Nebraska Cornhuskers, Husker Nation

The Red-White Spring game is coming up this Saturday, expected attendance of nearly 60,000. Here's some of the storylines of spring practice thus far...

- No one's been able to touch Zac Taylor at QB, he's the unanimous starter this year as most would have predicted.

- The race for the starting running back is very close right now between sophomores Cody Glenn and Marlon Lucky. Both will be rushing for the red team (first string) while Leon Jackson will for the white team. Brandon Jackson has been out all spring with a shoulder injury and will return in the fall along with 4-star JUCO transfer Kenny Wilson. My best guess now will be split carries between Glenn, Lucky and Wilson in 06.

- Matt Herian is close to 100% and will take part in the scrimmage on Saturday for the red squad. He was held back by a hamstring injury early in the spring but has bounced back and apparently had a great last week of practice.

- The starting OL looks to be junior Chris Patrick (LT), sophomore Andy Christensen (LG), senior Kurt Mann ( C), sophomore Mike Huff (RG), and sophomore Matt Slauson (RT). Mann will be out for the spring game, causing Christensen to move to center and senior returning starter Greg Austin to get the start at guard. Lyndon Murtha, a 6'7 sophomore tackle that a lot of people are very high on, is trying to break into the starting lineup by fall, but has a lot of competition at the tackle positions to do so.

- Junior OLB Steve Octavien has been by far the most impressive player on the field this spring. He's coming back from an ACL injury he suffered in the second quarter of the season opener last year and has been granted a medical redshirt.

- Speaking of Octavien, the linebacker corps are by far the most loaded position on the team. Senior Stewart Bradley (unable to play in the spring game) will get the start at SAM this fall, and junior Corey McKeon will start at MIKE. Bo Ruud and Lance Brandenburgh both have starting experience at WILL and SAM respectively, and Phillip Dillard saw a lot of playing time last year at MIKE, which is expected to increase even more. Not to mention JUCO OLB Steve Allen will enter in the fall.

- Sophomore QB Harrison Beck has suffered a somewhat minor injury to his shoulder this spring, and may not be able to QB the white squad on Saturday. Sophomore Joe Ganz is expected to get the start.

- The defensive backfield is somewhat depleted this year. Corner is fine, with senior Zack Bowman, a potential first rounder, and junior Cortney Grixby holding down the starting spots with 5-star JUCO transfer Andre Jones entering the mix this fall. However, the safety positions are thin for the spring, as senior Andrew Shanle gets the start at FS and junior Tierre Green at SS. This will be helped in the fall by the addition of a handful of high school safety prospects coming in.

- Senior DE Adam Carriker is poised for another big season as he tries to work his way to the top half of the first round. He's been a major force in spring ball thus far and says he hopes to get 3 or 4 sacks in the spring game. Joining him on the starting line is senior DE Jay Moore, senior DT Ola Dagunduro, and freshman DT Ndamukong Suh. Senior DT Barry Cryer and uber-talented sophomore DE Barry Turner are expected to push for major playing time.

- The receivers are progressing along nicely, as junior Terrence Nunn and sophomore Nate Swift continue to be the go-to guys. A newcomer, junior Tyrell Spain has made a big impact the past 15 practices and is expected to be a threat this fall. 6'4 JUCO transfer Maurice Purify is getting a lot of hype and should push for a starting spot in the fall.

I'll post the breakdown of the spring game when it goes down. I really expect this team to be much improved in 06 and to challenge for the Big XII title this year.

This post has been edited by oviedol55 on Apr 13 2006, 10:57 AM

yeah, woot

Never got around to re-capping the spring game, but I'm bored and have nothing better to do (like sleep), so here it is.

- Red squad (starters) won 35-7. I would hope so. The only touchdown for the White came on a 100 yard kickoff return by Titus Brothers.

