HuskerCarter Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Breakdown of our team. You decide whether this Husker team is young or experienced. Offense QB - SO Taylor Martinez - 2nd year starter FR Brion Carnes - 1st year backup SO Ron Kellogg - No game experience FR Tyson Broekemeier - No game experience FR Anthony Ridder - No game experience RB - JR Rex Burkhead - 3rd year starter FR Aaron Green - 1st year second string FR Braylon Heard - 1st year second string FR Ameer Abdullah - 1st year second string/special teams SR Austin Jones - played 10 games SR Curenski Gilleylen - 1st year position switch from WR JR Collins Okafur - No game experience FR Zach Taylor - No game experience FR Richard Wynne - No game experience FR Murat Kuzu - No game experience FB - SR Tyler Legate - 4th year starter JR Colin McDermott - 1st year position switch from DE JR Lester Ward - 2nd year position switch from IB SO Mike Marrow - 1st year Transfer SO C.J. Zimmerer - 2nd year backup WR - SR Brandon Kinnie - 2nd year JUCO transfer FR Kenny Bell - 1st year starter/special teams FR Jamal Turner - 1st year backup/special teams SO Quincy Enunwa - 2nd year starter JR Tim Marlowe - 3rd year backup/special teams JR Khiry Cooper - 3rd year backup JR Steven Osborne - played in 3 games JR Taylor Dixon - No game experience JR K.C. Hyland - played in 3 games FR Taariq Allen - No game experience FR Sam Burtch - No game experience FR Tyler Wullenwaber - No game experience TE - JR Ben Cotton - 3rd year starter JR Kyler Reed - 3rd year starter SO J.T. Kerr - No game experience SO Jake Long - 2nd year backup SR Jay Martin - 2nd year position switch from LB/special teams SR Kevin Thomsen - 1st year position switch from DE/FB/LB SO Robert Barry - No game experience FR Eddie Ridder - No game experience FR David Sutton - No game experience OL - SO Nick Ash - No game experience SO Brandon Chapek - No game experience FR Jake Cotton - 1st year starter SR Yoshi Hardrick - 2nd year starter JUCO transfer JR Justin Jackson - 1st year position switch from DT SR Mike Caputo - 4th year starter JR Seung Hoon Choi - 1st year backup SO Scott Criss - No game experience FR Aaron Hayes - No game experience SR Marcel Jones - 4th year starter FR Ryan Klachko - No game experience FR Adam Kucera - No game experience SO Spencer Long - 1st year starter FR Tyler Moore - 1st year starter SR Luke Lingenfelter - 3rd year backup JR Brian Thorson - 2nd year backup FR Zach Sterup - No game experience SO Jeremiah Sirles - 2nd year starter JR Brandon Thompson - 3 year backup FR Will Sailors - No game experience FR Givens Price - No game experience SO Andrew Rodriguez - 2nd year backup FR Ryne Reeves - No game experience FR Mark Pelini - No game experience FR Mike Moudy - No game experience SO Cole Pensick - 2nd year backup SO Brent Qvale - 2nd year backup SO Brodrick Nickens - No game experience So when you look at the offense, you find that we are indeed young, in my opinion. You have experience at RB, FB and TE. At QB, with the exception of Taylor, its a young QB squad. WR squad has veterans, its the young guys that we are seeing on the field. As for the OL, breaking it down, its very young. Out of 28 offensive linemen, only 10 of them have been in a collegiate game before this season began, and only half of them have actually played this year so far, two of them are sophmores and the other 3 are seniors. Defense DE - JR Cameron Meredith - 3rd year starter JR Josh Williams - 3rd year backup FR Donovan Vestal - No game experience FR J.C. Moore - No game experience FR Tobi Okuyemi - No game experience JR Joseph Carter - 1st year Transfer SO Jason Ankrah - 2nd year starter JR Kenny Anderson - No game experience JR Eric Martin - 1st year position switch from LB JR Conor McDermott - No game experience FR Andy Gdowski - No game experience FR Walker Ashburn - No game experience DT - SR Jared Crick - 4th year starter JR Baker Steinkuhler - 3rd year starter SR Terrance Moore - 4th year backup JR Josh Molek - No game experience SO Thaddeus Randle - 2nd year backup FR Chase Rome - 1st year backup FR Kevin Williams - No game experience FR Jeff Uher - No game experience FR Jay Guy - 1st year backup FR Todd Peat Jr. - No game experience LB - SR Lavonte David - 2nd year starter JUCO transfer SR Matthew May - 3rd year backup/special teams JR Will Compton - 3rd year starter JR Sean Fisher - 