Friday, November 20, 2009

Snyder on NU: 'I haven't said that this was my rivalry'
2:27 p.m. For the record, Nebraska beat Kansas State 58-7 in 1989 during Bill Snyder's first year at the school, not 100-0, as he remembered it this week.

“We weren't very good and they were pretty good,” Snyder said.

He was asked if the winner-take-all Big 12 North showdown Saturday reminded him of games against NU from his first stint in Manhattan – not the first time he coached against the Huskers, but Snyder chose to recall that game from 20 years ago.

“I'd probably prefer not to think about the first time we played Nebraska,” Snyder said. “I think it was 100-0, something like that. No, it doesn't take me back to that.”

Snyder steered clear of the suggestion that he ever placed extra emphasis on beating the Huskers, though fans of both programs in the early years of the Big 12 felt differently.

“I haven't said that this was my rivalry,” Snyder said. “Nebraska was the class of the league back when we were in the Big Eight Conference, and they've always had such a storied program that when you line up and play against them, you know you're lining up and playing against a special program. That kind of goes without saying.”

Filed by Mitch Sherman »

Friday, November 20, 2009

Breakfast with Beck
Filed by Mitch Sherman at 9:18 p.m.

Running backs coach Tim Beck reiterated this morning that Nebraska freshman Rex Burkhead is likely to play Saturday against Kansas State.

“There's a good chance,” Beck said during his presentation at the Big Red Breakfast.

Burkhead's return to practice this week, after he missed five games with a broken bone in his right foot, has energized the Huskers' young group of I-backs, Beck said.

“Competition is a great thing,” he said.

The second-year NU assistant also addressed some of the issues that have prevented reserves Lester Ward, Collins Okafor and Austin Jones from playing more.

“When the pieces move defensively, the lights aren't clicking fast enough right now for them,” Beck said.

All three players have progressed this fall, he said, though Burkhead and fellow rookie Dontrayevous Robinson benefited from more experience in high school against complex defensive schemes.

Of Nebraska's shift to a power game on the ground, Beck said it's been a hit with the offensive players.

“I think, as a coach, the idea is to give your kids the best chance to win,” Beck said. “There's a lot of guys that stuff the system down the kids' throats and say, ‘By gosh, we're going to do this, I don't care what.' To be able to find the identity that gives your kids a chance to win, that's good coaching.”

Look for a full report from the Big Red Breakfast in the Metropolitan Edition of The World-Herald. »

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Hickman's long road
Filed by Rich Kaipust at 10:15 p.m.

Before center Jacob Hickman ever started 33 games at Nebraska, before ever playing in the first of his 40 as a Husker, the senior went through a humbling process that he still remembers vividly four years later.

Hickman was part of the highly touted 2005 recruiting class when he signed with players such as Marlon Lucky, Ndamukong Suh, Harrison Beck, Leon Jackson and Phillip Dillard.

Because he was coming off two surgeries and weighed about 235 or 240 pounds, however, it was decided that Hickman would grayshirt. No big deal, he thought.

That was until Hickman arrived and found that he not only couldn't practice with the Huskers, he basically wasn't part of the team at all as he attended school part-time. He was given a lifting regimen but had to carry it out on his own at the student rec center.

"It was unfortunate that the setting wasn't what you hoped for, not to be around the team,'' Hickman said. "But I think it's something that kind of made me stronger and told me what I had to do. Where I was starting was a little bit lower on the totem pole.''

It turned pretty quickly for Hickman, who went on scholarship in January 2006 and eventually made more out of his Husker career than a good chunk of those 2005 signees. He even started once as a true freshman in 2006 before pretty much becoming a regular the following season.

Did he ever wonder if it might turn out this way?

"You kind of get frustrated and maybe even kind of doubt yourself,'' Hickman said. "But don't let me fool you, I'm still about as arrogant as anybody else. Deep in the back of the head it was like, ‘Aw, I'm going to do it all,' but there are times where you wonder, ‘Hey, maybe I'm not as good as I think I am and maybe I won't play.'

"I just had a lot of guys help me out my freshman year and help me come along. And once I started playing, I kind of knew I could be playing a lot.''

Hickman will play one final time at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, along with 12 other seniors. Look for a story in the Friday World-Herald about the veteran from Bakersfield, Calif. »

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Pelini: Burkhead could play
Filed by Jon Nyatawa at 6:45 p.m.

Don't be surprised to see freshman I-back Rex Burkhead on the field Saturday. All indications point to Burkhead getting some playing time, according to coach Bo Pelini.

Burkhead broke a bone in his right foot during an Oct. 12 practice, but not even five weeks later, he has returned to the field. And he might just be healthy enough to contribute Saturday against Kansas State, Pelini said after practice today.

