LINCOLN — Eric Martin, the freshman linebacker who made a splash in his collegiate debut a week ago, visited Nebraska in January for a recruiting trip.
He met several Huskers and most of the coaches, including Carl Pelini, the NU defensive coordinator.
Pelini was calm and pleasant — even laid-back, Martin said. entirely unlike the coach who has chewed into Martin on several occasions since the rookie began to show a spark last month in practice.
“At first,” Martin said, “I was just like, ‘Oh, wow, Coach Pelini is totally different than the guy who took me out to dinner.' If I just line up wrong, look out.”
It's good, though, Martin said. He knows the tough love from Pelini and other NU coaches is a necessary tactic for Nebraska in this unique season.
What's so unique? Twenty-nine of the 67 NU players in last week's opener had never seen the field for the Huskers. Five true freshmen and 20 redshirt freshmen saw time.
Yes, the youth movement is in full swing at Memorial Stadium.
But if it's going to produce immediate results, NU cannot lower expectations or afford more patience when dealing with the new blood.
From the top on down, the Huskers look set to handle the youngsters with no regard for age.
“We don't go there at all,” coach Bo Pelini said. “I'm not a real patient person.”
As Nebraska readies to play its second game today at 1:10 p.m. against Arkansas State, the young contributors have already begun to make their mark.
Backups Cody Green at quarterback and Rex Burkhead at I-back became the first pair of true freshmen ever at Nebraska to score touchdowns in a season opener. Martin made four tackles and looks like a special teams force.
Redshirt freshmen Sean Fisher and Will Compton started at linebacker. Others who could make a difference this fall include Kyler Reed and Ben Cotton at tight end, Cameron Meredith and Josh Williams at defensive end, Antonio Bell, Brandon Kinnie and Khiry Cooper at receiver, P.J. Smith at safety and Baker Steinkuhler at defensive tackle.
“It's kind of scary, looking at it, how many freshmen we've got out there,” said Green, the only Nebraska quarterback of note other than Tommie Frazier to play in the opening game of his true freshman season. “Looking at it and seeing how young we are right now, we're going to be good for the next four to five years.”
That's precisely what the Huskers hope.
“We'll bring Nebraska back,” Martin said. “We're going to be the real Blackshirts again. And it all starts with what we do now. I want Will Compton and Sean Fisher to be All-Americans and get their names and faces up on the wall as some of the best linebackers to play here.
“And I want to be right there with them.”
This was the plan from the beginning for Pelini — to unleash the youth as soon as it appeared ready. Last year wasn't the right time. Of the remaining players from Pelini's first class of recruits, all but two redshirted.
Another 11 from the class of 2008 played last week, including Smith, the athletic safety out of River Ridge, La.
Smith said many of the freshmen wanted to play last year. No doubt, they could have helped the Huskers, especially on defense.
No, said the NU coaches.
“After, we realized why,” Smith said. “And then we were glad it happened. Now we know — we weren't ready. Coach Bo and the staff, they did that for a reason.”
Mix the 2008 redshirts and a few rookies with advanced maturity, and perhaps you've got the start of something special.
Kinnie, a sophomore who transferred to Nebraska this fall from junior college, said he noticed distinctive traits in a few of the true freshmen right away over the summer.
The 20-year-old receiver said he had to constantly remind himself that Green was just a freshman.
“I kept thinking he was an older guy, because he's so big and how he acts and talks,” Kinnie said. “Maturity. He's very mature for his age.”
Before the Huskers' summer training program began, Burkhead ran stadium stairs with Kinnie immediately after they arrived in Lincoln.
“That makes a statement,” Kinnie said. “I knew coming in, meeting Rex, right away, that he was going to be a big-time player.”
Burkhead, who rushed for 39 yards in his debut, said he doesn't let any of the big talk get to his head. He's played just one game at this level.
Same goes for nearly half of the players who will help shape this season for Nebraska.
“There's a great amount of talent in this group,” Burkhead said. “We've got a lot of young guys committed to play winning football games and do good things on and off the field. When you're around that many people who are motivated like that, it brings out the best in you, too.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9587, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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