Tutorial for version 1.17.0. Unofficial fan game; player names are fictional.
Open Matchup guide on the title screen, season hub or right-side Call panel. Use the Offensive call and Defensive call selectors to compare any of the 91 pairings. The cards show each call's existing playbook advice and the offense's formation.
The selected matchup shows separate offense and defense ratings. Attack this coverage ranks all 13 offensive calls against the selected defense. Defend this play ranks all seven defenses against the selected offense. Click or focus a call button and press Enter to inspect that call. This changes the guide selection without calling a play.
| Rating | Meaning for the named side |
|---|---|
| +2 | Strong advantage |
| +1 | Advantage |
| 0 | Even matchup |
| −1 | Disadvantage |
| −2 | Strong disadvantage |
The defense's rating reverses the offense's rating for the same pair. Higher values favor the named side, and equal ratings retain the original playbook order. These are the game's base call-versus-call ratings, not expected yards or success percentages. Personnel, down and distance, field position, weather, installs, tendencies and randomness still affect the result. A shown coverage can be a disguise; the guide never examines the hidden live call. Special teams, clock plays and trick plays are outside this comparison.
Save favorite adds the selected call to the same favorites used by your call sheet. Press it again to remove that favorite. Favorite changes save with your existing game options. If saving fails, the choice remains available for the current page and the guide explains how to use the existing Retry save control.
Game progression and game shortcuts pause while the guide is open. Entry is disabled during animations, simulation or practice. Close guide, Escape or clicking the backdrop returns to the same underlying screen, preserving its selections. Keyboard focus stays inside the guide and returns to the opening control. Guide selections remain for this page session; saved favorites survive reloading and new seasons.
Open Practice field, then Notebook, or select Open notebook after a completed drill. The latest 30 completed attempts are saved separately from the season. Resetting, changing drills or closing an unfinished attempt does not add a result.
The notebook lists newest results first. Filter by drill or by objective met/missed, then expand Setup and finish for the starting score, possession, field position, down, distance, clock, both teams' timeouts, difficulty, weather and seed. Each entry also shows its final score, remaining time, Nebraska timeouts, elapsed time and resolved-play count.
Replay setup starts a fresh attempt with those recorded settings and seed. Choose your calls again; the previous calls are not played automatically. Replays use the current game version, which is shown beside the recorded version. Within a version, identical settings and choices repeat the same sequence.
| Attempt review measure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Objectives met | Successful attempts divided by retained attempts with the same drill, opponent, difficulty, weather and custom settings in this game version. |
| Distinct seeds | The number of different seeds represented in those matching attempts. Repeating a seed still counts as another attempt. |
| Fewest resolved plays | The smallest resolved-play count among successful matching attempts. Penalties and pre-snap clock expiry do not count as resolved plays. |
Comparisons use the notebook's retained results, so older attempts leave the comparison when the 30-entry limit is reached. Custom objectives, field position, down, distance, score, clock and both teams' timeouts must match. These results describe your practice attempts; they are not estimates of the chance to win a full game.
The notebook survives reloading and starting a new season in the same browser. If a write fails, your results remain in memory and Retry notebook save appears. An unreadable or unsupported saved notebook is preserved; new results stay in memory until you choose to clear it. Clear notebook asks for a second explicit confirmation and affects only practice history. If clearing fails, the in-memory results remain available. Browser site-data removal deletes both the notebook and season save.
Select Scoring in the information sidebar or in a completed game review. The line score shows points in each quarter and the game total. All overtime points share the OT column; the scoring timeline identifies the exact overtime period for each event. The final screen also includes the line score.
The timeline runs from oldest to newest. Each successful score shows its team, type, points, period, clock, updated score and resulting lead. Touchdowns, defensive and kick-return touchdowns, field goals, safeties, extra points and two-point conversions are included. Conversions appear as separate events. Failed kicks and tries remain in the drive log. All score pairs show Nebraska first.
Complete records begin with games started in version 1.15.0. A resumed older game records future scores from its next action. Its earlier score is shown as a baseline, while quarters already underway or completed are marked unavailable. Later complete quarters can still be shown. Old archived games keep their final totals but have no invented scoring timeline.
