• Photo Showcase: Spring practice
• Video: Highlights from Nebraska's first day of spring practice. Post-practice interview with coach Bo Pelini below the story:
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LINCOLN — Ask Cody Green about the offense Nebraska ran in the Holiday Bowl and it's not hard to see both excitement and approval from the sophomore quarterback.
“That's what I did in high school,'' he said. “That's me inside and out.''
And that's what Green and others expect going forward. The new season began Wednesday with the Huskers' first organized practice since that 33-0 dismantling of Arizona in San Diego.
“That's what we're doing now in spring ball, and I can tell this spring's going to be fun, just for everybody,'' Green said. “We keep doing this, it's going to be very fun to watch, very fun to play.''
That kind of enthusiasm with the offense was rare last fall as Nebraska suffered through one of its least productive seasons in decades. The offense it flashed in the Holiday Bowl was a change from its attack during the second half of the season, when NU dealt with some injuries and shortcomings by playing conservatively and riding its defense.
“We have something to prove,'' Green said.
Green will be the most experienced quarterback in spring practice with senior Zac Lee recovering from arm surgery. Others picking up practice snaps will be senior Latravis Washington, sophomore Kody Spano and redshirt freshmen Taylor Martinez and Ron Kellogg.
Green said he understands the opportunity after he started two games and played in seven others last season as a true freshman.
“It's just time for me to show what I can actually do,'' he said.
Green played three series in the Holiday Bowl, but it was Lee who looked comfortable directing the offense. The mix of spread and power sets, shotgun and under-center snaps, the zone read and Wildcat formation it's what offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has said he envisions for 2010.
The job for the quarterbacks this spring is to digest it.
“We have to take that and we have to get in there and just say, ‘Hey, we want all the new stuff,''' Green said. “Like coach Watson says, it's like drinking out of a fire hose. They're going to throw a lot of stuff at us and want us to take it in.''
Green has an experience advantage, after going through spring practice a year ago and then playing last season. It was a little tough going in and out of games, he said, “but we had more wins than losses, so my life was pretty good.''
NU coaches would still like to see more of him under fire. And they want to see others like Spano and Martinez in competitive situations.
NU head coach Bo Pelini said that should come naturally through the spring, which includes one more practice without full pads Friday before the Huskers start wearing all the equipment Saturday.
“They're under fire every day, to perform and to execute and run the offense and do all those things,'' Pelini said. “It's not like you have to set it up. It's just part of practice. It's part of the deal, and they have to execute.
“We put them in a bunch of different situations. We'll scrimmage maybe a little bit more this spring than we have in the past. I don't know, we'll see how it goes. Our practices will be physical, and they'll be tested on a daily basis.''
Green said he spent part of the winter going back and watching every play the Huskers ran last season. Several times. He got a player's perspective from talking with Joe Ganz, the former NU quarterback who is now a Husker staff intern.
In Green's own self-analysis, there were some rough spots and times when he was a little nervous. He said he had to learn the speed of the game, how to manage the offense, how to let the game come to him.
“I don't think there was just a specific thing I wasn't ready for,'' said Green, 18. “It was just the whole thing.
“Going through the season, it's like picking up rocks. We always say, ‘Aesop picking up rocks, turning into diamonds.' And going through the season, that's how it was. Every game was a rock, and now we're turning it into diamonds.''
Contact the writer:
444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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