Nebraska Football: What to Watch, What to Ignore at the Spring Game

Posted by Patrick Runge on April-15-2011 Add Comments

This Saturday, Nebraska will hold its annual Red-White Spring Game. Or, as head coach Bo Pelini puts it, Nebraska will have the 15th practice of the spring, which just happens to be in front of 60,000 people. So if you’re going to Lincoln to watch, what should you pay attention to, and what should you ignore?

You Should Watch …

  • Secondary Violations: There is no area where Nebraska has more holes to fill from graduation than in the secondary. Only Alfonso Dennard returns as a starter, so both the Red and the White squads will have players competing for playing time this fall. No matter how vanilla the execution on both sides of the ball will be, watch to see how NU’s secondary executes.
  • Shop Smart, Shop E-Mart: One of the less-reported stories of the spring as been Eric Martin’s conversion from linebacker to defensive end. Martin struggled to stay on the field as a linebacker last year, due to a combination of disciplinary problems, a scheme that favored hybrid/safeties over linebackers and the stellar play of Lavonte David. But Martin is a playmaker, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in a new position.
  • The Next Niles: Say what you will about the enigmatic Niles Paul, but the fact remains that Nebraska’s receiving corps has a number of question marks. Other than Brandon Kinnie and Kyler Reed, no one returns with any degree of experience. Players like Stanley Jean-Baptise, Kenny Bell, Quincy Enunwa and true freshman and converted quarterback Jamal Turner will have an opportunity to stake their claim on starting positions, regardless of how vanilla the offense is.

You Should Ignore…

  • How the Offense Looks: Admittedly, at times over the last two years, Nebraska fans wish they could have done this on a more consistent basis. But Pelini has made it clear that NU’s new offense, under new offensive coordinator Tim Beck, will not be on display this Saturday. Enjoy the atmosphere, look at some individual performances, but don’t expect Saturday’s offensive performance to bear any resemblance to what you’ll see this fall.
  • Don’t Expect a Lot of Magic: Nebraska’s coaching staff has already said sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez will be limited in the Spring Game. Martinez is not completely healed from his ankle injury that derailed the 2010 campaign, and NU’s coaches don’t want to over-stress that ankle in the final spring practice. 
  • Who Totes the Rock: On Saturday, Rex Burkhead will be the only running back with any significant experience on the field. You will see a lot of Austin Jones and Collins Okafor at tailback as well. But Jones and Okafor have been in the program for some time and have not earned a lot of playing time. It is more likely that new recruits Aaron Green, Ameer Abdullah and (if he becomes eligible) Braylon Heard will get the call to spell Burkhead come the fall.

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