Nebraska Football Tickets

Bodtmann says he is coming to Nebraska

Nebraska will be getting a talented linebacker from Pennsylvania with the recent announcement that Shawn Bodtmann has committed to play for the Huskers.

At 6-foot and 205 pounds, Bodtmann was a standout on both sides of the ball in helping West Scranton High School to a 12-2 record last season. In addition to his defensive contributions, he ran for 1,452 yards as a running back.

Bodtmann was recruited by the Huskers as a linebacker and should fill in well at the Will linebacker position. He was in Lincoln for the Red-White Spring Game and was impressed by the fact that the team could draw a packed house for what amounted to a practice.

Bodtmann is a very talented individual, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star. In addition to his efforts on the field, he can bench 225 pounds 12 times, runs a 4.62 40-yard dash and also sings in the school choir. The day after announcing his commitment, he went with his school choir to a performance in Maryland.

Nebraska opens season Aug. 30 vs. Western Michigan

Nebraska kicks off the 2008 Husker football season at home on Saturday, Aug. 30, and you can get tickets for all the games at Ticket Express.

The season starts with the Huskers playing host to an up-and-coming team from Western Michigan. The following week is the first of back-to-back contests against WAC teams. San Jose State visits Nebraska on Sept. 6, while New Mexico State Aggies comes to town for a meeting with the Huskers on Sept. 13.

The Huskers hit a challenging stretch of the schedule after a week's vacation. They'll face a national title contender on Sept. 27 when they play host to  Virginia Tech and will follow that up with their Big 12 debut against defending North Division champion  Missouri on Oct. 4. Both teams should be preseason top 10 teams, so it will be a great opportunity to see how far the Huskers have come from last year's 5-7 season.

Nebraska goes on the road for the first time on Oct. 11, as they travel to Lubbock, Texas to meet Texas Tech in what could be a high-scoring battle. The following week, the Huskers are back on the road again to meet old rival Iowa State in an Oct. 18 matchup.

The Huskers host Baylor for Homecoming on Oct. 25, then are on the road again on Nov. 1, facing traditional rival Oklahoma in what should be a key matchup for the Huskers.

Kansas comes to Lincoln on Nov. 8, which should be an entertaining game after the Jayhawks ran up the score for 76 points against Nebraska last year. That game is followed by the Huskers' last road game of the year at Kansas State on Nov. 15, and they will finish the regular season the day after Thanksgiving, facing Colorado on Friday, Nov. 28.

Ticket Express is your source for all Husker football tickets, both home and away. Get your Husker tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no Husker home game is ever sold out.

Huskers should be improved in 2008

Nebraska fans turned out in record numbers for the Red-White Spring Game, with over 80,000 in attendance to see Bo Pelini's first Husker football team.

Nebraska's team is going to be an improved bunch, if Saturday's efforts were any indication. Joe Ganz looks solid at quarterback and the offensive line is going to be good and deep, which is something Husker fans have grown accustomed to over the years.

What Husker fans have NOT grown accustomed to, though, is a shoddy defensive effort. Calling last year's defense shoddy would have been a compliment. The team set school records for first downs, points and yards allowed, and with the hiring of Pelini -- a defensive guru -- as head coach, one would have to expect the defense to be better than it was last year. Since they ranked near the bottom in just about every major statistical category, they can't get much worse.

The end analysis is that the Huskers will be a BETTER team in 2008 than they were last year, but Husker fans need to realize that the road back to the top is a long one. This team is not going to be playing for the national championship at the end of the coming season. In fact, it may be 2010 before we can start putting this team in that conversation.

One thing we will see, though, is that this team will play with the kind of fire and intensity that top-shelf programs exhibit week in and week out. Pelini will expect nothing less from this bunch, and you could see from Saturday's effort that these players -- at least those that want to suit up and play on Saturdays this fall -- will bring that fire and drive on every play for 60 minutes.

With a tough midseason schedule that includes road games at Texas Tech and Oklahoma and back-to-back home dates with top 10 teams like Virginia Tech and Missouri, the coming season is not going to be an easy one. But it should be a lot of fun and Husker fans are going to get their money's worth watching these guys in 2008.

Good things come from Red-White Spring Game

The record crowd of over 80,000 in attendance for the Red-White Spring Game saw some good things from a Nebraska football team looking to get rid of the bad taste left by last year's 5-7 record.

The Red team beat the White squad 24-14, but for coach Bo Pelini and his staff it was a great opportunity to see how far the team has come in the last few weeks.

"We came out of it pretty healthy and we accomplished a lot," he said. "We're not where we want to be, but we're heading into the right direction. I think we've set ourselves up where the guys are starting to gain confidence and starting to develop an understanding of what we're asking of them."

