Onus squarely on Martinez to produce

No matter who takes snaps for the Nebraska football team, from Jerry Tagge to Turner Gill to Tommie Frazier to Scott Frost to Eric Crouch to Jamal Lord to Zac Lee to Taylor Martinez, you can count on a lot of scrutiny.

Martinez, who enters his junior season, has had a checkered career so far at Nebraska. You look at the raw numbers of Martinez’s first two seasons and there appears to be very little difference. In 2010, he completed 107 of 195 (54.8 percent) for 1,631 yards, ten touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a runner, he gained 966 yards 172 carries (5.6 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns. In 2011, Martinez completed 162 of 288 passes (56.3 percent) for 2,076 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. As a runner, he gained 875 yards on 188 carries (4.6 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns.

The vibe, however, was much different as in 2010, when Martinez was a big play waiting to happen the first ten games. He rushed 887 yards on 112 carries and 12 touchdowns. In the passing department, he completed 63 of 119 for 1,161 yards, ten touchdowns and three interceptions. After sustaining an ankle injury, however, Martinez became pretty ordinary as he carried 50 times for 79 yards. In the passing department, he completed 44 of 76 for 470 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

He was more of a team leader than as a freshman but will never be confused for a martinet. His running stats are down a bit as some zealots point out the fewer jaw-dropping runs this season but much of Martinez's 2010 running stats came in the first few games against suspect defenses. Great highlights, but not very meaningful numbers. Also, turnovers were down a bit this year. He threw one more interception on 93 more passes.

Though a segment of Husker fans will clamor for a change whether it’s freshman Brion Carnes, wide receiver Jamal Turner or for that matter incoming freshman Tommy Armstrong, Martinez will be the starter until further notice.

However, the 2012 season is when you stop rationalizing Martinez’s shortcomings. For openers, Martinez will not be learning a new offense and Nebraska appears to have a more-clear cut identity under current offensive coordinator Tim Beck than it did under Shawn Watson. The Huskers run a mixture of zone read, pistol and old school option. However, those three principles are much more in tune with each other than when Nebraska was trying to marry West Coast Offense principles with a variation of the option.

The zone read and pistol suit Martinez well but not the old school option, which gets the fans going from a nostalgia standpoint but doesn't suit Martinez's running skill which is a straight ahead.

Martinez has also taken the time to address his fundamentals (or lack thereof) this offseason.

Martinez returned to his native California and worked with noted quarterbacks guru Steve Calhoun. Addressing Martinez’s footwork was the biggest objective.

After the Huskers 30-13 Capitol One Bowl game loss to South Carolina, Beck and Martinez identified five or six areas Martinez needed to improve during the offseason. Footwork topped the list, and on advice of his father, Casey, Martinez went to Calhoun's Armed & Dangerous camp last month.

They worked on dropping back with his right foot rather than his left and squaring his shoulders on throws.

A more in-depth look at Taylor Martinez's evolution

Regardless of who takes the snap from center for the Nebraska football team, he is subject to an intense microscope. That pressure intensified to a greater degree after Tommie Frazier led the Huskers to consecutive National Championships in 1994-1995.


The pressure intensified whether it was Scott Frost, Eric Crouch, Jamal Lord, Joe Dailey, Zac Taylor, Sam Keller, Joe Ganz, Zac Lee and now Taylor Martinez.

Frost carved out his place in Husker lore by leading the team to a split National Title with Michigan in 1997. What added to the angst Husker fans initially showed against Frost was the fact that he was a native Nebraskan who decided to go to Stanford initially as he was heavily courted by then Cardinal head coach Bill Walsh, who was also a Hall-of-Fame NFL head coach. Frost then transferred to Nebraska after Walsh retired from coaching.

Crouch won a Heisman Trophy in 2001 but like Martinez had a polarizing career. Keep in mind, for all of the good things Crouch brought, he presided over the two embarrassing losses (62-36 to Colorado and 37-14 to Miami) that contributed to sending the Huskers into a tailspin. Those were Crouch’s last two college football games.

Lord took a ton of heat from fans and justifiably so but even with his athleticism was better suited to being a defensive back. Dailey would have been well suited as an option quarterback but the problem is that Bill Callahan became the Huskers head coach during his sophomore year and in came the West Coast Offense. Taylor was perhaps the saving grace of the Callahan years. Keller was a flop after transferring from Arizona State. Ganz and Lee did some good things but were only starters for one year.

You look at the raw numbers of Martinez’s first two seasons and there appears to be very little difference. In 2010, he completed 107 of 195 (54.8 percent) for 1,631 yards, ten touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a runner, he gained 966 yards 172 carries (5.6 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns. In 2011, Martinez completed 152 of 272 passes (55.9 percent) for 1,973 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a runner, he gained 837 yards on 172 carries (4.8 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns.

Knowing what we know about Martinez's career up to this point, interpret the stats however you see fit, but don't forget to factor in his injury last year game as well as the offensive coordinator change from Shawn Watson to Tim Beck.

Statistics can convince you of just about anything so sometimes you have to look beyond just the raw numbers.

In the first ten games of 2010, Martinez was a big play waiting to happen. He rushed 887 yards on 112 carries and 12 touchdowns. In the passing department, he completed 63 of 119 for 1,161 yards, ten touchdowns and three interceptions. After sustaining an ankle injury, however, Martinez became pretty ordinary as he carried 50 times for 79 yards. In the passing department, he completed 44 of 76 for 470 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

Nebraska, however, gave up 29 sacks last year but more specifically they gave up 12 sacks in their last 2 games (seven against Oklahoma and five against Washington). So far they've allowed just 15 sacks this season entering the Capital One Bowl game against South Carolina.
Martinez made a noticeable improvement this year on moving the chains by making good decisions in the passing game - whether to hit a check-down or scrambling.

He was more of a team leader.

His running stats are down a bit as some zealots point out the fewer jaw-dropping runs this season but much of Martinez's 2010 running stats came in the first few games against suspect defenses. Great highlights, but not very meaningful numbers. Also, turnovers are down a bit this year. He threw the same number of interceptions on about 77 more passes.

The cynics would point out that Martinez has not played well in big games. At which point I say, “Let me know when there’s a little one.”

The Huskers 48-17 loss to Wisconsin was the only game he played terrible. The rest of the time he was somewhere between OK and good. In the 28-25 loss to Northwestern he played well but the defense gave the game away and the 45-17 loss to Michigan was a total team failure as was the aforementioned loss to Wisconsin.

The other factor becomes, are the Huskers using him right? Nebraska appears to have a more clear cut identity under Beck than they did under Watson. The Huskers run a mixture of zone read, pistol and old school option. The zone read and pistol suit Martinez well but not the old school option, which gets the fans going from a nostalgia standpoint but doesn't suit Martinez's running skill which is a straight ahead burst or nothing.

To execute the option, you need to have a physical guy playing quarterback. Martinez is not that guy. The quarterback needs to step up and into traffic in order to force the edge to commit to him or the running back. Martinez runs back and out instead of into pursuit and outside. He doesn't really force the pursuit to commit as more often than not, Martinez runs towards the running back.

Some people would argue that coaching staff has hamstrung Martinez by turning him into a game manager. However, it should also be pointed out that the Huskers have faced much better defenses in 2011 than a year ago. This season, Nebraska has faced five teams (Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State) that rank in the Top 25 in total team defense and will be facing a sixth (South Carolina) in the Capital One Bowl. In 2010, the Huskers faced only one defense (Missouri) that ranked in the Top 25 in total team defense. That was the game Martinez got hurt in 31-17 win but in that contest it was running back Roy Helu that did the heavy lifting in rushing for a school record 307 yards.

Does Martinez still need to improve more? Sure, what sophomore doesn’t but he has improved more than the numbers suggest and more than his critics want to acknowledge.

Husker fans need to stop obsessing of Martinez's passing

For all of his great attributes as a runner when healthy, the frequent criticism of Nebraska sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez are "He can't pass" or "His throwing motion is lousy."


