What to watch for at the Spring Game
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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
There are no gimmicks here. No Jeff Kinney throwback tear-away jerseys to the first 20,000 fans. No finalists from “American Idol” Season 4 belting halftime tunes.
Not needed. The fandom here is this big, this nuts: About 80,000 people are really coming to watch a football practice, no extra bells or whistles necessary.
Of course, there’s valid reason for the intrigue. They’re coming to today’s Husker Red-White Spring Game to see Bo Pelini, to see if he really has the strength of 10 men as they’ve heard.
They’re coming in search of guys who wrap up, a defense with a little saltiness. It’s just a spring game, but people want to see signs that the Big Red is moving forward again.
Call it a little football therapy.
Granted, these spring games should come with warning labels: What you see here is not easy to evaluate.
Was that a good offensive play or a bad defensive play? Was that sack the sign of a motivated defensive line or a weakness at left tackle?
As Pelini might say: It is what it is. A practice in April. Enjoy the football, but don’t expect too much from it.
That doesn’t mean you’ll be able to stop yourself from looking for clues on the field today, for potential up-and-coming talent.
But who do you focus your attention on?
We’ve got a few ideas. Here’s our Top 10 watch list for today’s scrimmage:
10. The big uglies
Don’t lose the whole day looking at the skill-position players. The offensive line is said to be a strength of this team. So set your eyes on the boys in the trenches a few plays. Certainly the tackles are worthy of some attention. On the left side, Lydon Murtha will be guarding Joe Ganz’s back side today, and likely in the fall. And at right tackle, sophomore Jaivorio Burkes has long arms and as much potential as anyone on the line.
If this line is as good as advertised, expect a few long runs.
Worth a look: Mike Caputo, No. 58 in red. The redshirt freshman will be Ganz’s center today.
Receiver Todd Peterson, helping select the White team during the Spring Game draft, got the first pick of offensive linemen, and he used it to throw a curve to Ganz, who was helping pick the Red squad. Peterson took junior Jacob Hickman, the starting center Ganz has worked with all through spring practice.
So Ganz has a new center today. It’ll be worth tracking Caputo’s play. The Millard North grad is only 6-foot-1 and 270 pounds, but has been earning praise this spring.
9. What’s the first play, Coach?
OK, OK, there might be one gimmick. Coaches and players smiled and laughed when asked what the first play from scrimmage would be. “It’ll be fun,” is all offensive coordinator Shawn Watson would say.
You might recall the spring game four years ago when Bill Callahan showed off his West Coast offense to Nebraska for the first time, shifting players all over the field before the snap. The Huskers threw deep and the crowd gave them a standing ovation.
This time, an option might bring the same response.
Worth a look: Thomas Lawson, No. 36 in red. He’s the starting fullback. You also wonder if he might factor in on the first play in an tribute to Nebraska’s past.
8. Recruits here, recruits everywhere
With a packed stadium anticipated, Nebraska is naturally using the spring game as a recruiting tool.
More than 100 recruits will be on hand, many from in-state.
But there are some notable recruits expected to come from beyond the Nebraska border, among them:
* Ryan Mossakowski, a quarterback from Frisco, Texas.
* Clayton Moore, a quarterback from Louisville, Miss.
* Nathan Scheelhaase, an athlete from Kansas City.
* Gabe Lynn, a defensive back from Tulsa, Okla., also the half-brother of Husker linebacker Phillip Dillard.
* Brandon Wegher, a running back from Sioux City, Iowa.
* Shawn Bodtmann, a fullback/linebacker from Scranton, Pa.
* Nick Ash, a 260-pound guard from Keller, Texas.
* Yashua Williams, a cornerback from the same high school (Ryan) in Denton, Texas, as 2008 Husker recruit Josh Williams.
Mossakowski, Moore, Scheelhaase and Lynn are probably the most notable prospects, all weighing numerous scholarship offers.
Worth a look: Kody Spano, No. 7 in red. Here is one recruit from the 2008 recruiting class who will actually play today, having graduated high school early. It’s likely the true freshman won’t see action until the second half.
7. Mo’s replacement?
He’s a jokester off the field, but Menelik Holt wants to be a serious threat on it this year,
When the junior receiver (No. 4) makes a difficult catch in practice, teammates call it a “Mo catch.”
At 6-4 and 220 pounds, Holt can’t help but be compared to Maurice Purify. He has only four catches in his career but knows this is his chance to fill the void left by Purify’s departure.
“My thing is, I’m just as big as him. I’m just as strong. I just got to work on playing just as big,” Holt said.
Worth a look: Niles Paul, No. 24 in white. Paul was rarely used last season as a freshman, but one gets the feeling he’s going to get his share of touches this fall. He could also see action as a kick returner.