A dash means the period has not been played or its complete points are unavailable. Reading a report does not change the game, consume randomness or save progress. Recorded events survive save/load and remain with this season's archived game reviews.
Open Box in the information sidebar during a game, or open a completed game review and select Drives. The explorer lists recorded possessions in game order, with a field strip and an expandable heading for each drive.
Select Both teams, Nebraska or the opponent. The result selector offers All results, Scoring drives, Turnovers / downs and Non-scoring drives. Scoring means an offensive TD or field goal. Turnovers / downs includes interceptions, fumbles and turnovers on downs. Non-scoring includes punts, missed kicks, safeties and period endings as well as turnovers. The current drive appears only under All results.
| Measure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Drives | Completed recorded possessions, including those ended by halftime or time expiry. |
| Scoring | The percentage of completed drives ending in a TD or FG. Conversion attempts and kickoff returns are not counted as scoring drives. |
| Average start | The mean starting position measured from each possessing team's goal line, then displayed to the nearest yard using team field labels. |
| Yards / drive | Mean recorded drive yards, including negative totals. Drive snaps include penalty and kicking attempts; these totals differ from regular-call Playbook analytics. |
The summary always covers all completed drives for the selected team or teams. Changing the result filter affects the list, not the summary denominator. Live possessions are excluded from the averages. A dash means no value is available; missing older history is not reconstructed.
The field runs from Nebraska's goal on the left to the opponent's on the right. A dot marks the start; a gold marker marks the end or current position. For a new kick ending, the bar stops at the kick spot, excluding kick distance and returns. Older kick records used inconsistent coordinate frames, so their kick spot is shown as unavailable and only the start marker appears.
Click a drive heading, or focus it and press Enter or Space, to expand start/end details. Those keys do not call a play while a heading has focus. Overtime is labeled OT because older drive records do not identify the individual overtime period.
Filters and expanded rows are retained separately for each game during the current page session, including through live updates or switching review tabs. Reloading returns them to the default view. Inspecting the explorer does not change game state, consume randomness or write a save.
Open Practice, then choose Build a custom situation. The four preset drills remain available. Your custom objective determines possession:
| Objective | Who has the ball? | Success condition |
|---|---|---|
| Touchdown drive | Nebraska | Score a touchdown on this possession. |
| Move the chains | Nebraska | Earn a first down or touchdown before the series ends. |
| Scoring drive | Nebraska | Score a field goal or touchdown on this possession. |
| Defensive stop | Opponent | End the possession without allowing a touchdown. A field goal allowed still meets this objective. |
Choose Nebraska side or Opponent side and a yard line from 1 to 50. These labels always refer to the teams, regardless of possession. The 50 is midfield. The preview identifies the ball carrier's team, field position, line to gain and direction of attack.
Set down 1–4 and yards to gain. Distance automatically stops at the goal line; moving the ball closer or changing possession may shorten it. Set each score from 0 to 99, each team's timeouts from 0 to 3, and the clock from 0:01 through 15:00 using whole minutes and seconds. Invalid inputs prevent the drill from starting. All attempts begin in the fourth quarter with a stopped clock.
Choose opponent, difficulty, weather and setup seed below the builder, then press Start drill. The usual play calls, reads, one audible, disguise, tempo and timeouts work in the attempt. Objectives grade this series or possession; they do not require winning the entire game. Time expiry ends the attempt, including a tied game that would normally reach overtime.
Reset same setup or Repeat same setup restores the original clock, score, position, timeouts and seed. After an attempt, New seed keeps the situation and changes the sequence. The same settings, seed and decisions reproduce the same attempt. Choose another drill to edit the setup.
Custom setup drafts remain available while this page stays open, including after closing and reopening Practice. Reloading resets the draft; replaying a notebook entry restores its recorded settings. Practice uses a fresh roster and separate state; it never changes or writes the season save, favorites, game reports, statistics or trophies. Closing discards an unfinished active attempt; completed results remain in the notebook.
Use the Call sheet selector above the play buttons to browse Favorites, Installed calls, This situation or a play group. Offense includes Run, Pass, Short yardage and Red zone. Defense includes Run defense, Pass defense and Pressure. Show all calls restores the full list.
