Spring practice notes: Crick, Ankrah, Fisher

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Nexus

All-American
The focal point of Nebraska's defensive line has switched from Heisman Trophy finalist Ndamukong Suh to Jared Crick.
Crick, a junior defensive tackle from Cozad, isn't exactly letting the attention go to his head.

"For myself, I'm worried about the D-line, and the D-line only," Crick said. "I don't care what happens to myself, as long as we function as a unit, and we play great as a unit. That's all that matters."

Crick, in his first year starting, earned All-Big 12 first-team honors last season. He had 15 tackles for loss, including 9 1/2 sacks.

"I can get that much better, and that's what I'm trying to do," Crick said.

Many pundits and fans will point to the 6-foot-6, 285-pound Crick as the player responsible for replacing Suh, the team's leading tackler the last two seasons.

Crick has a different viewpoint.

"We think of it as playing together," he said. "We take one person out, it doesn't matter. As long as the other three do their job, the whole D-line will keep its structure and will keep its integrity."

Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said he'll offer Crick the same advice he offered Suh: Don't press.

"Let the game come to you and you'll have your opportunities," Pelini said. "If you say I'm going to take over this game or I'm going to single-handedly disrupt this offense, you're going to get in trouble. You're going to over-extend yourself. Play within the scheme. Let the opportunity come to you."

* Suh-lite: Speaking of Suh, the former NU defensive tackle will attend the April 17 Spring Game and be part of a special announcement, the Nebraska athletic department said Wednesday.

Suh, who won the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, will have his No. 93 jersey retired in the future — possibly as early as this fall. All major award winners are honored by having their jersey retired, however, their uniform number can be worn in the future.

Suh will also speak at Nebraska's donor luncheon before the game. The luncheon is sold out.

* Fisher's role: With Nebraska's base defense officially moving to a two-linebacker look, where's former BUCK linebacker Sean Fisher now playing?

"I'm working at the MIKE, which is kind of like what the outside used to be," said Fisher, a sophomore from Omaha. "They're pretty similar. Me and Will (Compton) and guys who have been here, they're pretty interchangeable. Once you get stuff figured out, it's pretty easy to switch back and forth."

Fisher started six games and made 35 tackles last season as a redshirt freshman.

"It's a pretty easy transition," Fisher said. "Nickel's all the same. Nothing in that respect has changed. Just the base (is different). It's the same calls, just a little bit different alignments."

* A year of growth: Defensive end Jason Ankrah spent last fall working with the top two units during practice, but he was able to redshirt thanks to Nebraska's depth.

And you can be sure Pelini is pleased that that's the way it worked out for the 6-4, 260-pound Ankrah.

"I think it's the last position on the field you would want to play a true freshman," Pelini said. "It's so reactionary. Defensive line is such a matter of conditioning and reaction. It takes time to condition your body to react in a split second the way you want it to. I think it's hard to do as a true freshman."

* Men of few words: Pelini laughed when talking about the quiet nature of Crick and defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler.

"lf the two of them sat in a room for three hours, they wouldn't use three words, yet they're very good friends," Pelini said.

* Ticket update: Approximately 64,000 tickets have been sold for the Spring Game, meaning 17,000 are still available.

Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance to ensure timely delivery prior to the game and avoid possible long lines at the will-call window. Tickets are $10 apiece and can be purchased online at Huskers.com, by calling 1-800 8-BIG RED, or in person at the Athletic Ticket Office in the Stadium Drive parking garage.

The Spring Game has sold out in advance each of the past two years.

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BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA said:
Pulling in $640,000+ for the Spring game (a practice) is phenomenal. Wow!

Funny comment about Crick and Steinkuhler.
Click to expand...

and thats just gate reciepts...$3 20oz Pepsis, $4 Valentinos, $5 burgers, $6 nachos, $7 BBQ Briskets...

(is it bad that I know all those by heart?)

 
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RedDenver said:
mmmtodd said:
BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA said:
Pulling in $640,000+ for the Spring game (a practice) is phenomenal. Wow!

Funny comment about Crick and Steinkuhler.
Click to expand...

and thats just gate reciepts...$3 20oz Pepsis, $4 Valentinos, $5 burgers, $6 nachos, $7 BBQ Briskets...

(is it bad that I know all those by heart?)
Click to expand...
I haven't seen the brisket. Where do they sell that?
Click to expand...
I always get it from under the north stadium to the east of the tunnel walk, and there is one stand in the west stadium right next to the dairy store. Im not real big on sweets so whenever im with someone that wants ice cream, I get BBQ as a treat.

 
I hope Fisher can make some progress this year. Too many times last year I saw him hesitate and miss tackles. He did a great job at Millard North, I just wish he could translate his skills to the next level. On top of that, he doesn't have a football player's body type. I guess he's only a sophmore though and he still has time to develop.

 
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