Cliffs Notes to Husker Spring Football
It’s not known if Clifton Hillegass ever gave any attention to Husker football, but the man behind Cliffs Notes was a Nebraska native.
Since the beginning of Cliffs Notes in 1958, young minds have used the guides to help understand what they just read or — in some cases — get a quick summarization on something they didn’t read at all 10 minutes before a test.
What we have here isn’t exactly Cliffs Notes on Dickens.
Pelini, yes.
Nebraska’s spring football season begins today, the first under head coach Bo Pelini.
With so many words written and said about Husker football, here’s an attempt to offer a guide to some of the basic things to know and expect about spring camp and this Nebraska team.
We’ll tackle “The Old Man and The Sea” at a later date.
WHAT’S PELINI’S GOAL FOR THIS SPRING SEASON?: Laying bricks, even if the going is slow.
Pelini said this week that “you can make the mistake of trying to be the Patriots tomorrow.”
With new coaches in place, patience will be important this spring. But Pelini said he does want to make sure basic principles on both sides of the ball are established.
“Build a foundation,” he said. “Just keep building a foundation, which we have been doing down in the weight room and in the conditioning program. (We’ve been) developing the athleticism and that type of thing, and now we just get to put in some X’s and O’s.”
WHO WILL BE THIS TEAM’S SPOKESMEN?: Every year, a certain few players seem to emerge as spokesmen for the team. Sam Keller, Bo Ruud and Ndamukong Suh often faced the difficult questions during a 5-7 season last year.
Who will fans hear from the most this year?
Quarterback Joe Ganz will field plenty of questions and most likely do very well at answering them. Defensive end Zach Potter, safety Larry Asante, offensive lineman Matt Slauson and receiver Nate Swift are also impressive dealing with the media.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Ganz said of being a spokesperson. “I consider myself a vocal leader of the team, so talking to the press and the media just comes along with playing the position and being a leader of the team.”
WHAT POSITIONS HAVE THE MOST OPEN RACES?: Linebacker, the secondary and wide receiver.
No starters return from last year’s linebacker corps. The secondary brings back two starters — Asante and Armando Murillo — but will need youth to emerge. The same could be said at wide receiver, where the Huskers will need new names to step up and help out seniors Swift and Todd Peterson.
WHAT’S THE PRACTICE SCHEDULE?: The Huskers will work out about two hours each practice, with today’s beginning at 3:30 p.m.
All but one of the practices will be on the Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays leading up to the April 19 Red-White Spring Game.
ARE PRACTICES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC?: Nope. Not until the Spring Game, at least.
Pelini’s practices will be closed to the media, a common thing with many college programs.
“I just don’t want distractions,” Pelini said. “I don’t like the media making their determinations based on who’s doing what. That’s the part I don’t like. I want the message to get out, but I want to make sure the correct things are getting out there.
“I don’t want some guy making his determination of where our football team is and what we’re doing or not doing, and who’s playing well and who’s not playing well, based on his perception of what a guy might or might not be being asked to do. I just want to make sure the information getting out is correct.”
WHO’S OUT?: Two key Huskers you won’t see this spring are defensive tackle Suh and cornerback Anthony Blue, who tore his ACL. Both recently had surgery.
Running back Kenny Wilson, who missed last season because of a broken leg, will be limited at the start of spring drills.
“He’s coming along,” Pelini said. “He has good days and bad. He worked his butt off, and he went through everything in the winter.”
But Pelini also said another senior running back, Cody Glenn, who’s been bothered by foot problems, is “full-go.”
WILL THE QUARTERBACKS WEAR GREEN?: Yes, Pelini said, you’ll probably see green hands-off jerseys on Ganz and crew.
HOW PHYSICAL WILL THINGS GET?: “We’re not going to be out there playing tag,” Pelini said. “I’ll promise you that.”
Pelini has said he doesn’t envision many full-blown scrimmages, but that there would be plenty of mini-scrimmages.
As for maybe seeing the No. 1 offense go against the No. 1 defense in the Spring Game (something Bill Callahan did not do in his four years at Nebraska), Pelini said it was a possibility.
“It depends on where we are at that point. I’m sure there will be some aspect of 1s versus 1s,” Pelini said. “But it’s hard to commit to that yet until you know where things are and how the spring goes and where we are at that point injury-wise.”
HOW WILL A TEAM COMING OFF A 5-7 SEASON FIND CONFIDENCE?: Pelini said he believes confidence will take care of itself once players see some success.
“If they start feeling the success and believing in the system, believing in their coaches, believing in each other, then that mental psyche will take care of itself over time,” Pelini said.
