Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[hack]

Just for the sake of argument, I'll mark Bama as a loss now and call it ND, MSU, Ohio and Nebraska. In a grand sense, 3-1 seems doable, 2-2 no shame, and 1-3 perhaps only slightly less likely than 3-1. Expecting 9-3 sounds like a good compromise between the extremes of the likely outcomes.

[Hannibal]

I'd lump Air Force in with Iowa and Illinois because of the week that it is played and because their offense is really frustrating to play against.

And I'd be really happy going 3-2 in our toughest 5 games (as long as, like I said earlier, the losses aren't blowouts).

[WM Wolverine]

I think Air Forces defense is bad enough where it doesn't matter how tricky their offense is. M should score 35+.

[Hannibal]

I think that you're probably right. Still, that could be one of those games where we only get the ball 8 times. A turnover here, a holding penalty or a chop block there -- suddenly two quarters have gone by and you've hardly got any points because the other team keeps hogging the ball (kind of like the first half against UMass).

[geo weidl]

I'd lump Air Force in with Iowa and Illinois because of the week that it is played and because their offense is really frustrating to play against.

I beleive that their top RB was kicked off the team which should complicate things for AF.

[entropy]

Nebraska*football coaches*received*excellent recruiting news Monday*from a prime target in the class of 2013.

Johnny Stanton, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound Californian who recently became the Huskers' top choice among quarterback prospects, verbally committed to NU.

The signal-caller from Rancho Santa Margarita declined offers from Wisconsin, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA and Utah, among other schools. He said his decision ultimately came down to Nebraska, Wisconsin and Oregon, in that order.

He becomes the 13th known member of Nebraska's 2013 class.
Stanton and his parents had taken a second visit to Lincoln late last month.

In 2011, playing for Santa Margarita Catholic, he threw for 2,439 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions while rushing for 1,528 yards and 25 touchdowns. He led his team to the CIF-SS Pac-5 title and the CIF State D-I title.

Stanton was among 25 quarterbacks in the 2013 class picked for the ESPN/Nike Elite 11 camp.


He recently has been working out with Steve Calhoun, the Los Angeles-area quarterbacks coach who has been working closely with current Nebraska starter Taylor Martinez since the spring.

Stanton's*high school coach, Harry Welch, thinks Nebraska could be a perfect fit for Stanton.

"Johnny's a mature, intelligent young man who very much wants to be involved in a community of high standards and high values, and who is into excellence," Welch recently told Rivals.com. "I think John, being an outstanding student, combines that with great citizenship.

"And the football program at Nebraska is outstanding. With its athletes and coaching staff, they seem to be making a renaissance of Nebraska football. Nebraska seems to be going through a rebirth, and when Nebraska football is good there is no one better.

"The bottom line is, Johnny Stanton is a winner, he'd like to be around other winners, and that's what Nebraska offers."

Recruiting analysts give you plenty of reasons to like Stanton. For one, they say, he's a "pure quarterback," as opposed to an excellent athlete playing the position who is nonetheless raw in terms of overall skill. In addition, analysts like him because he*formerly was*a hard-hitting safety in high school — an all-stater at the position as a sophomore. In other words, he brings the requisite toughness to the QB position.

Nebraska's quarterback depth chart currently includes three scholarship players — Martinez, sophomore Brion Carnes and incoming freshman Tommy Armstrong.**









Post Extras: * * *

[Wild Hoss]

I watched some of Stanton’s film...he appears to be in the general mold of what we should be looking for, although I believe there are a number of kids out there who throw equally well but are more of a threat on the ground. Supposedly he’s got everything squared away between the ears, which is critical. Time will tell.

He doesn’t look like a dominant player to me, but somebody who could do a lot of damage with the right supporting cast. Definitely looks like a kid who could grow into a significant upgrade from Martinez.

[entropy]

He's not a home run threat, but he can do what Frost did. moving the chains is more important, imo, than a guy who can take it to the house a couple times a year.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Are we forgetting about Tommy Armstrong already?

[Wild Hoss]

He's not a home run threat, but he can do what Frost did. moving the chains is more important, imo, than a guy who can take it to the house a couple times a year.

Agree...but there are plenty of kids who can do both.

That said, unless there are significant changes ahead he won't have anything approximating Frost's supporting cast.

