Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Swift prepared to fill any role
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Sunday, Jul 08, 2007 - 12:26:55 am CDT
Nate Swift catches a touchdown pass thrown by Marlon Lucky in fourth quarter action on Oct. 21, 2006, against Texas in Lincoln. (LJS file)
Nate Swift is prepared to reclaim his starting position. Perhaps garner offensive numbers that would rival those he produced as a redshirted freshman.
Then again, he’s also ready to assume the role he played last season on Nebraska’s football team. The role in which Swift, a wide receiver, had those impressive freshman numbers cut in half as a sophomore.
Truth be told, Swift knows the latter would be better for the Huskers.
That would mean senior Maurice Purify is playing.
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“I think everybody knows he’s a big part of our offense,” Swift said, “a big part of our team.”
Technically, Purify isn’t part of the team. The talented wide receiver is indefinitely suspended after having two separate offseason encounters with the law.
Purify has a July 18 trial in which he faces multiple charges resulting from a May 5 altercation at a Lincoln bar. He also faces charges after being cited June 8 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Lincoln.
Nebraska coach Bill Callahan has said he won’t make any permanent decision regarding Purify’s team standing until his legal issues are resolved. In the meantime, Purify is absent from team functions, including summer conditioning and seven-on-seven drills.
“It’s different,” said Swift, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior from Hutchinson, Minn. “It’s not good when you have somebody out for that reason. You never really know what’s going on with the situation, and we’re not going to know for a while. It’s tough, not knowing what’s going to happen.
“Me and Maurice are pretty good friends. We go and play basketball once or twice a week in the offseason. We hang out. I want him to come back a lot. I love the kid. We’re real good friends on the team, too. I hope the best for him.”
Those are telling words, considering it was last year’s arrival of Purify, the highly touted junior college transfer, that bumped Swift from center stage. Both play the “X” receiver position; Purify was the starter by midseason.
After leading Nebraska in receptions (45), receiving yards (641) and touchdown receptions (seven) in 2005, Swift started half as many games last season. He had 22 catches, 374 yards and two touchdowns.
“That’s just part of the game,” Swift said. “Being D-I, you’re going to have to keep going, tough-out whatever happens.
“(Purify) is a huge, big guy, big receiver, fast, has great hands. It’s fine to me to take a back seat to somebody like that. If he beats me out, he beats me out, and that’s what happened last year.”
The 6-4, 220-pound Purify ranked second among all Huskers last season with 34 catches for a team-leading 630 yards and seven touchdowns. Still, Swift had enough catches to become only the 14th Husker player to surpass 1,000 career receiving yards.
“I still got a lot of playing time,” Swift said. “As long as I’m in the game, I’m good to go.”
Without Purify, Swift and junior Todd Peterson are Nebraska’s top candidates at the “X” position. Peterson had 19 catches for 207 yards last season, but overall, Swift is more experienced.
That, however, doesn’t mean Swift can walk back into a starting role should Purify not play. Swift faces more competition than he did in 2005, and coaches noted Swift had problems with dropped passes during spring football.
He wasn’t alone. Wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore said Purify was the only player catching the ball consistently during the spring.
Swift said the drops aren’t a huge problem.
“I think part of it had to do with just adjusting, going from Zac (Taylor) to two different quarterbacks each day, or two or three guys each day,” he said. “It’s always tough in the spring. We’ve got two or three different quarterbacks throwing every other pass. That’s a little different. Sometimes, I think it just happens.”
Swift said he and other veteran receivers have been working in summer seven-on-seven drills with Joe Ganz and Sam Keller, the two frontrunners to replace Taylor, a two-year starter.
“Ganz has been around for a long time,” Swift said. “Everybody likes Ganz. He already has everybody’s respect. He knows the offense. He’s been around Callahan.”
And what about Keller, the transfer from Arizona State?
“He’s also got everybody’s respect,” Swift said. “He’s a real hard-nosed guy. He’ll stick in there and throw the ball, he’ll take off if he has to, and he’ll take a hit, just like Zac used to do.
“He was with the scout team, so he really wasn’t with us all year, but in spring ball, he really came into his own. He knows the offense. He still needs to learn how to spit out the words a little bit. That takes about a year, and once you get in the huddle, it’s a lot different. You’ve got to spit it out a lot faster.”
Swift said running backs Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn look good in seven-on-seven drills. Lucky suffered a knee sprain in the Spring Game but was cleared to return a week later. Glenn has been recovering from a foot injury he suffered in November.
“They’re doing good,” Swift said. “They’re both doing everything with us.”
He wishes he could say the same for Purify.