True, Martinez will never be Tom Brady but even those who expect him to reach even the passing accuracy levels of recent former Husker quarterbacks Zac Taylor (2005-2006) or Joe Ganz (2008) are going to be sorely disappointed. Granted, Martinez is still very young and growing into his role as a passer but he hasn't really ever shown serious potential as a pocket passer or someone who can progress through four or five reads. He's never going to be throwing the pretty fade for a corner of the endzone touchdown and nor will he be expert a fitting a pass between an underneath linebacker and an over the top safety on a post route.
The promising thing about new offensive coordinator Tim Beck's scheme, at least based on what we heard throughout the offseason, is that these things shouldn't be as big of a weakness. What the offense should do is maximize Martinez's strengths, which are blinding straight-line speed and some experience with running an up-tempo, spread-option scheme.

For those who want Martinez to become Joe Montana, the Huskers don't need him to be a pinpoint passer, if the offense can get the defense to equally fear runs up the middle, options to the boundary, or screen passes to the likes of Kenny Bell or Ameer Abdullah. That's how Chip Kelly does it in Oregon. He makes defenses try to defend horizontally and vertically, while trying to catch their breath and make adjustments with minimal time against a no-huddle offense. If Martinez can get to the level of say Oregon's Darren James or Texas's Vince Young, rather than expecting he will become an NFL-caliber quarterback, that'll be fine.

Here are Nebraska quarterback statistics since 2004:

2004 - Joe Dailey - 2025 yds, 49.4%, 6.53 yds/att, 17 TDs, 19 INTs

2005 - Zac Taylor - 2653 yds, 55.1%, 6.17 yds/att, 19 TDs, 12 INTs

2006 - Zac Taylor - 3197 yds, 59.6%, 8.18 yds/att, 26 TDs, 8 INTs

2007 - Sam Keller - 2422 yds, 63.1 %, 7.45 yds/att, 14 TDs, 10 INTs

2007 - Joe Ganz - 1435 yds, 58.6%, 9.44 yds/att, 16 TDs, 7 INTs

2008 - Joe Ganz - 3568 yds, 67.9%, 8.50 yds/att, 25 TDs, 11 INTs

2009 - Zac Lee - 2143 yds, 58.6%, 7.10 yds/att, 14 TDs, 10 INTs

2010 - Taylor Martinez - 1631 yds, 59.2%, 8.32 yds/att, 10 TDs, 7 INTs
All quarterbacks listed from 2004-2009 combined for 575 rushing yards while Martinez had 965 on his own in 2010.
Other than Ganz in 2008 (67.9%), which of those years was any of the guys on this list a "more accurate passer" than Martinez last year? Obviously his yardage and touchdowns are down because he plays in a totally different offense but Keller was the only other one to really exceed Martinez's percentage last year and no one did it in their first year as a starter. Keep in mind, Keller started at Arizona State before transferring. In addition, we all remember how much help Martinez got from his wide receivers last year.
I'm not going to argue that Martinez gets any style points for how he looks in the pocket but he is serviceable as a passer. As for this business of throwing motion, people didn't like Phillip Rivers throwing motion either but that's turned out all right for him with the Sa Diego Chargers. Bernie Kosar nearly won a Heisman Trophy and started for years in the NFL throwing side-arm so I don't get hung up on how the delivery looks.
I'd like to see Martinez work through his progressions a little more as well but when he pulled the ball down and ran against Tennessee-Chattanooga, he got a first down more often than not.

Bubba has entered the building

Quarterback recruit and first-round baseball draft pick Bubba Starling has entered the building — as in Nebraska’s campus, confirmed an NU spokesperson, according to a Lincoln Journal Star blog entry on Sunday night.



According to a recent Kansas City Star story, Starling wasn't planning to enroll in classes but would workout with the team.


Now the Kansas City Royals, who selected the 6-foot-5, 195-pound multi-sport phenom from Gardner, Kansas, as the No. 5 overall pick in the draft, have until Aug. 15 to sign him.
Starling, whose agent is Scott Boras, could command a signing bonus that tops the $6 million dollar mark.


If recent history means anything, Starling might not be in Lincoln for long. Keep in mind, he is there for voluntary summer workouts but it’s not a given he will enroll in classes. Plus, Nebraska begins its preseason practice schedule Aug. 6.


In 2010, Zach Lee (not to be confused with former Husker quarterback Zac Lee) who signed to play football at LSU but then signed for $5.25 million after being drafted at No. 28 by the Los Angeles Dodgers.


In 2009, Donavan Tate was a North Carolina recruit but ,claimed a signing bonus of $6.25 million after being picked third by the San Diego Padres.


Regardless of whether Starling takes the college experience of being a student-athlete for one of the most storied college football programs in the nation or belting Major League fastballs, he will have to withstand high expectations from fans.


On the surface, there might be a glimmer of hope that Starling would choose the Huskers but if I were a betting man, I would lay odds on him signing with the Royals. Keep in mind, the Royals organization is less-than-thrilled with the idea of him being in Lincoln for summer workouts — so there is hope.


However, human nature is such where even the most humble person can get blinded by sudden wealth. The truth of the matter is, Starling has to make a decision on what he loves the most and what he most wants to do. The rational brain suggests to not think of the money until I was pretty sure what direction I was going to go. Then again, I don’t have anyone dangling $5 million dollars in front of me.


One school of thought, no pun intended, is to take the money because you can always go back to college. If Starling plans on banking some of that money into a 401K plan, I’d say by all means take the money and run.


However, if Starling wants to go the Darin Erstad route and play both football and baseball, he will become a Husker. Otherwise, he will become a Royal.


That said, put yourself in Starling’s shoes, you love baseball and someone wants to give you boatloads of coin to do it. How many of you would turn down $7 million to do something you love?


It’s called business. You can hardly blame the young man and if you look at it from another angle it might perfect sense to carry on with what your college plans are. Then, if that hefty signing bonus comes along, then you go with plan B.


Some might say that Starling is using Nebraska as leverage to get a better deal. Perhaps there is an element of truth to that idea because Starling is doing is part taking care of his business as far as becoming a Husker and part of it is letting the Royals know that he is serious about becoming a Husker should they choose to offer him a lowball deal.


The fact is, people use leverage every day and I don't think Starling should have to disregard the leverage he has and should be allowed to use it. I don't view it as NU being used as much as some might.


There might be a negotiating leverage element involved but its also about being as ready to play football as possible if the offer isn't enough to spur him to baseball.

Martinez at a crossroad entering sophomore campaign

No position determined the fate of the Nebraska offense more in 2010 than quarterback. That figures to be the case once again in 2011. Granted, that could be said about any football team at any level but – you get the concept.



In the first ten games of 2010, Husker quarterback Taylor Martinez was a big play waiting to happen. He rushed 887 yards on 112 carries and 12 touchdowns. In the pasing department, he completed 63 of 119 for 1,161 yards, ten touchdowns and three interceptions. After sustaining an ankle injury, however, Martinez became pretty oridinary as he carried 50 times for 79 yards. In the passing department, he completed 44 of 76 for 470 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.


Martinez sat out wins over Iowa State and Colorado but also left losses against Texas A&M and Washington, giving way to since transferred Cody Green in relief each time.



Other than since departed offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, Martinez was perhaps the biggest scapeoat in the offense’s struggles in the second half of the season. However, the coaching staff would have been much served to have Martinez sit out and hopefully return in the Big 12 title game, or whenever he reached full health. Putting a less than full strength Martinez on the field was a liability more than an asset.


Martinez’s performance in the second half of the season had may Husker fans wondering if the talented sophomore is truly the right person to lead the offense. One must also realize, however, that with the exception of Tommie Frazier, the great majority of other good college quarterbacks (San Bradford, Tim Tebow, Terrelle Pryor to name a few) as far as recent times go didn’t start shine right out of the gate. Most of them were unknowns outside of their local fanbase until they were juniors or seniors which is when they were finally good enough to start.


As far as the Martinez’s inconsistency goes, I think it’s only something that needs to be developed just like anything else. Many players improve after their first year of starting and while I’m not saying he’s going to be zipping the ball around with pinpoint accurancy like Stanford’s Andrew Luck, he should be better in every aspect of the game over last year.


Where Martinez especially needs to improve is his game management and leadership skills. He has the ability to be a great player, if he can understand the defense better and earn the respect of his comrades. Some people were put off by Martinez’s aloof demeanor but great NFL quarterbacks like Joe Montana and Tom Brady to name a few were the furthest thing from being drill seargants and it didn’t stop them from being all-time greats.


Again, there is plenty of reason to wonder how good Martinez truly is but when he is intact and has opportunities, look out! When the offensive line looks like a sieve and he is injured, Nebraska is in for a long game.


