Huskers brave the rain
Print
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
The rain came down but it didn't chase the Huskers from practicing in Memorial Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
“We got a chance to handle a wet ball and that whole thing," said Husker coach Bo Pelini, sporting a soaked gray sweat shirt. "We were going to be out there today no matter what. It was a good day. We kind of had most of our stuff in. The concentration was good today. We had a good practice."
Pelini said offensive tackle Lydon Murtha is doubtful for Saturday's game at Kansas State, meaning Jaivorio Burkes will likely see snaps in his place at right tackle.
Related Media
Vidcast: Crystal ball segment - 11.13.08
Steven M. Sipple and Brian Christopherson share their predictions (and some picks from the audience) on the games this week, including Nebraska&n...
On defense, Pelini said NU will go in with the exact same packages it had against Kansas "because we're not seeing a lot of four-wides” from the Wildcats.
Osborne letter: Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne sent a mass e-mail to students Thursday thanking them for their support and braving the cold against Kansas.
Though there were some empty rows at the top of Sections 12, 13 and 14 in the student section, Osborne explained in the letter that he thought there was an additional explanation beyond just lack of attendance. He said it was observed that students were packing in the lower portion of the sections and standing two-deep in the rows, with students in the footwells and on the seats.
“We completely understand how the desire to stay warm last week may have precipitated some of the downward movement, but we hope you will help send a clear message of your support by filling all rows to the top for the last home game,” Osborne wrote in an e-mail with the subject title: Help Us Pack This House.
He encouraged support for the team in the final home game against Colorado on Nov. 28.
“A packed house not only will send a strong message to our team, to a national television audience and to our visiting recruits, but also will give your team a definite home-field advantage,” Osborne wrote.
This and that: Roy Helu wore a green no-contact jersey Thursday. "Roy's fine,” Pelini said. “There's nothing wrong with him. We just didn't have shoulders pads on today so we didn't want anybody banging into him." … The five members of the Husker defensive line to receiver Blackshirts on Tuesday — Pierre Allen, Ty Steinkuhler, Ndamukong Suh, Zach Potter and Clayton Sievers — posed with crossed arms under the tunnel in their jerseys for a photographer after practice. Nearby, cornerback Armando Murillo tried his best to make the players crack a smile.
Scouting report: DE Zach Potter
A year’s worth of maturing is a big reason why the Husker defensive line is having so much more success this season than last, senior defensive end Zach Potter said.
Nebraska has 21 sacks this year, tied for 45th in the country. Last season, NU was 112th with just 13 sacks in 12 games.
“The technique has changed a lot,” Potter said. “That was one of the good things this D-line did during spring ball. We erased everything that we had learned and totally focused on what the new coaches could give us. Even though we’ve gotten the new techniques, we’ve not completely forgotten what the old coaches taught us, and we’ve put it all together to make one final product. I think you’ve seen some of the older guys do that this year and become a more complete player technique-wise.”
Just asking: Does Joe Ganz, who last year threw for 510 yards and seven touchdowns against K-State, think the Wildcats will have any extra motivation this week going up against an NU team that scored 73 points against them last year?
“Probably. I would imagine so," Ganz said. "They probably won’t say anything about it. They probably say it’s just another game, but I guarantee in their locker room they’re a little fired up about it. They have pride too. We had pride when we got beat by Kansas by that much and we came out and played really well. I expect nothing less from them to come out and play their best football and try and get back at us for what we did last year.”