6. Safety first
Rickey Thenarse has shown he can lay big hits while playing on special teams. But what can he give Nebraska at safety?
He’s mostly seen action with the No. 1 unit this spring. At one practice, he hit Paul so hard that the receiver’s helmet came off.
Husker secondary coach Marvin Sanders said the only issue is that Thenarse sometimes lets his eagerness to make a play get him out of position.
“He believes in the old philosophy: tackle the man with the football ...” Sanders said. “I don’t want to throttle Rickey’s excitement, but I just want to get him to understand that he doesn’t have to make every play.”
Worth a look: Larry Asante, No. 4 in white. The junior figures to be the starting strong safety and could emerge as a leader in this year’s secondary.
5. Hello, Helu
Sophomore Roy Helu’s emergence at running back has caused a stir this spring. Pelini has praised Helu on several occasions, calling him “a heck of a football player.”
Senior running back Marlon Lucky is still the top guy, coaches have said. But there’s no doubt Lucky is getting strong competition from Helu and Quentin Castille. Both will play on the White team today.
Certainly Castille and his battering-ram style can’t be forgotten. The sophomore said earlier this spring his goal is to show coaches he’s good enough to be on the field as an every-down back.
Worth a look: Marcus Mendoza, No. 32 in red. He’s got some work to do to move up the depth chart, but running backs coach Tim Beck has given the redshirt freshman positive reviews. The 5-10, 185-pound Mendoza is another possible option in the return game.
4. Watson’s world
He held the title of offensive coordinator last year, but it’s truly Shawn Watson’s baby now. Last season, Bill Callahan called the majority of plays.
But whatever you see out there today no doubt comes with Watson’s stamp.
“We’re not going to be West Coast, we’re not going to be spread. Those terms are overused by everybody. We’re going to be the Nebraska offense,” Watson said before spring practice began. “We’re going to be multiple, balanced, and use the field, make the defense defend the field and defend us formationally.”
Expect to see Nebraska running much more zone read out of the shotgun, similar to the game plan installed against Colorado last season.
“We’ve improved a lot on our inside run game and our outside zone game,” Husker senior guard Matt Slauson said. “I guess the difference will be our running game has improved a lot, so you’ll see a lot more runs, a lot more balance."
Worth a look: Mike McNeill, No. 44 in red. How much will Watson’s offense dial up the tight ends? McNeill caught just one pass last year while waiting behind seniors, but the sophomore seems primed for bigger things in 2008.
3. Ready for a comeback?
The stats, the criticism, the jokes — it was all ugly for the defensive line last season. The Black Shirts yielded big holes and big yards and the critics were plenty loud about the whole mess.
But as the calendar has moved ahead, optimism about the d-line has crept back into Husker camp.
Offensive players have talked throughout the spring about facing a challenging defensive line with more fire.
Today, the fans get their first look at that unit since a November game in which the Black Shirts gave up 65 points.
It’s a given people will be looking for any cracks in that defensive front today. The skeptics won’t leave until they see a change on the field.
Above all, they will want to see relentless effort today, a couple of sacks, a batted ball or two, anything that doesn’t remind them of last fall.
Worth a look: Barry Turner, No. 99 in white. It’s the last go-round for the senior. He said the spring was good for him. How much of a factor will he be? Maybe a clue comes today.
2. Cody the defender
Cody Glenn has been one of the biggest stories of this spring. It may have seemed a half-baked idea to some when he chose to move to linebacker after having spent three seasons at running back. But since the change, the senior has spent most of his time working with the No. 1 defense, drawing the praise of coaches.
“It’s a natural to him, like he’s played it before,” senior linebacker Phillip Dillard said.
Doing it in practice is one thing. How will Glenn perform in a game-like setting? For certain, No. 34 will be one of the most-watched players on the field today.
Worth a look: Tyler Wortman, No. 53 in red. The senior from Grand Island sometimes flies under the radar with all the talk of Glenn and Dillard. But Wortman has been getting snaps with the No. 1 unit and is certainly in contention for the starting spot at BUCK (formerly SAM) linebacker.
1. Bo’s show
Let’s face it. The first-year head coach is the main attraction here. Fans want to see Pelini on the sideline and how he works his team.
They’ve heard all the talk, read all the stories, now they want to see it with their own eyes. Some sloppiness is expected, but people will largely forgive mistakes so long as a display of passion is evident.
Worth a look: Pelini’s headset. Will he even wear one in a game like this? How much fire will he bring to a scrimmage in front of the masses? How much will he be involved with the offense? Plenty of binoculars will be aimed his way.
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
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