Press the heart beside a regular call to add or remove a favorite. An outlined heart (♡) means available to save; a filled heart (♥) means saved. This button never calls the play. Offense and defense have separate favorite lists. Favorites save with your browser options and survive a replacement season. The star (★) still means a weekly install; favoriting a call does not give it an install bonus.
Each displayed call keeps its original keyboard key. Hidden calls have no active shortcut, so use the key printed on the card. The selected offensive play stays visible at the line even outside the filter; Snap it and the once-only audible rule still apply. Clock controls and legal special teams remain available. An empty group shows guidance and a button to restore all calls.
This situation uses only visible down, distance and field position. Offense prioritizes its red-zone group inside the opponent's 20, then short yardage at three yards or fewer, then passes on third/fourth-and-eight or longer. Defense prioritizes its run group inside its own 10 or in short yardage, then coverage and pressure on third/fourth-and-long, otherwise a balanced group. These are browsing shortcuts, not predictions of the opponent's hidden call.
Offensive and defensive filters stay separate during a game. Both reset to All calls when starting a game or loading a saved season. Practice keeps its own full call list. If saving fails, keep the tab open and use the existing save retry control.
Open Game week before kickoff. The staff now recommends an offensive install, a support install and one practice focus, with reasons based on game ratings, opponent base run share, forecast, roster availability, player development and up to three recent archived games. The report can flag sacks, giveaways or defensive efficiency. It does not inspect hidden live calls, heal injuries or change the random sequence.
Use staff plan selects the recommended checkboxes and practice focus. You may change them freely. Staff pick badges identify the suggestions. Choose exactly two installs; Kick off or a confirmed simulation commits the choices. Canceling simulation restores the draft screen without committing it. Back discards draft changes.
These are staff heuristics, not predictions. Recovery shortens injuries listed for two or more games and lowers injury risk; second-team practice develops backups after the game. Other practice focuses also award experience after the game, rather than an immediate pregame rating increase.
The Trends tab compares up to three recent archived games with up to three preceding archived games. Finish a game and press Continue to add its report. The table displays offense and defense net yards per play, third-down conversion rate, sack rate and turnover margin per game. Green changes favor Nebraska; red changes do not. Small samples remain provisional.
Rates combine the underlying counts. Net yards are passing yards minus sack losses plus rushing yards; plays are pass attempts plus sacks plus rushing attempts. Sack rate uses pass attempts plus sacks. These are box-score measures and may include kneels or trick plays recorded in that box, unlike regular-call Playbook analytics. A dash means the denominator or comparison is unavailable.
Score-only results, live games and practice attempts are excluded. If reports are missing, the windows use the latest available archived games. Select a recent score to reopen its complete review.
Open Practice in the header, or Practice field on the title or season screen. Pick one of four drills: score a two-minute touchdown, finish a red-zone possession, convert fourth-and-short, or defend your goal line. Each card gives the starting score, field position, clock and objective.
Choose an opponent from the schedule, a difficulty and clear, windy or rainy weather. The Setup seed makes the situation repeatable. All drills begin in the fourth quarter with a stopped clock and fresh players, without injuries, development boosts or weekly installs.
The field diagram and recent plays sit on the left; your calls are on the right. On offense, choose a call, read the shown coverage, then press Snap it. You can change the call once before snapping. Use the tempo selector, Sideline toggle and timeouts to manage the clock. On defense, read the formation and choose a front or coverage; Disguise can bait an audible.
An attempt ends when you meet the objective, the possession ends, or time expires. The result screen explains the outcome and shows call statistics. A field goal does not satisfy a touchdown or conversion drill, but holding the opponent to a field goal does satisfy the defensive stand. These are specific practice objectives, not advice for every full-game situation.
Repeat same setup restarts the same seed and settings. The same decisions repeat the same sequence; different decisions may change it. New seed varies the sequence. Choose another drill returns to setup.
Practice uses separate state. Completed attempts save only to the practice notebook; they do not change your season save, season statistics, game reports or trophies. The live game pauses while practice is open. Exit practice or Escape returns to the original screen. Unfinished attempts are discarded when closed or reloaded; completed summaries remain in the notebook. Entry is disabled during animations and simulation.
After a final, press Continue to store the game report and advance the season. Select a score marked Review in the season window or the Season sidebar tab to reopen it. Use Summary for coaching notes and win probability, Box score for team statistics and Nebraska leaders, Playbook for offense and defense performance, and Drives for possession outcomes.
