Illinois Game Week

[vailhusker]

 

[vailhusker]

 

[vailhusker]

 

[Kaladin]

From 2018 when we looked like a JV team. I'm excited to see what effect 4 years of Husker Power will have on our squad

 

[vailhusker]

 

[vailhusker]

No RBs?

 

[vailhusker]

 

[DuckSker]

Frost went full on Bill Belichek in his press conference today. I love it

 

[vailhusker]

Takeaways from Husker presser day: Game faces on​

ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 3 hours ago

We'll take that football game as soon as you can bring it to the table, please.

Husker players who appeared on Monday were eager to put their offseason's work on display, and Scott Frost wasn't about to spend any more words than required with the opener at Illinois five days away.

While Frost's Monday presser appearance was brief enough to tuck inside of 5 1/2-minutes, the understanding of this big week was already clear enough in the words of his players who preceded him up front.

"It's incredibly important, especially because of years past we haven't necessarily shot right out of the gates the way we needed to, and that's an emphasis for us," said Husker quarterback Adrian Martinez. "We have to be ready to go first drive of the game, first quarter."

Added O-lineman Ethan Piper: You can just feel it on the team. The team's ready to get after it. It's been a long time coming." Yeah, of course it's the biggest game because it's the next one and "we've been preparing the past eight months for this game."


Neither Nebraska nor Illinois is putting out a depth chart publicly prior to the game.

"I love my team right now. We're having fun. We're preparing hard. We're getting ready for that first game. We're excited," Frost said.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema told reporters covering that team only half the league has put out a depth chart, and his team wouldn't either. "In our best interest to be in that neutral mode," he said.

Frost didn't say who the backup QB would be.

"Yeah, we got multiple guys that are ready to play and they're all preparing hard for this first game," was his specific answer.

Martinez said the QBs "have attacked it," and then brought up Logan Smothers at first when asked about the backups. "Logan, I forget that he's still such a young guy and he didn't get a spring. ... This has been huge for him. It's been huge for Heinrich (Haarberg) ... I feel like they're coming along the way we want them too."

There are 12 Blackshirts, most as expected with maybe two surprises by my count.

Veteran Deontre Thomas, who was banged up most of last season, received one for the first time. Casey Rogers is still working for it.

Also, the Huskers kept it just three DBs to get them so far. That other corner – Quinton Newsome, Braxton Clark, Tyreke Johnson – is going to have to go take it, as Cam Taylor-Britt said.


"Getting the Blackshirt kind of puts everything in perspective every time," said outside linebacker JoJo Domann. "It just reminds you of the rich history of this place and all the people that came before you, and all the people that came after you and really we're just here in this moment and we have to maximize it. Really, I don't take that with a grain of salt ... We want to show that tradition proud."

Piper has made a big jump in his size compared to last year.

He was playing at 285 a season ago. He's at 307 now, the likely starting left guard said.

"We'll see Saturday," said Piper, wanting to let his game play tell the story. "We have a great D-line and they've been getting the O-line ready ... I can't wait to see the O-line and D-line go against somebody else besides each other."

If you want to know who's up at left tackle for the opener, no giveaways there.

Turner Corcoran has been nicked some, with Brant Banks getting some reps there. "It really doesn't matter," Piper said of how it impacts him. "Honestly, I don't even know who's on the left side of me sometimes, they're rotating so much. And everyone rotates. I'll be going with the 2s. Sometimes I'll be going with the 1s. It's kind of a mix, so I don't think there's going to be an issue at all at left tackle. I think both guys are ready."

As far as Nebraska's COVID protocols, Frost said more information would be coming out on that soon.

While he hasn't gotten specifically into the team's vaccination rate number, he answered, "I think we're in a really good spot and I think there will be an announcement from someone other than me here real soon. To me, that's private for the kids and I don't want them thinking about that. I want them thinking about Saturday."

According to Frost, there will be once-a-week testing for anyone who's not fully vaccinated.

Marquel Dismuke said Myles Farmer is a 'younger' guy who has jumped out to him.

"He's back like he ever left," the super senior said of the safety, who was injured late in 2020. "You can't tell he even had an injury, to be honest."

Does last year's 41-23 loss to Illinois still stick in the craw of some Huskers? Only to a point.

"It's in the back of the mind because nobody wanted the game to go like that, so it's like a redemption kind of," Dismuke said. "But at the same time we're focusing on this weekend, this year's Illinois. Since they have a new coaching staff, we're just trying to focus up and get the game plan right."

Cam Taylor-Britt called that game "old news."

Frost acknowledged the challenges to playing a team with a new coaching staff.

"We didn't play very well against them last year, made some mistakes. We need to play better this year. I think the guys are locked in on that," he said.

As to whether Bielema might fit pack a lot of what he tried to do at Arkansas and Wisconsin into the game plan, the Husker coach wasn't going to make any leap to assume. "I have no idea. All we can do is guess. We're just doing the best we can to prepare for the game."

Martinez said there is a use in reviewing personnel from last year's Illinois team, however, and also looking at some things coaches have done at previous stops.

Husker tight end Austin Allen named off some tight ends who have grown to provide depth behind him and Travis Vokolek.

"I'm not going to get into injuries, but it was a grind in fall camp – I'll just say that," Allen said.

He cited Chris Hickman, walk-on Nate Boerkircher and recent transfer Chancellor Brewington as guys who have been playing well at the position too.