Nebraska’s 20-13 loss to Texas signifies why there is reason to wonder. The worst Texas team in literally years was able to shut Martinez totally down when he was plenty healthy.In that game, Martiez carried 13 times for 21 yards and completed just 4 of 12 passes for 63 yards before getting replaced by Zac Lee.


However, in that game, Nebraska receivers dropped five passes, two would have been for sure touchdowns. If anyone could catch a ball that day, his passing numbers would have been much better and probably would have opened up a lot more running lanes. Could have been a totally different game.


As for the leadership issue, if your quarterback has excellent leadership skills, that’s great but leadership also must come from coaches. They should be able to make the team play well together regardless of whether the quarterback is shy, a jerk or whatever.

You don’t want a jerk as your quarterback, but in college I don’t think he has to be the undisputed leader of the team. I’d rather see him perfom well on the field and keep to himself clean off of it (as long as it doesn’t cause locker room problems) than be a terrific guy who can’t play.


One also has to consider that Martinez became a starter as a freshman, which means even with his dynamite start, he probably would have endured growing pains at some point. Keep in mind, most good starters at good programs don’t start when they’re freshmen or sophomores, they struggle or sit behind someone for 2-3 years a lot of times.


We can only hope Martinez improve in general. Actually, if he can just hold on to the ball, that would be a major improvement. The problem is that if the Huskers don’t fix many of the problems with the offensive line, regardless of how well Martinez plays, the offense will stall.

Losing hurts more than winning feels great

Well, where do I begin.

When Bo Pelini took over as Nebraska football’s head coach, we knew there would be losses. In a few cases bad losses were going to happen. There was the 52-17 loss to Missouri in Game Five last season at home. There was also the 62-28 loss at Oklahoma in Game Nine. Both opponents entered those respective games No. 4.

The common denominator in those games was that Nebraska had very little of any chance of winning those contests. The Huskers were still finding their way under Pelini. Both Missouri and Oklahoma were juggernauts at the time Nebraska faced those teams.

The most recent loss, however – 31-10 to the unranked Texas Tech Red Raiders at home? This has to be the low point in Pelini’s brief tenure as head coach. Make no mistake, I still believe that Pelini is the right guy to lead the Huskers back to prominence but Saturday’s loss flatout sucks for the following reasons:

 On offense, Nebraska has had seven crappy quarters out of their last eight. The Huskers scored 27 points in a come-from-behind 27-12 win over Missouri and only 10 points in a 31-10 loss Saturday against Texas – seven in garbage time. Against two mediocre defenses!

 Defensively, the Huskers held an always potent Texas Tech offense to 24 points. Keep in mind, Red Raider linebacker Daniel Martin scored on an 82-yard fumble return when Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee threw a backward lateral to wide receiver Niles Paul that the latter dropped with nary a defender within five yards.

 Nebraska also recorded five quarterback sacks and held the Red Raider offense to 62 yards (258 for the game) of total offense and seven points in the second half and still could not capitalize on that rare ineptitude.

So here we have Nebraska, 4-2 after six games. Not expected per se but the Huskers will face a crossroads with Iowa State at home and Baylor on the road. The former beat the latter 24-10 in Ames, Iowa on Saturday. The Huskers should win both games.

Of course there’s also the whole matter of starting quarterback Zac Lee, a junior, getting yanked in favor of Cody Green, a freshman. Keep in mind, some zealots have been calling for such a move but if the offensive line is not providing holes for running backs or pass protection for quarterbacks, you can put Joe Montana back there and it won’t matter.

So what needs to happen offensively?

We need to make changes and just pick an offense, going back to the days of Tom Osborne is not going to happen and would not be productive with the talent we have. Let's take this for what it was -- a letdown and loss. I am upset and disgusted like everyone else, but we can't take a step back and run to TO. These coaches will get it figured out.

Craig James during ABC’s broadcast made a comment that I liked, Pelini has the defense heading in the right direction -- now they just need to figure out how the offense can support them.

I say, what a difference a couple years makes! A couple of years ago our defense was on the sideline with their heads down and no hope of being great. Now we just need to find a middle ground with an offense to score points for our defense.

Let’s face it, “It hurts more to lose than it feels great to win.”

Husker resolve a thing of beauty

So what got into the Huskers in the fourth quarter?

I will probably wonder for days. Thursday’s 27-12 come-from-behind win over the Missouri Tigers was like exorcising a demon considering that Missouri had won four of the last six head-to-head meetings over Nebraska, mostly in dominating fashion with two 35-point wins the last two years (41-6 in 2007 and 52-17 in 2008).

Honestly, Nebraska won because they are the better team. Is this a landmark win or a signature win? Well, too early to say. We have to see where Missouri, which entered the contest rated No. 24 in the Associated Press poll behind Nebraska’s No. 21 rating, finishes the season. However, psychologically this is a huge win for the Huskers considering the Tigers recent dominance.

Next Saturday’s game at home against Texas Tech is big for the same reason. The Red Raiders have won the last three meetings. First there was the 70-10 debacle in 2004 and next there were two hard luck losses (34-31 in 2005 and 37-31 in 2008).

Granted, Thursday’s game was played in crappy conditions – wet field and it was raining for much of the night. This is also a huge win because two years ago when Nebraska endured loss after loss, mostly in convincing fashion, as fans we kept saying how we wanted a team that played with effort and resolve. Well, effort and resolve don’t always mean style points but those two elements give a team a chance to pull a game out of the fire when things go against them.

Nebraska trailed 12-0 entering the fourth quarter, looking like it had no chance to win. Sure, the defense was outstanding. The tackling was much more secure. The pressure was on Blaine Gabbert all night. However, the Nebraska offense couldn’t move the ball six feet. Next thing you know, two touchdown passes from Zac Lee to Niles Paul. One more to Mike McNeill. Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead salt the game away with timely runs.

This game also showed exactly why athletic director Tom Osborne hired Bo Pelini to be Nebraska’s head coach. Offenses have become all the rage in the Big XII. Pelini is a defensive minded coach. The Huskers were playing lifeless football, especially on defense. They needed a guy like Pelini to light a fire in them.

You know the old phrase, “Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships.” With the way rules have been made to favor offenses, that theory is not quite as true as previous times but let’s not kid ourselves, defense still matters.

The current Husker defense might not totally remind us of the days of yore just yet but any defense that allows just 40 points through five games is definitely doing something right. While the conditions were raw, Nebraska stifled an offense that can still score in Missouri.

We saw a defense that beat the crap out of Missouri. Those teams in the 90's played like they were mad. As Jason Peter said in his book and .I'm paraphrasing "Peyton Manning was a good guy but I wanted to hurt him."

Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong seemed the same way. There were a couple times he could have just wrangled Gabbert to the ground. On the play were Gabbert got hurt he seemed to be giving him a little extra -- not dirty just trying to throw him around. Gabbert is lucky his leg didn't get snapped. On the bogus horse collar play he ended up coming down fully on top of Gabbert. And then on another pass play...a short pass he absolutely destroyed the receiver.

I don’t know that I’d quite call this a signature win. That would be a Big XII title game or BCS bowl game.

Nonetheless, thanks to a punishing defense, this win is a huge step in the right direction.

Nebraska primed to reverse recent trend vs. Mizzu

Say this for second-year Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini – he’s got his players trained.

The No. 21 Huskers enjoyed 12 days to prepare for Thursday’s pivotal Big 12 North matchup at No. 24 Missouri. The Tigers also have not played a game in 12 days so call the layoff a wash.

To a man last week, Husker players and coaches took the route of, “We’re not thinking about Missouri.” This week, Nebraska seems to be taking the, “It’s another game” approach but let’s not kid ourselves these teams do not like each other.

In Missouri’s case, the hatred is based on jealousy and envy. In Nebraska’s case, the hatred is based on Missouri’s “Johnny Come Lately” cockiness, a la Colorado and Kansas State in the late 1980s to early 1990s. True, Missouri has dominated the Huskers in each of the last two seasons, a 41-6 win in Columbia in 2007 and a 52-17 win in Lincoln in 2008.

Nebraska tried going the emotion route last year and it backfired so one can understand why Nebraska is taking a more grounded approach this season but make no mistake – Nebraska has a score to settle with the Tigers.

The Huskers recently gained a measure of respect in a 16-15 loss at No. 5 Virginia Tech considering the bloodlettings they have suffered in recent seasons against highly regarded opponents.

