Carriker earns Nicks' respect

E

Eric the Red

Team HuskerBoard
Carriker earns Nicks' respect

Junior college transfer Carl Nicks, a 6-foot-5, 325-pound backup right tackle, described a memorable encounter with 6-6, 295-pound Adam Carriker in a recent one-on-one drill.

Carriker, a standout defensive end, apparently got the best of Nicks. “We hit each other, and I don’t really remember what happened after that,” Nicks said. “For about eight periods of practice, my head was still was ringing, and I knew he was no joke.”

Nicks, a transfer from New Mexico State by way of Hartnell (Calif.) Junior College, said he’s running with the second string at right tackle behind Matt Slauson. However, he said, coaches have indicated he will be switching between right and left tackle in the near future.

 
I don't think Nicks is the only person that this has happened to because of Carriker. He probally won't be the last person that this happens to either.

 
Carriker should put the old a$$ whoopin on quite a few people this year. I see some trainers being busy on the other teams sidelines. :horns2 :horns2

 
yeah it was even more funny watching the Nside video cause you got the facial expressions with it. quite humorous indeed, i really like the humility of Nicks throughout the interview.

 
OWH: Nicks ready after wake-up call Reply

At 6-foot-5 and 331 pounds with tree trunks for legs, Carl Nicks looks ready to play football at Nebraska. For that matter, he looks ready to play in the NFL.

And a few days ago, Nicks felt ready to play at NU. That is, until he met defensive end Adam Carriker in a one-on-one blocking drill.

"Everybody was like, 'It's Adam Carriker. He's a first-rounder,'" Nicks said Friday. "I was like, 'OK, I can go against him.' We hit, and I don't really remember what happened after that. Until about eighth period, my head was still hurting. That's no joke."

Nicks, another of the Huskers' impressive junior-college transfers, has worked his way this month into the top backup position behind sophomore Matt Slauson at right tackle. Nicks appears set to play a key role on a revamped offensive line.

But as he learned in facing Carriker, he has plenty of room to improve. At some point, he said, he'd like a rematch with the preseason first-team All-American.

"I figure if I can go against him and just hold my own," Nicks said, "I can dominate somebody else."

A 23-year-old junior from Salinas, Calif., Nicks has done plenty of dominating in his day. He earned juco All-America honors last season at Hartnell (Calif.) Junior College after starting his collegiate career in 2003 at New Mexico State.

It was in Las Cruces, N.M., that Nicks studied under ex-Nebraska assistant Tony Samuel and his staff full of coaches with NU ties. Former New Mexico State defensive line coach Rich Glover, an ex-All-American at Nebraska, took a particular interest in Nicks.

"Glover would talk about Nebraska every day," Nicks said.

So when NU offensive line coach Dennis Wagner called Nicks last year at the first moment permitted under NCAA rules, the big lineman was already familiar with the Huskers. He picked Nebraska over scholarship offers from California, Washington, Wisconsin and Louisville.

"He was always saying, 'You're my franchise. You're the guy I want,'" Nicks said. "Coach Wagner set himself apart from everybody else, the way he acted and cared about me as a person."

Nicks said he's always played left tackle, so the move to the right side has caused him some trouble. Three weeks into practice, though, he feels comfortable. And Wagner has told Nicks to be ready to play both tackle spots.

His presence should serve as a boost for the Huskers, who shifted Slauson back to tackle this week after he practiced at guard for much of camp. Add Lydon Murtha and Chris Patrick to the mix and NU appears equipped to rotate four tackles.

"If you would have seen our offensive line on the first day of camp, you wouldn't even recognize us now," Nicks said. "We were probably like a five at the beginning. We're a seven or eight now, and we've still got a long way to go."

 
Carriker has bested Slausen and Nicks in practice and they are now improved players from going up against the best. Now it's time for Carriker to whip Murtha into shape!!

 
I've had that feeling a few times!!!! I remember getting run over and waking up about 5 minutes later laying on the field not knowing what happened!!! :lol:

 
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