“Me sitting up there in front of them and trying to read a bunch of psychological books to try to talk to these guys, that isn’t what it’s all about. It’s about developing their confidence in the belief of what's going on.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
Since the beginning of Cliffs Notes in 1958, young minds have used the guides to help understand what they just read or — in some cases — get a quick summarization on something they didn’t read at all 10 minutes before a test.
What we have here isn’t exactly Cliffs Notes on Dickens.
Pelini, yes.
Nebraska’s spring football season begins today, the first under head coach Bo Pelini.
With so many words written and said about Husker football, here’s an attempt to offer a guide to some of the basic things to know and expect about spring camp and this Nebraska team.
We’ll tackle “The Old Man and The Sea” at a later date.
WHAT’S PELINI’S GOAL FOR THIS SPRING SEASON?: Laying bricks, even if the going is slow.
Pelini said this week that “you can make the mistake of trying to be the Patriots tomorrow.”
With new coaches in place, patience will be important this spring. But Pelini said he does want to make sure basic principles on both sides of the ball are established.
“Build a foundation,” he said. “Just keep building a foundation, which we have been doing down in the weight room and in the conditioning program. (We’ve been) developing the athleticism and that type of thing, and now we just get to put in some X’s and O’s.”
WHO WILL BE THIS TEAM’S SPOKESMEN?: Every year, a certain few players seem to emerge as spokesmen for the team. Sam Keller, Bo Ruud and Ndamukong Suh often faced the difficult questions during a 5-7 season last year.
Who will fans hear from the most this year?
Quarterback Joe Ganz will field plenty of questions and most likely do very well at answering them. Defensive end Zach Potter, safety Larry Asante, offensive lineman Matt Slauson and receiver Nate Swift are also impressive dealing with the media.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Ganz said of being a spokesperson. “I consider myself a vocal leader of the team, so talking to the press and the media just comes along with playing the position and being a leader of the team.”
WHAT POSITIONS HAVE THE MOST OPEN RACES?: Linebacker, the secondary and wide receiver.
No starters return from last year’s linebacker corps. The secondary brings back two starters — Asante and Armando Murillo — but will need youth to emerge. The same could be said at wide receiver, where the Huskers will need new names to step up and help out seniors Swift and Todd Peterson.
WHAT’S THE PRACTICE SCHEDULE?: The Huskers will work out about two hours each practice, with today’s beginning at 3:30 p.m.
All but one of the practices will be on the Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays leading up to the April 19 Red-White Spring Game.
ARE PRACTICES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC?: Nope. Not until the Spring Game, at least.
Pelini’s practices will be closed to the media, a common thing with many college programs.
“I just don’t want distractions,” Pelini said. “I don’t like the media making their determinations based on who’s doing what. That’s the part I don’t like. I want the message to get out, but I want to make sure the correct things are getting out there.
“I don’t want some guy making his determination of where our football team is and what we’re doing or not doing, and who’s playing well and who’s not playing well, based on his perception of what a guy might or might not be being asked to do. I just want to make sure the information getting out is correct.”
WHO’S OUT?: Two key Huskers you won’t see this spring are defensive tackle Suh and cornerback Anthony Blue, who tore his ACL. Both recently had surgery.
Running back Kenny Wilson, who missed last season because of a broken leg, will be limited at the start of spring drills.
“He’s coming along,” Pelini said. “He has good days and bad. He worked his butt off, and he went through everything in the winter.”
But Pelini also said another senior running back, Cody Glenn, who’s been bothered by foot problems, is “full-go.”
WILL THE QUARTERBACKS WEAR GREEN?: Yes, Pelini said, you’ll probably see green hands-off jerseys on Ganz and crew.
HOW PHYSICAL WILL THINGS GET?: “We’re not going to be out there playing tag,” Pelini said. “I’ll promise you that.”
Pelini has said he doesn’t envision many full-blown scrimmages, but that there would be plenty of mini-scrimmages.
As for maybe seeing the No. 1 offense go against the No. 1 defense in the Spring Game (something Bill Callahan did not do in his four years at Nebraska), Pelini said it was a possibility.
“It depends on where we are at that point. I’m sure there will be some aspect of 1s versus 1s,” Pelini said. “But it’s hard to commit to that yet until you know where things are and how the spring goes and where we are at that point injury-wise.”
HOW WILL A TEAM COMING OFF A 5-7 SEASON FIND CONFIDENCE?: Pelini said he believes confidence will take care of itself once players see some success.
“If they start feeling the success and believing in the system, believing in their coaches, believing in each other, then that mental psyche will take care of itself over time,” Pelini said.
“Me sitting up there in front of them and trying to read a bunch of psychological books to try to talk to these guys, that isn’t what it’s all about. It’s about developing their confidence in the belief of what's going on.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
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