- Zac Taylor had a very solid day, as most expect, completing 14-of-21 passes for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns, no turnovers. The thing that worries me is the backups. As posted earlier, Beck didn't play, so we didn't get a grasp of what he can do if Taylor goes down, but sophomore Joe Ganz completed just 5-of-19 passes for 25 yards, no turnovers, in his time playing for both the White and Red squads. Junior Beau Davis, who is best known as the man who gave up 35 of the 70 points Texas Tech put up on us in '04, was 0-of-6 with 1 interception.

- The question of a starter at RB definitely wasn't answered, as both Cody Glenn and Marlon Lucky had great days rushing for the Red squad. Glenn led the attack with 16 carries for 98 yards, while Lucky put up an impressive 84 yards on 15 carries and also added 2 touchdowns. Lucky also caught 2 passes for 18 yards. The White team totalled -10 yards rushing.

- Terrence Nunn led the receivers with 4 catches for 60 yards. Dane Todd, a senior fullback, had 3 catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Nate Swift caught 2 passes for 41 yards, and sophomore Todd Peterson had 2 catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Josh Mueller added the other touchdown on a 7 yard catch, the only reception by a tight end for the Red squad (Herian was limited).

- Corey McKeon led the Red squad in tackles with 7, including 2 for a loss and a sack. Steve Octavien had 2 tackles, a pass breakup and recorded the only interception of the game. Barry Cryer and Ola Dagunduro, the starting DTs, each had 2 sacks. Adam Carriker didn't do much of anything. Phillip Dillard was probably the most impressive for the White squad, with 8 tackles and 1 for loss. The Red defense held the White offense to just 4 total yards, but they're second stringers, so it's not all that impressive. Maybe if it was USC's second string.

All-in-all, you couldn't really ask for a much more solid spring game. The defense did what they had to do, the starting offense was clicking on all cylinders. Over the past few years though, I've learned not to take these games seriously, because if they were Joe Dailey would be a Heisman contender by now, not fighting for the starting QB job at UNC.

Some stuff that's happened this off-season...

- Cody Glenn was in a car accident on his way home to Texas this summer, apparently fell asleep at the wheel. His car was totalled, but he walked away without a scratch, thank God.

- Leon Jackson transferred...then came back.

- Nebraska's top 3 high school QB targets have elected to play elsewhere (Ryan Mallet - Michigan; John Brantley - Texas; Jarrett Lee - LSU). However, they have offered the top JUCO QB this year, Lyle Moevao. If he commits, which it's very likely he will, he'd enroll this fall (yes, '06 - he qualified out of high school) and have 4 years to play 3. They'll also probably keep looking for a high school QB, as with the Freeman situation last year we'll likely take 2.

- 2006 safety commit Major Culbert was charged with burglary and sexual assault on a recruiting trip to Oregon (The Pac-10 recruits dirty????!?!?!?!?!/sarcasm) Callahan has suspended his scholarship until the verdict is in. He pleaded no guilty this past weekend, but it doesn't look good.

- JUCO OLB transfer and Andre Jones' teammate Steve Allen won't make it to Lincoln. Apparently there's some retarded NCAA rule about how many JUCOs you can play for. Ricky Henry didn't qualify either, but everyone saw that coming. He'll go JUCO.

- Ricky Williams and Eric Crouch are playing in the CFL together. Canada can keep them both.

- Oh yeah, Huskers drafted and picked up...

DRAFTED
S Daniel Bullocks, 2nd round - 40th pick, Detroit Lions (strangely the same exact pick as Josh last year)
P Sam Koch, 6th round - 203rd pick, Baltimore Ravens (pronounced 'Cook'...and where the hell did this pick come from?)
DT LeKevin Smith, 6th round - 206th pick, New England Patriots (in my honest opinion...steal)
DT Titus Adams, 7th round - 220th pick, New York Jets (Patrick Kabongo anyone? He can join Trevor Johnson on the practice squad)

FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
OT Seppo Evwaraye, Carolina Panters (helps the Panthers in being the leading contender for my new favorite team, but there's no way in hell he'll make the roster, he couldn't even hold his starting spot here)
RB Cory Ross, Baltimore Ravens (he'll finish the job Jamal Lewis started)

What has happened to Lydon Murtha? I thought he was put on a strict baby eating diet?