2nd year backup JR Graham Stoddard - Special teams SR Alonzo Whaley - 2nd year backup SR Jim Ebke - 1st year position switch from S/special teams FR Max Pirman - No game experience FR David Santos - No game experience FR Trevor Roach - 1st year backup JR Matt Manniger - No game experience FR Derek Slaughter - No game experience SO Colby Starkebaum - No game experience JR Micah Kreikemeier - No game experience FR Broderick Boehm - No game experience FR Jack Gangwish - No game experience DB - SR Alfonzo Dennard - 4th year starter SR Marcus Mendoza - 2nd year position switch from WR/IB SR Lance Thorell - 4th year backup FR Yusef Wade - No game experience FR Daniel Davie - No game experience SO Andrew Green - 1st year starter SO Ciante Evans - 2nd year starter FR Josh Mitchell - 1st year backup JR Antonio Bell - 2nd year position switch from WR JR Jase Dean - 3rd year backup SO Stanley Jean-Bapiste - 1st year position switch from WR FR Austin Williams - No game experience FR Andrew Holt - No game experience SO Seth Jameson - No game experience FR Joey Felici - No game experience FR Derek Foster - No game experience SO Dijon Washington - 2nd year backup S - SR Austin Cassidy - 4th year starter JR Cortney Osborne - 3rd year backup JR P.J. Smith - 3rd year backup/special teams JR Daimion Stafford - 1st year starter JUCO transfer FR Bronson Marsh - No game experience FR Corey Cooper - 1st year backup/special teams FR Harvey Jackson - 1st year backup/special teams JR Justin Blatchford - 3rd year backup/special teams SO Wil Richards - 2nd year backup You know, looking at this, its no wonder why the defense is struggling. Take the DT spot for instance. It looks well stack, 10 players at the DT spot, 4 have game experience, all of a sudden, you lose Crick, two FR have to step up, now you lose another veteran in Randle, Moore is banged up, and Rome is injured. I mean who do you go to? Molek? Uher? Peat? Williams? With the exception of Molek, all of them are FR. Thank goodness the DE spot is healthy, or else that would be a mess too. LB squad scares me, 10 LBs that have not been rotated into the game, we lose David next year. Which one of those 10 new guys is going to step up? I don't know why people thought we were stacked at DB and S. Talent and number wise yes, we are stacked, but experience wise, we are young back there. Only Dennard was a starter, Dean and Thorell have played off and on. Everyone else, 2011 is either their first or second year seeing the field. Not to mention, throw in the fact this is our first year in the Big Ten. Football is football, but there are many different styles and ways to play the game. 8 Quote Link to comment
Enhance Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 If I had anymore +1's to give out, you'd get one. Unfortunately, I had to give them out to all the people on this board putting the reactionary fools in their place. I've been saying it ever since early season - this team is young, and your breakdown there proved it. We're young everywhere; and at positions we have an older guy starting, the person behind him is either 18 or 19 years old. Tough to build depth with that. Throw in the fact that we made several position coach changes and one coordinator coaching change in the last 9 months and you have a cohesion/inexperience issue all across the board. Frankly it's surprising we haven't been worse if you really think about it. Quote Link to comment
funhusker Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 This team is very young. I'm curious what people who feel this is an old team see on the roster. Are you guys looking at the overall team, 1st and 2nd teamers, walk-ons...? Martinez, Green, Heard, Abdullah, Bell, Turner, Enunwa, Tyler Moore, Jake Cotton, Spencer Long, Andrew Rodriguez: 11 contributors on offense are redshirt sophomore or younger, five are true freshmen. The starting QB will still have two years left AFTER this year. The defense isn't much different. Quote Link to comment
Foppa Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 This team is very young. Mostly players are student-athletes that are only 18-22 years old. Can't think of any other school that has to deal with the youth issue that Nebraska does. Quote Link to comment
