Red report: Robinson in mix in I-back race

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

Opening statement

“Right now, you grade if their shirt’s tucked in. It could be anything that separates one from the other.”

— Tim Beck, on battle for the No. 2 running back job

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Robinson in the mix: Dontrayevous Robinson had been spending most of his fall on the scout team, planning a probable redshirt.

The true freshman running back evidently didn’t shirk his responsibilities in learning and remembering Nebraska’s offense, though.

With coaches looking for a No. 2 running back to replace injured Rex Burkhead, Robinson has proven he knows what he’s doing.

“I figured with him doing some scout-team work for us that he might have been further behind than he was,” running backs coach Tim Beck said. “He’s been surprising. He knows it better than I thought he did.”

Beck, though, isn’t ready to tab Robinson as the top backup to starter Roy Helu.

Or any one back, for that matter.

“I’ll be honest with you.” Beck said, “I don’t know if it’s not all of them.”

The candidates include sophomore Marcus Mendoza and redshirt freshmen Austin Jones, Collins Okafor and Lester Ward.

And, of course, Robinson, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound native of Euless, Texas.

“Dontrayevous is a very physical runner,” Beck said. “He’s just one of those guys that just finds a way to get the job done.”

Beck said all of the backs are conscientious, and that the offense hasn’t had to spend time repeating plays because of miscues with new backs getting snaps.

The coach said he’ll have a better idea of which back may have an edge after watching Wednesday’s practice film. He’s looking at everything —from technique, assignments, effort and more.

With Burkhead out, who steps up?



One-on-one: Missed tackles in any game make a coach’s hair go gray or go away. But missed tackles can especially be costly against an offense like Texas Tech’s.

“Like always, you’re going to have a lot of one-on-one situations in the run game and in the pass game,” Husker defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. “You have to be able to execute at those times, like tackle in space, cover in space. There’s going to be situations where you're not necessarily dropping into a zone. ...

“They have a really good screen game and draw game, so you're going to have one-on-one situations where you have to be able to make a play.”

Respecting Ruffin: People don’t think defense when they think about Texas Tech football.

The Red Raiders rank 55th in total defense (349.7 yards per game) and 42nd in scoring defense (21.3 points). But Husker tight ends coach Ron Brown said he sees some impressive things when he watched Ruffin McNeill’s defense on tape.

“Saturday’s game is going to be about collisions,” Brown said. “I’ll tell you what, Texas Tech plays fast and hard on defense — like Virginia Tech. Tech gets to the football. They fly around.”

This and that: Roy Helu wore a green hands-off jersey Wednesday for the second straight day. ... Pelini said Dejon Gomes will continue to play a lot as Nebraska’s dime back, with some snaps also going to Lance Thorell. ... Asked how Anthony West has adjusted to not starting at corner, Pelini said: “He works hard every day. He’s still fighting for playing time. ... And that’s what competition is. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow he wins the position back, maybe it’s not. He’ll keep fighting, though.”

Lombardi list: Ndamukong Suh was named  one of 12 semifinalists for  the Lombardi Award, which annually goes to the nation’s top offensive or defensive lineman. He is one of four Big 12 players in consideration. The others are Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung and Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon.

— Brian Christopherson. Brian Rosenthal and Steven M. Sipple