Huskers return for 1st practice Wednesday since SDSU game

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Nebraska practiced Wednesday for the first time since last Saturday's 17-3 victory against South Dakota State. Coach Bo Pelini was impressed with the tempo and intensity of the practice, comparing it to what he saw during fall camp.
The practice effort evidently was in contrast to the sixth-ranked Huskers' poor showing against the Jackrabbits.

"I was speechless, because it just didn't seem like we wanted to play," Nebraska senior wideout Niles Paul said Wednesday. "And it just kind of frustrated me."

Nebraska middle linebacker Eric Martin said the Huskers met as a team and arrived at a rather predictable conclusion regarding last week's victory.

"We just realized our focus was off," Martin said. "We took a break and we shouldn't have. We have to get back to work. Now we're into Big 12 Conference play. This is where the games count. This is where it all begins."

Paul said the players' practice intensity has returned.

"You see guys flying around, you just see a new energy out there," he said. "We're making plays. You see us doing things that you didn't see the other week in practice."

The Huskers (4-0) went through some light workouts and lifting Monday and Tuesday but were otherwise off, a move Pelini said he decided on after sensing his team was "leg weary" in practice last week. The mental break was as welcome as the physical break, he said.

Added Paul: "No excuses. We played bad. But you definitely saw a certain sign of fatigue out there. Those two days (off) were much needed and we came out and got after it today."

The players nicked up in last week's game -- Mike McNeill, Rickey Thenarse, P.J. Smith and Eric Martin -- all practiced Wednesday.

Hagg "pretty impresive": Senior Eric Hagg has quietly settled into his hybrid linebacker/safety role in Nebraska's new peso defense this season and has been "pretty impressive," secondary coach Marvin Sanders said.

Never mind that Hagg has only seven tackles through four games.

"You don't see a lot of balls thrown his way, and you don't hear his name a lot, because he's doing exactly what he's asked to do," Sanders said.

Hagg's biggest game was against Washington, when he had an interception and two pass breakups while being named the Big 12 defensive player of the week.

Sanders notes that Hagg had only one tackle in that game.

"He's increased his game. He's increased his level of understanding, and that's what I've been proud of," Sanders said. "Eric has always been a guy that if he doesn't know, he'll ask, and it seems like now, things are really starting to set in with him. We do a lot of different things with him, and he's been able to adjust."

Pride in earning it: Thenarse has been in the Husker program long enough to see two different ways of distributing Blackshirts.

When the senior safety first came to campus during the Bill Callahan regime, starting defenders received the black practice jerseys prior to the first game. Pelini changed that practice upon his arrival, not giving out Blackshirts until he felt they were earned.

Thenarse, who received a Blackshirt for the first time in his career last week, said he likes Pelini's way of doing it.

"My second year (in 2007), it felt like a couple guys got a Blackshirt and it didn't really mean anything," Thenarse said. "After that, I felt like some other guys should have got them, and those other guys didn't. It just kind of seemed like it was all politics. After hearing about the Blackshirt tradition, I just thought it wasn't represented right. But when Bo got here, they made guys earn it and they don't give it to anyone who don't put in work."

Thenarse was one of six defenders to receive a Blackshirt for the first time last week. Others were end Cameron Meredith, tackle Baker Steinkuhler, safety P.J. Smith and linebackers Lavonte David and Eric Martin.

"I didn't even know they were handing them out," Martin said. "I just went to my locker and Tray Robinson jumped on me and said, ‘You got a Blackshirt.' I said, ‘What?' He said, ‘You got a Blackshirt.' That was just exciting. That was the first thing in my mind: I'm a Blackshirt."

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Looking ahead is a problem for all schools in the top 25. Teams need to respect EVERY team they play. We got a "wake up call" now is the time to suck it up and play to your potential.

T_O_B

:bonesflag:

 
I'm thinking more and more that the SDSU game was a blessing in disguise. Here's to seeing the Nebraska team from Seattle dominate KSU down in Manhattan.

 
I guess after ISU last year. Another team we should of beat, i would think this wouldnt of been an issue this year. But its over and we still won. Now that i think about it, we won out after we lost to ISU so maybe this is a good thing. Keep them focused Bo. Its not over yet.

 
T_O_Bull said:
Looking ahead is a problem for all schools in the top 25. Teams need to respect EVERY team they play. We got a "wake up call" now is the time to suck it up and play to your potential.

T_O_B

:bonesflag:
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In this day and age more and more so-called mid major schools are becoming much better, good enough to take out the major BCS schools when they lack the focus and discipline it takes to win. Martin's comment indicating that this is conference play and this is where it counts shows that lack of focus.

We might get away with that during the Pedersen era of scheduling but looking forward....they need to be ready for EVERY game. Actually during the Pedersen era we lost to those cupcakes that he scheduled! LOL.