Previous game and Next game move between recorded reports. Reports survive a reload and belong to the current season. Starting a replacement season replaces those reports; trophies and completed-season records stay. Older results without saved detail remain score-only. A game begun in an earlier version can still save the history available when it finishes. Reviewing a game does not add its stats again.
The header confirms Saved locally after a successful autosave. If a write fails, a persistent warning shows Retry save. Keep this tab open until a save succeeds: the newest progress is still in memory, while the earlier browser save remains unchanged. Retry writes the latest state and clears the warning when successful. Loading the earlier saved season also clears the warning, but resumes that earlier progress.
Open Playbook in the information sidebar. Choose This game or Season + live game, then Offense or Defense. The table lists the calls you actually used, with snap counts, yards per snap, touchdowns, giveaways or takeaways, and on-schedule percentage or defensive stop percentage.
An on-schedule play gains at least 40% of the needed yards on first down, 60% on second, or converts on third/fourth. Touchdowns qualify. Lost possessions and safeties fail. A defensive stop means the opposing play did not meet that threshold. This is a per-play measure, not the percentage of drives stopped. Turnovers on downs count as unsuccessful plays but are not listed as giveaways/takeaways.
Tracking excludes penalties, special teams, kneels, spikes and two-point tries. Sacks, scrambles and incompletions stay attached to the called pass. Simulated plays count. Only snaps resolved in this version or later are tracked; prefilled results and earlier plays are not reconstructed. Rankings need at least three snaps and remain provisional with small samples.
The final screen now summarizes the turnover margin, third-down conversions, completed-drive outcomes and leading tracked calls. Completed-game playbook totals carry into the season report, which adds the live game exactly once.
New season opens setup without deleting your saved season. Clicking Start season then asks for confirmation if progress already exists. Keep saved season returns to the title screen; Continue saved season resumes play. Trophy history survives a replacement season.
The left sidebar now gives you a three-call shortlist. Suggestions weigh down and distance, the shown coverage or offensive formation, recorded tendencies, weather and your weekly installs. Suggested buttons carry a Coach label. The panel explains its picks and warns if you repeat the same call too often in one situation.
These are tactical suggestions, not success probabilities. The coach cannot see the hidden opposing call, and a defensive look can be a disguise. On fourth down, use the existing fourth-down card to decide whether to go for it, kick or punt; the coach shortlist applies if you choose to go for it.
The clock plan suggests a tempo or a timeout. A pale blue underline marks the recommended tempo; you still choose it yourself. Turn suggestions off under Options for an unaided challenge.
The current-drive card shows the team in possession, plays, yards, starting field position and current field position. Use Fullscreen in the header when supported; browser or portal restrictions may require opening the game in its own window. Simulating a whole game now asks for confirmation and then autosaves the result. After your one audible, the other calls disable and the interface prompts you to snap.
Existing saves keep the same format and storage key. The core gameplay manual from 1.6.0 still applies; this tutorial documents the new interface features.
Launch the game. On the title screen choose Pick up today (Nebraska 4-0, next vs Maryland) or Whole season (from the Ohio opener), a difficulty (Walk-On, Starter (default), All-American) and a quarter length, then press Start season. The season screen shows the schedule, the depth chart and the week's results around the league; press Kick off to open Game week — the scouting report on your opponent (record, ratings, run share, how often they disguise and what they have installed), the forecast and your injury report — then choose two installs and a practice focus and kick off, or Sim this game.
The screen has three columns. Left: scoreboard (with the weather and the momentum meter), matchup ratings and tabs for the drive log, box score and drive chart, film, league and season. Centre: the field. Right: your play calls, the clock panel (tempo and timeout), sim buttons and options (pre-snap reads, auto-call defense, sound, effects volume, play speed). A replay button shows the last play again. On a phone the field comes first, then the calls, then the information.
Hover or focus any call to see it drawn on the field as a chalk diagram: routes and run lanes for plays, zones, man assignments and rush arrows for coverages. At the line, the defense's shown shell is drawn in blue. Installed calls carry a ★.
