Practice report: NU receivers look to bounce back

[huskernumerouno]

My link

 

Yeah, some Husker receivers are in the dumps about their performance in Saturday's 20-13 loss to Texas.

 

"And it's my job to get them out of the dumps," said their position coach, Ted Gilmore.

 

"They're prideful men and they're disappointed, and they should be, because there was opportunity for us and we didn't take advantage of it. We've got to fix it and hope that it never happens again."

 

The Huskers dropped a bunch of passes. But most notable were drops of would-be touchdowns by Rex Burkhead and Brandon Kinnie, along with a second-quarter pass that went through Niles Paul's hands inside the Texas 5-yard line.

 

"A lot of times you don't have to say anything," Gilmore said of what he tells receivers after such a game. "You point out the obvious, whether it's hand-placement, whether it's not watching it all the way into your hands. You just look for teaching moments."

 

Speaking of Paul specifically, Gilmore said: "He comes down harder on himself than I could ever come down on him. He's that prideful."

 

Paul had six catches for 66 yards but couldn't get the handle on a couple big-play opportunities.

 

Then there was senior Mike McNeill, who didn't have a reception.

 

It wasn't because he wasn't open, Gilmore said.

 

"Quarterback didn't find him. Mike is still very important. Mike is still working hard. Like I tell them all, ‘When your name is called you have to be ready.'"

 

Getting a grasp on tackling

 

The topic of tackling was a popular one in interviews with Husker coaches and players after Monday's practice.

 

Senior safety Rickey Thenarse wasn't afraid to point the thumb as someone who didn't have a great day tackling against Texas.

 

"It's as simple as just tackling a guy," Thenarse said. "And I kind of got away from it, and tried to hit the guy and make a play, and I didn't need to do that."

 

Thenarse said he counted five tackles he missed, "and they were all when I came up and wasn't wrapping.

 

"It was just one bad thing led to another and it was kind of hard to get away from -- the penalties, the missed tackles, the blown coverages, just not students of the game."

 

Meanwhile, Texas coach Mack Brown said Monday that his team missed just three tackles for 21 extra yards against Nebraska.

 

Husker coach Bo Pelini said Thenarse had plenty of company from teammates who didn't tackle well, either.

 

"It was right across the board," Pelini said. "We had a lot of guys that missed tackles. Tackling with technique, wrapping up. It's about fundamentals. You can't just go out there in a game and want them to go down."

 

Not that tackling isn't always stressed, but secondary coach Marvin Sanders said there will be plenty of focus on it this week.

 

"What I've got to do is look at the why," Sanders said. "Why did they miss those tackles and what can I do to get them in a better position to make those tackles? And that's what we'll work on this week."

 

No replay on Reed catch

 

Replays showed that Taylor Martinez's last pass before being pulled in favor of Zac Lee on Saturday probably should have been a completion. On a third-and-6 from the NU 35, Martinez found tight end Kyler Reed for an apparent first down, but officials ruled Reed out-of-bounds when he caught the ball. Replay showed otherwise.

 

"I couldn't see it," Pelini said. "I never saw it until afterwards. I don't know why it wasn't replayed. I heard about it later on. I couldn't see it at all. That's what the replay booth is for."

 

Secondary ready for another test

 

The Husker secondary held Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert to just 4-of-16 passing. That's almost as impressive as the 4-of-20 performance by Washington QB Jake Locker against NU this year.

 

So it should be some matchup this week when Nebraska's top-ranked pass defense takes on Oklahoma State's third-ranked pass offense.

 

Okie State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, who already has 57 catches for 955 yards, is No. 1 in the country in receiving yards per game (159.1) and touchdowns (13).

 

Blackmon's the show-stealer. But he's not the only talented Cowboy wide receiver, Sanders said.

 

"They have really good ball skills," he said. "They can catch in traffic. One thing is, their quarterback will throw it even if his guy is covered, because his receivers can come down with the football. So that is something you have to be alert for.

[Hunter94]

i am tired of the excuses they make for Paul and how he is his worst own critic, but you would expect Gilmore to cover for him, as Paul is a direct reflection of who Gilmore is.......not a very good coach IMHO. the fundamentals are not being coached by Gilmore, sad.

[Blaze1up]

Where was Quincy Enunwa ? They never use him anymore.

[Ziebol]

Believe it when I see it. After Saturday I don't see kinnie or paul as go to guys which is sad.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Where was Quincy Enunwa ? They never use him anymore.

I think he had one pass thrown his way. And he dropped it. Go figure.

[Whistlebritches]

I don't think it's fair to be so down on Kinnie (or Burkhead) for one bad drop. The kid has been catching everything thrown his way and I don't recall any fumbles either. Niles has earned all the criticism he is receiving.

 

It's too bad McNeil isn't getting more opportunities.

[Husker Richard]

Where was Quincy Enunwa ? They never use him anymore.

I think he had one pass thrown his way. And he dropped it. Go figure.

 

 

One target, one drop for Quincy. Pretty good D on the play, but the ball hit him in the hands (go figure).

[Huskerzoo]

Little surprised I haven't seen or heard more calls for getting rid of Gilmore and going after Scott Frost.

[Street Novelist]

I'm tired of people making excuses for Paul. For every catch he makes, he drops a potential touchdown. Surely he can't be the best option at that position?

[308_Husker]

I hope that this group of guys get the memory of the game out of their head and focus on this week. They don't have time to be feeling sorry for themselves. They have plenty more opportunities to prove their worth with the next big games coming up.

[zoogs]

Where was Quincy Enunwa ? They never use him anymore.

I think he had one pass thrown his way. And he dropped it. Go figure.

 

 

One target, one drop for Quincy. Pretty good D on the play, but the ball hit him in the hands (go figure).

 

I think what I read on that play, either here or on HI, is that the pass arrived late. Should have hit Quincy earlier.

[Hunter94]

the experiment with moving McNeil to WR is indicative of the piss poor receivers on this team...they do even throw to McNeil!

[captain obvious]

yawn

[junior4949]

Little surprised I haven't seen or heard more calls for getting rid of Gilmore and going after Scott Frost.

 

OK, I gotta ask. Why would Scott Frost make a great WR coach? I know coaching is in his background, but he never played the position.

[husk3rf8n]

If, after 6 games, none of the young WR's are ready to play a lot more and contribute then NU really does have a problem at the position. If we see only Paul and Kinnie 90% of the time versus Ok St then I think we have to assume the younger WR are not what we hoped. There has never been a bigger reason to give some of these guys a chance than what happened in last weeks game. I'll be very interested to see who plays and how much this weekend.