"Hickman, we've put that kid through a lot. Coming in as a tight end, telling him he's a receiver, coming back to tight end. It's a lot on a body to try to put on weight, lose weight,, put on weight. But he's embraced that," Allen said. "I think he has the best understanding of the offense because he's seen it from every different angle now."

Allen's comments about Brewington, the summer transfer arrival from Northern Arizona, were particularly interesting.

"We brought him over from receiver and he's just been hitting the ground running," Allen said. "I mean, he's very smart. What helps him, and guys who transfer in, is they have understanding of what it takes to learn a collegiate playbook. And I think that's what has helped him step into the role he has so far. Chance is going to help us this year. He's a baller."

Quote for the road?

"All eyes are on us and I think that's an opportunity for all of us to showcase who we are as a football team and how far we've come really as leaders on the team ... We're the Big Noon kickoff, so hopefully we can get things done for all you guys, and for all the fans, because we owe them one," Allen said. "I think the biggest thing for me this year too is not setting a goal that, 'We're going to win 10 games, we're going to win six games, we're going to go to a bowl game.' We're taking every game like it's the championship game and the championship game for us is Illinois this week.

"I think that's the biggest change in my vision that I'm going to see is I'm going to handle that like it's the Big Ten Championship next week, and then after that we're going to play Fordham and Fordham's going to be the championship game of the week."

Takeaways from Husker presser day: Game faces on

We'll take that football game as soon as you can bring it to the table, please. Husker players who appeared on Monday were eager to put...

247sports.com

 

[vailhusker]

Fully vaccinated Nebraska athletes won’t have to be tested for COVID-19 each week so long as they're in the school's vaccine registry, according to new guidelines from the NU athletic department.
Athletes who aren’t fully vaccinated will have to submit to once-a-week PCR testing through the university’s testing and surveillance program, with tests taking place 24 to 48 hours before competition. According to NU, fully vaccinated is defined as being two weeks out from a second dose of the two-shot vaccines or two weeks out from the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Unvaccinated players who test positive will be isolated for at least 10 days if they’re asymptomatic, and potentially longer if they’re symptomatic and still running a fever.

A series of close contact rules kick into place as well that greatly differ for vaccinated and unvaccinated players.
All athletes — vaccinated or unvaccinated — were required to take a PCR test between Aug. 15 and Aug. 22. Unvaccinated athletes can apply for a vaccine exemption through UNL under two conditions:

» Documentation of a positive COVID-19 test within the last 90 days and have completed 10-day isolation.
» Documentation from a health care provider showing medical reason to not get the vaccine.

 

[Pipe Line]

Oooooohhhhhh jo jo rockin the crop top #weback

 

[Toe]

So who's the man? Where's our insiders?

 

[...TrueColors...]

So who's the man? Where's our insiders?

My guess is Stepp.

 

[Kaladin]

So who's the man? Where's our insiders?

It has to be Steppe. I can't see Morrison or Ervin taking that many carries.

 

[Toe]

@Kaladin But you can see a guy with a history of foot injuries getting that many carries? 🤔

 

[vailhusker]

Tuesday Nebraska football practice quick hits​

ByMICHAEL BRUNTZ 17 minutes ago



— Nebraska running backs coach Ryan Held wasn’t tipping his hand about who would be Nebraska’s starting running back or factor into the rotation against Illinois. Held said Nebraska is close to landing on the guy and that he has been impressed with the work his group has done through fall camp and into game week prep for Illinois.

— Held said things are starting to feel back to normal with the recruiting calendar. Nebraska’s coaches will be able to make contact with 2023 prospects starting Sept. 1, and Held said he’s eager to begin combing through new film from high school and junior college prospects.

— Held said he’s starting to see what he needs to see from running back Markese Stepp, who has been fighting his way back from a toe injury and offseason surgery.

— Nebraska defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said he has been pleased with the battles between the offensive and defensive lines during fall camp.

— Chinander said Nebraska likes to rotate three safeties and three corners throughout the year. Chinander said right now at the corner spot opposite Cam Taylor-Britt, Braxton Clark and Quinton Newsome are fighting for the starting job. Chinander said that Newsome and Clark have different styles of play, but they both have played well this fall.


— Chinander said he was “fired up” for the defenders who were awarded Blackshirts on Monday. He said having former Husker defenders award the jerseys made it extra special.

— Chinander said they’ve been watching old film of offenses run by Illinois offensive coordinator Tony Peterson, including old games from TV to get an idea of what Illinois might do.

This story will be updated

Tuesday Nebraska football practice quick hits

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247sports.com

 

[Pipe Line]

So Steppe must be that good then if he essentially took the job from Ervin in 3 weeks, even with coming back from a foot injury.

 

[Jim14510]

From 2018 when we looked like a JV team. I'm excited to see what effect 4 years of Husker Power will have on our squad

Was that Frost/Martinez best offensive game?

 

[Bootleg11]

What margin of victory will prevent a message board meltdown? I realize a loss will result in a meltdown. But what if they win by 3 or 6 or something? We still on meltdown watch?
Maybe a better way to put it is…what margin of victory will satisfy the masses?
You know there’s guys on here and other boards will always be like..”well they should’ve won by *insert some amount of points here*

 

[Pipe Line]

What margin of victory will prevent a message board meltdown? I realize a loss will result in a meltdown. But what if they win by 3 or 6 or something? We still on meltdown watch?
Maybe a better way to put it is…what margin of victory will satisfy the masses?
You know there’s guys on here and other boards will always be like..”well they should’ve won by *insert some amount of points here*

Depending on how Illinois looks themselves, I'd say anything less than 14 and the shit stains will come out swingin