Eric the Red Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Bowman wants more 'ahh' on D BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star Saturday, Mar 10, 2007 - 12:19:49 am CST Zack Bowman noted something that troubled him as he watched his Nebraska defensive teammates play football games last season. It was too quiet much of the time, he said. In this case, calm was unwanted. “We want to bring some excitement to the fans (in 2007) because last year at times it was kind of boring,” said Bowman, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound cornerback who missed the entire 2006 season after suffering a knee injury Aug. 5 during preseason drills. Advertisement Bowman had some extra time to watch other teams on television. “You watch teams like Louisiana State and Florida, and at times you’re like, ‘Oh, buddy,’ because those defenses are flying around and hitting people. You can hear it. We didn’t do that last year. We didn’t get those ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd.” Bowman, a five-game starter in 2005, plans to help bring some energy to the defense in 2007. As for spring practice, which begins March 21, Bowman will be held out of contact drills to help his knee fully regenerate. He said he is 90 percent healed. “(Team doctors) told me we’re not going to rush it,” Bowman said. “They said that the more time I have with no contact, the stronger I’ll get. I’m just going to go with the flow and let the staff make those decisions.” Bowman said he went through essentially every drill during Nebraska’s winter conditioning program, which wrapped up this week. However, he didn’t run the 40-yard dash in final testing, saying there would’ve been no benefit to him. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Bowman ran the 40 in a blistering 4.36 seconds last winter. His speed, size and athleticism figure to significantly bolster a Nebraska secondary that struggled throughout last season as the Huskers finished with a 9-5 record. “Zack’s good, he’s fast, he’s long,” said Nebraska wide receiver Maurice Purify. “He’s able to lock down one side of the field. Any time someone can do that, it’s a plus.” Said Bowman: “We played pretty well in the secondary last year. We just felt like we left a lot of plays on the field. We’re still going to do what we do this season, but we’re going to emphasize making plays and creating turnovers.” Nebraska ranked 47th nationally in 2006 in turnovers gained with 25. That total included 12 interceptions, but only three of those came from cornerbacks. Starting corners Cortney Grixby and Andre Jones had one interception apiece, as did backup Rickey Thenarse. Grixby and Jones are among five returning starters from a 2006 Nebraska defense that ranked 56th nationally in total yards allowed (331.9 per game) and 79th in passing yards allowed (215.3). Bowman was reduced to spectator status after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament while defending a receiver in a one-on-one drill in preseason practice. In 2005, he led the team with 14 pass breakups while also recording 27 tackles and two interceptions. Although Bowman sat out last season, he wrestled in January with whether to leave school a year early to enter this year’s NFL Draft. A draft advisory committee projected him as a high second-round choice. “I was pretty close to leaving,” he said. “It was a tough decision, but I thought I could better myself at Nebraska. I want to be the same Zack Bowman that people saw at the end of the 2005 season. Actually, I have intentions and hopes of being better.” Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com. Quote Link to comment
huskernumerouno Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Good read and I hope they get the intensity he is talking about. GBR Quote Link to comment
HuskerJosh82 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Great article. Bowman is going to be the backbone of that defense. Quote Link to comment
BIGREDIOWAN Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I can't wait to see him back out on the field again........... Quote Link to comment
huskerfan500 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 lets just hope he doesn't try to get the oohs and awws in the spring, good thing we are green shirting him Quote Link to comment
BIGREDIOWAN Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 lets just hope he doesn't try to get the oohs and awws in the spring, good thing we are green shirting him Yeah he definately needs to be careful. If he re-injuries that ACL he's screwed!!!! Quote Link to comment
Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 The Blackshirts will be feared again!!!! Quote Link to comment
husker rob Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 it is all about getting pressure on the QB. when there is pressure, the secondary looks good because the qb doesnt have time to make 2nd and 3rd reads. last year because of the lack of depth/experience in the secondary lead to less blitzing causing less pressure on the qb and we all know the results of that. Quote Link to comment
huskerfan500 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 it is all about getting pressure on the QB. when there is pressure, the secondary looks good because the qb doesnt have time to make 2nd and 3rd reads. last year because of the lack of depth/experience in the secondary lead to less blitzing causing less pressure on the qb and we all know the results of that. I will have to disagree with you, yes you are right about the pressure makes the secondary look better, but we had a very good rush, the front four did an excellent job and our linebackers did good when given the oppurtunity, but I think your order is not right we have to have a good secondary to be able to blitz the quarterback and since our secondary was so bad, our linebackers had to drop back to cover along with the dbs Quote Link to comment
huskernumerouno Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 it is all about getting pressure on the QB. when there is pressure, the secondary looks good because the qb doesnt have time to make 2nd and 3rd reads. last year because of the lack of depth/experience in the secondary lead to less blitzing causing less pressure on the qb and we all know the results of that. I will have to disagree with you, yes you are right about the pressure makes the secondary look better, but we had a very good rush, the front four did an excellent job and our linebackers did good when given the oppurtunity, but I think your order is not right we have to have a good secondary to be able to blitz the quarterback and since our secondary was so bad, our linebackers had to drop back to cover along with the dbs It is a catch 22, if one area is weak it hampers the ability of the other. Hopefully we get a good mix this year and everyone can play to their potential. So in other words you are both correct. Quote Link to comment
HSKRNOKC Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I cant help but wonder how our last season would have been different with him in there. Quote Link to comment
huskers1 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Personally I credit the loss of the Okie St. game on Shanle, and I know that I am not the only one who thinks that. He what I can only describe as let them catch the ball, knock down our defender and let Bowman score before half time. He missed a wide open tackle, not even touching the guy that set them up for a touchdown, and his overall pass defense, much like the rest of the season was non existent. With Bowman on the field we would have had a shut down corner to guard Bowman which would have totally changed the gameplan and scheme on defense. That is one game where I can think of that would have obviously been affected. Quote Link to comment
Hunter94 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 personally, i thought the OSU loss was a team loss all the way. lots of poor tackling and lost execution all over the place. Quote Link to comment
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