Nebraska Football 2012: Breaking Down Spring Practice

We may still be a good six months away from the college football regular season kicking off, but spring ball is right around the corner. For the most part, this keeps us occupied for a little while as we patiently wait out this long offseason.

Nebraska had a solid season in their first year in the Big Ten, as they finished with a 9-4 record. With them returning eight starters on both sides of the ball, they look to build on that success and become one of the top teams in all of college football.

The first spring practice takes place in a few days for the Cornhuskers; here is everything you need to know as we inch closer.

Schedule

Although dates may be subject to change, Nebraska's first spring practice takes place on March 10 and the spring game happens on April 14.

Offensive Depth Chart

Quarterback: Taylor Martinez, Brion Carnes

Fullback: Mike Marrow, CJ Zimmerer

Running Back: Rex Burkhead, Aaron Green, Ameer Abdullah

Wide Receiver: Kenny Bell, Tim Marlowe, Jamal Turner

Wide Receiver: Quincy Enunwa, Khiry Cooper

Tight End: Ben Cotton, Kyler Reed, Jake Long

Offensive Tackle: Jeremiah Sirles, Jake Cotton

Offensive Guard: Seung Hoon Choi, Brent Qvale

Center: Justin Jackson, Ryne Reeves

Offensive Guard: Spencer Long, Andrew Rodriguez

Offensive Tackle: Tyler Moore, Zach Sterup

Defensive and Special Teams Depth Chart

Defensive End: Jason Ankrah, Eric Martin

Defensive Tackle: Chase Rome, Thaddeus Randle

Defensive Tackle: Baker Steinkuhler, Todd Peat Jr.

Defensive End: Cameron Meredith, Joe Carter

Strong-Side Linebacker: Sean Fisher, Alonzo Whaley

Middle Linebacker: Will Compton, David Santos

Weak-Side Linebacker: Zaire Anderson, Trevor Roach

Cornerback: Ciante Evans, Corey Cooper

Cornerback: Andrew Green, Stanley Jean-Baptiste

Strong Safety: Daimion Stafford, Corey Cooper

Free Safety: P.J. Smith, Courtney Osborne

Kicker: Brett Maher

Punter: Brett Maher

Best Position Battles

Fullback

The likely candidate for this position is Mike Marrow, who transferred from Alabama and Eastern Michigan. He's a big boy at 6'2", 250 pounds, and not only could he become a dominant lead blocker for Burkhead and company, but he could also carry the rock himself and abuse opposing defenses.

Other players who will compete for the position include freshmen Carson Collins and Andy Janovich and junior CJ Zimmerer.

Linebacker

Losing linebacker Lavonte David was an absolutely huge blow for the Cornhuskers, who will need players to help cushion the blow. You're talking about one of the best linebackers in the country to leave this team, as he led Nebraska with a ridiculous 133 tackles last season. Seniors Sean Fisher and Will Compton will return, but this team must find depth at this position maybe with players like Alonzo Whaley or Justin Blatchford stepping up.

Big Man on Campus

With 16 starters returning, there is a lot of experience to go around and a lot of players that are worth mentioning. But the big man on campus has to be running back Rex Burkhead. He's the one that will carry this one-dimensional offense and put the Cornhuskers in the best position to score points.

He had an absolutely huge year last season rushing for over 1,300 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns. With quarterback Taylor Martinez not throwing the ball with any consistency, Burkhead carries this offense, while also doing the dirty work on goal-line carries as well.

The Cornhuskers will go as far as the senior running back takes them.

Biggest Shoes to Fill

Although Alfonzo Dennard got beat a few times last year badly, he was still by far the best corner on the team and arguably in the entire conference. Replacing him won't be easy, especially when only a couple of possible replacements have experience.

Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Ciante Evans both saw quality minutes last season, but in order to replace Dennard they'll both have to take on a role neither one of them has experienced yet. Not to mention Jean-Baptise hasn't played the cornerback position for very long, since he was originally a wide receiver.

Other players that could contribute are Corey Cooper, Daniel Davie and junior college transfer Mohammed Seisay.

Most Important Questions to Answer

Besides linebacker and finding playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, the Cornhuskers must get some consistency out of quarterback Taylor Martinez.

Martinez is a fantastic athlete and can kill you with his legs, but he's far from a quarterback. He only completed 56 percent of passes last season and threw eight interceptions to 13 touchdowns.

It's safe to say that his throwing motion and style of play is not going to change, but if he's able to complete a higher percentage of passes, it would really help the team. Forcing the defense to worry about the passing game a bit more would only make this offense much better than they were last season.

It's hard to win games when the offense is so one-dimensional, and being ranked 104th in passing yards and 15th in rushing yards is about as one-dimensional as it gets. If he can make the jump from completing 56 percent of his passes to 60 percent, Nebraska will be that much more dangerous.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].