the Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, April 13, 2007 7:00 pm
Nebraska cornerback Zackary Bowman is tired of watching football.
“I hate it, man,” Bowman said after Saturday’s Red-White Game. “I’m glad spring’s over.”
Bowman sat out most of the spring after needing surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. He suffered the injury March 28, and doctors told him he’d be sidelined 4½ to 6 months.
Bowman said Saturday the most recent prognosis is 3 to 6 months, and that he’s confidently targeting to return 100 percent after 4½ months.
Bowman said he was hospitalized for about a week after his surgery because he was having trouble with pain. He also noted he suffered “another little injury” on the side of his knee that required him to stay “a little longer” in the hospital. He’s been undergoing rehabilitation.
Bowman missed all of last season because of an ACL tear in fall camp in August. He’d considered declaring early for the NFL Draft.
Does he ever think of what could’ve been?
“I made my decision to stay, and I’m happy with it,” Bowman said. “All those thoughts always kind of run through your mind with an injury like this, but I kind of made my decision a long time ago, and I’m happy with it.”
THENARSE PUMPED: Sophomore safety Rickey Thenarse didn’t hesitate when asked about the highlight of his day. It undoubtedly was his tackle of Cody Glenn for a 3-yard loss on a first-and-goal play from the 1-yard line. Thenarse, playing with the White No. 2 defense, said he knew he had to make big plays Saturday. “I had to prove today that I could do it, and that’s exactly what I did,” he said. “That’s how I know how to play football.” Thenarse had four tackles and also was among the most productive players on kickoff returns, returning two kicks for 28 and 20 yards.
INTERCHANGEABLE SAFETIES: Free or strong? Doesn’t really matter to senior Bryan Wilson, who’s just thankful for the chance to play. He rotated at both safety spots with Tierre Green and Larry Asante for the Red No. 1 defense. “Coaches gave me an opportunity, and I took advantage of it, and I’ve been running with it ever since,” Wilson said. “Hopefully it continues into the fall.” Wilson had two pass breakups and dealt a couple of big hits. Thenarse will complete what looks to be a four-man rotation at safety. Wilson said players are required to know both spots, which coach Bill Busch refers to more as “left-right” than free or strong. “In practice, it’s a constant rotation, a constant evaluation,” Wilson said.
VIEW FROM UPSTAIRS: Head coach Bill Callahan spent the game in the press box, something he said he hadn’t done since 1998, when he was with the Oakland Raiders at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. “I think most coaches see the game better from upstairs, just based on your ability to evaluate film,” said Callahan, nothing he’s always watching film that has a press box view. The NU coach also spent some time in the NFL Network booth. The network was televising the game on a tape-delayed basis. Callahan said he gave fans a preview of the upcoming play on a few occasions. “I thought it would be a good idea to give fans some insight into how we call a play and what goes about during the course of a normal series,” he said.
CELEBRATING OK: About those touchdown celebrations? Yes, they were approved by the head coach. “We told the guys to have fun today, and we told the officials that there is no excessive-celebration penalties today,” Callahan said. “We wanted our guys to have some fun and enjoy themselves.”
OTHER QBs: Saturday’s focus was generally on quarterbacks Sam Keller and Joe Ganz, although some fans were probably curious to see true freshman Patrick Witt, who played on the White team with junior Beau Davis. Neither Witt nor Davis had impressive numbers; Witt was 5-of-11 for 38 yards, and Davis was 3-of-12 for 4 yards against the No. 1 defense. Callahan said not to jump to early conclusions. “Sometimes it’s not really fair to evaluate a guy like Beau Davis or Patrick Witt because they may not have had the best offensive line,” Callahan said. He also reminded people that Zac Lee, a junior college transfer, is still very much a part of the mix. Lee is recovering from knee surgery.
OTHER TIDBITS: Michael Such, punting for both teams, had a 48.4-yard average on seven punts; returning starter Dan Titchener had four punts for a 40.8-yard average. … Alex Henery made a 36-yard field goal. … Callahan said NU needs to find a “deep leg” on kickoffs, especially now that kickoffs have been moved back 5 yards to the 30-yard line. Nebraska had no touchbacks from Jake Wesch, Daniel Lee or Henery. “We’ve got to kick the ball better. There’s no question about that,” Callahan said. … Safety Ben Eisenhart led the White with 6½ tackles; linebacker Steve Octavien had 5½ tackles to lead the Red. As advertised, Octavien played off the edge in third-down passing situations and collected one sack for 13 yards.
— Brian Rosenthal