Ex-starter Horne out to prove he is still 'the man'

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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON

Lincoln Journal Star

David Horne walked out of a Texas football stadium two years ago with the wind at his back, the road aimed downhill and time in his favor.


That night, Horne held all the grandeur that goes with being the starting I-back at Nebraska.

Just a freshman, the Omaha Central graduate rushed for 128 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-31 win over Texas A&M.


He was the man.


"I'm not the man anymore," Horne says now.


"I'm back in the saddle right now. The way I look at it is I might've been (the man) back then, but this is a new year, new day, new Husker team. So hopefully, one day I get back up there."


As Nebraska's third spring practice convenes today, the junior Horne is positioned behind Cory Ross and Tierre Green based on the pre-spring depth chart.


How does this strike Horne?


"Just motivation," he says. "They're saying they're supposed to play running backs by committee but I don't really go too much by that. Whatever the coaches say is pretty much motivation for me."


And maybe that's what the coaches, particularly running backs coach Randy Jordan, wish — a cause for motivation in the former starter.


"Is he going to take (being third string)?" Jordan asks. "No. I've just seen a little bit of his personality. He's a guy that fights and he's going to prove you wrong. Like I tell him, I said, ‘Depth chart don't mean nothing. It's about who makes the most plays.'


"If you do something well in this offense, we're going to find a way to put you in the game. We'll devise a doggone package for you."


Jordan stresses the beauty of Nebraska's new West Coast offense is it allows a skill player like Horne to find his way onto the field somehow.


He says the days of simply lining a Nebraska running back seven yards deep in the backfield are over. Husker fans could see a guy like Horne positioned in the slot, or at an outside receiver position, which means it's quite conceivable two or three running backs could be on the field at one time.


"In this offense, you're going to have a chance to get to play," Jordan says. "And you always want to be three deep. It's a long season. Guys get banged up. You play in the Big 12 by God. You're going to play teams like Kansas State and Oklahoma and those aren't any pushovers."


Still, Jordan allows that "someone will emerge" as the main back.


The former NFL player and Oakland Raider assistant coach says it's an "open camp" for the spot, but notes Green — who ran a 4.40 40-yard time — has an "extremely good burst for a redshirt freshman."


And there's Ross, currently listed No. 1 and coming off a sensational end to last season. The junior carried the ball 37 times for 138 yards in the Alamo Bowl game, which is two more carries than he had in all of 2002 when Horne was emerging.


If anyone knows what it's like to be Horne right now, it's, in fact, Ross — who was only mildly used until November of last year.


"You just got to take it as it comes, keep out there and working hard and play football and doing what you know you can do to the best of your ability," Ross says. "When you do that everything works out for itself."


And that's Horne's plan — though he says not seeing his name on the initial depth chart came as a major "gut check."


"But after a while you can't think too much about it," Horne says. "If you're always watching the other guys at practice thinking, ‘He's not better than me, I know I'm better than him,' it's not going to help you do anything at practice. If you go out and do better at practice, they have to play you."


Horne ran for 651 yards in only nine games as a freshman, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He seemed slated to start before his sophomore season, but Josh Davis got more carries to start the year and Ross received the bulk of work at the end.

Horne carried the ball 20 fewer times his second season while playing three more games. His average slipped to 4.1 yards per rush.


But now he says he's more mentally ready than he's ever been.


He's working to know the new playbook better than before. He's cut back on the partying, reduced the junk food from his eating, making way for Vitamin A and calcium. Even stretching — he's  making sure he's doing it right this year.


Listed at 195 pounds in the spring media guide, he says he's 205.


Horne smiles when reminded this isn't the Nebraska he signed to play for. He came here to run the ball out of the I-formation, but he says this new West Coast thing just might be for the best.


"The NFL is looking more for all-around backs, so this offense will help you get to the next level. That's how I look at it," Horne says. "And I thought one of my high points coming out of last year was catching the ball."


He's only caught five passes in his Nebraska career, but he says new NU head coach Bill Callahan's playbook is thicker than last year's with many more routes to learn. Yes,  "routes."


The running back position has changed at Nebraska. Now, Horne wants to change the depth chart in his favor again.


And if it doesn't happen, he wants to at least push Ross and Green and make them earn their reps.


"We're a group. We're all as one. No matter who's No. 1 and 2 in practice, you're going to make the next person better," Horne says. "And if someone gets hurt, you got to be ready to step in and help the team out. That's the way you have to look at it."


Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.