The team went inside Memorial Stadium today for a full padded practice. There is now officially one week until the Spring Game on April 17th. Check out some notes and quotes from today’s practice. Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Shawn Watson
Watson said that the team is farther ahead on offense than they thought they would be at this time. If you remember two days ago, Head Coach Bo Pelini remarked how that practice was also favoring the offense to a degree. Watson said that the progress can really be seen in the younger players on the team. “They are assignment sound. They are starting to execute with technique and you can see their fundamentals coming out,” he said. “We just have to be more consistent at it. Sometimes what happens, especially with younger players, they execute and then they run plays. There’s a difference. When they run plays there’s a mistake. When they execute there are no mistakes.”
Nebraska has been scrimmaging to some extent throughout the Spring since the full pads went on. But today, much like most of the week, was what Watson described as fundamentals. “We really stayed very fundamental. Just a base practice is all it was,” he said.
Outside of the younger players learning, older players are trying to relearn some things, learn some new things and keep their position as a starter. That status is always in question during this time of the year, because as Watson indicated, everyone wants the top job. “They’ve got heat on them. You’ve got to respond when you have heat on you,” he said. “I think the younger players have come in have flashed on film (and) are becoming more consistent on film. All those things heighten your sense of urgency if you are a veteran player. Competition is the best thing for a football team.”
Watson said that it’s helped Roy Helu Jr., who basically had no competition last Spring, but that picture has changed dramatically this time around. “Roy, I think, “feels the urgency at his position. He’s got Rex and he’s got “Tray” (Dontrayevous Robinson), who’ve gotten better,” he said. “A year ago he didn’t have that type of competition. Now he’s got it. That competitive environment makes for a higher level of play. He’s had to play well. He’s had to play well every day.”
Of the quarterback situation, Watson continues to maintain that this competition is still very wide open.
On the offensive line, Watson said that he likes the progress that’s been made and he, like it would seem the players are, is excited about what’s to come. “What we’re doing scheme-wise is really good. It fits our personnel,” he said. “You see the breakout runs and the explosion runs we’ve had , it’s enough to get anybody excited.”
On the ‘streamlining’ of the offense, Watson said that was simply a byproduct of them as coaches getting better as much as it is trying to make the players better at what they do.
On offensive tackle D. J. Jones, Watson said that from the end of last year to now he’s made solid progress. “He probably really started to progress at the end of last season. When he got nicked up unfortunately, it kind of impeded it,” he said. “He came back, had a really good Winter and he’s really picked up at that same spot where he’s kind of studying to get it. He’s going to be in that mix for the best five.”
The Huskers will return to the practice field on Monday.