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Cornerback working to give NU elusive TD on kickoff return
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Thursday, Apr 12, 2007 - 12:34:41 am CDT
Nebraska’s spring-time search for a potent kickoff return specialist landed Andre Jones in Randy Jordan’s office.
Jordan, Nebraska’s running backs coach, also oversees the kickoff return unit. He sat Jones down and told the Husker senior cornerback exactly what coaches wanted.
“He said we need to be explosive back there,” Jones said. “The first guy (on coverage) can never make the tackle. We’ve got to make somebody miss each time.”
That’s something Jones did at least once this spring in practice, when he said he broke a return for some 60 yards. Jones said Marlon Lucky also had a long return.
Bill Callahan will take it. And then some.
“We want a better weapon back there,” said Callahan, Nebraska’s head coach.
Entering spring practice, Callahan targeted kickoff returns as an area in need of drastic improvement, and with good reason. Nebraska ranked No. 112 nationally last season, averaging 17.4 yards per return. Callahan also expressed frustration in that the Huskers hadn’t returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his three seasons.
Nebraska’s drought, though, dates much longer. The last Husker to score on a kickoff return was Joe Walker against Louisiana Tech in 1998. He went 99 yards. Lucky had a touchdown return negated because of penalty in 2005 at Kansas.
Lucky averaged 19.1 yards on eight returns last season, with a long return of 32 yards. Brandon Jackson, who declared for the NFL Draft, had nine returns for an average of 17.4 yards.
As a sophomore in junior college, Jones averaged 26.1 yards on 15 returns.
“I’m glad Coach Callahan is giving me the opportunity to go back there and show what I can do a little bit,” Jones said. “I’m kind of excited to see what’s going to happen.”
Jones, Lucky, Tierre Green, Rickey Thenarse, Cortney Grixby — “Anybody that can run,” as Callahan put it — are among the candidates for kickoff return specialist. Before his knee injury, cornerback Zackary Bowman was also in the mix.
“I think we’ve challenged our players. The return specialists have to make at least one coverage player miss,” Callahan said, noting specific improvements he wants to see.
“Aside from that, I thought our blocking (last year) was very good. The structure of what we were trying to do was solid. We just have to make plays.”
Callahan noted Nebraska last season returned only 28 kicks, a number he expects to increase because of a rule change. Kickoffs will be pushed back 5 yards to the 30-yard line, likely resulting in fewer touchbacks and more opportunities for returns.
Green, a safety who returned three kickoffs last season, said better communication and improved technique have been points of emphasis throughout the spring for the kickoff return unit.
“It’s really simple, when you look at it,” Green said. “Executing is the hard part, because you’ve got somebody else who’s not going to let you.”
As for making defenders miss?
“You’ve got to be able to have that if you want to break some long ones,” Green said. “With the ball being moved back 5 yards, that will create a lot of returns. There’s going to be a lot of yardage for us to pick up.”
Cornerback working to give NU elusive TD on kickoff return
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Thursday, Apr 12, 2007 - 12:34:41 am CDT
Nebraska’s spring-time search for a potent kickoff return specialist landed Andre Jones in Randy Jordan’s office.
Jordan, Nebraska’s running backs coach, also oversees the kickoff return unit. He sat Jones down and told the Husker senior cornerback exactly what coaches wanted.
“He said we need to be explosive back there,” Jones said. “The first guy (on coverage) can never make the tackle. We’ve got to make somebody miss each time.”
That’s something Jones did at least once this spring in practice, when he said he broke a return for some 60 yards. Jones said Marlon Lucky also had a long return.
Bill Callahan will take it. And then some.
“We want a better weapon back there,” said Callahan, Nebraska’s head coach.
Entering spring practice, Callahan targeted kickoff returns as an area in need of drastic improvement, and with good reason. Nebraska ranked No. 112 nationally last season, averaging 17.4 yards per return. Callahan also expressed frustration in that the Huskers hadn’t returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his three seasons.
Nebraska’s drought, though, dates much longer. The last Husker to score on a kickoff return was Joe Walker against Louisiana Tech in 1998. He went 99 yards. Lucky had a touchdown return negated because of penalty in 2005 at Kansas.
Lucky averaged 19.1 yards on eight returns last season, with a long return of 32 yards. Brandon Jackson, who declared for the NFL Draft, had nine returns for an average of 17.4 yards.
As a sophomore in junior college, Jones averaged 26.1 yards on 15 returns.
“I’m glad Coach Callahan is giving me the opportunity to go back there and show what I can do a little bit,” Jones said. “I’m kind of excited to see what’s going to happen.”
Jones, Lucky, Tierre Green, Rickey Thenarse, Cortney Grixby — “Anybody that can run,” as Callahan put it — are among the candidates for kickoff return specialist. Before his knee injury, cornerback Zackary Bowman was also in the mix.
“I think we’ve challenged our players. The return specialists have to make at least one coverage player miss,” Callahan said, noting specific improvements he wants to see.
“Aside from that, I thought our blocking (last year) was very good. The structure of what we were trying to do was solid. We just have to make plays.”
Callahan noted Nebraska last season returned only 28 kicks, a number he expects to increase because of a rule change. Kickoffs will be pushed back 5 yards to the 30-yard line, likely resulting in fewer touchbacks and more opportunities for returns.
Green, a safety who returned three kickoffs last season, said better communication and improved technique have been points of emphasis throughout the spring for the kickoff return unit.
“It’s really simple, when you look at it,” Green said. “Executing is the hard part, because you’ve got somebody else who’s not going to let you.”
As for making defenders miss?
“You’ve got to be able to have that if you want to break some long ones,” Green said. “With the ball being moved back 5 yards, that will create a lot of returns. There’s going to be a lot of yardage for us to pick up.”
