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What Should Fans Expect in This Year’s Nebraska Spring Game?
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Spring games, by their nature, don't usually mean much. But they can be essential for players who are trying to move up the depth chart to get more playing time.
Spring games are also a time for Husker fans to get another football fix. It's been a long time since the last Husker football game. In fact, it was more than four months ago Nebraska ended its season with a victory over Iowa (that win still feels great!). And nearly five months from now, the Huskers will open the '23 season at Minnesota. Time for a Husker football party, right?
The Husker Spring Game is less than 3 weeks away. Here are some of the questions and comments I have about this year's game.
1) Tackling
Will Coach Matt Rhule allow tackling for the entire game? I ask that because I don't think Husker fans who drive from Alliance or even Omaha want to see a touch football game. I get it that the QBs will (and should) wear green jerseys, but for goodness sakes, let's play tackle football!
2) Quarterback
Which QB will emerge as the leader of the pack? All eyes are going to be on Georgia Tech transfer, Jeff Sims. He'll get a lot of snaps, but I also believe the other Husker QBs are going to get a chance to see what they can do. Look for Richard Torres, Heinrich Haarberg and maybe Chubba Purdy to get game action. Because of injuries, Casey Thompson and Logan Smothers probably won't see any playing time this spring.
3) Offensive Line
It's doubtful Husker O-line coach Donovan Raiola will be able to showcase his line. Injuries have limited what he can do. Look for some other players to get some valuable playing time.
4) Thomas Fidone
Will the former 4-Star TE from Council Bluffs Lewis Central (Iowa) get a chance to finally show his skills? He's suffered through injuries the past two spring camps. He appears to be at full strength, but look for Coach Rhule to keep Fidone under wraps until this fall.
5) Receiving Corps
Who will emerge as Trey Palmer's replacement?
The Huskers seem to have some really good receivers on the roster including Malachi Coleman, transfers Billy Kemp IV and Joshua Fleeks. Rhule also welcomed back former Husker players Zavier Betts and Isaiah Garcia-Casteneda. This could be a really good room come this fall.
6) Running Backs
It will be interesting to see who emerges on the depth chart going into Fall Camp. The three rotation players probably will be Rhamir Johnson, Gabe Ervin, Jr and Anthony Grant. But who knows?
7) D-line/LBs and Secondary
How much of Tony White's new 3-3-5 defense will he reveal in the spring game? Probably not too much. Look for the defense to be pretty vanilla.
8) Special Teams
We probably won't get to see much of Ed Foley's impact on special teams in this game. Why? Because there are usually no returns in these games. Although there will be kickoffs, extra points and field goals, don't look for too much happening in Coach Foley's department.
9) How many people will be at the game?
The record was set in 2018 (Frost's first year) with 86,818 fans. Can this year's attendance come close to that record?
10) What effect will the game have on recruiting?
Will Nebraska get any commits that weekend? Will Dylan Raiola attend? How many recruits will be at the game?
The Jet Award
I spoke with Johnny Rodgers recently about the Jet Award banquet coming up on Thursday, April 13 at the Baxter Arena in Omaha. The guest speaker will be former Missouri TE, Kellen Winslow. Also in attendance will be Tom Osborne, Trev Alberts, Eric Crouch, Mike Rozier and of course, Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers himself.
Each year, the event honors the nation's best college football return man. The winner for the 2022 season is Derius Davis from TCU.
The Jet Award has another very important role to play. The event raises money for scholarships that are awarded to needy students so they can attend Metro Tech Community College. Don't miss this great event. Where else can you get to be with so many Husker greats!
For more information on how you can attend this event, go to: https://www.baxterarena.com/event/jet-award-gala/
How ’Bout Them Huskers
In this week's podcast episode, Will and I talk about the good news/bad news concerning the Husker women's basketball team. Of course, we talk a lot about the upcoming Husker Spring Game and the latest news about Husker baseball. This episode also focuses on the new airline carrier (Red Airlines!) and what impact its routes might have on the Husker football program. We also share our thoughts about the newest Husker football recruit, Gibson Pyle from Houston, TX.
