Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
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.
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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.
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.
