Husker_Power
Starter
By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Aug 28, 2007 - 12:09:48 am CDT
LINK
One day last week, practice began and Husker running backs coach Randy Jordan started to shout: “faster... Faster... FASTER.”
Cody Glenn and Marlon Lucky moved laterally along the ground, going over and under one another in a speed drill that looked daunting to the unathletic, but only made two running backs laugh.
Someone eventually did wrong and the juniors tangled, Glenn sitting on top of Lucky, or Lucky on top of Glenn — the mind forgets. That’s when the laughter came, just for a second, as to not awaken the wolf inside the onlooking Jordan.
The running backs seemed to see the bright side: Hey, at least they were both out there to get tangled.
Such an opportunity has not existed for good parts of this month.
For Glenn, it’s been a hamstring injury. That kept him out more than a week. For Lucky, a mild concussion. It kept him off the field a week, then he came back and promptly got hit hard again. That put him out three more days.
Both returned last week and all seemed well, until Sunday, when Glenn could be found once again watching practice from the sideline.
And while there was no practice Monday, giving Glenn the chance to mend, there was the weekly league coaches teleconference and some questions for Husker coach Bill Callahan.
Among them: After all that missed practice time, are either Lucky or Glenn in the right condition to carry the ball 15 to 20 times in Saturday’s season opener against Nevada?
“The cardiovascular I’m not concerned about,” Callahan said. “It’s more the mental reps that you get on the field, the little things in terms of schematics and techniques that they’re missing out. But I’m pretty positive and pretty confident that they can catch up in a hurry, especially Marlon. He’s been back for us for a while now.”
Lucky’s been back since Wednesday. Glenn’s availability for Saturday is now day-to-day, and could possibly not be announced until kickoff.
“I never stood myself in the corner trying to make statements about a player’s health or status going into game week,” Callahan said of Glenn’s situation.
Last week, NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said that, while not ideal, it hasn’t been a major ordeal working around the running backs’ injuries.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to teach them anymore about what we do in terms of blitz pickup, in terms of footwork and run reads. They know that stuff,” Watson said. “It’s just the (timing) element. You can get them back into that if you get far enough out in front of it. Part of that, too, is being a natural, a natural player — which both of them are.”
The injuries have proven beneficial in one way to Husker coaches: It’s produced a better view of the younger backs.
Sophomore Major Culbert and freshmen Quentin Castille and Roy Helu are among the names that could be called on Saturday, perhaps even for critical carries, depending on Glenn’s health.
“If that situation presents itself, and that’s the hand you’re dealt, then that’s what you’re playing with,” Watson said. “In football you always have your contingencies lined up. You’ve always got your plan A, B and C. And in a coach’s case: A, B, C and D.”
Nebraska might need E if September goes anything like August.
Last year, with Lucky providing 728 yards rushing and Glenn getting 370, the Huskers averaged 170.5 yards a game.
That average is down considerably from the run-heavy glory years of a decade ago, but significant improvement from the meager 96 yards per game NU mustered in 2005.
Callahan said matching or bettering that 170.5 yards a game this season is not something he worries about.
“If you run the ball well enough to win, that’s great. If you throw the ball well enough to win, that’s great, too. It all has to do with winning. I think sometimes you set all these numbers and statistical goals. When you don’t reach them and win, what does it mean?” Callahan said.
“We never have put numbers up in front of our offense and challenged them from that regard. We just try to do the best we can within our situational football and I think it normally takes care of itself.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
Tuesday, Aug 28, 2007 - 12:09:48 am CDT
LINK
One day last week, practice began and Husker running backs coach Randy Jordan started to shout: “faster... Faster... FASTER.”
Cody Glenn and Marlon Lucky moved laterally along the ground, going over and under one another in a speed drill that looked daunting to the unathletic, but only made two running backs laugh.
Someone eventually did wrong and the juniors tangled, Glenn sitting on top of Lucky, or Lucky on top of Glenn — the mind forgets. That’s when the laughter came, just for a second, as to not awaken the wolf inside the onlooking Jordan.
The running backs seemed to see the bright side: Hey, at least they were both out there to get tangled.
Such an opportunity has not existed for good parts of this month.
For Glenn, it’s been a hamstring injury. That kept him out more than a week. For Lucky, a mild concussion. It kept him off the field a week, then he came back and promptly got hit hard again. That put him out three more days.
Both returned last week and all seemed well, until Sunday, when Glenn could be found once again watching practice from the sideline.
And while there was no practice Monday, giving Glenn the chance to mend, there was the weekly league coaches teleconference and some questions for Husker coach Bill Callahan.
Among them: After all that missed practice time, are either Lucky or Glenn in the right condition to carry the ball 15 to 20 times in Saturday’s season opener against Nevada?
“The cardiovascular I’m not concerned about,” Callahan said. “It’s more the mental reps that you get on the field, the little things in terms of schematics and techniques that they’re missing out. But I’m pretty positive and pretty confident that they can catch up in a hurry, especially Marlon. He’s been back for us for a while now.”
Lucky’s been back since Wednesday. Glenn’s availability for Saturday is now day-to-day, and could possibly not be announced until kickoff.
“I never stood myself in the corner trying to make statements about a player’s health or status going into game week,” Callahan said of Glenn’s situation.
Last week, NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said that, while not ideal, it hasn’t been a major ordeal working around the running backs’ injuries.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to teach them anymore about what we do in terms of blitz pickup, in terms of footwork and run reads. They know that stuff,” Watson said. “It’s just the (timing) element. You can get them back into that if you get far enough out in front of it. Part of that, too, is being a natural, a natural player — which both of them are.”
The injuries have proven beneficial in one way to Husker coaches: It’s produced a better view of the younger backs.
Sophomore Major Culbert and freshmen Quentin Castille and Roy Helu are among the names that could be called on Saturday, perhaps even for critical carries, depending on Glenn’s health.
“If that situation presents itself, and that’s the hand you’re dealt, then that’s what you’re playing with,” Watson said. “In football you always have your contingencies lined up. You’ve always got your plan A, B and C. And in a coach’s case: A, B, C and D.”
Nebraska might need E if September goes anything like August.
Last year, with Lucky providing 728 yards rushing and Glenn getting 370, the Huskers averaged 170.5 yards a game.
That average is down considerably from the run-heavy glory years of a decade ago, but significant improvement from the meager 96 yards per game NU mustered in 2005.
Callahan said matching or bettering that 170.5 yards a game this season is not something he worries about.
“If you run the ball well enough to win, that’s great. If you throw the ball well enough to win, that’s great, too. It all has to do with winning. I think sometimes you set all these numbers and statistical goals. When you don’t reach them and win, what does it mean?” Callahan said.
“We never have put numbers up in front of our offense and challenged them from that regard. We just try to do the best we can within our situational football and I think it normally takes care of itself.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.