Injuries have held him back, but he's healthy now and should contend for a starting spot at left tackle. Started a few games last year, he'll probably crack the lineup eventually this season.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...d=601893887&n=2

The recruiting is looking pretty solid for next year so far i think. We got a commitment from a Texas QB, his name escapes me at the moment, fairly decent though........

I remember the unbelieveable amount of hype Kabongo got pre-draft. You would think he had a 14 inch dong from the way people used to talk about him. Plus he had a great name.

Yeah, Patrick Witt, he was QB on Caleb King's team last year so they didn't really pass a lot, but his video is very impressive. He went to some Texas school this year and should really light it up. 8 kids committed so far, 4 from Texas.

Major Culbert sentenced to 5 years of probation and 25 days in jail for criminal trespassing and harassment that happened during his recruiting trip to Eugene. Callahan is letting him join the team though.

Same thing that happened to the kid going to Oregon, they let him in too. I have no problem with Callahan letting him in, sounded like things were blown out of proportion, but Major's on a zero tolerance policy and the microscope is on him now. I'm rooting for the kid.

In other news, some turmoil for the team early in camp. Harrison Beck was pissed at the fact he wasn't named the outright #2 quarterback yet, and left Lincoln before practice on Saturday. No one could get a hold of him or find him, he ended up driving back home to Clearwater, Florida. Callahan's trying to set up a meeting in person with him to talk about what he's upset with, but I personally don't think he'll be back, nor do I really care. He's shown his immaturity since he got here, very few of his teammates respect him, and I just don't see him taking control of this team after Zac graduates. He's got all the tools and I hope he turns it all around, but he's got a lot to learn. His mother was interviewed by the AP. Here's some quotes she had to share...

Beck-Bothwell told the Journal Star that her son would beat out Taylor for the starting quarterback's job if the coaches devoted more time to him. She said Taylor is "just OK."

"It'd be different if he was sitting behind Matt Leinart or Brady Quinn," Beck-Bothwell said.

Link to story

All I have to say is look at the stats. Taylor set the single season school passing record with over 2600 yards, Beck completed 1 of 10 for 21 yards and an INT. Don't think he's quite ready to unseat our starter. It'll hurt if he decides to leave the program, especially after the Freeman decommitment last year, but Patrick Witt is a mid-term graduate and we'll probably go after a JUCO. I'm pulling for Beck, but he's got a ways to go to earn a lot of Husker fans' respect.

Much worse news, starting corner Zack Bowman tore his ACL in one-on-ones during Saturday's practice and will be out for the entire season. He was a potential first rounder, and it'll be hard to replace him. Andre Jones is reportedly more ready as an incoming JUCO than Bowman was last season (Jones played his freshman year at Kentucky) but it leaves the defensive backfield very thin. Titus Brothers will be the nickel now, and safety Brian Wilson will move back to corner and battle with the incoming Anthony West and Ricky Thenarse (if he gets the nod from the clearinghouse) for PT this fall. Bowman's physical presence (at 6'2) will be missed, especially in the USC game where he would have been up against Dwayne Jarrett. With Grixby at 5'9 and Jones at 6' it'll be tough to match up against some of the taller receivers throughout the year in the Big XII conference like Todd Blythe and Limas Sweed. All of a sudden a season that looked promising for Big XII title hopes is going to be tested with this loss.

Well Beck has been officially released from the team. According to his high school coach, his mother's comments really finalized the whole thing. He figured it'd be tough to come back to Lincoln after all that. I wish him the best wherever he goes, it's just a shame he ruined such a good opportunity by being immature and selfish.

This post has been edited by oviedol55 on Aug 7 2006, 04:19 PM

Nothing wrong with him being selfish, definitely something wrong with him being immature about it and not sticking it out.

I guess you guys lost out on Lyle Moeavo.

