Nebraska Football: 9 Things on the Cornhuskers' Summer to Do List
Summer means a lot of things, including cookouts, baseball, golf and beach apparel. Unfortunately, for most of us, it means a laundry list of things that need to get done before the weather gets colder and the leaves start to turn.
Nebraska Cornhuskers' football is no different—although it's still not entirely clear who would be the dutiful wife making the "honey-do" list in this particular metaphor. So put down your box scores, and let's take a look at the Cornhuskers' summer to-do list.
Fill in the Holes
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Graduation has hit Nebraska hard in a number of areas, most particularly in the secondary. Alfonzo Dennard will be the only returning starter in Nebraska's back four, a unit that was very reliable in 2010. Given that Nebraska will be breaking in a new offensive coordinator and still has big question marks at quarterback, it is likely that NU will need to lean on the Blackshirts once again to be successful. Filling those holes in the secondary will be key for that success.
Move the Rock
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We saw the good and the bad of Taylor Martinez last year at quarterback for Nebraska. For NU to be successful next year, the ups and downs of Martinez have to be balanced out with a solid, consistent running game. Rex Burkhead will return as the starter, and it is likely that a true freshman such as Aaron Green, Ameer Abdullah or Braylon Heard will see significant playing time. Those kids, and Burkhead, will need to produce for Nebraska to have the offensive balance needed in 2011.
Meet the New Neighbors
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For those of you returning from a year-long sojourn to, say, Mars, you might be interested to learn that Nebraska will be playing football in the B1G Conference next year. NU will not have the advantage of years past in returning to familiar haunts and seeing familiar foes. Everything in Nebraska's first B1G season will be new, which will create new challenges for Bo Pelini and his staff.
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Start Running
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One of Nebraska's problems offensively was a lack of stretch-the-field speed. When Kyler Reed, a tight end, is your biggest home run threat, you know you've got issues.
The incoming freshman class for Nebraska has addressed that issue. With Jamal Turner, Aaron Green and Ameer Abdullah, along with a hopefully-healthy Taylor Martinez, Nebraska should have a lot more speed on the field in 2011.
Photo originally located here.
Keep Track of Important Stuff
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In 2010, Nebraska was third in the country in fumbles lost with 16. That averages over a fumble lost per game. That trend cannot continue if Nebraska wants to win, as they move into their new conference. New running backs coach Ron Brown preaches ball security as one of the most important areas of focus, which should be good news to NU fans.
See the Doctor
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Let's be clear. The collapse of Taylor Martinez wasn't caused by the ankle injury he suffered against Missouri. Martinez struggled mightily against soon-to-be 5-7 Texas and against South Dakota State, not because of an injury, but because of a defensive scheme built to stop his explosive runs.
Still, the ankle injury clearly limited Martinez at the end of the year. There's no doubt that Martinez, when healthy, is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in college football. If Martinez is the starter at quarterback, Nebraska needs his ankle to be healthy for NU's new offense to be successful.
Make Friends with the Big Kid
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Bubba Starling, a high school senior from Gardner, Kansas, has been hailed as a once-in-a-decade type of athlete. Excelling at both football and baseball, he has committed to Nebraska and would be in the mix to unseat Martinez at starter.
He's also one of the five best baseball prospects, and has Scott Boras as his "we can't call him an agent yet." So while he's said a lot of things about Nebraska being in the mix, regardless of the millions he would be offered as a high baseball draft pick, keep in mind that those verbal roses being thrown at NU may well be for negotiation purposes with the big league club.
Still, adding an athlete of Starling's caliber to Nebraska's roster would be a massive advantage. Whatever Pelini and company can do to convince Starling to strap a football helmet on and play in Lincoln, they should do.
Photo originally located here.
Work with the New Guys
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After three years, Bo Pelini allowed (encouraged?) offensive coordinator Shawn Watson to explore other opportunities, promoting Tim Beck to the role in 2011. While we haven't seen Beck's vision of offense, we've been told to expect a lot of pistol, a lot of speed, and a lot of up-tempo play.
Nebraska also hired Rich Fisher to replace Ted Gilmore as wide receivers coach. Given the disappointing lack of development of Nebraska's talent at receiver (see Paul, Niles), a change at the position is an encouraging sign.
Photo originally located here.
Make Some Lists
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You know it's really summer when the preseason college football magazines start showing up. Athlon Sports is one of the first to publish preseason ratings, slotting Nebraska in 10th. While these preseason polls are based on nothing more than speculation, we all know that they are important in formulating the polls that actually count. Auburn's rise from unrated-to-champion last year was unusual. The general rule is that the lower you are rated in the preseason, the harder it is to rise to the top spot in the beauty contest that is the BCS ratings.
So, while they probably should have no meaning, make no mistake that preseason polls are important. The better Nebraska performs in those polls, the better opportunity they have for a special season in 2011.
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