Spring ball first step to next level

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Huskers look to spring to next level

BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 - 12:37:37 am CDT

Bill Callahan

Pound the rock!

That was the Nebraska football team’s battle cry last year as the Huskers entered spring practice determined to improve their rushing attack.

This year, Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan has adopted a wide-ranging theme as the Huskers gear for next week’s start of spring drills.

“Our theme for the spring is just to become a more consistent football team,” he said Tuesday. “We’re interested in refining our systems and becoming more detailed to the point where we can execute at a higher level.

“Taking the next step within our systems is huge.”

Callahan, in his fourth year at Nebraska, hopes such refinement and attention to detail leads to a coveted breakthrough victory, something the Huskers lacked in 2006 en route to a 9-5 record overall and a Big 12 North championship.

Nebraska fell short against four top 10 teams — Southern California (28-10), Texas (22-20), Oklahoma (21-7) and Auburn in the Cotton Bowl (17-14).

Winning such marquee games “is how programs take the next step,” Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “Our kids certainly should have confidence. When you look at it, we played our best defense against the best teams.”

The Huskers return five starters on defense, seven on offense.

Spring drills begin March 21 and end with the annual Red-White Game April 14 at Memorial Stadium.

“The theme for me is to become a smarter team, a tougher team and develop more dependability, and that’s from the head coach down,” Callahan said. “That’s how we see ourselves. If we can do that, we’ll make tremendous strides.”

Callahan said the program is “on course” to move to a higher level. He cited “vital factors that have validated how we’ve improved and how we’re progressing.”

“I think if you look at the offensive side of the ball alone, and you look at every (statistical) area and compare it to our first year here, it’s not even close,” Callahan said. “I’m not a stat freak, but I’m just telling you that if you study it, the numbers validate where you’re at.”

For example, Nebraska finished 14th nationally last season in total offense (414.6 yards per game) after winding up No. 69 in 2004 at 363.2.

However, Nebraska’s third-quarter stumbles last season were telling. In the last 10 games, the Huskers scored 14 points combined in the third quarter.

“I’ve looked at that hard,” said Callahan, noting for instance that an improved kickoff return game would be crucial in turning around the third-quarter struggles. Indeed, Nebraska ranked No. 112 nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 17.4 yards per return.

“We have to find a return man that can take the ball the distance,” he said. “We haven’t done that in three years. That’s a major, major goal as we go into spring ball.”

On defense, Callahan is especially interested in improvement defending the pass — better coverage, a better pass rush, better scheming. Conversely, the Huskers have been strong defending the run the last two seasons.

Although Nebraska lost to graduation all four starters along defensive line, Callahan and Cosgrove noted that several returning d-linemen — most notably Ndamukong Suh, Ty Steinkuhler, Barry Turner, Clayton Sievers and Zach Potter — have ample game experience.

Suh and Steinkuhler were particularly impressive last season, said Callahan, adding that he sees Suh emerging as a leader.

“He’s a vocal guy,” Callahan said. “He cares. He’s concerned. He’s a guy who wants to play at a high level and wants people around him to work and play at a high level.”

Briefly

* Middle linebacker Phillip Dillard, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last September, is cleared to participate in full contact, Callahan said. He begins spring practice as the top backup to returning starter Corey McKeon.

* Although I-back Cody Glenn (foot sprain) also has been cleared to practice, Callahan said coaches are taking a day-to-day approach with the junior’s injury. “I think he’s had ample time to rest and get that foot back. It’s kind of a crazy deal. We’ll just have to play it by ear,” the coach said.

* Add sophomore cornerback Corey Young (shoulder) to the list of players who will miss spring drills.

 
* Although I-back Cody Glenn (foot sprain) also has been cleared to practice, Callahan said coaches are taking a day-to-day approach with the junior’s injury. “I think he’s had ample time to rest and get that foot back. It’s kind of a crazy deal. We’ll just have to play it by ear,” the coach said.

damn, i hope this is not a long term nagging injury for Cody. sometimes a simple surgical solution is better (and heals faster) than one of these muscle/tendon/ligament issues. reminds me of an Achilles tendon stretch i had when i was running alot, it took over a year to completely heal.

