Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
This photo taken on March 2, 2013, shows Nebraska offensive line coach John Garrison working with players on the first day of NCAA college football spring practice in Lincoln, Neb. Garrison was the freshman long snapper on Nebraska’s 1999 team, the last year Nebraska won a conference title. He’s 32 now and recently named head offensive line coach. Ending the conference-title drought is personal to him. The coaching staff doesn’t plan to show them much Saturday in the Red-White scrimmage.
Imani Cross and the Huskers have the Red-White Spring Game on Saturday.
LINCOLN (AP) — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini calls the spring game a show for the fans. Thing is, Pelini doesn’t plan to show them much Saturday in the Red-White scrimmage.
Quarterback Taylor Martinez probably will play only a couple series and other starters won’t play at all. With BTN televising the event, the Cornhuskers will show next to nothing on offense and defense so this fall’s opponents gain no scouting advantage.
Young players will benefit most. For many it will be their first opportunity to experience a big crowd at Memorial Stadium, and they also will get a chance to make an impression in a game-day atmosphere.
But Pelini, whose team is coming off a 10-4 season, said the scrimmage will provide little material on which to base serious player evaluations.
“It’s still blocking and tackling live to see how guys react,” he said. “We want to see execution. It’s not about tricking the other team or doing anything else. It’s about playing basic fundamentals, basic football, and watch them block, tackle and see how they handle the environment.”
Temperatures in the upper 60s and sunny skies are forecast — ideal considering this is one of the earliest spring games held at Nebraska. The scrimmage was canceled last year because of severe thunderstorms.
More than 40,000 tickets had been sold as of the start of the week. Officials hope walk-up sales bring the crowd to about 60,000.
The first half will be played like a normal game, but a running clock may be used at some point after halftime, Pelini said.
The coaching staff will split the squad into the Red and White teams, with some players alternating between the two.
Running back Ameer Abdullah, linebacker David Santos and cornerback Daniel Davie are among the players who will sit out because of injuries. Receiver Alonzo Moore, who has drawn praise from the staff this spring, is among the players who are doubtful.
“It was a physical spring, a hard-hitting spring, so we have some guys who are nicked up,” Pelini said.
Martinez, who will be going into his fourth year as the starter, hasn’t been tackled to the ground all spring and won’t be Saturday, but other quarterbacks will be subject to full contact.
Fans will get their first look at redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong, the presumed quarterback of the future. Ron Kellogg and Ryker Fyfe also will take snaps.
Martinez said the offense will operate with the same up-tempo, no-huddle style and cut no slack to an inexperienced defense that must fill eight starting jobs.
“We’ll do exactly what we’ve been doing in practice,” Martinez said. “They’ve been lining up really good in practice. If they’re not lined up, we’ll snap the ball, so they better hurry up and get their butts lined up. They’ll get yelled at if they don’t.”
The defense drew Pelini’s ire before the team broke for spring break. He said he has seen great improvement the past two weeks. No positions will be settled until the fall, he said.
“We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go,” Pelini said. “The potential is there. The attitude has been there. Our guys are working at it. I like the group. I think it’s going to require a lot of hard work on all our parts to get it to the level we want to get it to.”
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