Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Spain tries to catch up after sitting out last season
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Apr 07, 2006 - 12:09:34 am CDT
Tyrell Spain has the look of a big-time receiver. He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. His hands seem sure. He has ample experience of running a West Coast-type offense in junior college. So what’s keeping Spain, a newcomer on the Nebraska football team, from making a serious run for No. 1 on the depth chart?
Nebraska’s other receivers, he said. “They’re farther ahead than I am,” Spain said, “and I need to catch up.”
In other words, despite the exciting things you may have read and heard about Spain over the past year, remember the transition he’s encountering.
“I still have a long way to go,” Spain said. “Every day is a competition. You’re going to come out, and you’re going to showcase what you can do every day. I’m just working now to get better, perfect the offense, perfect my technique.”
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As for a starting position come fall?
“If it comes up, it comes up,” he said. “Right now, I’m just looking to get the offense under my belt.”
That, of course, is why we have spring practice. A time to work out the kinks, give snaps to youngsters and test out the new guys.
For Spain, all of this introductory stuff was supposed to have happened last fall. He signed as part of Nebraska’s 2005 class but, because of some quirky class transcript problems, wasn’t able to enroll at NU for the fall semester. Therefore, no football, no practice.
If you’ll remember, Spain’s status became a daily update during two-a-days last fall. The great interest, presumably, was because Spain was a pretty darned good player, a potential different-maker.
The reports from last summer’s 7-on-7 drills indicated Spain could be the Huskers’ top receiver. And his resume from Mesa College in San Diego was fairly impressive — 46 catches for 858 yards and eight touchdowns his sophomore season in 2004.
The fact Spain couldn’t play last fall was a bummer for many … especially, of course, for Spain.
“That transition … it was awful,” said Spain, detailing the nightmares of how he took the wrong class last summer.
He remained in Lincoln, took the necessary class at Southeast Community College and continued to work out last fall.
“I just hung around here, tried to stay around the team,” Spain said. “Stay involved. As close as I could be without being illegal.”
Spain is working at the Z receiver, a spot junior Terrence Nunn held by the end of last season.
“Our receiving corps, they’re a great bunch of guys. We have great camaraderie,” Spain said. “They’ve helped me out a lot. When I first got here, I didn’t know anything about the offense. Even though I ran a version of the West Coast offense back in junior college, I came here, the terminology was different.”
Nebraska cornerback Zack Bowman, a junior college player last year who took some time to adjust to the Division I-A level before blossoming toward the end of the season, said Spain is making strides.
“He’s coming along good. I’ve got to give it to him,” Bowman said. “He’s learning. Everything’s a learning process for him. He’s more working on getting off the press and understanding the motion and the calls that go along with the motion.”
Spain attended home games last season, so he saw the ups and downs the Nebraska offense encountered. He said the offense is improving in spring practice, that the protection is better and the receivers are competing more.
“But in saying all of that,” he said, “we still have a long ways to go.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Apr 07, 2006 - 12:09:34 am CDT
Tyrell Spain has the look of a big-time receiver. He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. His hands seem sure. He has ample experience of running a West Coast-type offense in junior college. So what’s keeping Spain, a newcomer on the Nebraska football team, from making a serious run for No. 1 on the depth chart?
Nebraska’s other receivers, he said. “They’re farther ahead than I am,” Spain said, “and I need to catch up.”
In other words, despite the exciting things you may have read and heard about Spain over the past year, remember the transition he’s encountering.
“I still have a long way to go,” Spain said. “Every day is a competition. You’re going to come out, and you’re going to showcase what you can do every day. I’m just working now to get better, perfect the offense, perfect my technique.”
Advertisement
As for a starting position come fall?
“If it comes up, it comes up,” he said. “Right now, I’m just looking to get the offense under my belt.”
That, of course, is why we have spring practice. A time to work out the kinks, give snaps to youngsters and test out the new guys.
For Spain, all of this introductory stuff was supposed to have happened last fall. He signed as part of Nebraska’s 2005 class but, because of some quirky class transcript problems, wasn’t able to enroll at NU for the fall semester. Therefore, no football, no practice.
If you’ll remember, Spain’s status became a daily update during two-a-days last fall. The great interest, presumably, was because Spain was a pretty darned good player, a potential different-maker.
The reports from last summer’s 7-on-7 drills indicated Spain could be the Huskers’ top receiver. And his resume from Mesa College in San Diego was fairly impressive — 46 catches for 858 yards and eight touchdowns his sophomore season in 2004.
The fact Spain couldn’t play last fall was a bummer for many … especially, of course, for Spain.
“That transition … it was awful,” said Spain, detailing the nightmares of how he took the wrong class last summer.
He remained in Lincoln, took the necessary class at Southeast Community College and continued to work out last fall.
“I just hung around here, tried to stay around the team,” Spain said. “Stay involved. As close as I could be without being illegal.”
Spain is working at the Z receiver, a spot junior Terrence Nunn held by the end of last season.
“Our receiving corps, they’re a great bunch of guys. We have great camaraderie,” Spain said. “They’ve helped me out a lot. When I first got here, I didn’t know anything about the offense. Even though I ran a version of the West Coast offense back in junior college, I came here, the terminology was different.”
Nebraska cornerback Zack Bowman, a junior college player last year who took some time to adjust to the Division I-A level before blossoming toward the end of the season, said Spain is making strides.
“He’s coming along good. I’ve got to give it to him,” Bowman said. “He’s learning. Everything’s a learning process for him. He’s more working on getting off the press and understanding the motion and the calls that go along with the motion.”
Spain attended home games last season, so he saw the ups and downs the Nebraska offense encountered. He said the offense is improving in spring practice, that the protection is better and the receivers are competing more.
“But in saying all of that,” he said, “we still have a long ways to go.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.