 
I wish that omaha had a good writer such as Sipple, not tom Shatel who only backtalks about Nebraska
I think you are comparing apples to oranges. Shatel's job is to write opinion pieces. This article was not an opinion piece. It was a short straight-forward article such as you might see in the Weird Herald from Mitch Sherman, Dirk Chatelain, and Rich Kaipust, etc. like this:

For Huskers' leadership, this is a rebuilding year

BY RICH KAIPUST

WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

LINCOLN - Between them, Adam Carriker, Jay Moore and Stewart Bradley started 93 games and played in 125 over the past four football seasons.

They were fixtures on the Nebraska defense with strong personalities. They commanded respect from those around them.

While acknowledging the loss of leadership created by the expiration of their eligibility - and calling the trio "outstanding players" - NU defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said the Huskers have players who can replace them.

"I think we have a lot of candidates," Cosgrove said. "I don't want to get into specific names right now, but we have a lot of candidates, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary.

"I think we'll have more leaders this year than we've had in the past. At least I'm anticipating it."

Nebraska must replace three other starters on defense, but Carriker, Moore and Bradley were the rocks. They had survived the coaching changes, the 2004 spiral, the attempt to restore the Huskers' name on the national scale.

Teammates appreciated their style and effort. But they're not thinking in terms of one, two or three players feeling the pressure to replace all they represented.

"It's up to a lot of different players to do it," senior cornerback Zack Bowman said. "It's not on one guy."

As Carriker, Moore and Bradley charged immediately from the Cotton Bowl to pursuing their NFL dreams, NU head coach Bill Callahan said the Huskers moved almost as rapidly in finding and grooming replacements. By the time spring practice starts Wednesday, some of the work already will have been done.

"We've been real proactive," Callahan said. "Right after we got back from the bowl, I grabbed Tim McFadden, who does our senior leadership seminars, and I got him attached and integrated immediately to our seniors.

"We are not waiting for summer to arrive and all of a sudden crown the senior class as the leaders of the team. We did it in January and February, and we're continuing to do that and filter down that leadership into the junior classes."

Carriker and Moore were the defensive ends on a four-man front that included loose and likable Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer in between. With all four gone, Callahan said sophomore-to-be Ndamukong Suh would be somebody to watch blossom on the defensive line.

"I see Suh in more of a leadership role," Callahan said. "He's a vocal guy. He cares, he's concerned. He's a guy who wants to win, wants to play at a high level, wants the people around him to work and play at a high level, too. I see him as an emerging leader on this football team."

The Husker defense is most experienced in its linebacking corps, which includes seniors Bo Ruud, Corey McKeon, Steve Octavien and Lance Brandenburgh - and lost just Bradley. The secondary includes three seniors at cornerback (Bowman, Cortney Grixby, Andre Jones) and one at safety (Tierre Green).

Up front, however, it will take a host of non-seniors to handle almost a complete makeover. They'll be led by defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt, the former Alabama assistant who replaced John Blake in December and led the Huskers through the latter half of Cotton Bowl preparations.

"This is a group that has some game experience," Callahan said. "It's not like they're foreign to what we're trying to get accomplished. They've been on the field, been through the drills, and they know they've all got to step up and play, and play at a higher level for us to be successful. But I'm confident that they can."

 
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I would really like to see what he can do as a safety. I think he has that take your head off mentality which I love to see in everyone but especially safetys. He has good size and above average speed. The coaches obviously know what they are doing but I just would have thought that they would have moved Young to safety instead of West since they were pretty excited about him before he went down last year. That might just be for the spring however and may be changed come fall when the other recruits come in. I am still excited to see what Stafford, Lawrence, Yancy and Washington can do mainly out of the newcomers. In the OWH they had an article about the huskers and said reports from winter conditioning is that "Asante put on quite a show." He is going to be a beast.

 
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