Missouri hammered Nebraska last season but these are two vastly different clubs now. The Tigers started 5-0 but finished 5-4. Missouri is 4-0 this season but has also struggled in recent wins over Bowling Green (27-20) and Nevada (31-21). Nebraska went 3-3 in its first six games last season but 6-1 in its last seven and 3-1 so far in 2009 with three decisive wins and a narrow defeat at VaTech.

How Nebraska first-year starting quarterback Zac Lee handles his second road start will bear watching. Lee went 11-for-30 with two interceptions in the game at Virginia Tech. It stands to reason that Lee should play better now that he has experienced one of the tougher road environments in college football. Missouri might not make that list but their fans do have a hard edge when it comes to Nebraska. Make no mistake; the Huskers will have to battle through adversity to this key victory.

What should also hopefully help Lee is Nebraska’s commitment to the running game with Roy Helu as Missouri has struggled in slowing down the run, ranking 61st in the nation, mostly because the Tigers have not been sure tacklers. Since Nebraska has tried morphing into a power running game that approach might work to its advantage because the Tigers do no see a power run game in practice.

Even though Missouri lost a lot of skill position players from last season, the Tigers system is such now where they simply plug in players. However, Missouri struggles running the ball, ranking 60th in the nation in that category and while Gabbert’s feet are not nailed to the ground but he’s less likely to run than his predecessor, Chace Daniel.

This is the type of game that Pelini was hired for less than two years ago. Nebraska wants to become a physical team that is strong defensively in a time when Big XII teams are putting up basketball scoring numbers.

Lee the man unless trouble hits

Don’t you find it mildly strange how the media is frequently ready to draw premature comparisons when a perceived young stud quarterback enters the picture?

Nebraska enters this week’s home game against Arkansas State fresh off a 49-3 season-opening win over Florida Atlantic. Making his first start on the Div. I-A level, Zac Lee completed 15-of-22 passes for 213 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Playing at No. 2 behind Lee (a junior) is true freshman Cody Green, who saw action late in the game, completing 2-of-3 passes for 18 yards. He also had an explosive 49-yard run.

Never mind that the run came in garbage time but both the Lincoln Journal Star: http://huskerextra.com/articles/2009/09/09/football/doc4aa70694e7889308066200.txt and Omaha World Herald: http://www.omaha.com/article/20090908/BIGRED/709089819 ran stories that featured Green. “Unpsportsmanlike Conduct,” which is an Omaha based sports talk show did two segments on the matter.

I didn’t necessarily have a problem with the way either story was presented. Plus, being a mainstream media member myself, I respect the job they have to do as far as filling sports pages and filling air time.

I just think it’s a little premature to feature Green not matter what his high school resume suggests.

My biggest issue comes on message boards, which in one respect has replaced going to the bar and having conversations. Well, not replaced per se, but an outlet nonetheless.

At any rate, various message board posters have posed the question throughout the offseason and even now that at what point does Green (a true freshman) start?

We’ve all heard the football axioms of how, “The most popular guy on the team is the backup quarterback,” and “If you have two capable middle linebackers it’s a competition but if you have two capable quarterbacks it is a controversy.”

The thing that really chaps me about the aforementioned Nebraska media, which does a very good job more often than not, and the message board postings is that yes Green showed his dynamic talent in his limited time – but it was in garbage time. Just like Lee’s snaps last season in relief of Joe Ganz and Patrick Witt. I can understand going gaga if say he came in to flash that ability with the game in the balance.

I’m not saying this to knock Green. He appears to be a talented young man but going gaga over him under the circumstances does him no good either.

Granted, Green won the No. 2 job in camp hut Lee is also familiar with the entire playbook (which has 320 plays) while Green admitted himself that he has only 15 plays that he feels comfortable with. Just doing the math, that’s 15 divided by 320. That’s not even five percent of the playbook, folks! Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson might not desire Bill Callahan like volume but he does not strike me as the type that will scale down the playbook.

Bottom line, barring injury, Green will not start at quarterback this year or maybe even next year.

I’m all for playing a freshman over a junior if he is a better athlete but quarterback is a much different animal. Yes, Tommie Frazier took over as the Huskers starting quarterback five games into 1992 – supplanting Mike Grant. Frazier went on to lead Nebraska to two National Championships. More recently, Terrelle Pryor took over as Ohio State’s starting quarterback as a true freshman and led the Buckeyes to the Fiesta Bowl. Vince Young started as a true freshman at Texas and led the Longhorns to two Rose Bowl wins, the second of which was a National title. Matt Barkley is USC’s starting signal-caller. This year’s Trojans have been considered “down” but they have enough talent to be 10-3 if they have a bad year.

The difference is this. Those teams had strong supporting casts. The current Nebraska team has a good but not great supporting cast.

Husker fans that truly know the sport understand that Lee will see about 90 percent of the snaps. Do you play Green in meaningful situations? Sure but do so with one of the 15 plays where he is comfortable and perhaps around the goal-line.

However, if Green is starting, it’s not a good sign for Nebraska because it means that Lee is either injured or ineffective and that the Huskers have opted to move forward.

Huskers show many positives in opener that will need to continue

Nebraska will certainly face more stringent tests throughout the 2009 than the one it faced in Saturday’s 49-3 season-opening route over the Florida Atlantic Owls.

The next game, which is Saturday’s home contest against Arkansas State, might not tell us any more before the rubber truly meets the road one week later on Sept. 19 when Nebraska visits Virginia Tech.

Arkansas State routed Mississippi Valley State 61-0 Saturday but keep in mind it has been 25 years since Jerry Rice suited up at the college game. Then again, Arkansas State went into College Station and upset Texas A&M 18-14 last season, sending the Aggies reeling to a 4-8 season. Plus, College Station is on par with Nebraska as far as tough environments for a visiting club. The Red Wolves lost 35-0 at Alabama, also a hostile environment, later that season.

One game does not a season make but we learned a few things from Saturday and still need to learn.

-- The good news was that the Blackshirts had far fewer assignment busts that plagued them at times last season and also made the Owls settle for a field goal after reaching the Husker 3-yard line. Not recording a sack was a bit disturbing but producing three takeaways was encouraging. Nebraska faced a strong quarterback-receiver combo against Florida State. Arkansas State, meanwhile, will try to be more physical. To be fair, Nebraska was pretty basic in its game-plan Saturday and probably will be this week too before unveiling a few wrinkles for VaTech.

-- The Nebraska offense seems to be in solid shape with Zac Lee at the controls. Lee complete 15-of-22 passes and very easily could have had three more completions if not for dropped passes. Lee looked a little tentative early, which is to be expected from someone making their first Div. I-A but otherwise showed veteran-like poise. However, the question becomes, will he maintain that poise if Nebraska finds itself in a tight game be in this Saturday’s home game or in a hostile road environment?

-- Running back Roy Helu, who carried 16 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns, looks like Lawrence Phillips – minus the disgraceful baggage of course. Another difference too is that Phillips played behind an offensive line that was so good he was often 10 yards into the secondary before even being touched. In Helu’s career, Nebraska has had some good individual linemen but chemistry among that unit is still a work in progress. Point being, Helu is a slasher and can get eight yards when there’s only four.

-- Nebraska’s depth seems a lot better than last season. So much so that the team can probably survive an injury in some spots. Not that we are wishing of course. Don’t be surprised if senior Phillip Dillard is a factor at some point. Dillard slid on the depth chart after falling out of favor with the coaching staff but appears to be back in the staff’s good graces. Nonetheless, since the Husker linebacking unit is chock full of redshirt freshmen and sophomores, those individuals might have bumpy roads at some point.


-- Last season, the Huskers were a largely experienced club in that numerous seniors play key roles, which could be a plus or minus. Plus, because they were experienced but a minus because they were coached a lot of bad habits by the previous coaching staff. This year, the Huskers seem to be taking on a youth movement in that only six seniors are playing significant roles. Again, that can be a plus or minus. The plus side is that the players have potential. The downside, young players will make mistakes you have to live with. Another plus, the coaching staff will groom them their way from the beginning.

-- Speaking of two of those young players, quarterback Cody Green and running back Rex Burkhead got plenty of snaps, most of which were after the Huskers gained control of the game. However, both flashed some serious ability. Could that mean snaps with the game in the balance in the future?

Again, many positives out of the first game, they’ll need to continue.

Smooth debut for Big Red

Burn this, Howard!

