BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 6:00 pm
Nebraska coaches wasted little time with Terrence Nunn.
They knew the true freshman receiver had enough talent to contribute immediately as the Huskers implemented a new offensive system.
So they tossed Nunn into the mix. He started Nebraska's season opener, and he caught a pass in each of the Huskers' first two games.
Then, he seemingly disappeared. Nunn's playing time decreased, and he went the next three games without a reception.
"I was a little worried," Nunn said.
Worried about running the correct routes. Knowing the plays. Run blocking.
Yes, Nunn encountered a midseason funk.
"Mental mistakes, not going the right direction, not running the right routes … those types of things," Nebraska wide receivers coach Turner Gill said of Nunn's problems. "When you're not doing those things, you don't even give yourself a chance, and you don't give your team a chance."
Nunn saw only one solution: Work harder.
"I studied," Nunn said. "I studied a lot."
It has paid off for Nunn, who has suddenly emerged as a main target for quarterback Joe Dailey. Nunn, in last week's loss to Iowa State, caught a team-leading and career-high five passes for 55 yards.
No, he still hasn't regained his No. 1 spot on the depth chart at "Z" receiver, a position he held to begin the season.
He's not complaining, though. Actually, he's smiling.
"It's going a lot better than it was at first," said Nunn, a 6-foot, 185-pound native of Houston. "I'm much more comfortable. It feels like I know everything. It feels like the game's slowed down, and I can actually see the field."
Nunn appears to be catching on at a critical time for the Huskers, too. Nebraska lost its leading receiver when tight end Matt Herian broke his leg in the Missouri game. And "X" receiver Ross Pilkington, who's battling foot and hamstring injuries, hasn't caught a pass in the last four games, after catching 20 in Nebraska's first five.
"He's starting to play a lot in games now, and he's starting to make some key plays," Nebraska offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said of Nunn. "We just want to keep giving him those opportunities to make plays. That's the big thing, and have him step up and make the kind of plays that we thought he could when we recruited him."
Gill began to notice a difference in Nunn in the Baylor game, when Nunn caught one pass for 13 yards. Then he was on the receiving end of one of the biggest offensive plays in the Kansas State game, when Nunn hauled in a 55-yard pass from Dailey.
Against Iowa State, Nunn snagged a couple of passes on slant routes, a play that all but disappeared from the playbook with Pilkington injured.
Suddenly, Nunn was making the type of impact he made as a standout at Cypress Falls High School. As a senior, Nunn caught 34 passes for 471 yards and five touchdowns. The year before, he averaged 23 yards per reception.
Those numbers, however, didn't make the transition to NCAA Division I-A football any easier.
"It's a different game for him," Dailey said. "Not everyone that comes in from high school is able to adjust very quickly. You have a few exceptions.
"He's starting to learn the game a lot better and he's starting to understand coverages, which is going to make it a lot easier for him."
Gill said Nunn is thinking less and reacting more.
"He knows his plays better, is able to read things," Gill said. "He's just improved every week.
"He got off to a slow start. He did some great things at the beginning of camp, then played early and made a few mistakes. We said, Let's back down a little bit,' and then gradually gave him a little bit more, and he's continued to play well."
Nunn and the rest of the NU receivers may factor into things this weekend at Oklahoma. If there's a weakness in the OU defense, some say it's the secondary. The Sooners rank 83rd nationally in pass defense.
"We're playing about four or five receivers, and they've all got to be ready to play," Gill said. "It's good to see (Nunn) rising."