Marlon Lucky scored the game's first touchdown after a fumble recovery, and Joe Ganz threw a pair of touchdown passes to highlight the offensive effort on the day. Backup quarterback Zac Lee also performed well, leading the White squad on a 15-play, 73-yard drive that was capped when he hit Austin Jones for a 10-yard touchdown pass.

The two teams combined for 502 yards in total offense, while the defenses combined for seven sacks and forced four turnovers.

The Huskers begin fall drills in early August in preparation for the 2008 season, which starts Saturday, Aug. 30 when Nebraska plays host to Western Michigan.

Get your Husker football tickets for 2008 now at Ticket Express -- where no Husker home game is ever sold out.

Teams set up for today's Spring Game

The Red and White teams were set up for today's Spring Game at Memorial Stadium as Nebraska football coaches and players "drafted" both sides to give both teams an equal amount of talent.

It should be an interesting afternoon of football, as a sellout crowd is expected for the first time in the history of the spring intra-squad scrimmage. Look for a lot of good things to come from today's game as players from both sides show their stuff for first-year coach Bo Pelini.

Here is how the rosters for Saturday's Red-White Spring Game look:

Red Team

Offense

Quarterback -- Joe Ganz, Kody Spano, Beau Davis

Running Backs -- Marlon Lucky, Kenny Wilson, Marcus Mendoza

Fullbacks -- Thomas Lawson, Kevin Thomsen, Tyler Legate

Wide Recievers -- Menelik Holt, Curenski Gilleylen, Matt Donahue, Nate Swift, Ben Lester

Tight Ends -- Mike McNeill, Dreu Young, Jay Martin

Offensive Line -- Max McShane, Mike Caputo, Cruz Barrett, Keith Williams, Matt Slauson, Lydon Murtha, Marcel Jones

Defense

Defensive Line -- Ben Martin, Luke Lingenfelter, Faron Klingelhoefer, Jonathon Santin, Terrence Moore, Tyrone Fahie, Pierre Allen, Kevin Dixon, Zach Potter

Linebackers -- Latravis Washington, Thomas Grove, Joseph Camarata, Phillip Dillard, Tyler Wortman, Jeff Sayre

Defensive Backs -- Rickey Thenarse, Armando Murillo, Major Culbert, Anthony Blue, Prince Amukamara, Adam Watson, Lance Thorell

Special Teams

Kickers -- Alex Henery, Dan Titchener

Long Snapper -- Justin Baumgartner

White Team

Offense

Quarterback -- Patrick Witt, Zac Lee, Jim Ebke

Running Backs -- Roy Helu, Quentin Castille, Austin Jones

Fullbacks -- Aaron Gillaspie, Justin Makovicka

Wide Receivers -- Chris Brooks, Will Henry, Todd Peterson, Niles Paul, Wes Cammack, Xavier Rucker

Tight Ends -- Ben Tasa, Ryan Hill, Tyson Hetzer, Hunter Teafatiller

Offensive Line -- Mike Huff, Mike Smith, Jacob Hickman, Cory Iske, Mike Masin, Jaivorio Burkes, D.J. Jones

Defense

Defensive Line -- Ty Steinkuhler, William Yancy, Shukree Barfield, Taylor Escamilla, David Harvey, Clayton Sievers, Ndamukong Suh, Jared Crick, Barry Turner

Linebackers -- Blake Lawrence, Mike Hays, Nick Covey, Cody Glenn, Colton Koehler

Defensive Backs -- Larry Asante, Austin Cassidy, Shawn Sullivan, Ryan Ford, Eric Hagg, Matt O'Hanlon, Mathew May

Special Teams

Kickers -- Adi Kunalic, Jake Wesch

Long Snapper -- T.J. O'Leary

Nebraska football opens season Aug. 30

The 2008 Husker football season kicks off Saturday, Aug. 30, and you can get tickets for all the Huskers' 2008 matchups with Ticket Express.

The season opens when the Huskers host an up-and-coming Western Michigan. The following week, San Jose State visits Nebraska on Sept. 6. A second WAC foe will make the trip to Lincoln the following week, with the New Mexico State Aggies meeting the Huskers on Sept. 13.

A key non-conference matchup comes two weeks later when Virginia Tech comes to Memorial Stadium for a Sept. 27 battle. After that, the Huskers open Big 12 Conference play at home against Missouri on Oct. 4. The Tigers were the North Division champions last year and, like Virginia Tech, will be a preseason top 10 team nationally, so it's a chance for the Huskers to show what they're made of against back-to-back title contenders.

The Huskers go on the road for the first time. On Oct. 11, they meet Texas Tech in what could be a high-scoring affair. The following week, the Huskers meet old rival Iowa State in an Oct. 18 matchup.

The Huskers will host Baylor on Homecoming week Oct. 25. They go back the road again on Nov. 1, facing traditional rival Oklahoma in what should be another tough matchup for the Huskers.