[Wild Hoss]

Are we forgetting about Tommy Armstrong already?

I guess I have...his film didn't impress me all that much. He'll get his shot, especially if Carnes's dedication is lacking as I have heard.

[entropy]

I believe Heard is moving back to RB, that will help. I'd say our WR core is better than Frost had.

I do share your concerns about the center position. I'd line up a NT over the center and push the guy back all game long. if the Guard came over the help, blitz the MLB in that hole.

[Wild Hoss]

To date the receiving corps is marginally better. We have a better receiving TE in Reed and a a good blocking TE in Cotton, but don’t have a complete TE like Sheldon Jackson was. Bobby Newcombe was every bit as explosive as Bell or Turner. Davison was a skinny frosh, but never dropped passes. Enuwa hasn’t accomplished anything that Kenny Cheatham didn’t as the "big" receiver. Other than that, advantage Frost in every other category. By substantial amounts.

I think OL concerns go beyond C, but it is the most glaring.

[entropy]

SI.com

Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead can't really tell the difference. When asked to distinguish between the Big 12 defenses he used to face and the Big Ten units he battled for the first time last season, Burkhead gives the kind of answer many have come to expect from the Cornhuskers' soft-spoken workhorse.

"To me, it's really just lining up and playing football," Burkhead said.

Burkhead lined up effectively last season, reeling off 15 rushing touchdowns and 1,357 rushing yards, the most by a Nebraska running back since 1997. His 104.4 rushing yards per game were good for third among league players and helped propel him to All-Big Ten recognition at season's end.

Nebraska had the luxury of teaming Burkhead with quarterback Taylor Martinez to form an explosive rushing combination that finished 15th nationally. While the dual-threat Martinez produced the bulk of the highlight material, Burkhead served as the fuel behind the Huskers' attack. The rising senior will reprise that role this fall as the most important offensive player on Nebraska's roster -- and as a true Heisman contender.

"He's the total package," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "Anybody would die to have him on their football team."

The most valuable part of that package may be Burkhead's durability. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound back carried the ball 284 times last season, only two touches shy of the school record. His 38 carries in the regular-season finale against Iowa set the Cornhusker mark.

"Mr. Consistency," is what Tim Beck, the Huskers' second-year offensive coordinator, calls Burkhead. "He works his butt off, and he studies the game. He has that durability and mental toughness, in terms of being a guy you can count on."

But versatility, not durability, may be what keeps Burkhead afloat in the Heisman race. Depending on the situation last season, Beck had Burkhead fill spots at fullback, slot receiver and quarterback as Nebraska's jack-of-all-trades. Burkhead showed some skill as a pass-catcher, notching 177 yards and two touchdowns on 21 receptions.

"It was a good year," Burkhead said of his junior campaign. "My teammates, they allowed me to have the success I did. But we definitely have higher expectations for ourselves."

Unfortunately for Nebraska, those expectations have proven unrealistic in recent seasons. The Huskers' inability to lock down a conference title and BCS berth has had as much to do with Burkhead becoming a national name as his play. Despite four consecutive seasons with at least nine wins, the Huskers have not claimed a conference championship since 1999 and finished just third in the Leaders Division last fall despite a 7-1 league mark. Notions of a program stuck in neutral have resonated throughout Lincoln, where mediocre football doesn't sit well with the Nebraska faithful -- or with Heisman voters.

The Nebraska offense, which returns eight starters, should benefit from the familiarity that comes with playing a second year in Beck's system.

"With our staff putting in this system last year, nobody on the offensive side of the ball had ever been part of it," Beck said. "We taught it quickly through the spring and went through fall, but here's a team doing something completely different [this season]. Now they get it."

The team's passing offense finished a mere 104th nationally last season, partially because of Martinez's inconsistent play, partially because opponents knew to key in on Nebraska's run-heavy attack. A more dynamic and consistent season from Martinez, whom Pelini says is prepared to "reach that next level," will keep defenses honest when the Huskers keep it on the ground.

That's good news for Burkhead, who seems poised for the kind of year that could put his name, and the team's name, back on the national radar. A repeat of last year's 1,300-yard output would make Burkhead the school's second all-time leading rusher. And after an offseason of heavy film study, Burkhead is confident he'll attain his goal of improved reaction time in the backfield.

