Getting into the dog days of Camp.
No media access tonight
- Gerry Dinardo, BTN
HV: Where do stand, after watching two practices, with Nebraska’s quarterback situation?
GD: Not much different than where I stood since we started covering Nebraska way back when they had Taylor Martinez. Right now, the quarterbacks are runners before they’re passers. I do think this is really more a first-and-10 decision the more I study it.
Most of football is situational. Third-and-short is obviously a run down. Third-and-long is obviously a pass down. First-and-10 is the only neutral down in football.
As you look at the team, I would be surprised if the offense doesn’t line up in a spread formation 70 percent of the time on first-and-10. I will also be surprised if they don’t run the ball 70 percent of the time on first-and-10. That’s a result of knowing the roster before Coach Riley got here and watching in the spring and watching to really good practices. That’s kind of how I’ve narrowed it down in my head as to what they’ll do on first-and-10. And that’s really all were talking about when we talk about the passing game because, whether you can throw it or not, you’re going to throw it in certain situations.
- Mckewon, Quarterbacks: The challenge Tommy Armstrong faces in adjusting to a new passing offense has more than one front, but at least part of it relates to simply hitting open receivers more than 10 yards downfield. Armstrong has the arm strength and in recent practices he's identified the open guys. In some cases, he just has to throw better passes. In other cases, turning and throwing to the running back is a good option. Wide receivers missing practice with a muscle strain doesn't help. As a runner, Armstrong looks faster and fresher than he ever has. He isn't running that much in camp, but he does so with a burst.
Among the backups, Zack Darlington throws the ball with good accuracy — he tossed a corner route to the end zone just about perfectly on Thursday — generally finds the "right guy" late in the route tree. He appears less likely to force a bad throw because he'll wait an extra beat for the good one. He's savvy. A.J. Bush is long. Long-striding runner, long motion for a passer. Bush has his moments. He's thrown some really impressive passes, including a few on the run. At this point, I watch him and wonder how many ten-play drives he could lead. Ryker Fyfe has received the most snaps with the No. 2 offense that we've seen and he's done OK. He's been more accurate with the deep passes. Armstrong's been better on some of the tougher routes to throw because the velocity on his ball is better.
Overall, the position is a full-on work in progress, which was to be expected heading into the season. Coach Mike Riley's comments to Big Ten Network about needing to help Armstrong more should be digested by Husker fans. They're spot on. Find routes and plays that work and supplement the running game with it. Because the running game has looked pretty good thus far.
Defensive line: Collins is a gamer and a grinder; he doesn't take a lot of plays off, he's not a guy who kneels a lot during down moments, and he works after practice. That's why he's a captain. Vincent Valentine just returned to camp. Kevin Williams has continued strong effort in camp, pushing the pocket, playing the run well, etc. Gangwish has had a good camp and he makes plays. Greg McMullen is stingy against the run and position coach Hank Hughes likes him. Among younger players, Carlos and Khalil Davis play very hard. Major effort! They come off the ball, they're eager to compete. Mick Stoltenberg is bigger but has retained some quickness; he'll play his share, and has shown himself to be a decent pass rusher. Defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun is similar to the twins — plays hard, tries hard, will get better with seasoning. Defensive end Ross Dzuris will play, as will defensive tackle Kevin Maurice. The minute he switched over to defense, Givens Price became Nebraska's biggest defensive lineman; he's bigger than Valentine and almost certainly weighs more. Could he help in a goal-line situation? Other reserve defensive linemen were covered in the previous update.
No media access tonight
- Gerry Dinardo, BTN
HV: Where do stand, after watching two practices, with Nebraska’s quarterback situation?
GD: Not much different than where I stood since we started covering Nebraska way back when they had Taylor Martinez. Right now, the quarterbacks are runners before they’re passers. I do think this is really more a first-and-10 decision the more I study it.
Most of football is situational. Third-and-short is obviously a run down. Third-and-long is obviously a pass down. First-and-10 is the only neutral down in football.
As you look at the team, I would be surprised if the offense doesn’t line up in a spread formation 70 percent of the time on first-and-10. I will also be surprised if they don’t run the ball 70 percent of the time on first-and-10. That’s a result of knowing the roster before Coach Riley got here and watching in the spring and watching to really good practices. That’s kind of how I’ve narrowed it down in my head as to what they’ll do on first-and-10. And that’s really all were talking about when we talk about the passing game because, whether you can throw it or not, you’re going to throw it in certain situations.
- Mckewon, Quarterbacks: The challenge Tommy Armstrong faces in adjusting to a new passing offense has more than one front, but at least part of it relates to simply hitting open receivers more than 10 yards downfield. Armstrong has the arm strength and in recent practices he's identified the open guys. In some cases, he just has to throw better passes. In other cases, turning and throwing to the running back is a good option. Wide receivers missing practice with a muscle strain doesn't help. As a runner, Armstrong looks faster and fresher than he ever has. He isn't running that much in camp, but he does so with a burst.
Among the backups, Zack Darlington throws the ball with good accuracy — he tossed a corner route to the end zone just about perfectly on Thursday — generally finds the "right guy" late in the route tree. He appears less likely to force a bad throw because he'll wait an extra beat for the good one. He's savvy. A.J. Bush is long. Long-striding runner, long motion for a passer. Bush has his moments. He's thrown some really impressive passes, including a few on the run. At this point, I watch him and wonder how many ten-play drives he could lead. Ryker Fyfe has received the most snaps with the No. 2 offense that we've seen and he's done OK. He's been more accurate with the deep passes. Armstrong's been better on some of the tougher routes to throw because the velocity on his ball is better.
Overall, the position is a full-on work in progress, which was to be expected heading into the season. Coach Mike Riley's comments to Big Ten Network about needing to help Armstrong more should be digested by Husker fans. They're spot on. Find routes and plays that work and supplement the running game with it. Because the running game has looked pretty good thus far.
Defensive line: Collins is a gamer and a grinder; he doesn't take a lot of plays off, he's not a guy who kneels a lot during down moments, and he works after practice. That's why he's a captain. Vincent Valentine just returned to camp. Kevin Williams has continued strong effort in camp, pushing the pocket, playing the run well, etc. Gangwish has had a good camp and he makes plays. Greg McMullen is stingy against the run and position coach Hank Hughes likes him. Among younger players, Carlos and Khalil Davis play very hard. Major effort! They come off the ball, they're eager to compete. Mick Stoltenberg is bigger but has retained some quickness; he'll play his share, and has shown himself to be a decent pass rusher. Defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun is similar to the twins — plays hard, tries hard, will get better with seasoning. Defensive end Ross Dzuris will play, as will defensive tackle Kevin Maurice. The minute he switched over to defense, Givens Price became Nebraska's biggest defensive lineman; he's bigger than Valentine and almost certainly weighs more. Could he help in a goal-line situation? Other reserve defensive linemen were covered in the previous update.
