Do we have a young team?

[HuskerCarter]

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.

 

[Enhance]

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.

 

[funhusker]

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.

 

[Foppa]

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.

 

[HuskerCarter]

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.

 

[gin_32]

Very good points there....this team will be fine and can only improve. The future seems very bright

 

[The Big Red Husker]

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 ....

 

[True2tRA]

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.

 

[Ziebol]

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.

 

[Count 'Bility]

All them youngins and yet..... WE'RE 7-2 :ahhhhhhhh WHATEVER WILL WE DO!!??

 

[ladyhawke]

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'.

 

[The Dude]

I didn't read all that, but you get a +1 just for the effort. Good show.

 

[Atbone95]

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.

 

[melscott62]

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.

 

[Comish]

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............