Nevermind checking Scout or Rivals, look at his myspace page (Which was the first thing that popped up whenever I googled him). It's official.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...riendid=6699376

This post has been edited by Skorik on Aug 7 2006, 04:26 PM

Yeah Lyle committed to Oregon State back in June after they offered him the same deal as we did (to come in this fall). Definitely hurts more now than it did then with the fact that Joe Ganz is next in line if Taylor goes down (knock on wood).

After all the bad news at the QB position the past two years (Freeman decommitting, losing out on Mallett, Lee, Moevao and Gray, Beck leaving) there's finally some good news. Brian Hildebrand is coming in from JUCO this fall at the QB position. He's a RS Sophomore so he'll have 3 to play 3. He was part of the Elite 11 QB Camp in high school in 2004 and went to Oregon State. Didn't think he was gonna see time there, so he transferred to JUCO and was planning on going to Colorado this year until they lost all their coaching staff. So now he's been brought in not only to push for (and probably win) the starting job next season, but also to provide depth this season, depending on how quick he can pick the offense up. Some good news though, reports say he's got above-average arm strength, excellent accuracy and underrated athleticism. He's 6'2, 205 and runs a 4.65. Watched some of his film, and he definitely looks the part, so finally we have some good news at the QB position.

In other news, both WRs Isaiah Fluellen and Tyrell Spain have been moved to corner the past 2 days. Being so thin at corner and deep at WR it made sense to move a few guys over. Spain could be that physical presence that we'll be missing from Bowman, as he stands at 6'3. Teammates also said he looks very natural out there at corner, so I could see him hitting the field early and often, and maybe guarding a Patrick Turner in the SC game.

Leon Jackson's decided to transfer again via the Lincoln Journal Star. Wherever he lands is getting a hell of a running back. He didn't want to play any other position (we had him at RB, then moved him to S, then to WR, then back to RB by his request) and we're just too deep for him to get any quality snaps at that position. I'll wish him good luck wherever he goes, kid's got great talent and character.

Just 2 days away until the beating of La. Tech. After the downers at the start of fall camp (Beck, Jackson's departure, Bowman's season-ending injury) it ended up playing out pretty damn good. Sam Keller transferred and should be ready to take the throne next year, and there's been some great surprises in fall camp, notably JUCO RB Kenny Wilson (see ridiculous run: here) The depth chart for game #1 has been released. Hopefully the backups will be in by the 3rd quarter so it won't matter much. Callahan noted that the RBs are more-so all #1 right now, and they're gonna all get carries. Here 'tis...

Offense
QB: Zac Taylor, SR
Joe Ganz, SO
Beau Davis, SO
IB: Marlon Lucky, SO
Cody Glenn, SO
Brandon Jackson, JR
Kenny Wilson, JR
FB: Dane Todd, SR
Matt Senske, JR
WR (X): Nate Swift, SO
Frantz Hardy, JR
Maurice Purify, JR
Menelik Holt, FR (True)
WR (Z): Terrence Nunn, JR
Todd Peterson, SO
TE (Y): Matt Herian, SR
J.B. Phillips, JR
Josh Mueller, JR
LT: Chris Patrick, JR
Lyndon Murtha, SO
LG: Greg Austin, SR
Andy Christensen, SO
C: Kurt Mann, SR
Brett Byford, JR
RG: Mike Huff, SO
Jacob Hickman, FR (True)
RT: Matt Slauson, SO
Carl Nicks, JR

Defense
O DE: Jay Moore, SR
Barry Turner, SO
DT: Barry Cryer, SR
Ty Steinkuhler, SO
NT: Ola Dagunduro, SR
Ndamukong Suh, SO
B DE: Adam Carriker, SR
Zach Potter, SO
SAM: Stewart Bradley, SR
Lance Brandenburgh, JR
MIKE: Corey McKeon, JR
Phillip Dillard, SO
WILL: Bo Ruud, JR
Steve Octavien, JR
S CB: Andre Jones, JR
Isaiah Fluellen, SR
W CB: Cortney Grixby, JR
Tyrell Spain, JR
Titus Brothers, JR
SS: Tierre Green, JR
Major Culbert, FR (True)
Ben Eisenhart, JR
FS: Andrew Shanle, SR
Rickey Thenarse, FR (True)
Bryan Wilson, JR

