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Stealing this from Schaefer, but with Hill's on both sides, gotta start challenging QBs to try and throw in "the valley!"
Spring Practice
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Stealing this from Schaefer, but with Hill's on both sides, gotta start challenging QBs to try and throw in "the valley!"
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He's going to be elite, possibly as soon as this fall, imo
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Press play.
How do you move from a position of being doubtful to confident? "You play," Matt Rhule said after Saturday's practice.
Six practices in, the spring scrimmages are still in waiting, but Nebraska's head coach seems pleased with the competitive setup his team has going right now.
"You test your limits. You see what you can actually do. So we just want to play. We just want to be competitive."
The leaders are pretty established. Guys you'd expect. Isaac Gifford, Marques Buford, Jimari Butler, Nash Hutmacher, Ty Robinson. You know the crew.
"Nash and Terrance (Knighton) got into a fight today almost because Nash wanted to go in," Rhule said. "I love that about Nash. ... Our older veterans .... I think they've done a great job of accepting the young players and oriented them to kind of how we do things."
What else? First off, how are those three scholarship quarterbacks tracking toward Rhule's goal of being ready by the end of spring to be starters?
The coach believes that fundamentally.
"But if the players are obsessed with where they are then I'm like, 'OK, figure it out. Go win.'" He doesn't want them worrying about the other person, though. "Just worry about you. Be great at what you do. We've never kept a great player on the bench. We never have.
"I think all three quarterbacks, what that's doing, one guy sees a guy flip the protection and he says, 'Oh, I'm going to flip the protection.' Players learn from players way more than they learn from coaches. ... I think Glenn (Thomas) is doing a great job of fostering that and Satt [Marcus Satterfield] is doing a great job of allowing it.
"Not everything's perfect. But we're definitely, definitely moving in a really accelerated pace."
"Guys are mastering their craft, they're learning what to do. The negative of having the spring league is that sometimes you have a younger player trying to block an older player. ... The good thing is your younger players get better a lot faster. Because everyone's kind of counting on them. We still have issues. But what I see is an overall commitment to execution that is to a significantly higher level offensively than it probably was last year – probably at any point last year to be quite honest."
"You're only allowed by NCAA rules three days of scrimmage, which is over 75 percent tackling I think," Rhule said. "So that'll be next Saturday, the following Saturday, then the Saturday after that. And we really like what we've been doing. We really like the team work, followed by the Spring League and I think it's really raising the level of a lot of play."
Saturday looked like a good practice from first glance, Rhule said, but it's a little harder to tell when there are so many people there and you are spread out more. "What I saw was a lot of guys making plays on the ball."
"You look back to last year, we have to just throw the ball better and we can't be minus 17 in turnover ratio. We ran the ball well. We stopped the run well. We were pretty decent on third down in some areas. So really a true focus on throwing the football has been important. Everyone talks about the quarterback when that happens but the guys getting open and catching the ball matter – and I saw a lot of plays on the ball made today, which made me excited. So looking forward to watching the tape."
"As I told the coaches, to on Friday have the clinic start with probably the greatest football coach of all time in Bill Belichick, and then this morning probably the greatest college coach of all time in Tom Osborne – it was a pretty cool clinic."
The talks happened at the NU Coliseum and then the coaches were allowed to watch Saturday's practice.
There were also about 100 former players on hand Saturday.
"I'd love that number to be about 700, 800, 900. I'd love that number to continue to grow. We have a lot of former players that come pretty continuously throughout. The Husker Athletic Fund, they do a great job just inviting guys to come back. This is their program. We're open any time to the high school coaches and any time to former players. We want them to understand that we stand on their shoulders. Good fellowship. Good to see those guys."
"Everyone thinks that great players do extraordinary things. I think the thing that I've learned about great players is great players do the ordinary things unbelievably well," Rhule said.
For instance, when he coached Christian McCaffrey, it wasn't as though he'd run some route that was new every game. "He would run that option route so well that it was uncoverable."
He thinks mixing guys allows them to thrive in different situations. Maybe a QB gets the No. 1 O-line one day. "It's a pretty good setup. "Maybe the next day it's the No. 3 O-line. "Well, you know what, we'll see what kind of quarterback you are."
Rahmir Johnson is practicing. "He's full go, but it's just me," Rhule said of limiting him some. "Year 6, shoulder injury, I want Rahmir ready to go."
Gabe Ervin is doing individual work while he recovers from last year's hip injury. Kwinten Ives is out recently with a hamstring injury.
"I think Emmett is doing a great job. What we want from Emmett is for Emmett to take that jump from, 'Hey, I played last year, I made some explosive plays' to I do it down in and down out."
Dante Dowdell is a guy "that's flashing," Rhule said, with some powerful runs.
"But just kind of the conditioning of being the guy play in and play out – like, we're just working on that with him and blitz pickup and all those things. But I'm really pleased with Dante and where he's at and where he's heading."
He also highlighted walk-on Maurice Mazzccua, who earned respect last year on the scout team.