“Rex is doing really good,” Pelini said. “It's looking like he's going to play.”

Adding Burkhead into the mix at I-back would certainly take some of the responsibility off junior Roy Helu, who carried the ball 20 times against Oklahoma and 28 times against Kansas.

Burkhead totaled 118 rushing yards on 23 carries during the first five games of the season. He also caught eight passes.

More injury news from Pelini today: The second-year coach expects both junior tight end Mike McNeill and junior defensive end Pierre Allen to play Saturday too. »

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Suh among Nagurski finalists
Filed by Mitch Sherman at 11:53 a.m.

Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh added to his list of honors today as one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, presented by the Football Writers Association of America to the nation's top defensive player.

Other finalists include linebacker Pat Angerer of Iowa, Tennessee safety Eric Berry, Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody and TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes.

The winner will be announced Dec. 7 at a banquet in Charlotte, N.C.

Suh is also among four finalists for the Lombardi Award. »

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Wildcats relish underdog role
Filed by Mitch Sherman at 9:56 a.m.

Kansas State defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald offers an interesting breakdown on the Nebraska-KSU game set for Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

“It doesn't who really matter who has the best players or what not,” said Fitzgerald, a senior who leads the Wildcats defensively with six sacks and 8 ½ tackles for losses. “It's just who can put the best game together on Saturday. You never know what's going to happen. Underdog or not, it doesn't really matter to me.”

He speaks from experience. There's no other explanation for consecutive October games in which K-State lost 66-14 to Texas Tech and beat Texas A&M 62-14. A week later, by the way, A&M won at Tech, 52-30.

It makes about as much sense as the point spread this week. Nebraska is 16 1/2-point favorite over K-State.

Kansas State center Wade Weibert said the Wildcats appear unaffected by their underdog status or the odds apparently stacked in favor of NU.

“We're all very aware of what's at stake right now,” Weibert said.

The junior said he wondered Monday how the K-State players would respond in practice to their 38-12 loss last week to Missouri. What he saw reminded Weibert of the attitude after the Wildcats Oct. 10 loss to Texas Tech.

“You wouldn't know it at all,” Weibert said. “Everyone went out and was just ready to play football. We have it in the back of our mind, that do-or-die mentality.” »

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Ball-hawking Blackshirts
Filed by Rich Kaipust at 8:35 a.m.

Despite going minus-eight in turnovers in one game (remember that 9-7 loss to Iowa State), Nebraska has managed to find itself back on the plus side in turnover margin with two games remaining.

One big reason: The Husker defense has accounted for 19 takeaways (12 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries). And specifically, members of the secondary have gathered 12 turnovers, led by safety Matt O'Hanlon with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

Junior cornerback Prince Amukamara said it's been a work in progress since Bo Pelini took over as NU coach, Carl Pelini as defensive coordinator and Marvin Sanders as secondary coach.

"I think our secondary is starting to just become ball hawks like the whole defensive staff keeps stressing,'' said Amukamara, whose three interceptions include the game-changer against Oklahoma. "They keep stressing takeaways, and I think we're starting to just do what they preach and just starting to make plays on the ball.''

Nebraska has regularly played six defensive backs in recent weeks. And according to Amukamara, newcomer Dejon Gomes has taken his opportunity to add to that mentality. Gomes has intercepted two passes. He also knocked a ball loose from Kansas receiver Kerry Meier last Saturday that O'Hanlon recovered inside the Husker 10-yard line.

"He's definitely added a lot of takeaways to our team,'' Amukamara said of Gomes, "like how you saw him poke the ball out at KU. He does that every time in practice. Going after the ball is a big part of our defense.''

A year ago, the NU defense produced 15 takeaways in 13 games. Only six of those were credited to the secondary, all interceptions.

In 2007, the last season with Kevin Cosgrove as defensive coordinator and an entirely different defensive staff, Nebraska bottomed out with 11 takeaways. The secondary intercepted three passes. »

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Q&A with Tom Osborne
Filed by Jon Nyatawa at 10:30 p.m.

Tom Osborne's name has been brought up a lot lately by the NU coaching staff. However, for an athletic director trying to stay out of the limelight, that's not necessarily ideal.

Still, Osborne voluntarily met with reporters this evening, mostly to address inquiries about his recent influence on the NU offense. For the most part, Osborne downplayed his role.

And from now on, it appears Osborne will be doing everything he can to keep the attention off himself. A quote from Osborne toward the end of his 10-minute interview session: “You will not see me again this year.”

Here are a few of the other comments he made:

Q: Do you think offensive coordinator Shawn Watson over-stated your involvement?

