04.13.2011 / Husker Spring Game Provides a Taste of what is to come this Fall. Blog posting by Mike Babcock, Huskers Illustrated Magazine.
The Nebraska football team will conduct a player draft in preparation for the annual Red-White spring game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Players on the top units will be divided by the draft, some on the Red team, some on the White, as the coaches make a final evaluation in the 15th practice of the spring.
“We are just going to split it down the middle and roll it out there and go,” said coach Bo Pelini, following a Saturday scrimmage. The Husker offense has been restructured, and based on last Saturday’s scrimmage, “I think their (players’) overall understanding of the offense is good,” Pelini said.
“The execution isn’t always there yet. I mean, some of the details of it aren’t there. But the further we come fundamentally, the better off we’re going to be because I think the knowledge is there. Their understanding has gotten better and better, and I feel good about where we are as far as that’s concerned. It’s the technique and fundamental aspect of it that we’ve got to keep coming.”
With Nebraska’s move to the Big Ten next season the defensive emphasis has been “becoming more multiple and really forcing them to be more comfortable out of the base calls and into the pressures and our movements,” defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said the day before the scrimmage.
“We feel like we’re getting there. We’re not there yet because you’ve still got to spend a segment of time in your base stuff . . . hopefully by the end of spring we’ll have accomplished our goals.”
Though played in front of a large crowd, the Red-White game is really just another practice for players trying to position themselves for the start of training camp in August.
“It’s about evaluating where they’ve come technique-wise, knowledge-wise, mentally, how they’re handling their assignments, all those things,” said Bo Pelini. “When they’re put to the test, they’ve got to go out there on their own and in a pseudo-game-type atmosphere, how are they going to respond? We’re not game-ready. You’re not supposed to be game-ready.” In the Red-White game, “we’re just out there playing football,” he said. “You’re not always in the best situation on either side of the ball because you’re not game-planning against the other group. But that doesn’t mean you can’t execute, and I just think we’ve gotten better.” That applies to both sides of the ball. “We feel like defensively we’re in pretty good shape,” Carl Pelini said.
Don’t forget to stop by the First National Bank Autograph zone located in the Husker Pavilion from 10 am to noon. Former players Alex Henery, Zac Lee and Adi Kunalic will be there signing FREE autographs.
For more great content on the Huskers, check out Huskers Illustrated Magazine, Huskers Illustrated or babcockandbabcock.com.
Are you planning on attending the Husker Spring Game? Any early season predictions for the Huskers first year in the Big Ten? Come on Husker fans, post your comments NOW!