"We almost made him the short-yardage back at one point. Maybe should've. 'Reece is out there and he's doing a fantastic job." A former player asked Rhule who No. 33 was and said he's a really good player. "I said, 'I know, I know.' And that's one of the benefits of the Spring League is these guys are getting a ton and ton of reps. So I've been really pleased with that group... We have a lot of guys who haven't played a lot who are doing some good things. Just anxious to see how that whole room unfolds in the end."
"Usually young receivers have a hard time learning this many plays and they are working at it. Your whole team is counting on you and it's third-and-5 and you're supposed to run an in-cut and you run an out. It's practice. Sometimes it's like, 'Ah, get them out of here.' But now you've got Isaac Gifford on defense, but on offense you have some of those guys getting on them and then you have five quarterbacks who know exactly what to do. There's a little more onus. You see guys studying, a little more and more prepared."
He was staying away from singling guys there out, "because I like the entire group. I like the way they're all competing."
OK, he did bring up Jaylen Lloyd because he loved that he ran track and then jumps right back into football. "And makes plays down the field. He's a football player and he's a track athlete. He's not one or another. And that's really, really cool. But the whole group is pushing each other and getting way, way, better."
247sports.com
How do you move from a position of being doubtful to confident? "You play," Matt Rhule said after Saturday's practice.
Six practices in, the spring scrimmages are still in waiting, but Nebraska's head coach seems pleased with the competitive setup his team has going right now.
"You test your limits. You see what you can actually do. So we just want to play. We just want to be competitive."
The leaders are pretty established. Guys you'd expect. Isaac Gifford, Marques Buford, Jimari Butler, Nash Hutmacher, Ty Robinson. You know the crew.
"Nash and Terrance (Knighton) got into a fight today almost because Nash wanted to go in," Rhule said. "I love that about Nash. ... Our older veterans .... I think they've done a great job of accepting the young players and oriented them to kind of how we do things."
What else? First off, how are those three scholarship quarterbacks tracking toward Rhule's goal of being ready by the end of spring to be starters?
THEY'RE ON TRACK
"They're further ahead than I probably thought," Rhule said of the QBs. "There was a time where I used to be like, 'Hey, guys, don't worry about where you're at on the depth chart, just learn and grow."The coach believes that fundamentally.
"But if the players are obsessed with where they are then I'm like, 'OK, figure it out. Go win.'" He doesn't want them worrying about the other person, though. "Just worry about you. Be great at what you do. We've never kept a great player on the bench. We never have.
"I think all three quarterbacks, what that's doing, one guy sees a guy flip the protection and he says, 'Oh, I'm going to flip the protection.' Players learn from players way more than they learn from coaches. ... I think Glenn (Thomas) is doing a great job of fostering that and Satt [Marcus Satterfield] is doing a great job of allowing it.
"Not everything's perfect. But we're definitely, definitely moving in a really accelerated pace."
TOO EARLY TO TELL ON UNFORCED ERRORS GOING DOWN?
Even if it's just six practices in, Rhule said there needs to be a high expectation level to not have them even if you're going to have some."Guys are mastering their craft, they're learning what to do. The negative of having the spring league is that sometimes you have a younger player trying to block an older player. ... The good thing is your younger players get better a lot faster. Because everyone's kind of counting on them. We still have issues. But what I see is an overall commitment to execution that is to a significantly higher level offensively than it probably was last year – probably at any point last year to be quite honest."
SCRIMMAGE SCHEDULE
It was not a scrimmage day, but they're coming."You're only allowed by NCAA rules three days of scrimmage, which is over 75 percent tackling I think," Rhule said. "So that'll be next Saturday, the following Saturday, then the Saturday after that. And we really like what we've been doing. We really like the team work, followed by the Spring League and I think it's really raising the level of a lot of play."
Saturday looked like a good practice from first glance, Rhule said, but it's a little harder to tell when there are so many people there and you are spread out more. "What I saw was a lot of guys making plays on the ball."
MORE THAN THE QBS HAVE TO MAKE IT HUM
Rhule thought Marcus Satterfield in interviews Thursday set up the goals ahead well."You look back to last year, we have to just throw the ball better and we can't be minus 17 in turnover ratio. We ran the ball well. We stopped the run well. We were pretty decent on third down in some areas. So really a true focus on throwing the football has been important. Everyone talks about the quarterback when that happens but the guys getting open and catching the ball matter – and I saw a lot of plays on the ball made today, which made me excited. So looking forward to watching the tape."
COACHES CLINIC DRAWS A CROWD
There were close to 800 people at the coaches clinic Nebraska was hosting on Friday."As I told the coaches, to on Friday have the clinic start with probably the greatest football coach of all time in Bill Belichick, and then this morning probably the greatest college coach of all time in Tom Osborne – it was a pretty cool clinic."
The talks happened at the NU Coliseum and then the coaches were allowed to watch Saturday's practice.
There were also about 100 former players on hand Saturday.