“We’re just going to have to tough it out,” Swift said, “and wait and see what happens.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Sunday, Jul 08, 2007 - 12:26:55 am CDT
Nate Swift catches a touchdown pass thrown by Marlon Lucky in fourth quarter action on Oct. 21, 2006, against Texas in Lincoln. (LJS file)
Nate Swift is prepared to reclaim his starting position. Perhaps garner offensive numbers that would rival those he produced as a redshirted freshman.
Then again, he’s also ready to assume the role he played last season on Nebraska’s football team. The role in which Swift, a wide receiver, had those impressive freshman numbers cut in half as a sophomore.
Truth be told, Swift knows the latter would be better for the Huskers.
That would mean senior Maurice Purify is playing.
Advertisement
“I think everybody knows he’s a big part of our offense,” Swift said, “a big part of our team.”
Technically, Purify isn’t part of the team. The talented wide receiver is indefinitely suspended after having two separate offseason encounters with the law.
Purify has a July 18 trial in which he faces multiple charges resulting from a May 5 altercation at a Lincoln bar. He also faces charges after being cited June 8 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Lincoln.
Nebraska coach Bill Callahan has said he won’t make any permanent decision regarding Purify’s team standing until his legal issues are resolved. In the meantime, Purify is absent from team functions, including summer conditioning and seven-on-seven drills.
“It’s different,” said Swift, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior from Hutchinson, Minn. “It’s not good when you have somebody out for that reason. You never really know what’s going on with the situation, and we’re not going to know for a while. It’s tough, not knowing what’s going to happen.
“Me and Maurice are pretty good friends. We go and play basketball once or twice a week in the offseason. We hang out. I want him to come back a lot. I love the kid. We’re real good friends on the team, too. I hope the best for him.”
Those are telling words, considering it was last year’s arrival of Purify, the highly touted junior college transfer, that bumped Swift from center stage. Both play the “X” receiver position; Purify was the starter by midseason.
After leading Nebraska in receptions (45), receiving yards (641) and touchdown receptions (seven) in 2005, Swift started half as many games last season. He had 22 catches, 374 yards and two touchdowns.
“That’s just part of the game,” Swift said. “Being D-I, you’re going to have to keep going, tough-out whatever happens.
“(Purify) is a huge, big guy, big receiver, fast, has great hands. It’s fine to me to take a back seat to somebody like that. If he beats me out, he beats me out, and that’s what happened last year.”
The 6-4, 220-pound Purify ranked second among all Huskers last season with 34 catches for a team-leading 630 yards and seven touchdowns. Still, Swift had enough catches to become only the 14th Husker player to surpass 1,000 career receiving yards.
“I still got a lot of playing time,” Swift said. “As long as I’m in the game, I’m good to go.”
Without Purify, Swift and junior Todd Peterson are Nebraska’s top candidates at the “X” position. Peterson had 19 catches for 207 yards last season, but overall, Swift is more experienced.
That, however, doesn’t mean Swift can walk back into a starting role should Purify not play. Swift faces more competition than he did in 2005, and coaches noted Swift had problems with dropped passes during spring football.
He wasn’t alone. Wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore said Purify was the only player catching the ball consistently during the spring.
Swift said the drops aren’t a huge problem.
“I think part of it had to do with just adjusting, going from Zac (Taylor) to two different quarterbacks each day, or two or three guys each day,” he said. “It’s always tough in the spring. We’ve got two or three different quarterbacks throwing every other pass. That’s a little different. Sometimes, I think it just happens.”
Swift said he and other veteran receivers have been working in summer seven-on-seven drills with Joe Ganz and Sam Keller, the two frontrunners to replace Taylor, a two-year starter.
“Ganz has been around for a long time,” Swift said. “Everybody likes Ganz. He already has everybody’s respect. He knows the offense. He’s been around Callahan.”
And what about Keller, the transfer from Arizona State?
“He’s also got everybody’s respect,” Swift said. “He’s a real hard-nosed guy. He’ll stick in there and throw the ball, he’ll take off if he has to, and he’ll take a hit, just like Zac used to do.
“He was with the scout team, so he really wasn’t with us all year, but in spring ball, he really came into his own. He knows the offense. He still needs to learn how to spit out the words a little bit. That takes about a year, and once you get in the huddle, it’s a lot different. You’ve got to spit it out a lot faster.”
Swift said running backs Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn look good in seven-on-seven drills. Lucky suffered a knee sprain in the Spring Game but was cleared to return a week later. Glenn has been recovering from a foot injury he suffered in November.
“They’re doing good,” Swift said. “They’re both doing everything with us.”
He wishes he could say the same for Purify.
“We’re just going to have to tough it out,” Swift said, “and wait and see what happens.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