As he better reacts to defenders, a nation of Heisman voters might better react to Burkhead. In February, oddsmaker Danny Sheridan released his early Heisman favorites, listing Burkhead as a 25-1 shot at taking home the trophy in December. That puts Nebraska's workhorse well behind fellow Big Ten members Monte Ball (6-1) from Wisconsin and Denard Robinson (7-1) from Michigan. But that's OK with the darkhorse contender trying to lead the darkhorse program back to prominence.

"We want to be a great team like Nebraska has had in the past," Burkhead said. "That's the level that we're trying to reach."

[entropy]

Thursday, July 12, 2012
Can Nebraska basketball turn the corner?
By Jason King

After visiting the University of Nebraska last spring, former Florida forward Walter Pitchford was asked numerous times to sum up his trip to Lincoln.

The answer was almost always the same.

“Mind-blowing,” Pitchford would say.

The description may seem a bit flattering for a program that finished at the bottom of the Big Ten standings last season and has never won an NCAA tournament game. Still, the more time Pitchford spent in Lincoln, the more it became obvious things could soon change.

Known nationally for its success in football, Nebraska is now determined to become a basketball school, too.

The Cornhuskers are one year away from opening Pinnacle Bank Arena in downtown Lincoln. The venue, which was designed by the same firm that constructed Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center, will seat approximately 16,000 fans and feature a number of suites and loge boxes.


Tim Miles takes over a program that hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1998.
The project comes on the heels of the construction of the Hendricks Training Complex. Completed last fall, the two-level facility features practice courts for Nebraska’s men’s and women’s teams, along with expanded player lounges, a nutrition center, locker rooms and coaching offices.

First-year coach Tim Miles said the arena and practice gym carried a combined price tag of more than $200 million.

“Once everything is complete, we’ve got to be in the top five or 10 in the country in terms of facilities,” Miles said. “We’re trying to get people to come check us out.”

The word is spreading quickly.

Nebraska’s coaches and players have spent a large chunk of their summer giving tours of the new practice facility to prospects on campus for unofficial visits.

“We’ve had top-100 recruits in here -- guys who have seen a lot of places -- and they say this is the best,” Nebraska senior Brandon Ubel told the Omaha World-Herald. “They come in and their eyes light up. How could they not light up? It’s an amazing facility.”

The players' lounge features three 103-inch TVs and six 65-inch plasmas. In all, the Hendricks Training Complex boasts 121 televisions.

Prominent Nebraska donor Neal Hawks and his father, Howard, made significant donations to ensure the structure was first-class. The Hawkses decided to contribute after walking away displeased with the initial renderings for the facility. They felt additional features -- such as a hot-and-cold soak tub and a video suite that resembles a movie theater -- needed to be added.

Neal Hawks is the brother-in-law of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (their wives are sisters), so he’s had a firsthand look at the facilities that are regarded as the best in the NBA.

“I donated because I’d like to see Nebraska basketball be relevant and a source of pride for our state,” Hawks said. “With the right commitment, there’s no reason it can’t be.”

There certainly hasn’t been much reason to get excited about Nebraska basketball in the past.

The Huskers haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1998, and they haven’t had a first-team all-conference player since 1999. Former coach Doc Sadler posted four winning records during his six years in Lincoln, but he never finished higher than seventh in league play. He was fired after going 12-18 last season and replaced by Miles, who spent the previous five years at Colorado State.

Miles said one of the biggest reasons he accepted NU’s offer was the school’s obvious desire to improve the basketball program, which was evidenced by the new facilities.

“There’s no reason why Nebraska shouldn’t be very competitive in both men’s and women’s basketball down the road,” athletic director Tom Osborne said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but we do think we’ll gain considerable momentum.”

The upgrades are already paying off for a program that hasn’t won a regular-season conference title since 1950.

Transfers such as Pitchford and forward Terran Petteway (Texas Tech) signed with Nebraska this spring. So did junior college All-American Deverell Biggs, a point guard who hails from nearby Omaha.

Miles estimated that nearly 50 prospects have visited Lincoln since his arrival. Pitchford hopes they’ll realize the same thing he did last spring.

“Everything is in place for Nebraska to succeed,” Pitchford said. “With what they’ve done here lately, there won’t be any excuse for not winning games.”