Nebraska Football: Reviewing the Cornhuskers' Spring Game

(Disclaimer: I learned a valuable lesson. Going to a football game with a seven-year-old is a very different experience than going alone or with another adult. If my analysis suffers, I'm totally using that as the excuse.)

THE GOOD 

Youth was served

Yes, it's a spring game, so the specifics of what you can learn are limited. But the contributions of two first-timers, redshirt freshman quarterback Brion Carnes and wide receiver Jamal Turner, could not be ignored.

Turner looks like an instant impact player with his blazing speed and slick moves, and Carnes, on the strength of Saturday's performance, looked much more effective than sophomore quarterback Cody Green.

E-Magic

One of the questions to be answered was how Eric Martin would look moving from linebacker to rush end. Well, Judas Priest, did we get an answer.

Martin was all over the field, wreaking havoc play after play. Once again, it looks like the brothers Pelini have worked a little magic with a position change.

Kickoff Returns

Turner's first, electrifying play was a long kickoff return in the first quarter, giving the crowd its first glimpse at his shifty moves and blazing speed. Brandon Kinnie answered with another long return in the second quarter, as well.

THE BAD

Kickoff Return Defense

Every yin has its yang, doesn't it? For as good as the returns from Turner and Kinnie looked, NU's kick return defense looked pretty shaky throughout the game. A concern from last season, at least in April, appears to still need addressing.

Anti-incumbent Fever

Both Green and Taylor Martinez looked pretty much the way they did when we last saw them in December.

Green was inconsistent and ineffective, for the most part. Martinez was clearly limited in terms of what he was allowed to do (ironically drawing the biggest applause for running out of bounds after a first down) but also demonstrated his knack of curling up and shutting down in the face of a rush. Sound familiar, anyone?

More Leadership Psychobabble

Yes, it's the spring game. Yes, it probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans. But I thought it was more than a little odd that it was Green leading the team out of the Tunnel Walk and onto the field.

It was Green that was hopping up and down, firing up the troops as they charged onto the Memorial Stadium turf. It wasn't Martinez—I know his ankle's still sore, but I'm guessing it wouldn't stop him from doing that.

Sure, that's probably a meaningless little tidbit. But after a spring where we heard all about Martinez becoming more of a leader, it was just a strange little vignette to see. 

THE REALITY CHECK

Look, it's the spring game. As the Husker Hotwire (which you all should be reading, by the way) would put it, it's the Spring Practice Where They Keep Score And Charge Admission.

And Bo Pelini threw even more cold water on the spring game than usual by talking about how vanilla the offense was going to be and how it really wouldn't resemble anything we will see in September.

So take it for what its worth, latch on to the standout performances (Carnes, Turner, Rex Burkhead), don't panic about the poor ones and settle in for a long summer's nap.

Is it Sept. 3 yet?

You can see my pictures from the spring game here.