Florida Atlantic made some news just a few days before Saturday’s 49-3 loss to Nebraska. The Owls recently lit an over-sized Nebraska "N" on fire during a pep rally in Boca Raton.
Over 1,000 fans were at Florida Atlantic's pep rally, where head coach Howard Schnellenberger ignited the Nebraska "N.”

The event was video-taped and placed on the internet, which has reached Lincoln. Owls quarterback Rusty Smith even semi-joked how it took gasoline to burn the “N.” Hey Rusty, that’s what happens when you combine matches with gasoline. What chemistry class did you fail at Florida Atlantic?

Honesty, that event had nothing to do with Nebraska, which hosts Arkansas State Saturday Sept. 12, taking the Owls behind the woodshed.

The only thing surprising about Nebraska’s win was the smoothness of its performance. Since head coach Bo Pelini is a perfectionist, you can bet your next paycheck that he will find something to get the team’s attention. However, considering this was the first game of the season, the performance was pretty smooth – which is an encouraging sign for a team that made a few too many mental mistakes for Plini’s taste diring a 9-4 campaign in 2008.

Offensively, the Huskers took a “use the pass to set up the run” approach. Even with the passing game being more mainstream in football, an efficient ground-game is still vital. However, the tried and true “run to set up the pass” theory is outmoded.

In the first half quarterback Zac Lee was 10-of-15 for 153 yards for two touchdowns, finishing the contest 15-of-22 for 213 yards. The completion percentage would have been even better if not for a few dropped passes. Running back Roy Helu carried 16 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns despite not playing the last quarter and a half before giving way to true freshman Rex Burkhead. At halftime, Helu had 12 carries for 56 yards.

In a nutshell, you pass to get the lead, you run to seal the win. Lee was not asked to do a lot in his Div. I-A debut but he didn’t need to. However, at some point, the rubber will meet road.

Defensively, the Huskers faced an Owls team that has talent at both quarterback and receiver but it mattered none with little running game (FAU produced just 3.5 yards per carry). Plus, the Owls had no answer for Husker defensive tacle Ndamukong Suh. Then again, who does. It’s not just Suh’s seven tackles and one sack. It’s his relentless pursuit of ballcarriers downfield and the double-teams that he consumes.

Nebraska’s pressure was like a blast-furace early in the game before declining later as the Owls went to more max-protection looks. Even more encouraging was the solid play of the Huskers young linebackers and the fact that the defense produced three takeaways after getting just 17 last season. The tackling was also pretty sure as well.

The special teams performance was also encouraging after last year’s inconsistent efforts and Jared Crick came up huge with a blocked field goal.

IN A NUTSHELL

Very good performance for a first game. There were a few delay of game penalties and false starts but nothing too glaring. Keep in mind; the Huskers are breaking in a new quarterback.
The coaches kept the play-calling pretty simple considering the opponent. It’s not like the Owls are going to be in a January bowl game. Nonetheless, the team executed the game-plan it was asked to execute which is always encouraging.

Huskers to open with solid win

It’s here ladies and gentlemen. Gameday in Lincoln, Nebraska as the Huskers start Year Two of the Bo Pelini.

Nebraska took a step toward respectability in going from 5-7 in 2007 to 9-4 last season. The big issue now is building on last season’s success and continuing that forward momentum on Saturday in the season opener against Florida Atlantic.

There are plenty of things that stand out about this game. Owls quarterback Rusty Smith is being tabbed as one that has the ability to play in the NFL. The question is, will they be able to protect him? With Nebraska’s dominant defensive line, I think not. If the Owls opt to double-team defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, that opens it up for defensive end Pierre Allen and vice versa. If the double both, Jared Crick or Barry Turner will beat one-on-one blocks.

What about the linebackers and secondary? The Huskers have a ton of youth at linebacker which is significant because linebackers are asked to do a lot in Pelini’s scheme. However, Nebraska’s dominant defensive line will take pressure off both the linebackers and safety.

And what about the secondary forcing turnovers? Takeaways came by the bushel in 2003 when Pelini was the defensive coordinator as the Huskers produced 47 that season but only 17 in 2008. Reports from the Husker camp have been that the defensive backs have shown improvement on getting to the football, which is encouraging. And frankly necessary.

Turning to the offensive side, true freshman Cody Green is listed as No. 2 behind Zac Lee. Will he see action? Probably so but will it be by design early in the game, say the third or fourth series or if it’s a blowout?

Another thing I find compelling was that after the two-deep depth chart was released, the word “or” appeared 17 times. In one respect, that number shows that the team has many interchangeable parts, which is great but at some point roles need to be defined to prevent chaos.

Prediction: This game could either be close for a half before Nebraska wears down the Owls or the Huskers could get a big lead early and it’s an even game thereafter. Regardless, Nebraska wins 45-20.

Finally some football

Without further adieu, it’s time to start the college football season. In Lincoln, Neb., it starts at 6 p.m. local time against Florida Atlantic.

I never know for sure what to expect, especially in a season opener. I always caution that in August, pretty much everybody is full of optimism. The fact of the matter is, when the games are actually played, somebody's going to go away disappointed.Nebraska could, and probably should, win decisively but I would not be shocked if the Huskers are tested early in the contest. We have an unproven OL and an unproven QB. These are key question marks. FAU has a great talent at QB.For Nebraska, the rubber will truly meet the road on Sept. 19 when it visits Virginia Tech, which enters the season rated No. 7.

One thing we have to take into consideration is that this Nebraska team is a pretty young one. There are about 11 redshirt freshmen, 11 sophomore, and 16 juniors that will play key roles but as of now only about six seniors that figure to be starters. There will be some bugs to work out.

With the running back rotation, I see the top three guys as being Roy Helu, Rex Burkhead and probably Lester Ward with Marcus Mendoza being the situational back. Much will depend on the game situation but I see Helu getting about 20-25 carries with Burkhead (a true freshman) getting about 10-12.

The biggest concern for Nebraska on offense is definitely the line, which I think will at least be satisfactory. Individually, you have some pretty good players but it’s a matter of finding the right combination. Then, there’s the question of how does quarterback Zac Lee respond to adversity? Not just from a game score standpoint but how does he react the first time he gets hit? Then also, while there is talent at wide receiver, who becomes that No. 1 guy?

No worries at all for the tight end position with Mike McNeill figuring to be Lee’s go-to man but don’t be surprised if Dreu Young or Kyler Reed becomes a factor.

Defensively, Nebraska should be just as good if not better up front thanks to Ndamukong Suh opting to stay in school for his senior year. Suh will face his share of double-teams that will free up opportunities for guys like Barry Turner, Pierre Allen, Jared Crick and Cameron Meredith.

Allen is a definitely star but with Turner coming off a torn ACL, it’s doubtful he’s an all-Big 12 player but if he can be solid that would be a huge boost for Nebraska.

Linebacker and secondary should be an upgrade even with several new faces.

Florida Atlantic’s offense will test the Huskers from time-to-time. Rusty Smith is a legit quarterback. FAU has some size and speed at receiver and their head coach (Howard Schnellengberger) is a bright offensive mind). However, FAU has a suspect running game and Nebraska’s D-Line should dominate.

The Husker offense has some new faces but the good news is that so does FAU’s defense, which lost eight starters.

JUCO transfers are not junko transfers

There are many arguments that will get a Nebraska football fan’s blood going. Too many to list.

One that recently crossed my mind was how Husker fans, well at least as a broad generalization; tend to have an aversion to recruiting JUCO transfers. Cynics will point to the Bill Snyder era (the first one) at Kansas State along with the Bill Callahan era at Nebraska. Under Bo Pelini, the Huskers have scaled back their emphasis on recruiting JUCO transfers.

This blog entry should not be confused with endorsing a recruiting class full of JUCO transfers but in listening to some people you would think JUCO transfers came with a birth defect.

Yes, they do come with a risk. However, it should also be pointed out that Mike Rozier was a JUCO transfer and went on to become a Heisman Trophy winner. Terrell Farley was also a JUCO transfer and was a key member of the 1995 National Championship Husker team. Granted, Nebraska’s defense had other tremendously talented players (i.e. The Peter Bros., Grant Wistrom, Jared Tomich, and Mike Booker to name a few) but Farley generated numerous big plays. Zac Taylor was also a JUCO transfer and one could argue that his play at quarterback kept the Callahan era from being a complete disaster. Taylor was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2006.

