STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Tuesday, November 21, 2006 6:00 pm
Nebraska starting right tackle Matt Slauson said Tuesday he was uncertain whether he’ll be ready to play Friday in the 23rd-ranked Huskers’ regular-season finale against Colorado.
“My ankle’s a little sore right now,” the 6-foot-5, 335-pound sophomore said after sitting out Tuesday’s practice at Memorial Stadium. He suffered a high right-ankle sprain in Nebraska’s last game, a 28-27 victory on Nov. 11 at Texas A&M.
Slauson’s presence in games is significant largely because of his prowess as a run blocker.
“When you have a power tackle like that, it makes a big difference in your power game,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said. “When you try to ‘gap down,’ or zone block — especially if you’re a right-handed team and you’re running to the right — you want a big, thick tackle there that can control the point (of attack). That’s what he’s given us.”
What’s more, Callahan said, Slauson has become an “excellent” pass protector.
A native of Colorado Springs, Slauson has started every game this season after starting the final three games last year. If Slauson can’t play Friday, Callahan indicated junior college transfer Carl Nicks will see significant playing time. He has played sparingly in this, his first season on campus.
However, “He’s had an excellent week of practice,” Callahan said Tuesday.
In fact, the coach said, the 6-5, 325-pound Nicks has come on strong late in the season.
“He’s worked hard and has really improved himself,” Callahan said.
Nicks was a four-star prospect by Rivals.com last year at Hartnell (Calif.) Junior College. He began his college career at New Mexico State.
“I think it takes a junior college kid a good year to get acclimated,” Callahan said. “Seemingly the light has gone on for him in the last few weeks. It’s all clicked in.
“There’s an expression we use as coaches — you can ‘feel’ a guy on film, as you watch him move and watch him block and do things within the system. You can ‘feel’ his presence on film, which is a pretty powerful statement. He has tremendous upside. We knew that when we recruited him.”
Sophomore Lydon Murtha also is capable of starting at right tackle, Callahan said. He often alternates from right tackle to left tackle during games. He’s started one game this season at left tackle, Nov. 4 against Missouri.
Slauson, meanwhile, holds out hope of playing.
“We’ll see how (today) goes with rehab,” he said.
COMMITTEE BENEFITS?: Much has been made of Nebraska’s depth at I-back, as Brandon Jackson, Marlon Lucky, Cody Glenn and Kenny Wilson each have at least 71 carries this season. Perhaps this is the time of year when that depth may begin to really pay dividends. “That’s a good point,” Callahan said. “We always seem to think that the exchange of reps allows those players to stay fresh.”
Then again, he said, it’s difficult to keep I-backs completely fresh even in a four-man rotation.
“They get hit every game,” Callahan said. “You have to think about that for a second and appreciate what they go through in practice preparation and during a game. They get hit pretty physically in this particular conference and this division. It’s all how they respond, how they bounce back and recover.
“I think (running backs coach) Randy (Jordan) does a great job of educating them how to take care of their bodies. That means getting extra rehabilitation and extra treatment, warming up properly — doing the little things that are going to allow your body to handle the rigors of a week-to-week schedule.
“We told them when they started preseason training camp, ‘You’re probably not going to be healthy again until the end of the season.’”