You bet Jaivorio Burkes was nervous. After sitting out the first eight games, suddenly he was being called upon to start on the road against Texas. Crowd buzzing, quarterback Sam Keller yelling the first play in Neb
BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, April 3, 2008 7:00 pm
The kid drew a tough first assignment, that’s for sure. Nothing like diving headfirst into the pool in front of a hostile crowd, rolling television cameras and … Roger Clemens? Was that Roger Clemens over there?
Yes, all that and Bevo too. Don’t ask if he was nervous. You bet Jaivorio Burkes was nervous. After sitting out the first eight games, suddenly he was being called upon to start on the road against Texas.
Crowd buzzing, quarterback Sam Keller yelling the first play in Nebraska’s huddle, an 18-year-old offensive lineman’s stomach doing loopity-loops. Then the ball was snapped. Burkes lunged forward and pads popped.
That’s all it took to chase the butterflies away. This was a long way from Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, but it was still football.
That’s not exactly a game that should put fear into a 6-foot-5, 335-pound man with the natural gifts of Burkes.
As Husker senior guard Matt Slauson points out, it’s the guys going against Burkes who should be nervous.
“He has all the tools,” Slauson said. “He has the longest arms I’ve ever seen. His power and his legs, as soon as he locks onto a guy and extends his arms, they’re going down every time. He has amazing power. … He can grab a guy and just toss him on the ground the way Carl Nicks would, but with a lot more aggression than Nicks.”
Told of Slauson’s comments, Burkes said: “That just makes me feel like I have to keep working hard to reach that highest level.“
Nicks, Nebraska’s left tackle last season, is gone in search of playing football on Sundays. But good feelings abound in Husker camp about what remains up front.
Coaches like the depth on the line, which features a good mix of seniors and young guys believed to be ready to shine, with Burkes a prime example.
The sophomore will likely be Nebraska’s starting right tackle come fall. “There’s an awful lot of potential,” offensive line coach Barney Cotton said.
Cotton has watched all the tapes from last season on Burkes – there’s only four of them in this case. Burkes seemed headed for a redshirt, but then Lydon Murtha went down with a season-ending injury. So much for the year off.
Burkes started three of the final four games at right tackle, and the offense was mostly impressive, scoring an average of 47 points a game while Burkes was in the lineup.
Playing was worth a burned redshirt. He liked the learning experience he gained, even if there was an occasional tough lesson: It was Burkes who gave up the sack that ended Keller’s season with a broken collarbone.
One more lesson came in the offseason.
Burkes found himself in the tutor’s room during the last week of winter conditioning this year. His classwork wasn’t where it should be, and so he was kept from team workouts in favor of study hall.
“It was a real learning experience,” Burkes said. “It was pretty much embarrassing knowing that my team is in there working hard and I’m pretty much doing nothing because of mistakes, like not going to class.”
But when spring ball arrived, Burkes was ready to go, and he’s sure glad he’s there. He sees an extra intensity to this year’s practices. “You’re just busting your butt after the ball.”
On certain plays, Cotton said linemen have been 30 yards downfield trying to get involved. Scheme and technique always matter, but most important to the coach this spring is seeing maximum effort.
Get a player like Burkes to max out, and who knows where that potential might take him.
“(Burkes) is going to give you a little bit different personality than, say, a Slauson is,” Cotton said. “But the big thing is … they’re willing to play when the whistle starts to one step past the whistle. That’s what we’re trying to get going here.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.