 
BigRedPowerWagon said:
I guess after ISU last year. Another team we should of beat, i would think this wouldnt of been an issue this year. But its over and we still won. Now that i think about it, we won out after we lost to ISU so maybe this is a good thing. Keep them focused Bo. Its not over yet.
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Hopefully it won't remain consistent, but so far under Bo Pelini's tenure here the norm is to experience one or two let-down games per season, where the team isn't as focused or motivated as they should be.

 
Huskerballz said:
Didn't Bo say in the post game interview that this game was the team's day off? Then they get three more?
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He was pretty tongue in cheek with that remark. Every team is going to take a day or two of during a bye week escpecially with the confrence grind coming up. Besides they still do workouts to stay in condition and I bet some guys spent their free time in the film room, so its not like they sat around chuggin beers or something.

 
Nebraska practiced Wednesday for the first time since last Saturday's 17-3 victory against South Dakota State. Coach Bo Pelini was impressed with the tempo and intensity of the practice, comparing it to what he saw during fall camp.
The practice effort evidently was in contrast to the sixth-ranked Huskers' poor showing against the Jackrabbits.

"I was speechless, because it just didn't seem like we wanted to play," Nebraska senior wideout Niles Paul said Wednesday. "And it just kind of frustrated me."

Nebraska middle linebacker Eric Martin said the Huskers met as a team and arrived at a rather predictable conclusion regarding last week's victory.

"We just realized our focus was off," Martin said. "We took a break and we shouldn't have. We have to get back to work. Now we're into Big 12 Conference play. This is where the games count. This is where it all begins."

Paul said the players' practice intensity has returned.

"You see guys flying around, you just see a new energy out there," he said. "We're making plays. You see us doing things that you didn't see the other week in practice."

The Huskers (4-0) went through some light workouts and lifting Monday and Tuesday but were otherwise off, a move Pelini said he decided on after sensing his team was "leg weary" in practice last week. The mental break was as welcome as the physical break, he said.

Added Paul: "No excuses. We played bad. But you definitely saw a certain sign of fatigue out there. Those two days (off) were much needed and we came out and got after it today."

The players nicked up in last week's game -- Mike McNeill, Rickey Thenarse, P.J. Smith and Eric Martin -- all practiced Wednesday.

Hagg "pretty impresive": Senior Eric Hagg has quietly settled into his hybrid linebacker/safety role in Nebraska's new peso defense this season and has been "pretty impressive," secondary coach Marvin Sanders said.

Never mind that Hagg has only seven tackles through four games.

"You don't see a lot of balls thrown his way, and you don't hear his name a lot, because he's doing exactly what he's asked to do," Sanders said.

Hagg's biggest game was against Washington, when he had an interception and two pass breakups while being named the Big 12 defensive player of the week.

Sanders notes that Hagg had only one tackle in that game.

"He's increased his game. He's increased his level of understanding, and that's what I've been proud of," Sanders said. "Eric has always been a guy that if he doesn't know, he'll ask, and it seems like now, things are really starting to set in with him. We do a lot of different things with him, and he's been able to adjust."

Pride in earning it: Thenarse has been in the Husker program long enough to see two different ways of distributing Blackshirts.

When the senior safety first came to campus during the Bill Callahan regime, starting defenders received the black practice jerseys prior to the first game. Pelini changed that practice upon his arrival, not giving out Blackshirts until he felt they were earned.

Thenarse, who received a Blackshirt for the first time in his career last week, said he likes Pelini's way of doing it.

"My second year (in 2007), it felt like a couple guys got a Blackshirt and it didn't really mean anything," Thenarse said. "After that, I felt like some other guys should have got them, and those other guys didn't. It just kind of seemed like it was all politics. After hearing about the Blackshirt tradition, I just thought it wasn't represented right. But when Bo got here, they made guys earn it and they don't give it to anyone who don't put in work."

Thenarse was one of six defenders to receive a Blackshirt for the first time last week. Others were end Cameron Meredith, tackle Baker Steinkuhler, safety P.J. Smith and linebackers Lavonte David and Eric Martin.

"I didn't even know they were handing them out," Martin said. "I just went to my locker and Tray Robinson jumped on me and said, 'You got a Blackshirt.' I said, 'What?' He said, 'You got a Blackshirt.' That was just exciting. That was the first thing in my mind: I'm a Blackshirt."

LINK
Click to expand...

I don't know how I feel about Thenarse referring to Coach as simply "Bo" when he gives interview. I know the players say "Coach Bo" and "Coach Carl" but I know that if I ever did something like that, especially in an interview, I'd probably be running until I died.

 
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The players nicked up in last week's game -- Mike McNeill, Rickey Thenarse, P.J. Smith and Eric Martin -- all practiced Wednesday.
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Definitely good to see this. We absolutely gotta have everyone healthy with the tough October that's coming our way.

 
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