Nebraska Football Tickets

Wanted: A rushing game

Remember the days of old when the Nebraska football team would pile up the yards on the rushing side of the ledger?

In the old days, the Huskers would roll up 300, 400 or even 500 yards in a game against a poor, helpless defense. To use a well-worn TV sportscasters' line, you couldn't stop the Nebraska ground attack, you could only hope to contain it.

So far this year, the Huskers not only are not averaging 300 yards a game -- they haven't totaled 300 yards ALL SEASON. After two games, the Nebraska rushing attack has accounted for a meager 237 yards in the Huskers' wins over Western Michigan and San Jose State.

Coach Bo Pelini is disappointed with the offensive output on the ground so far, and he's attributing a lot of that to the occasional blown assignment or blocking breakdown.

"It's more of us not executing. Not having 10 or 11 guys doing their job," he was quoted in the Lincoln Journal-Star.

Hopefully those days are going to come back around soon. Lydon Murtha will be back in the lineup after missing the first two games due to an infection. The Huskers are also looking forward to playing a New Mexico State team that not only has a bunch of question marks on defense, but is also playing just its first game of the season after its opener at Nicholls State was cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav.

The Huskers will get a chance to open things up with their ground game Saturday night when the New Mexico State Aggies come to town for a 6 p.m. battle at Memorial Stadium. You can get your tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no Husker home game is ever sold out.

First day of practice is Monday

The long, cold, dark and dreary offseason ends in just two days for Husker football fans.

The first day of fall practice is scheduled for Monday as the Huskers prepare for their 2008 season opener on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Western Michigan. The Huskers will practice from 3:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the first day, and coach Bo Pelini and some of the players will talk with the media after that first day's practice.

The team will work out twice a day on six days between now and the season opener. Two-a-day practice sessions will be at 9 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. and will be held between Aug. 9 and Aug. 22.

The Lincoln Journal-Star reported that the Huskers will practice six days a week during the month of August, taking Sundays off.

Cooper's future at Nebraska uncertain

One of Nebraska's top recruits could have a tough decision on his hands in the next few days -- a full-ride scholarship to play college football or a six-figure contract to play minor league baseball.

Khiry Cooper of Shreveport, La., is a very gifted young man. He is a standout wide receiver and also is an outstanding center fielder for Calvary Baptist High School. His athletic efforts have led to him accepting a scholarship offer from Nebraska, and last month he was selected in the fifth round by the Anaheim Angels in major league baseball.

Cooper rejected a $200,000 offer by the Angels to play minor league ball, which leads many in the Nebraska football community to believe he'll be in the Huskers' locker room when fall practice begins on Aug. 3.

But as ESPN's Lee Corso would say -- not so fast my friends.

The Angels have until Aug. 15 to sign Cooper, who is one of two players among 10 the Angels drafted who have yet to sign a contract. Cooper has already rejected one offer from the team, but don't think the Angels won't sweeten the pot some in an effort to lure Cooper away from football and into the Angels organization.

Cooper is also expected to play baseball at Nebraska, and school officials who have talked to him have told the local media that they feel he's well aware of his situation and is going to stay at Nebraska. He has already taken summer courses at the school and worked out with some football players, as well as taken some batting practice in the Hawks Center.

Look for the Angels, between now and early August, to make another offer to Cooper and give him something to think about before he makes his final decision. If what coaches are telling the local media are correct, though, he'll be wearing the Huskers' colors instead of the Angels'.

Checking out the Nebraska offense

Here's an early look at how the 2008 Nebraska football team stacks up on offense.

The strength of the Huskers on offense will be at the line of scrimmage. The Huskers have traditionally been very solid up front, but it hasn't been that way the past couple of years.

This year, the Huskers are deep up front, probably the deepest they have been since 2000 with players like Dominic Raiola and Russ Hochstein.

Returning starters include guards Matt Slauson (6-5, 325) and Mike Huff (6-4, 300), tackles Jaivorio Burkes (6-5, 325) and Lydon Murtha (6-7, 315), and Jacob Hickman (6-4, 290), who will move from guard to center.