Kansas comes to Lincoln on Nov. 8, followed by the Huskers' last road game of the year at Kansas State on Nov. 15. They'll wrap up the regular season the day after Thanksgiving, facing Colorado on Friday, Nov. 28.

Ticket Express is your source for all Husker football tickets, both home and away. Get your tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no Husker home game is ever sold out.

Swift a silent assassin in receiving corps

With all the talk about some of the young guns who will need to step up in the receiving corps, there is one player who has already produced some pretty solid numbers, yet isn't getting a lot of ink in the press for it.

The Double Extra Point blog noted that Nate Swift has become something of a forgotten talent among the Nebraska football team, even though he's put up some pretty impressive career numbers for the Huskers.

In fact, Swift is within striking range of surpassing former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers on the Nebraska all-time charts in career receptions. He needs just 41 to pass "Johnny The Jet" and is about 1,000 yards shy of passing Rodgers' all-time career receiving yards mark.

In addition, he is among the career leaders in receiving yards (1,535, 3rd) career receptions (103, 4th) and 100-yard receiving games (3, third behind Rodgers and Irving Fryar). He holds the freshman record for receptions, yards and touchdowns after catching 45 for 641 yards and seven scores.

Last year, Swift was an effective receiver and was able to find the sticks more often than not. Of his 36 catches last year, 28 resulted in first downs. Eleven times, he caught a pass on third down and achieved a first down every time.

So while the media seems to be spending a lot of time talking about potential replacements for Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn, it looks like the Huskers already have a go-to guy ready to step up and be the man in 2008. Nate Swift is a player who has been counted on to come up with the key reception, and don't be surprised to hear his name called more often during the 2008 season.

Glenn's switch to linebacker has been a good one

Cody Glenn seems to have found a starting spot on the Nebraska football team, but it's not the spot some would have expected even a month ago.

Glenn offered to make the switch to linebacker during the start of spring practice, and he has done well enough at the position that he could very well be the Huskers' starting Will linebacker this fall.

Glenn has worked with the No. 1 defense the last two weeks and is taking to the new position rather quickly. His work has impressed everyone, including coach Bo Pelini and linebackers coach Mike Ekeler.

"He's just very instinctive, he's very, very intelligent and he works his tail off," Ekeler told the Lincoln Journal-Star. "And he's a great leader. He just has a great, natural feel for defense."

Glenn has gotten a lot of help from teammate Blake Lawrence, who has helped fill Glenn in on the intricacies of the new defensive setup. And he's quick to understand the mistakes he's making and what to do to correct those problems.

It should be interesting to see if Glenn continues to develop at this position. With the Huskers needing all kinds of help at linebacker, this might be the one move that helps turn around a defense that was one of the worst in the country in 2007.

Brooks looking good at wide receiver

One of the names you haven't heard a lot of, but soon might, is that of wide receiver Chris Brooks.

The name might be familiar if you're big into recruiting. He was a four-star recruit out of St. Louis who caught 66 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. He turned down offers from Missouri, Florida and Illinois to come to Nebraska.

Since coming in 2005, though, he's been all but absent from the radar. He redshirted in 2006, then caught one pass in the Huskers' season-opener against Nevada last year.

Brooks told the Lincoln Journal-Star recently that he relishes the opportunity he had in coming to Nebraska, and knows that this is his opportunity to step into the limelight.

"We all look at it is it's our time," he said. "We have to step up. We have to fill a lot of shoes and we're going to fill them."

This year, he's one of several receivers who will be called upon to step up in the wake of the graduation of people like Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn.

Defensive line showing improvement

Last year, the Nebraska football team had a hard time keeping teams off the scoreboard. And more often than not, it was that first line of defense that created most of the problems.

The defensive line was as bad as anybody can remember in the last 40-plus years as the Huskers limped to a 5-7 record last year. So it would be easy to understand why there might be concern with this year's front four when you realize that all four starters are back from last year.

The difference? A new coaching staff and a new attitude -- it's immediate result is a more aggressive front four that, hopefully, will cause more problems for the opposing team than it did last year.

Defensive end Zach Potter told the Lincoln Journal-Star recently that everything about this year is different.

"Just everything from what we do to start practices to the relationships we have with (the coaches) in between drills," he said. "They're always coaching us, whether it's in between plays or when we come off the field from a set of plays. They're always coaching us, and I think it's really helping us a lot."

As a result, a more aggressive defense is being seen in spring drills and they are forcing more turnovers, which is a welcome sight after the 2007 Huskers created a grand total of 11 all of last year.

Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, brother of head coach Bo Pelini, is excited about the progress the defensive line is showing, and that is carrying over into the rest of the defense. He's hoping he can develop 10 or 12 players on the defensive line to give the Huskers some much-needed depth for the 2008 season.

"They can be awfully good, but it's not just going to come," Carl Pelini said. "They're going to have to be the hardest-working group on this team."