The 2009 Huskers will have at least two JUCO transfers that will play a role in the team’s success, quarterback Zac Lee and wide receiver Brandon Kinnie. Lee is the starter while Kinnie will likely see time because they are playing positions of need.

In general, I think certain people disdain JUCO transfers (Nebraska fans included) with such an elitist mentality for much the wrong reason because there are more reasons than "just" academics why a kid winds up at a JC.For one thing, as much as we Husker fans love the walk-on program, the bottom line is that kids are not as patient anymore about waiting their turn. Since I cover primarily high school sports, I have seen many kids who were the star on their high school team become hell bent on moving out of their hometown because they want something new. Because they were so much more talented than their high school peers, they didn't really have to work hard for their success. Then, they get to college and realize too late that they have to work much harder for their success. The next thing you know, they're back at their hometown JC but not because they couldn't cut the mustard academically. Plus, we live in an instant gratification world more than ever. The fact is, kids like an Adam Ickes, Todd Peterson or a Ben Eisenhart, who might be willing to forgo scholarships and early playing time elsewhere to wait their turn are fewer and further between than even 15 years ago.I also think that while relying heavily on JUCO transfers can be a risk, they often tend to have a better work ethic than your four and five star recruits from the high school ranks. Why? Nobody handed them anything and they are less likely to take what they have for granted because they have a shorter window of opportunity to prove themselves than a high school kid. Therefore, they push those four and five star recruits in practice to become better ballplayers – similar to the walk-ons. Granted, a JUCO transfer from outside Nebraska might not have Husker football woven into their blood but they tend to have the same work ethic as a walk-on.

To become a great team like what we all hope Nebraska aspires to become again, it's a balancing act. You obviously want five-star recruits but you also need hard-nosed walk-ons and JUCO transfers with talent and intangibles like Taylor.In addition, there are plenty of kids who might have been decent enough students in high school but perhaps lacked a little maturity off the field. For those kids, a JUCO situation is in their best interest. This aspect is also prevalent in non-athletes too. After all, take the kid who graduated from high school with barely enough credits and put him or her next to one who graduated with honors. Often times, they wind up in the same place. The first of which might begin their academic career at a JC and the other at a highly regarded four-year school. The latter of which might be the anointed one but winds out either back at his hometown JC or flunking out of school because he or she partied their life away.

I know I'm rambling like crazy but the same thing can apply in athletics too. Look at former Notre Dame quarterback Ron Pawlus, he was the anointed one out of high school and look what happened. Look at Taylor, he failed at Wake Forest and went to a JUCO before coming to Nebraska. Granted, Taylor has not become the next Joe Montana or John Elway but all I know is this – I want that guy on my team not just for his ability (which I think is pretty good but not great) but for his intangibles. Plus, Pawlus never had a job that ended requiring Sunday work.

Playing redshirt roulette

Omaha World Herald columnist Tom Shatel had a great sense of timing this week.

Earlier this week, Shatel reasoned that Nebraska might not have the luxury of redshirting true freshman quarterback Cody Green http://omaha.com/article/20090810/SPORTS/708109892. If there is one thing we know about second year Husker head coach Bo Pelini is that it will be a rare set of circumstances that he does not redshirt a true freshman.

The Huskers enter the 2009 campaign with junior Zac Lee as the clear cut favorite to be the starting signal-caller with redshirt freshman Kody Spano, Green, junior LaTravis Washington (a converted linebacker) and true freshman Taylor Martinez battling for the No. 2 spot. The best case scenario would be Lee proving that he is more than ready to play at a high level with Spano being the No. 2 man while redshirting Green.

Spano, however, will miss the season with a torn ACL. The injury, which took place Tuesday, came in the same left leg that Spano suffered an ACL tear in during spring ball. Pelini expects to have him back in the fold by winter conditioning. Spano might pursue a medical redshirt but that’s a discussion for another day.

It was a non-contact injury suffered while running, Pelini said, which occurred during Tuesday's practice. The injury leaves Washington and Green as the likely candidates to backup Lee since they were in Lincoln for spring ball.

Some media members that cover the team daily as well as message board posters have wondered if perhaps Spano rushed back to soon. Hard to say really because for all we know the structure of his knee might make him more prone to injury.

So does this mean Green redshirting is pretty much off the table, or does become the de facto No. 2 guy and you hope that you can redshirt Green by not having to play him?

The answer is pretty simple. Whomever wins the No. 2 job doesn't redshirt. I don't think the coaches can worry about anything else now; you have to get that No. 2 guy some reps in a game early in the season, just in case. You can't try to save Green or Washington for a redshirt, I don't think, like Bill Callahan tried to do with Harrison Beck in 2005. To be fair, Nebraska was seldom in a blowout situation in 2005.

Potentially, if the threesome of Green, Washington and Martinez are dead even for that No. 2 slot, you could play one of them as No. 2 this season, then redshirt him next season and play the other two behind Lee, thereby preserving everyone's redshirt. Had Spano remained healthy, and the No. 2 job was pretty even between him, Green, Washington and perhaps Martinez, then you could've tried to save the redshirts for Green, Washington and Martinez, using Spano in the mop-up role, since he already had redshirted. This re-injury makes that impossible.

I know some will look at this as Spano rushing his return, and he may have, but look at it this way. Spano had already used his redshirt. He knew this fall gave him a great shot at winning the No. 2 job. The doctors probably told him he might re-injure it and was pushing his return date, but he had a reasonable shot of staying healthy too. With his redshirt already burned, he probably figured the reward of being No. 2 was worth the risk of re-injuring it. If he had sat out another couple of months, he would've had little to no chance of being No. 2 this season, so he probably felt like pushing the return was worth a shot. I can understand why he did it - if he sat out another couple of months of rehab, 2009 would be pretty much a lost season for him anyway.

As for Green, I’d say he only burns a redshirt if he is so much better than Washington that the coaches have no choice or if Lee gets injured. If the guy is Terrelle Pryor, Vince Young or Tommie Frazier, then that is one thing but only the coaches will really know if he's that good this soon. If, in their estimation he's not going to be any less mistake prone than Washington then let Washington finish it out.

Let’s also not forget that Ron Kellogg Jr. might be an option too. Kellogg joins the Huskers as a walk-on from Omaha Westside High School, where he starred at quarterback. He also held scholarship offers from Northwest Missouri State and North Dakota and a walk-on offer from Iowa. Kellogg is the son of former Kansas basketball great and NBA player Ron Kellogg.Then again, we also have to truly understand the true meaning of the term “redshirt.”

There is no such thing as a redshirt in terms of being defined as one before the season starts. As long as a player does not play in a game (or gets a waiver for a medical redshirt because he was injured in an early game) and has not used his redshirt year, that player is considered to have used it when the season is over. So, theoretically, Green could be Nebraska's No. 2 QB and still use his redshirt year if he does not play during 2009.

When offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and Pelini think about this, I think this is the most likely scenario. If Nebraska is up big and it's garbage time, Washington and/or Kellogg will likely come in to finish the game. If, heaven forbid, Lee is injured and cannot go when a game is still close, I think you'll see Green. If a game's out of reach with NU ahead and Lee gets injured, I think Washington and Kellogg finish with Green taking over as the starter the next week if Lee isn't healthy. I don't think this automatically means Green does not use his redshirt year at all. There's nothing that says he won't use it next year even if he does have to play this year. This was the plan that was supposed to have been done at Virginia Tech with Tyrod Taylor. He wasn't supposed to play last year, it's just that Sean Glennon was so bad behind a young/poor offensive line that Taylor had to play because VaTech could use more rollouts/QB keeper plays and not have a drop-back passer get sacked routinely because their O-line wasn't very good early in the season.

Sizing up position battles

Competition or controversy?

If a football team has two good quarterbacks, it’s a controversy. If the team has two good middle linebackers, it’s a competition.

As fall camp enters for the Nebraska football team, as with any season, there are position battles that bear watching.

The No. 2 quarterback position will especially bear watching as Zac Lee is the odds-on favorite to replace the graduated Joe Ganz. After Lee, the race for No. 2 includes Kody Spano, LaTravis Washington, Cody Green and potentially Taylor Martinez. I remain very adamant that Green and Martinez should redshirt. For starters, it’s going to be very rare that head coach Bo Pelini does not redshirt a true freshman.

