LINCOLN — Has Nebraska found its offense since the end of last season?
Good question.
Offensive queries abound as the Huskers conclude spring football practice Saturday, despite returning starters at 10 positions.
The last time we saw Nebraska, it pounded Arizona 33-0 in the Holiday Bowl, displaying a balanced and imaginative offense. But that performance came as a contrasting final act to a season in which the Huskers ranked 75th nationally in scoring (25.1 points per game), 99th in total yardage (322.8) and 101st in passing yardage (175.7).
With 14 spring practices to date kept under wraps at NU, the Red-White game Saturday at Memorial Stadium serves as the best opportunity until August to gauge progress.
Players and coaches say what you'd expect — that things have progressed well the past month.
“I really like what we're doing,” coach Bo Pelini said. “I like how far we've come. I think we're better. We're deeper when we get everybody healthy. I like what I've seen.”
This much we know: The Huskers' Big 12 championship game defeat has served as motivation for the offensive players. Its impact only figures to grow through the summer.
Remember Dec. 5, Nebraska's bitter, 13-12 loss to Texas? Aside from that eight-turnover day against Iowa State in October, the Huskers' offensive woes were never more glaring than against the Longhorns.
NU netted five first downs, 39 passing yards and 106 total, losing on a field goal as time expired.
It's a silent, driving force, but strictly among the players. Coaches, including offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, stay away from the topic, tight end Dreu Young said.
“No one talks about it outwardly, but you think about it all the time,” Young said. “You think, ‘What if I had taken a better step? What if I blocked just a second longer?' That stuff goes through everybody's mind. We don't put it out there as motivation, but everyone thinks about it.”
Young said he has seen enough from the offense this spring to expect significant improvement over 2009.
“I don't know what the whole offense's goal was for the spring,” he said. “We never really sat down and said this is what we want to do. We just said we're going to get better. We wanted to come out and establish our run game. I feel like we've done a good bit of that.”
Offensive line coach Barney Cotton offers a word of warning, though, about Saturday. It doesn't necessarily represent all that the Huskers have accomplished offensively since December — or serve as much of a preview.
“We've got 44 practices before the first game, so we've still got (30) left,” Cotton said. “I'm not going to make a snap judgment. Shawn's not going to make a snap judgment, and neither is Bo. Two-thirds of the evaluation is still to come before that first game.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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