Sophomore Keith Williams (6-5, 310) could crack the starting lineup on the offensive line this year. Depending on the outcome of his legal situation, Andy Christensen could find a place up front this year as well.

The big guys up front will need to open holes for the running backs and protect senior quaterback Joe Ganz, who threw for over 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns in the last three games of the year in 2007.

Ganz will be the go-to guy under center this year, and if he can cut down on turnovers (seven in three games), he could lead this offense to a very productive season.

Backing Ganz up likely will be Zac Lee, who looked solid in the spring game and is a great run-pass double threat. Patrick Witt could also step in, although he doesn't possess the arm strength of Ganz or Lee.

Losing Cody Glenn at I-back may have been a problem, but the Huskers have quite a bit of depth at the position, led by returning senior Marlon Lucky. Lucky had over 1,000 yards rushing and a team-record 75 receptions last year, and should be the man carrying the rock for the Huskers.

Roy Helu had a tremendous spring and should see some playing time this year. Nebraska has a third quality option in Quentin Catille, whose size (6-1, 245) makes him an ideal short-yardage and goal-line back.

The Huskers are weak at fullback right now, with senior Thomas Lawson the only one with real experience. A familiar name is in the mix at this position, though, as Justin Mackovicka (youngest brother of former NU fullbacks Jeff and Joel) could see some time at the position as a sophomore.

Nebraska is also thin at tight end, both literally and figuratively. Senior Hunter Teafatiller is the biggest tight end on the team at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds. Mike McNeil is probably the best receiver among the Husker tight ends, and redshirt freshman Ryan Hill could make an impact as well.

At wide receiver, the Huskers have some great potential that will need to step up with the graduation of a talented bunch of receivers led by Maurice Purify.

Nate Swift and Todd Peterson are the experienced receivers in the bunch, and both will be called upon to make plays this year. There is also some solid potential in the likes of Niles Paul and Menelik Holt, both of whom saw limited action last year. If Will Henry can overcome injuries, he could be a factor as well.

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.

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

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.

Look out for Gilleylen at wideout

When you're "the man" on your high school football team, it can be a huge adjustment once you make the leap from high school to college ball.

Don't believe it? Just ask Nebraska football redshirt freshman Curenski Gilleylen, who told the Lincoln Journal-Star last week that he wondered if he made the right decision coming to Nebraska last fall.

The Leander, Texas native showed a lot of potential during his high school days as a gifted receiver. But when he was told last year that he would be redshirting, he didn't like what he was hearing.

"It was really discouraging," he told the Journal-Star. "I actually doubted myself. I didn't think I was good enough. I kind of questioned whether I belonged here."

His confidence was shaken, but as he spent more time on the scout team and saw the depth Nebraska had at receiver last year, he came to understand that taking that redshirt year was a blessing in disguise.

He is looking solid so far in spring practice, as the 6-foot, 212-pound receiver is showing what he is capable of to the new coaching staff. He's matured significantly, both physically and mentally, and now looks poised to be one of the go-to guys in the Husker offense this season.

Gilleylen has some tremendous athletic gifts -- he ran a 10.22 100-meter dash in high school -- and coaches have praised his ability to get off the line of scrimmage and catch the ball. If he continues his progress, look for his number to be called often during the 2008 season.

Helu becoming a name to watch in the backfield

While a lot of the talk surrounding Nebraska's spring football workouts has centered around Cody Glenn's move from I-Back to linebacker, a new name is surfacing among the contenders to carry the rock this fall for the Nebraska football team.

Roy Helu has really impressed coaches with his efforts during the first half of spring practices. With Marlon Lucky expected to be the starter this fall and Quentin Castille getting a lot of notice in the media as a quality backup, it's Helu who seems to be turning heads among the Husker coaches early on.

"Roy's a heckuva player," coach Bo Pelini told the Lincoln Journal-Star. "He really does a lot of things well. He's elusive. He catches the ball well. He can run inside or outside. I think he's a tremendous football player. He's having a heckuva spring so far."

With Glenn making the move to linebacker, it's opened up an opportunity for the sophomore to shine, and Helu is taking advantage of the opportunity. With his continued development, it will give the Nebraska football team an additional option out of the backfield that will only help the offense in 2008.