Click or tap a play to call it. Keyboard: 1-9, 0, Q W E call plays using the key printed on each visible card; P punt, F field goal, K kneel, X spike, Y fake punt, U fake field goal, O sideline on offense, S or Space snap at the line, G disguise on defense, R replay, T timeout, D sim drive, Enter confirm, Esc stop a sim or close a window. Field: drag to pan, wheel or pinch to zoom, double-click to reset, +/- zoom, arrow keys pan, C or the round button follows the ball.
A game is a sequence of snaps. On offense you call your play in the huddle, then walk to the line and see the defense's look. The look may be a disguise — better defenses disguise more, and a disguise usually shows the coverage whose answer is wrong. Press Snap it, or audible once to another play; the defense may hear it and check back. On defense you see the offense's formation first — heavy (mostly runs), shotgun (balanced) or spread (mostly passes) — then make your call, and you can disguise it to bait their audible at the cost of a step. Then the play runs, the result is stamped on the field and logged, and the clock moves. Kickoffs, punts after the call, extra points and computer decisions happen automatically; you decide onside kicks when trailing late, and whether to kick the extra point or go for two.
The ball moves by the yards each play gains. You have four downs to gain ten yards; the blue line is the line of scrimmage and the yellow line the line to gain. Nebraska always attacks from left to right. The clock runs between plays unless the last play stopped it (incomplete pass, score, change of possession, and in the last two minutes of a half a ball carrier out of bounds). In the last two minutes a first down stops the clock only until the ball is spotted, which saves about eight seconds of the next huddle. Choose a tempo: Milk (about 39 seconds between snaps), Normal (29) or Hurry-up (14). A timeout stops the clock; a spike stops it at the cost of a down. Turn on Sideline (O) and your receivers and backs head for the boundary: about three in four touches end out of bounds, at the cost of some yards after the catch and fewer long gains. It stays on for the drive, and you can switch it at the line.
Each call has strengths and weaknesses against the other side's call. The result stamp says whether you won the matchup (Great call, Good call, Even, They had it, They read it). Your installs give their plays and calls a small edge (ball security and special teams help every snap). Injuries can take a starter out — the named backup plays, a little less well — for the rest of the game or for several games; the depth chart shows who is out. Team ratings, home field, momentum (built by scores, turnovers and stops), the weather (wind hurts deep passes and kicks, rain and snow make the ball slick) and luck decide the rest. Third downs in front of a loud home crowd draw false starts. Player ratings move the matchups too: a better quarterback completes more passes, a better back breaks more runs, a better receiver catches more. On defense, the edge rusher drives the pass rush, the tackle and linebacker stop the run and the corners and safety cover; they make the tackles, sacks and interceptions in the box score and can be hurt like anyone.
Win probability. Under the scoreboard a line tracks Nebraska's chance to win after every snap, from a model fitted to thousands of simulated games (score, time left, field position, possession and the rating edge). On fourth down the fourth-down card above your calls shows your chance after going for it (with the chance to convert), kicking and punting, and outlines the call the numbers favour. The final screen draws the whole line and names the play that swung it most.
Trick plays. On fourth down you can fake the punt (Y, not inside their 30: the up-back takes the direct snap and runs) or fake the field goal (U, in field-goal range: the holder throws to the tight end). A fake that fools the defense almost always converts; one they sniff out rarely does. Goal-line and blitz fronts sniff fakes more often than nickel and dime; every fake a staff has seen this game — and the fakes you ran in earlier games this season, which are on their film — makes the next one harder. The call's note shows the current odds. The computer staffs try the odd fake too, never more than once a game. Touchdown 6, extra point 1 or two-point try 2, field goal 3, safety 2. The Film tab shows the opponent's tendencies and what their staff has logged about you: after three snaps in a situation they start reading it, so vary your calls.