In an ideal world, Washington would redshirt too given that the junior is a converted linebacker. However, I kind of made the same argument last year when Cody Glenn moved from running back to linebacker but not redshirting Glenn seemed to work just fine. Redshirting Washington now, however, would logjam the position for the future.

Spano, who is a redshirt freshman, would be the No. 2 man ideally but is he fully recovered physically and mentally from a torn ACL injury? I say, plan on making Lee the main guy and find a role for Washington. Perhaps the Wildcat role.

Wide receiver and right guard will also be a compelling thing to watch. At the former, Menelik Holt and Niles Paul are likely to be the starters for the season opener. Both had meaningful snaps last year behind Nate Swift and Todd Peterson but being the lead guy is a whole different deal. Behind Holt and Paul, you have Chris Brooks, Will Henry, Curenski Gilleylen, Brandon Kinnie and Marcus Mendoza, Antonio Bell, Tim Marlowe and Khiry Cooper.
For right guard, the wild card is backup center Mike Caputo, who could possibly be the start and move Jacob Hickman to right guard. Or keeping Hickman at center and having Ricky Henry and Caputo battle it out at right guard. It’s really a battle to see whether sophomore backup center Mike Caputo progresses enough to surpass junior Ricky Henry at his position, right guard. Obviously the possibility has been brought up, because current center/former right guard Jacob Hickman talked about it at length at Big 12 Media Days.Middle linebacker will also bear watching. Linebacker was an area of weakness for much of the year but senior walk-on Colton Koehler was a bright spot.

The wild card is what happens to Phillip Dillard, who has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff (specifically position coach Mike Ekeler). Dillard has enough talent to be an asset but will his mind be in the right place?

Then there is also redshirt freshman Will Compton, who is highly touted but young players also come with a learning curve.

You also have five guys battling for two cornerback positions -- Anthony West, Prince Amukamara, Dejon Gomes, and Alfonzo Dennard and Anthony Blue. For now, West and Amukamara are the favorites but if he’s healthy, Blue might be the best corner.

Sizing up Zac Lee expectations

While it is commonly believed that Nebraska football is on its way back under second-year head coach Bo Pelini, if there is one thing that tempers 2009 expectations it is breaking in a new starting quarterback.

The Huskers went 9-4 in Pelini’s first season and will have a new starting quarterback (most likely Zac Lee) to replace the graduated Joe Ganz. Most preseason prognosticators seem to pick Kansas to prevail over Nebraska in the Big 12 North for 2009 in part due to the return of its quarterback Todd Reesing.

Lee is the favorite to become Nebraska’s starting quarterback but mostly by default. Lee, who is a junior college transfer from San Francisco City College, will compete with redshirt freshman Kody Spano and true freshman Cody Green for starting duties at quarterback. Lee sat out the 2005 season before enrolling in junior college in January of 2006, giving him four years to use three seasons of eligibility at Nebraska, where he redshirted in 2007 and appeared in two games in a mop-up role last season. Lee is advertised as a quarterback that has a strong arm and good mobility.

So what are the realistic expectations we should have for Lee? Assuming that he winds up the starter – and there’s every reason to think he will.

In one respect, I would save all or any expectation until the 2010 season. For this year, the biggest thing Lee needs to do is execute the basics with the other more experienced components of Husker offense taking on the big load. That means the offensive line; receivers and the backs need to carry the team most of the season.

Last season, Ganz opened the year with the return of his share of experienced supporting cast members. Sure the Huskers scored a combined 120 point in the first three games against Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State but also needed two non-offensive touchdowns to pull away from San Jose State 35-12.

One thing that bodes well for Lee is that production issues early last season had less to do with Ganz and more to do with an emphasis on a power running game which the Huskers lacked personnel to effectively run. As a result, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson began to spread defenses out which created lanes for Ganz, Roy Helu, and Marlon Lucky.

I do not expect Lee to explode but I anticipate that he will make things “look easier” because he possess more natural talent than Ganz. The hardest thing to replace about Ganz will be his leadership.

Ganz was undeniably a big reason Nebraska won nine games last season but he also helped seal the team’s fate in the four losses. I put Ganz in much the same category as Zac Taylor in that both are tough guys and gamers but also spotty in the clutch. Their mistakes often stemmed from trying to do too much.

The situation is different this year. Lee does not have to be a hero. The Huskers have a pretty solid line, proven running backs, and the makings of a stout defense. Taylor and Ganz, especially Taylor, really didn't have either of those things with any consistency.

That leads me to believe that Lee will be more than up to what is expected of him. Keep in mind, the Lee era is also coinciding with the stabilization of Nebraska’s identity on offense (multiple/balanced). As a result, we will see more of a solid running game as opposed to running the ball just for the sake of doing it.

Watson found what works found and the O-Line is no doubt getting the reps on it in practice.

Lee in a much better situation than Taylor and especially Joe Daily were in under Bill Callahan’s coaching staff. Lee has had two complete seasons and while injured his first spring, he had three springs to get an understanding of the offense and what it means to compete at the Div I-A level.

He also has offensive teammates that are totally on the same page, as much as a college program can reasonably have. Everybody around him knows what to do. The 2004 and 2005 clubs were trying to find guys who could fit and grasp the system. D-linemen were made O-linemen. You also had a fifth year senior safety (Willie Amos) moved to receiver. Taylor paid a physical price; a Nebraska QB should never again have to pay.

Lee, however, has had the same quarterback coach and coordinator throughout all three years. The biggest thing to keep in mind with Watson is that he is also more practical with college limitations, than Callahan and Norvell were. They were fully immersed in their West Coast Offensive philosophy.

It was one thing to add numerous playbook volume for say Rich Gannon when the Oakland Raiders were on their way to a Super Bowl appearance in 2002 because a) Gannon was an NFL veteran and b) at the pro level, it is a full-time job. Whereas in the college game, there are limitations on how much time they can spend on football.

Spring game 2009 things to look for

Spring Game No. 2 of the Bo Pelini is nearly here and if last year is any indication, you won’t be seeing any exhibition like play of the No. 1 offense going against the No. 4 defense like we did in four years of the Bill Callahan era.

Everyone has their own idea of what they would like to see. I have mine:

Barry Turner is back but how much of an impact can he make?

Turner’s return from knee surgery that cause him to miss virtually all of the 2008 season could help Nebraska become the Top 25 defense they need to be. Keep in mind, Matt Herian returned from a broken leg in 2006 but was only a shadow of his former self. Let’s hope Turner can be a difference maker.

Receivers have more speed but can they be sure-handed and block downfield?

The Husker offense could have used more speed at receiver last season. They will get that element this season with additions like Curenski Gilleylen and converted running back Marcus Mendoza. Nebraska, however, lost Nate Swift and Todd Petersen to graduation. Neither was a downfield blazer but were tough in traffic, in the clutch and as downfield blockers. Gilleylen has improved his hands; Antonio Bell could be the most complete receiver by the time he develops. Antonio Bell will be a big threat this year. Competition for the X receiver spot has been intense between Will Henry and Menelik Holt.

Who steps up on the O-Line, Ricky Henry or DJ Jones?

With projected starting tackle Javoirio Burkes out indefinitely due to an unclosed medical condition, the Huskers will need one if not both to fill the void quickly.

What will we see from Baker Steinkuhler?

When the Huskers recruited Steinkuhler, who is the son of former Husker great Dean Steinkuhler and brother of recently graduated Ty Steinkuhler, much was asked on where he fits in – as an offensive or defensive tackle? Baker Steinkuhler redshirted last season and the Huskers have him at defensive tackle. Can Baker become the stud tackle that takes over after Ndamukong Suh graduates?

Is Zac Lee ready?

The Spring Game format probably won’t tell us a whole but the biggest issue is making the right reads and handling the pressure within the pocket. Most importantly, he has to take command of the offense.

Are Castille’s fumbling problems a thing of the past?

With Roy Helu being held out for precautionary reasons, Quentin Castille will get a lot of attention along with Lester Ward, Austin Jones and Jeremy Wallace. Castille did not fumble in the Huskers 26-21 Gator Bowl win. Is that an aberration or a sign of things to come.
Who stands out in the defensive backfield?Turnovers did not come by the bushel as many anticipated last season with the return of Pelini and defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders. In fact, last season things were an adventure in the secondary at times. I’ll be interested to see if another year in the scheme will mean the DBs being in a better position to make plays.

