email me at ajust@journalstar.com.

Nebraska’s running back depth chart has three “OR” designations with Rahmir Johnson on the top line, followed by Emmett Johnson and Gabe Ervin. Dante Dowdell is listed fourth.

Matt Rhule assures that this isn’t gamesmanship.

“I think we’re gonna play them all,” Rhule said Monday. “We’ll play them all.”

He continued: “I was hoping we’d be a little bit more dialed-in on where they are, but I feel like they’ve all competed enough that we’re giving them all a chance and make some decisions probably three weeks down the line.”

All of them will have different roles, but if one guy finds a rhythm, Nebraska will stay with the hot hand.

It’s hard to compare what Nebraska did last year with what it could do this year because of a few things.

For starters, the quarterback run game won’t be as prevalent in this offense with Dylan Raiola serving as a more traditional pocket passer. Now, Heinrich Haarberg will be involved in this offense, too, but as co-offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said Tuesday, “Heinrich’s gonna be out there on the field with Dylan a lot. Heinrich’s too athletic to be standing over there on the sideline holding a clipboard.”

Also of note, it’s hard to read into what Nebraska intended to do with the running backs last season because both Ervin and Rahmir Johnson sustained season-ending injuries in the third game of the season.

My thoughts here… whoever protects the ball best wins the job. Whoever can turn what used to be 4-yard runs into 12-yard runs wins the job. Whoever can catch passes on top of running the ball wins the job.

As far as future roster limits are concerned, that’s unfortunately out of Nebraska’s hands. It’s an NCAA-mandated limit due to revenue sharing that’s on the horizon. The looming roster crunch could affect Nebraska more than other schools because Nebraska’s roster is north of 140 and the roster limit will be 105.

We still have a while before this gets implemented, but don’t forget about it. It’ll be here before we know it.

“It seemed like it could have been much longer. They just kind of brushed over the season with how much footage they probably had.” — @ScottML15.

“I do wish it was more like Chasing 3 and very behind the scenes.” Erik B.

It absolutely could have been way longer. In some messages back and forth with one of the documentary’s directors and producers, Jen Karson-Strauss, they had terabytes upon terabytes of great content that hit the cutting room floor. They had more than enough video for a series but had to trim it to fit in the hour-long window.

“While nothing was “left out”, it sure felt like a lot was left out. Where’s the huge emphasis on Volleyball Day?” — Mike M.

Yeah. That’s a valid critique, IMO. With the cold open, I thought there’d be more of a focus on Volleyball Day in Nebraska, but it didn’t really come back to that. Now, the Big Ten Network did a full look at Volleyball Day, so at least there’s that, right?

“It’s raw, real, and very revealing. Exceptional young women and coaching staff.” — @mmvictory2

“I love Harper Murray.” — J. Samuels

“I was shocked that people sent terrible messages to Harper after the championship game. That is just sick and so bad. I can’t imagine how hard that was for her to see after such an already disappointment in losing the game.” — Sheila S.

“I have more respect for Harper since she opened up to the world. I believe she struggled to get this out without breaking down and I support her 100%. Also the whole program seems like a big family and so supportive.” — @Serious732

“I just listened to the podcast and the harassment of Harper was so much worse than even shown on the special. Anyone who sent direct messages to that young woman or tagged her in a tweet should be ashamed. Why are people so awful?” — Maureen S.

“Insightful and incredibly genuine. Harper’s story about losing her father had our house dialed in. We lost my husband and kids’ father almost two years ago and her pain and feelings are just SO familiar. I hope the young woman finds joy in Vball again.” — Julie F.

Sounds like many of you had similar takeaways that I did — as evidenced in the column I wrote on Sunday.

What’s heartbreaking is, the messages shown in the documentary aren’t even the worst ones she received — based on conversations I’ve had with people around the program and as outlined in ESPN’s latest article on Harper Murray’s mental health struggles.

As I wrote in my column, we need to be nicer to one another.