Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[entropy]

http://youtu.be/ue-2xYgnCes

Story on Brook's life in 1996

[entropy]

LJS

Andrew Rodriguez's plans for the next few months may not sound that exciting to most, but we'll leave that for you to tell a guy who stands 6-6 and weighs 325.

"Hit the film room hard," Rodriguez said of his life now that spring ball is complete. "Because I know that physically we're ready, but mentally, and I'm referring to myself, I have a lot of hard work to put in and I feel there's a lot of need for improvement."

Rodriguez knows it's his time to step up.

Last year Keith Williams and Ricky Henry handled the majority of the snaps at the offensive guard spots. Rodriguez was just a true freshman dipping his toes in the water.

He was on the travel roster, avoided the scout team, and played in five games. But with the veterans in front of him, he didn't get that many reps. He blended into the background.

That's about to change.

Williams and Henry are gone. It's his turn.

Discussions about quarterbacks and fun-loving wide receivers doing flips in the end zone make for better talk radio. But how well the new faces do at filling those two guard spots is probably as crucial as anything for the Huskers this fall.

Bring on the likely candidates: Rodriguez, Brent Qvale and Brandon Thompson.

There's potential in that group, but not a lot of experience. Like Rodriguez, Qvale is just a sophomore.

"In some respects, I think you can tell we've got some good young talent," Husker offensive line coach Barney Cotton said earlier this spring. "In other respects, you can tell how awfully young and inexperienced we are. We've got some guys we liked, and still like, after the recruiting process. But there's a lot of learning to take place, because there are not many snaps in those guys' banks."

The good thing is there an eagerness to learn.

In Rodriguez's opinion, there was tremendous improvement made in those 15 spring practices, as offensive linemen tried to adjust to new coordinator Tim Beck's scheme.

"It takes a lot of dedication and time to improve on an offense," Rodriguez said. "I don't think anyone can learn an offense in the span of six weeks ? and it's going to take a long time to get used to the things that we've learned, the concepts, the rules. But once we do that, it's going to be good."

Nebraska's offense finished ninth in the country in rushing last year, but people are sooner to remember the stumble to the finish when NU lost three out of four and had its issues up front.

The changes that have come since have been well-documented. There's not just a new coordinator, but another set of coaching eyes (John Garrison's) keeping tabs on the O-line.

And, as Cotton detailed after one spring practice, pretty much everything for his group of guys has changed: a different huddle tempo, different snap counts, the terminology.

And one of the most important goals has been to give linemen a better understanding of the big picture about why they're doing what they're told to do.

"The whole basis of what we're trying to do a better job of is teach the whole concept rather than, 'Do this when they line up like this, and do this when they line up like this,'" Cotton said. "Now it's less about memorization and more about understanding why. Why is a key word in this discussion."

All told, there will be three new names starting on the offensive line when Chattanooga shows up in Lincoln on Sept. 3. Besides the guard spots, the Huskers are replacing D.J. Jones at right tackle.

Still, Husker coach Bo Pelini obviously has plans to hit the ground running. He was asked after Saturday's scrimmage if he thought the defense might have to carry the offense early in the season as it finds its way.

"No, I think we're going to be very good offensively," Pelini said.

The young guy believes that too. But Rodriguez knows that part of that hinges on him rising to the occasion.

Two years ago he was bulldozing people at Aurora High School. Now he is on the brink of starting for Nebraska.

It's a privileged opportunity, but one that comes with its share of work. Hence, those nights he'll be spending in the film room.

"This offensive line is just built for being vicious, attacking, physical," Rodriguez said. "That's what they want, that's what they expect, and I think we can bring that to the table."

[entropy]

The OL still needs work, imo. They'll have the fall to continue their development and gel as a unit.

[entropy]

LJS

He picked himself off the turf and limped toward the trainers running to greet him.

Brion Carnes began to walk with them toward the sideline. That's when he pulled one of his most impressive moves of the day.

He reversed field, back to the huddle.

That plucky bit of resolve in the third quarter was one thing to like about the redshirt freshman during Saturday's Red-White Spring Game, but hardly the only thing.

Carnes looked as good -- if not better, at times -- than the more experienced Husker quarterbacks around him.

He threw 15 passes, completing 11 for 173 yards. Two of his passes were for touchdowns, including a 49-yarder to true freshman Jamal Turner that delighted the 66,784 fans at Memorial Stadium.

His peers couldn't help but notice.

"He's picked up a lot since the spring," said junior quarterback Cody Green. "He's been able to come out here, get better every day and push us. It's one of those things where you have to look at him and say, ‘Hey, thanks for pushing me.'"

A kind thing to say, though Carnes seems the kind of guy intent on doing more than just pushing them.