Marve to Nebraska -- would not be marvelous

I have one thing to say to the Husker coaching staff regarding former University of Miami quarterback Robert Marve considering coming to Nebraska – run!

Better yet – run fast!

The former Miami quarterback departed following his redshirt freshman season and according to various reports Michigan, Purdue, UCLA and Nebraska are among six schools still in the running for his services. Based on NCAA regulations, Marve will be eligible for two seasons, starting in 2010, meaning he has to sit out the 2009 campaign.

Marve started 11 games in 2008, throwing for 1,293 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions while splitting time with true freshman Jacory Harris. Marve was suspended for Miami's season opener and for the Hurricanes' Emerald Bowl loss to Cal for violations of team rules.

Sports Illustrated also reported that after Marve decided to transfer, Miami coach Randy Shannon refused to release him to any ACC or SEC school or to any school in Florida. An appeals panel amended Marve's release, allowing him to transfer on scholarship to any school except an ACC member, Florida, Tennessee or LSU.

The Huskers could use another quarterback after Patrick Witt decided to leave the program just three weeks ago. With the graduation of Joe Ganz, Nebraska has three inexperienced quarterbacks in Zac Lee, Kody Spano and Cody Green. Spano is a redshirt freshman while Green is a true freshman while fellow true freshman Taylor Martinez also wants a shot. Green, however, is already enrolled at Nebraska while Martinez is not – thus making him a longshot for this season.

Granted, those four players have a grand total of 15 snaps under their belts at the Division I-A level. However, Marve would be an odd fit because he is deemed a “pro style” quarterback but Nebraska seems to be leaning in the direction of the dual-threat QBs with the implementation of various concepts of the Spread. Keep in mind, Witt was considered a “pro style” quarterback but that likely would have made him the odd man out in 2009 and beyond.

Most of all, however, there is the baggage that Marve comes with in terms of twice getting suspended for violating team rules. For starters, we do not have information on what those rules are but getting suspended twice in your freshman season? Twice. One time you can consider an aberration but twice is a definite red flag. Plus, Shannon actually seems like a decent guy of character. Keep in mind; these are not the loose-ship Hurricanes of the Jimmy Johnson or Dennis Erickson eras.

Keep in mind, Nebraska already tried going the free agent route (well, the college version) with Sam Keller in 2006 and that didn’t work too well.

Keller brought some baggage with him too. Reportedly, Keller (who would have been a senior) had beaten out redshirt freshman Rudy Carpenter for the starting job in 2006. Keller was named the starter just before the start of the 2006 campaign. Then Arizona State head coach Dirk Koetter, however, rescinded his decision and named Carpenter the starter after his parents had threatened to transfer schools as a result of the decision.

Keller then opted to leave and subsequently transferred to Nebraska. He redshirted the 2006 season and “beat out” Ganz for the starting job but I use that term rather loosely. Then Husker head coach Bill Callahan publicly emphasized that both were “competing” for the starting job but let’s face it, the “competition” part was lip service.

Not that Keller performed poorly in 2007 but he hardly lived up to the hype. Plus, the Huskers abomination of a 5-7 season in 2007 was more attributable to the defense being a sieve.

That said when Keller suffered a season ending injury in Game 9, Ganz shined and never looked back.

Marve throws the ball with some zip but the guy strikes me as one that had a hard time with the concept of competing for his job. That reason reportedly played a role in Witt’s decision to leave.

You see, if a player is going to have a problem having to earn his stripes (i.e. starting job), do not go anywhere near him because if he can’t handle competing for his job then how is he going to survive the pressure cooker of trying to lead a team 80 yards in two minutes.

Go back to Harrison Beck in 2006. Beck, who was a highly touted recruit in the Huskers 2005 class, transferred before the start of the ’06 campaign. Zac Taylor was Nebraska’s starter at the time and deservedly so. Yet, Beck’s mother makes statements to the effect of but “it’s not like he (Taylor) is as good as Matt Leinert or Brady Quinn.”

True, Taylor might not have had the careers of those two players but he had a pretty solid career at Nebraska and there is a reason why his teammates respected him.

Beck, meanwhile, transferred to North Carolina State. Did he do anything I missed out on there? Well, Beck is now on his way to Northern Alabama (a Division II school). Good luck, Harrison, it just confirms that your mom was wrong to moan.

Redshirt does not mean red flag

Husker fans have heard the word “culture” used quite a bit. There was Bill Callahan “flipping” the culture in his tenure as head coach from 2004-2007. Since Bo Pelini came aboard as Nebraska’s head coach, the word “culture” takes on a far different meaning.

Such as valuing the walk-on program. Such as mixing with the masses of the fan base. Such as scraping the “NFL mentality” that while I enjoy on one level, just does not work at college level. Especially at Nebraska. Such as fielding teams that outwork the opposition. Most of all, such as redshirting and developing incoming athletes.

Defense is Pelini’s forte and while Nebraska rising from 112th overall in 2007 to 55th a year ago was a welcome site, it’s no where near where Pelini aspires. Pelini said as much about Nebraska’s 9-4 finish in 2008. Again, it’s a good start under the new regime but not where the program ultimately needs to be. With the Huskers being talent deficient in some areas (i.e., linebacker), some fans wondered why Pelini did not burn redshirts and put talented freshmen on the field.

The reason? It’s about the process of developing them the right way. If you start a talent-limited but experienced senior over a potentially talented but inexperienced freshman, that suggests that the coach is here for the long haul. Pelini redshirted virtually his entire 2008 recruiting class and is likely to follow that trend for the 2009 class and as long as he is in charge of the Husker program.

Most people have wondered if true-freshman-to-be quarterback Cody Green suddenly has a shot at becoming the starting signal-caller since Patrick Witt left the program. The feeling here is that the job belongs to Zac Lee, with whom Witt was supposed to compete for the starting job. The feeling is also that the only way Green’s redshirt gets lifted is if Lee or redshirt freshman Kody Spano gets hurt.

Anyhow, back to this whole “culture” thing and how it pertains to redshirting freshmen. The current NCAA rules state that an eligible athlete has five years to complete four seasons. Therefore, student-athletes may practice for a team but not play in a game for one season, not counting against his or her four seasons of eligibility. This is known as a redshirt. Fans don’t see their contributions in that they do not happen on gameday but the redshirt season is a valuable year in a system in that it provides shelter against some of the harsh realities of jumping to a new level of football.

You see, some highly-touted high school studs make their college choices in the recruiting process based on early playing time. Some coaches promise it or tell the youngster he has a fair chance to compete for playing time. Others will demand an automatic redshirt. Pelini might not redshirt 100 percent of his recruits as freshmen but it’s going to be rare when he does not.

Pelini redshirted 50 scholarship players (including walkons) last season. As mentioned earlier, the Huskers were already thin at linebacker entering 2008. So thin they converted running back Cody Glenn to linebacker. Glenn, who earned the starting weakside linebacker job, was suspended late in the season and starting linebacker Phillip Dillard was limited the last half of the season with an ankle injury. Pelini still resisted the temptation of burning redshirts on talented players like Sean Fisher, Will Compton and Alonzo Whaley.

There are numerous reasons to redshirt freshmen. For starters, the college game moves a hell of a lot faster than high school, which means decisions have to be made faster. Therefore, the extra season working against starters in practice is a benefit.

Also, highly touted high school studs were often the stars of their team and their league. They were exponentially better than their high school peers. In college, everyone is at least as good if not better. That extra year of conditioning will give the youngster a better chance to handle the rigors of a 12-14 game college schedule.

The verbiage of a playbook (especially on offense) is also far greater in college than in high school as is the intricacy of reading the opposition. Some of that pressure can be alleviated during a redshirt season.

Then there is the whole matter of adjusting from high school to college away from the field. For some of these youngsters, it’s their first time away from home. All of the sudden cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and partying are a juggling act. Throw that in with trying to balance academics with athletics.

Pelini understands that the temptation to put the best talent on the field is tough to overcome. The development of a successful program, however, is not about talent alone but it is about the development of an overall player and his maturity to handle the pressures and demands of being a great college football player.

You sense the roster is being better managed under Pelini than Callahan and one of the biggest indications was beating a Clemson team that was obviously faster, more athletic than our team.

I am of the opinion that the star system only matters in high school and freshman year. I will take a three star senior with four years of good coaching over a five-star freshman that demands early playing time with huge expectations and not much else any day.