Special Teams
PK: Jordan Congdon, SO
Alex Henery, FR (True)
P: Dan Titchener, SO
Michael Such, FR (True)
KO: Jordan Congdon, SO
Jake Wesch, SO
LS: Lane Kelly, SR
T.J. O'Leary, SO
HOL: Jake Wesch, SO
Nate Swift, SO
KOR: Kenny Wilson, JR
Tierre Green, JR
Marlon Lucky, SO
Brandon Jackson, JR
PR: Terrence Nunn, JR
Cortney Grixby, JR
Andre Jones, JR

Biggest surprise by far to me was Ruud listed over Octavien. I personally think Ruud is garbage, he's not physical, minimally fast and athletic...maybe not garbage, but definitely not in Octo's league. Could be partly because Steve had surgery to get his appendix taken out just over a week ago, but they say he's 100% already, so I dunno. Marlon Lucky not a #1 kick returner is also bugging me, as he shined in those duties last year. I also expect Maurice Purify to jump up to at least the #3 receiver by the SC game.

Tightest battles of fall camp were probably Ruud vs. Octavien for WILL, Titchener vs. Such for P, Patrick vs. Murtha for LT, the RBs (still not over) and Huff vs. Christensen vs. Austin for the 2 guard spots.

I expect all the guys listed here, besides the specialists, to get PT.

Wow, that was a sick run by Wilson

FINAL SCORE: Nebraska 49 - Louisiana Tech 10

STATS:
Passing
Zac Taylor: 22-34, 287 yards, 3 TDs, INT
Joe Ganz: 2-2, 45 yards, TD
(O-Line: no sacks allowed)

Rushing
Cody Glenn: 13 carries, 88 yards, TD
Marlon Lucky: 13 carries, 79 yards, TD
Kenny Wilson: 15 carries, 47 yards
Brandon Jackson: 3 carries, 36 yards, TD
Zac Taylor: 2 carries, 9 yards

Receiving
Matt Herian: 3 catches, 61 yards, TD
Terrence Nunn: 5 catches, 54 yards
Nate Swift: 3 catches, 46 yards
Marlon Lucky: 3 catches, 42 yards
Todd Peterson: 2 catches, 30 yards
Hunter Teafatiller: 1 catch, 29 yards, TD
Maurice Purify: 1 catch, 28 yards
Frantz Hardy: 2 catches, 24 yards
Josh Mueller: 2 catches, 10 yards, TD
J.B. Phillips: 2 catches, 8 yards, TD

Turnovers
Bo Ruud: Interception
Barry Turner: Fumble Recovery
Cortney Grixby: Fumble Recovery

Sacks
Adam Carriker: 1.5
Jay Moore: 0.5

Nebraska Offense: 584 yards (332 passing, 252 rushing)
La. Tech Offense: 305 yards (238 passing, 67 rushing)

Overall I'm very happy with how this played out. The offense looks very good. Taylor was putting the ball wherever he pleased to, and the RBs all looked great, namely Marlon Lucky and Brandon Jackson. I must say I like the committee decision. Keep em fresh, keep em healthy. Lucky got a nasty hit in the 3rd quarter to the back of the head, was slow to the sidelines. Should be alright though. I'm a little worried about our front seven. Tech had some good runs on us and we couldn't set up a consistent pass rush. Carriker at DT on third downs is a great idea though. Our corners are the main concern, with Bowman and now Fluellen out, Grixby got banged up a bit and they picked on Andre Jones all game. Are we ready to take on SC yet? Nah, unless we plan on just outscoring them. Our DBs need to make a lot of progress. All-in-all though, it was a good win. And how 'bout them Buffs, huh? Heh...