| Offense | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Zone | run | Downhill between the tackles. Loves light boxes (nickel, dime, zero); dies against the bear front. |
| Outside Zone | run | Stretch to the edge. Good vs nickel and dime; edge pressure cuts it off. |
| Power | run | Pulling guard, gap scheme. Beats base and man; hates the run blitz. |
| Counter | run | Misdirection. Punishes over-pursuit from run blitz and zero. |
| QB Draw | run | Show pass, QB runs. Man coverage and blitzes vacate the middle. |
| Read Option | run | QB reads the end. Good vs base and man; zero blitz smothers the mesh. |
| Quick Slants | pass | Ball out fast. Beats blitzes; nickel and man sit on it. |
| RB Screen | pass | Let the rush in, dump it over. Blitz killer; the nickel's extra DB kills it. |
| Flood | pass | Three levels to one side. Shreds base Cover 3; man follows it. |
| Mesh | pass | Crossers rub man defenders. Beats Cover 1; zero gets home first. |
| Play-Action Shot | pass | Fake the run, throw deep. Best vs run blitz and base; zero and dime eat it. |
| Deep Post | pass | Splits the safeties. Beats nickel Cover 2; dime and man carry it. |
| Four Verts | pass | Stress every deep zone. Beats Cover 2; the blitz gets home first. |
| Defense | Notes |
|---|---|
| 4-3 Cover 3 | Sound against everything; floods rip it. |
| Bear Run Blitz | Stuffs zone and power; play-action and screens burn it. |
| Nickel Cover 2 | Takes away quick game and screens; soft vs runs and four verts. |
| Cover 1 Man | Tight on quick game and flood; crossers and QB draws hurt. |
| Zero Blitz | Sacks deep drops, kills outside runs; screens, slants and draws burn it. |
| Dime Prevent | Nothing deep; gives up runs underneath. |
| Goal Line | A wall against runs; play-action beats it. |
Players grow from game reps (throws, carries and catches, scaled to a full-length game) and from the week's practice focus: Passing camp (quarterback and wide receivers), Ground and pound (running back, tight end, quarterback), Defensive fundamentals (the six defensive starters), Second-team reps (all twelve backups, so a starter's injury hurts less) or a Recovery week (injury risk falls by 40% in the game and anyone out two or more games heals a week sooner). Every 10 experience is a rating point, up to +6 in a season; the depth chart shows each player's growth and a bar toward the next point.
The Heisman watch (season screen and Season tab) ranks your quarterback, running back and top receiver against ten fictional national candidates by production and team record. Your games count at a 60-minute pace, so short quarters are not a handicap. The vote is taken after the conference title games, before the Playoff.
At halftime the call panel offers six adjustments for the second half: Protect the quarterback (a third fewer sacks), Load the box (their runs lose ground, their passes gain a little), Take the top off (throws of twelve yards or more gain, interceptions rise), Ball control (runs gain, fewer turnovers), Bring pressure (more sacks, more long gains allowed) or Stay the course. Your staff outlines the one the first-half numbers suggest; the other staff makes its own, and both appear in the Matchup panel.
The Husker Beat at the top of the season screen is the week's front page: your last result, your move in the Top 25, the upset of the week, the Big Ten race, the Heisman watch, the injury report and the next game. Once the Playoff field is set, the League tab and the season screen draw the bracket; games that do not involve Nebraska are played out to a champion even after your season ends.
Trophy case (on the title screen and the season screen) shows twenty-one achievements — from a first win and a shutout to beating Ohio State, winning the Heroes Trophy against Iowa, converting a fake, and winning it all — and a record book with a line for every season you finish: record, final rank, how it ended, and any Heisman winner. They are kept in this browser when you start a new season. Nebraska's real results already played do not count toward achievements.
Lead when the fourth quarter ends to win the game. Tied games go to college overtime: each side gets the ball at the 25; from the second overtime touchdowns must go for two; from the third, each side runs a single two-point play. Over the season every other team plays too: the League tab shows the Big Ten standings and a Top 25. The top two in the Big Ten meet in Indianapolis. The 12-team Playoff takes the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven teams in the ranking; seeds 1–4 get byes and seeds 5–8 host first-round games. Out of the field with six wins, you go to a bowl. Win the Playoff to be national champions.
Trail at the end of regulation or overtime and the game is lost. Fewer than six wins ends the season with no bowl; a loss in a bowl or Playoff game ends it too.
The season saves automatically in your browser after every play. On the title screen, Continue saved season resumes where you left off, mid-game included. To restart, open Season and choose New season (press it twice to confirm while a season is in progress). Clearing the browser's site data removes the save. Seasons saved by versions 1.0 through 1.5 are carried forward when loaded. New season keeps the trophy case and record book.