A: There's a few things that they've been trying to do that I've had some experience with. So if they have a question, I'll give my best answer. Really, I don't want anybody to feel, as they look out there on the field, that somehow that's something that I've had any major involvement in. I think they've made decisions based on personnel and how things are going. And so it isn't me going in and telling somebody, 'Well you need to change this or that.' Or, 'Change the structure of the offense.' I really haven't done that.

Q: How do you watch game tape, from a coach's perspective still?

A: I guess you always carry your past experience with you. I don't sit down and watch it with the coaches. I don't want them to feel like I'm looking over their shoulder. I never watch it with the players. I've got a little deal up in my office. Usually on Sundays, I look at the game tape. I look at all of it, offense, defense and kicking. I usually look at tapes of the upcoming opponent a little bit, just really for my own interest.

Q: When you're doing that, do you ever get the itch to coach again?

A: Not so much anymore. The first two or three years out of coaching are hard. I think most every coach will tell you that. But I'm now to the point where I've got plenty of other things to worry about. I don't have any great desire to go out there and coach again.

Q: How gratifying is it to see some of those older plays work?

A: They're not necessarily blocking exactly like we did, but I think they have gotten back to a little bit more physical style of football and I think that's been dictated primarily by the circumstance and personnel. You've got to admire Shawn and the offensive coaches. I think they've tried to revamp and adjust as time has gone on. The west coast offense, whatever that is what we were doing, worked pretty good through the first four games. … But then when we began to have some struggles, they've adapted very quickly. So I admire them for that. They work together and it's not just a one-man deal. I think they all have input. And Shawn listens. He does a good job. So I have admiration for all those coaches.

Q: Considering your involvement with the team, do you have to worry about any NCAA violation?

A: As long as you're not coaching players on the field or as long as you're not out recruiting - which I did for one week and fired myself - you're OK. If somebody asked you how you ran a certain play, that's not an NCAA violation. You know, we've got probably a million people in the state that send in plays or are an expert on a play. So they give their input. I give mine. »

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Burkhead practicing again
Filed by Jon Nyatawa at 7:45 p.m.

True freshman Rex Burkhead, who broke a bone in his right foot last month, practiced today for the first time since suffering his injury.

It's unknown if he'll be healthy enough to play in Saturday's game against Kansas State.

But NU defensive coordinator Carl Pelini confirmed today that Burkhead has indeed returned to practice.

“We'll see how it goes,” Pelini said. “He's got a lot of catching up to do.”

Burkhead averaged 5.1 yards per carry on his 23 rushing attempts during the first five games of the season. He also caught eight passes out of the backfield. But he went down in practice Oct. 12, a few days before Nebraska lost to Texas Tech.

Speaking of running backs, Pelini also talked today about Kansas State's Daniel Thomas, who's been tough for Big 12 teams to contain this season. The junior college transfer leads the conference with an average of 106 rushing yards per game.

Thomas brings a combination of power and speed that makes him difficult to bring down, according to Pelini.

“You've got to be physical when you get there, and at the same time, you've got to use your leverage, Pelini said. “You've got to be sure in the open field because he'll make you miss too. He's not just going to lower his shoulder all the time.” »

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Zac Lee's roller coaster ride
Filed by Jon Nyatawa at 4:57 p.m.

How has Zac Lee dealt with the benching, the negative criticism and the offense's struggles? Well, it helps to have a dad who's truly been there before.

Lee's father, Bob, was a quarterback in the NFL for 12 seasons and at one time, served as the athletic director at the University of the Pacific. So he knows a thing or two about the kind of scrutiny his son faces as the top signal caller at Nebraska.

Here's what Bob Lee's said all along: “You're not a true quarterback until you're run out of at least one place.”

Zac Lee's heard that phrase since he first started playing the position.

“Taking that to heart and really hearing that for as long as I've heard that, it's just part of the deal,” Lee said. “Like I've said before, everything that happens here is just part of the deal. You've got to be prepared for it.”

Still, Lee admits that the final weeks of October weren't easy for him to deal with.

He and the Huskers never figured things out against Texas Tech. He was leading the offense as it committed eight turnovers in a surprising home loss to Iowa State. He got benched in favor of true freshman Cody Green the next time out at Baylor.

But once Lee was reinserted into the lineup during the second quarter against Oklahoma, he seemed to regain his confidence. Coach Bo Pelini said he saw something different out of Lee as he helped guide NU to a 31-17 win at Kansas last week.

“I thought I saw a little swagger out of Zac,” Pelini said.

Maybe, Lee said. According to Lee, he's just trying to have fun again.

“I don't want to necessarily call myself arrogant, but there's a certain amount of confidence you've got to have when you're a quarterback of a team,” Lee said. “And a certain amount of that comes with just having fun and playing and just being an athlete. I've kind of got that back. Maybe there was a time period where I was over-analyzing things. But whatever it is, hopefully, it's back.” »