HuskerCarter Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 You know you keep hearing the talking heads on tv say, Bell, Turner, Abdullah, Green and more have bright careers ahead of them. Its true. As much as it kills me to see them drop a pass or pick the wrong lane to run to, i remember that they are only new guys coming in their first year. mistakes will happen, and its the coaches job to help them get it fixed. Quote Link to comment
gin_32 Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Very good points there....this team will be fine and can only improve. The future seems very bright Quote Link to comment
The Big Red Husker Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 There was a stat at the beginning of the year on returning starters in the B1G 10 and we were 11th, and I believe NW was #1 in returning starters....So maybe we just had too high of expectations for this team...Then to lose Crick, Randle, Rome, have Dennard out for the first several games...and lastly the disappointment of Fisher.... really it is not too surprising of how things look. I think we need to get some Juco help for next season to help adjust to the type of personnel we are having issues with .... Quote Link to comment
True2tRA Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 By the looks of things.....I'd say Nebraska has a young football team. Maybe some of them young guys should be getting on the field a bit more to build on game experience for the future of this team. I know it's a space aged thought, but many coaches find it very valuable. I will repeat myself over and over on these boards folks...........lower your expectations a bit. Your setting yourselves up for disappointment. Nebraska is not going to win them all. Not for a long time. Hopefully we reach the point where we at least don't lose games like the one we lost yesterday. Lots of youth on this team though, no doubt about it. Quote Link to comment
Ziebol Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 We are very young. I have very high hopes for next year especially seeing what the offense is capable of and get the young defense a lot of experience going into next year. We should be a way more balanced team as cliche as it sounds I look at this year as a building year more than any season in the past couple years. Quote Link to comment
Count 'Bility Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 All them youngins and yet..... WE'RE 7-2 WHATEVER WILL WE DO!!?? Quote Link to comment
ladyhawke Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Yes, we have a young and/or inexperienced team. I was so hoping that we could get a nice lead during some of the games we played so that the young and/or inexperienced kids could get some playing time. Question: Is there a '2nd/3rd/4th' string? If so (if that's the way the team is divided up) shouldn't those folks automatically go in when someone gets hurt? I'm telling you, I'm really afraid we're going to lose Rex if they don't start giving him some down time. I heard that Coach Bo didn't practice him earlier this past week, but did you look at his elbows? They were raw. Poor kid. He probably hates not being on the field but sometimes you have to just tell him 'No'. Quote Link to comment
The Dude Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I didn't read all that, but you get a +1 just for the effort. Good show. Quote Link to comment
Atbone95 Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Like I've said, we're young, but we have a lot to look forward to! I know some people don't like looking ahead... 2013. Look at our schedule. Sure, we don't know how those teams will be that particular year. But if tradition holds true... they'll be bad. And then take all of these guys that have just come in this year, almost all of the guys getting playing time and experience.... will be Jrs/Srs that year. It's our year for a NC if I do say so myself. Quote Link to comment
melscott62 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 offense yes. defense NO. while the D as a whole is young the fact that we lose David and Dennard next year REALLY worries me. I just dont see us getting any better next year. Quote Link to comment
Comish Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Thanks for posting the detail.......... Hopefully, it will make us all take a moment to put the experience (and/or lack of it) into perspective............ Quote Link to comment
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