James Dobson couldn’t tell you officially which Nebraska football player runs the fastest 40-yard dash.

One of the most well-known running tests isn’t administered by the Huskers. In fact, Dobson calls it the most overrated element of the NFL Combine.

“It doesn’t tell you what kind of football player you are,’’ said Dobson, who heads strength and conditioning for the NU football team.

If somebody needs to be labeled as the fastest Husker — even Athletic Director Tom Osborne has asked Dobson — then it probably is cornerback Prince Amukamara for his 1.48-second time in the 10-yard dash.

Dobson told a Big Red Breakfast crowd Friday that he considers the 10-yard dash far more important than the 40. It measures burst and explosiveness, the most relevant factors in football.

Dobson said right behind Amukamara is I-back Roy Helu, and Dobson also mentioned safety Larry Asante and injured I-back Rex Burkhead.

A notable fact for NFL scouts is that 302-pound defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has run the 10 in 1.62 seconds. “Pretty dang good,” Dobson said. “I mean, it’s really good.”

Big Red Breakfast regulars got a different perspective as Nebraska sent Dobson to the Holiday Inn convention center in Omaha instead of an assistant coach. It eliminated hope for the crowd of 250 to get any inside information on whether Zac Lee or Cody Green will start at quarterback today against Iowa State.

But Dobson did touch briefly on the health of Helu, who is battling a shoulder injury. Dobson said Helu is doing well and has practiced all week.

“He’s going to be the focus of the run game, so he’s going to get banged up a little bit,” Dobson said. “He’s going to be expected to run into guys and expected to get hit and block and do all those things. Now he’s doing it more than he ever has. A lot of it is just getting used to the volume of what he’s going to do.”

Dobson oversees the NU winter and summer programs, but he said in-season training is just as important. The goal for players is to get stronger as the season progresses rather than just maintain what was built before the season started.

“Anybody in the country can have a strong, powerful in-season team in August, September and early October,’’ he said. “That’s easy to do. But if you’re going to win championships, especially in the Big 12, you’ve got to win games in late October and November.”

Dobson is on the field for every practice. He carries a notebook and pen and he scribbles notes when he sees a player having trouble with something such as breaking on a ball, keeping his base, changing directions or shuffling his feet.

That helps formulate what the strength and conditioning staff will address with that player in the offseason.

Catering to individuals in such a way, Dobson said, is one of the strong points of the Husker strength program. The other is building a relationship with each player, getting him invested in the program so the staff can demand their best from him.

“The one thing that these guys have when they come to college is a four- or five-year window to reach their potential,” Dobson said. “And if we don’t do what we need to do to help them do that, then shame on us for not doing our job.”

Contact the writer:

444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com

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