As first impressions go at least, Carnes did himself a favor with Husker fans during the Reds' 32-29 win against the Whites.

"The light's flickering," Husker coach Bo Pelini said of Carnes. "(It's) just got to stay on."

Of course, this is the part where the cautionary reminder is served up: It was just a scrimmage, just one of 15 practices this spring, the one the public happened to see.

And coaches will tell you Nebraska's offensive playlist was so small that the results probably aren't the best representation of that unit and the players involved.

So Saturday was no time to make bold declarations about Nebraska's quarterback situation.

Simplicity ruled the day.

At times, Husker offensive coordinator Tim Beck had to resist the urge to dial up his offense.

"It was hard, a lot harder than I thought it'd be," Beck said. "There were situations when you wanted to do something, but I just didn't want to show what we were doing."

The Huskers didn't reveal any of the no-huddle offense that they apparently worked on this spring.

Pelini said the scheme was very, very basic. Green can attest.

"We were coming back to the sideline saying, ‘Come on, we can run this, this, this,'" Green said. "They said, ‘Nah, nah, nah. Let's go out there and just play.'"

And when it came to that, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Carnes played as well as anybody.

"He showed flashes, he has a lot of ability," Pelini said. "But even as basic as we were today, he's still swimming in it. There are a lot of things that he needs to improve on and get better at. But I see signs."

Both Carnes and Ron Kellogg III (who was 11-of-19 for 124 yards) had better stats than sophomore Taylor Martinez and Green.

Martinez was 4-of-13 with one interception. The Reds did not score a touchdown with him at the helm Saturday.

Green, meanwhile, was 4-of-10 for 63 yards. He also fumbled with his team near the goal line.

Pelini wasn't sweating it.

"I could care less about the statistics in a spring game," he said. "That's not an issue."

Beck pointed out that Martinez, in particular, faced some tough down-and-distance situations.

"Third-and-15, third-and-12," Beck said. "Those aren't good for anybody."

Martinez, who has been trying to fully heal from ankle and toe injuries that have hampered him since late last season, said he feels like he's regained his health.

"Today, they (coaches) just limited me just because on cuts, I can feel it," he said. "And they need me to be 100 percent in the fall."

The fall is when we will really find out what Beck's offense is all about and who is best suited to run it.

But it was an important spring for the new offense. It started with talk of "deprogramming" players.

Now? Beck said he leaves spring ball mostly pleased with the progress.

"Would I say we're clicking 100 percent? No. But we're getting better."

[entropy]

yes... the locals see a QB battle. The vast majority of fans saw Carnes outplay TM on Saturday..

[entropy]

Attendance for Saturday's Spring Game: 66,784

Tickets were sold at $10/person. Not a bad revenue add for UNL.

Also, they had a pre-spring game lunch. Guest speakers were Mike Rozier, Irvin Fryar, Phillip Dillard, TO and Bo Pelini. 1400 attended @ $35/person. I believe the funds raised at this event went towards the $100M price tag to "Expand their Experience".. Which includes the East Stadium expansion and the new academic/athletic research facility, new volleyball arena, indoor baseball/softball practice field and new practice and weight room facility for basketball and wrestling. TO also mentioned they expect 25 of the 100M to come from private donations. Since kicking off in Jan, UNL has 14M raised.

I think everyone is very excited about the BigTen and helping develop competitive advantages

[Jeff Buchanan]

We're exited too .... we want you to have a Penn State "experience" and am looking forward to the Michigan team delivering a welcome to the BT ass kicking in November and continuing that welcome pretty much like M has done to PSU for the last decade (I have already erased the Rodriguez experiment from my consciousness).

[entropy]

Spring Game 2011 (Part 1)

The day started off with my wife and I going to the spring game luncheon. We were a little late due to the Easter Egg hunt with the grandparents, but we found some good seats that put us right in line with the speakers. The program kicked off with discussion around the new “Expand their Experience” campaign (which I listed above). They went over the progress of all the new construction, with new pictures and never seen before drawings. They also gave an update on the new basketball arena and the excitement around getting that started. The discussion then turned transitioning to the BigTen, which received a standing ovation. They discussed the excitement of the coaches and players as well as the away game ticket demand being at an all time high.

Next to speak was Paul Meyer, whom many believe will replace TO when he steps down. Paul thanked the sponsors (BBQ place and Pepsi) and all the hard work his staff put in. Then he talked about the importance of facilities, especially moving to the BigTen. Talked about the success of the new 20,000 square foot academic support center (study rooms, computer labs, compliance, etc) and how with the east stadium expansion UNL plans on adding another 20,000 square foot facility. This time, it will be for both the school and athletics. The idea is to create a facility that allows researchers to measure athletic development, recovery times, physiological enhancements, etc. It will be the first facility at any college in the US and they believe will give them a nice competitive edge for athletically and academically. This was the first public announcement of project and was met with a standing ovation. Paul talked about the new expansions and how they plan on raising the $100M.

Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar were next to speak. Their portion started with questions about their experiences, games and why UNL. Mike talked about TO’s first meeting with his dad. Mike’s dad was, as he termed it, militant…. very strict and very to the point. Mike discussed that TO wouldn’t promise him anything but an opportunity and a family. He did not offer cars and money like other schools. That actually impressed his father the most and Mike said he felt TO wanted him the person, not the player. Mike talked about the UCLA game and the Heisman trophy but when asked about why he chose UNL, he teared up and starting talking about how TO was like a second father and TO was the reason he became a man. Irving talked about growing up without much and was even bolder than Mike when talking about TO. Said TO had the biggest influence on his life, including his own father. Said when he got his masters recently the first person he called after his wife was TO… because he wanted to make TO proud. Still feels he needs has to work on making TO proud. Talked about his new church and how he tells young men what it means to be a man and uses TO as an example. Leaders don’t lead.. they develop other leaders and that is what he preaches. Talked about returning his first punt in college against FSU and then in the pros, his first was against that same punter. That got some laughs.

TO was then introduced by Mike and Irving. TO made a joke about football and said Mike and Irving’s memories are really bad, you can tell they are old. Talked about moving the BigTen and the meetings they’ve had. Said he really appreciated the process and the differences (which led to another standing ovation). Talked about stadium sizes and why it was important for Neb to expand. Talked about academic support and how much the new facilities have meant to the student athletes. Thanked everyone and hoped for their continued support.

Phillip Dillard took the stage to introduce Bo. Talked about how Bo gave him a wakeup call and made him grow up. Talked about without Bo he wouldn’t be in the NFL and wouldn’t have earned his degree. Bo then came on stage for a brief thanks to the fans… thanks for the support and then talked about the BigTen. He’s excited about it.. knows the conference.. players are excited.. Talked about the work ahead and how they’re not satisfied with being close. Bo feels last year’s losses were not about the other team as much as things they didn’t do and they expect improvement.

That ended the morning… part 2 will be the game

[entropy]

8 part series on Nebraska's running game in the 90's

http://trojanfootballanalysis.com/?cat=13

[entropy]

71 days, 16 hours, 3 mins and 22 seconds until UNL is in the Big Ten

[hodgkal]

I have no idea what to expect when Neb begins the B-10 schedule. I know they are a quality program with a lot of talent but they are entering a new culture and region and there will be some necessary adjustments. The recruiting dynamics will change as their media presence changes which could be either a positive or a negative for them.

As I understand it Neb gets most of its talent from in state which they have pretty much to themselves. Will they begin to cut more into Minnesota and Iowa turf? Will they lose what contacts they have had in Big 12 territory? Lots of interesting questions.

Anyway I am looking forward to see them on board. The Big-10 is evolving into one of two true power conferences in the nation. I think the PAC 10 has slipped a bit in these transitions.

I wonder what ND will be thinking in a couple of years.

[WM Wolverine]

Neb gets its talent from all over as they recruit nationally. Much like M and ND they have to recruit nationally as in-state they don't have the caliber of talent to be competitive in the B10 or Big XII... I am more than a lil' concerned if they'll be able to recruit Texas as well as they have recently without playing in that state so often and not having games televised in Texas either...

First couple years Nebraska has a brutal schedule while M has a pretty favorable (considering they play OSU, Neb & ND annually) one. M has a decent shot at doing very well in its division and Neb's brutal schedule could do a bit of damage to their image.

[lineygoblue]

In football, I expect Nebraska to be a permanent fixture in the top 4-5 in the conference. I expect that they will be in the CCG quite frequently. I doubt that they will ever be in the lower 3-4 of the conference.

Baseball, I expect them to dominate. Basketball, probably mid-range.

The rest of the sports, I think they'll be like everyone else. They'll have good and bad years.

[WM Wolverine]

I expect them to be Penn State, top 3-4 program in B10 at worst. Some years Wisky, Iowa or even MSU might be better than them but they'll be in plenty of CCGs and win a couple B10 titles every decade...

I do worry there is an opportunity for them to struggle more initially (due to their B10 schedule) than some think and this could hurt their ability to recruit blue chippers from Texas, Cali, Florida, etc. But they are in good hands with Bo and don't see them struggling too mightily and wouldn't be 'mediocre' for long.

[Jeff Buchanan]

They may be in good hands with Bo but if Neb struggles early (and I agree with all who think they will), how long will Bo last if he blows his top a few more times than he should and at the same time is loosing 3 or 4 games a season. The guy is volatile.