"I'd love that number to be about 700, 800, 900. I'd love that number to continue to grow. We have a lot of former players that come pretty continuously throughout. The Husker Athletic Fund, they do a great job just inviting guys to come back. This is their program. We're open any time to the high school coaches and any time to former players. We want them to understand that we stand on their shoulders. Good fellowship. Good to see those guys."
IF THE HUSKERS FILM IT, RHULE WATCHES IT
He pointed out one-on-one blocking is just as important as a scrimmage rep."Everyone thinks that great players do extraordinary things. I think the thing that I've learned about great players is great players do the ordinary things unbelievably well," Rhule said.
For instance, when he coached Christian McCaffrey, it wasn't as though he'd run some route that was new every game. "He would run that option route so well that it was uncoverable."
AS FOR MIXING AND MATCHING GUYS IN SPRING LEAGUE
"The concept of in the spring I need to be playing next to you, we need to have chemistry, that's an absolute farce to me," Rhule said. "In fact I should be such a good player that you can put anybody next to me and I make them better. That's what I'm looking for. If I'm a guard and I need to be next to Ben Scott, then I really don't know what I'm doing. If I'm a guard and I can play next to anybody, then I'm really a good player. If I'm a guard and people want to play next to me, that means I'm a really, really good player."He thinks mixing guys allows them to thrive in different situations. Maybe a QB gets the No. 1 O-line one day. "It's a pretty good setup. "Maybe the next day it's the No. 3 O-line. "Well, you know what, we'll see what kind of quarterback you are."
SIZING UP THE RUNNING BACKS
They are limited by injury right now somewhat.Rahmir Johnson is practicing. "He's full go, but it's just me," Rhule said of limiting him some. "Year 6, shoulder injury, I want Rahmir ready to go."
Gabe Ervin is doing individual work while he recovers from last year's hip injury. Kwinten Ives is out recently with a hamstring injury.
"I think Emmett is doing a great job. What we want from Emmett is for Emmett to take that jump from, 'Hey, I played last year, I made some explosive plays' to I do it down in and down out."
Dante Dowdell is a guy "that's flashing," Rhule said, with some powerful runs.
"But just kind of the conditioning of being the guy play in and play out – like, we're just working on that with him and blitz pickup and all those things. But I'm really pleased with Dante and where he's at and where he's heading."
He also highlighted walk-on Maurice Mazzccua, who earned respect last year on the scout team.
"We almost made him the short-yardage back at one point. Maybe should've. 'Reece is out there and he's doing a fantastic job." A former player asked Rhule who No. 33 was and said he's a really good player. "I said, 'I know, I know.' And that's one of the benefits of the Spring League is these guys are getting a ton and ton of reps. So I've been really pleased with that group... We have a lot of guys who haven't played a lot who are doing some good things. Just anxious to see how that whole room unfolds in the end."
AND WHAT OF THOSE RECEIVERS?
He thinks the Spring League has helped them limit their missed assignments."Usually young receivers have a hard time learning this many plays and they are working at it. Your whole team is counting on you and it's third-and-5 and you're supposed to run an in-cut and you run an out. It's practice. Sometimes it's like, 'Ah, get them out of here.' But now you've got Isaac Gifford on defense, but on offense you have some of those guys getting on them and then you have five quarterbacks who know exactly what to do. There's a little more onus. You see guys studying, a little more and more prepared."
He was staying away from singling guys there out, "because I like the entire group. I like the way they're all competing."
OK, he did bring up Jaylen Lloyd because he loved that he ran track and then jumps right back into football. "And makes plays down the field. He's a football player and he's a track athlete. He's not one or another. And that's really, really cool. But the whole group is pushing each other and getting way, way, better."
Saturday practice rundown: Rhule upbeat how QBs and offense are tracking
Here's what the Husker head coach had to say after Saturday's practice.
247sports.com
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I take it as a good sign, we finally have some players with some fire in their bellys again that want to get out there and compete.
For far too long we've had too many players that would rather just stand around with their dicks in their hands and just watch practice.
That's why I like how Rhule treats injuries with The Pit. You have a shoulder injury, well you're legs aren't broke go ride the bike and so on. It keeps the players motivated and they want to get out of there as soon as possible so they can get rid of the Ronald McDonald jerseys and get back to practicing/playing.
At the same time though you also see that Rhule is cautious about bringing players back too quick and risking more injuries he always wants everyone 100% before they come back. He knows they need Nash 100% so he going to keep holding him back until he thinks he's rested and ready to go.
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Free
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Raiola with another dot to Lloyd at the end? I like
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Please remind me, did RVP end up redshirting or did he play more than 4?
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he played in 11 games
InsideNebraska - Nebraska 2023 Snap Counts: Offense, defense, special teams and the freshmen
Final snap counts for Huskers' offense, defense, special teams and freshmen as Year 1 under Matt Rhule comes to an end.
nebraska.rivals.com
He's gonna play but it'll be a revolving rotation of T. Hill, B. Hill, Bootle, Nation, Tarver and Mario Buford. We have legitimate depth in the defensive backfield
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