Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple
***Whipple said Wednesday was a “bad day” for Nebraska’s offense. He said guys were “tired” and “feeling sorry for themselves” and “didn’t have any juice” because “they didn’t like getting yelled at.”
The offense committed “a couple of turnovers” on Wednesday, including a pick-six. Whipple said they had days like that in the spring, and the offense always rebounded well. He’s hoping that continues in the following practice.
***Whipple said the offense needed more vocal leadership to step up in those situations, saying Travis Vokolek and Casey Thompson were some of the only players who tried to take charge.
Until more leaders emerge, Whipple said he would have to be the guy who is the voice on offense.
***Whipple didn’t have any update on Turner Corcoran, who sat out of practice again on Wednesday. “It’s football,” Whipple said, adding that NU would have starters out during the season and would need to respond.
***Whipple agreed that Casey Thompson was the guy to beat at quarterback, but Chubba Purdy has been splitting No. 1 reps in fall camp. Logan Smothers is the No. 3 QB right now.
***Whipple said he’d seen Purdy “take a big jump” this fall now that he was healthy and practicing every day. He said he had to keep reminding himself that Purdy only got five practices in during the spring, so he was still behind the others in his on-field work.
***Whipple said the running backs had been doing “a really good job of taking care of the ball” in the run game. He said he’d like to play three running backs during games, and “we’re going through all of them right now” in practice.
***Whipple said Rahmir Johnson was a player who wanted to help his team in any way, whether it be playing running back, receiver, or on special teams. “He wants to play.”
Whipple said he could do a lot of the same things with Johnson that he did with Brian Westbrook while coaching with the Philadelphia Eagles.
***Whipple said Teddy Prochazka had been “really good” and was “getting better every day” since returning to practices this fall.
Wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph
***Joseph said Trey Palmer did not practice on Wednesday because he “wasn’t feeling good this morning.”
***Joseph said Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda was slowly getting back to where he was before the torn hamstring injury he suffered last year at New Mexico State.
Joseph said there were times early in camp when Garcia-Castaneda would get “frustrated” with some of his mistakes, but “not a negative frustrated; he just wants to do better.”
***Joseph said he was happy that Omar Manning “showed up two days in a row” with his second straight practice on Wednesday. Asked to clarify, Joseph said Manning had practiced two days in a row and was “learning to play through nicks.”
Joseph said his group needed to let “adrenaline” push them through practices when they weren’t 100%.
***Joseph said the defense had a really good day on Wednesday while the offense was good “in spurts.”
***Joseph said the receiver depth chart was “written in sand” right now, and there were still 16 guys competing for the top six spots in the rotation.
Quarterback Casey Thompson
***Thompson agreed that the offense struggled on Wednesday but added that it was practice 12, and this may be the first time he would say the defense got the best of them.
***Thompson said he and Travis Vokolek called the offense together after practice and discussed fighting through adversity. He said they needed more guys to step up and have stronger leadership voices.
***Thompson said that while he’d only been at Nebraska since January, this was the best he’d seen the Huskers play in all phases since he joined the program. He said guys were making plays every day on both sides of the ball.
***Thompson said he suffered his thumb injury in Week 6 of last season against Oklahoma on Oct. 9. He played through the rest of that season and then all of NU’s spring ball with the injury, even though he could grip the ball as well or throw as hard or far as before.
***Thompson said he finally felt normal again since having his thumb surgery in April and his arm strength and accuracy were back where he wanted them.
***Thompson said receiver Marcus Washington had looked “quicker and faster” now than he did when they played together at Texas. Thompson said their relationship had continued to build on and off the field.
Quarterback Chubba Purdy
***Purdy said he’d made noticeable improvement over the last 17 practices he’d had going back to the end of the spring and finally felt like he was starting to catch up with the other QBs.
***Purdy said he’s made it a point to work with as many wide receivers as possible – from first-team to third-team – to build connections with all of them.
***Purdy said he’d benefitted from going up against Nebraska’s defense every day in practice because of how talented they were and the variety of looks and disguises they show.
Offensive lineman Teddy Prochazka
***Prochazka said the offensive line had a “next-man-up mentality” that has pushed the entire unit all offseason. With top guys sitting out during spring and fall camp, everyone knows they must be ready if their number is called.
***Prochazka said he and Corcoran leaned on each other a lot as they both battled back from injuries this offseason.
***Prochazka said Nebraska EDGEs Garrett Nelson, Ochaun Mathis, and Caleb Tannor were “elite” pass rushers who made him better every rep he had to block them.
