Receivers slowly grasping offense

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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL

They normally don't give credit hours for learning new routes and remembering formations, then learning a few more new routes and remembering a few more formations.

If that happened, then guys such as Ross Pilkington might be able to declare a second major.

"It's just like another class,"Pilkington said of learning Nebraska's new West Coast offense. "I'll probably spend a couple of hours during the day and night in the books, trying to learn all the aspects."

Hey, at least the text book's free.

"We've got pages," Pilkington said, with a slight roll of the eyes.

And exactly how many routes exist?

"Tons,"he said.

Yes, life's considerably different these days if you're a wide receiver at Nebraska. The West Coast offense means Pilkington and Co. might actually see the ball more than, say, six times a game.

"That, and the knowledge that we have to come to the field with every day," Pilkington said, describing the biggest changes he's seen this spring. "We're having to learn so much. It's a lot different, trying to throw in 30 pass plays a day, then another 10 run plays. It's a lot different from last year."

A junior wide receiver, Pilkington tied tight end Matt Herian for the team lead last season with 22 receptions. He's listed as the No. 1 "Z"receiver on the pre-spring depth chart.

Nebraska also returns junior Mark LeFlore (19catches)and sophomore Isaiah Fluellen (15 catches), regarded as the biggest playmakers, along with Pilkington, among a group primarily known for blocking, not catching.

Can this bunch of receivers make such a dramatic transition in such a short period of time?

"There's a lot of pressure to do that," Pilkington said. "I think everybody's going to be watching. We're grasping that. We're excited. We're having a great time in practice, coming out and catching a lot of balls."

Pilkington said his eyes lit up when he heard new coach BillCallahan was installing the West Coast offense.

"Inever thought it'd happen," he said. "But to get an opportunity to run this offense ... it's such an amazing offense to learn.Everything that goes into it is so professional. You watch it in the NFL, you watch it on Sundays. You don't ever think you're going to get a chance to run it."

Along with a new offense came a new position coach in Turner Gill, who previously served as Nebraska's quarterbacks coach. Gill said he's learning the new offense along with his players.

"It's going pretty good," Gill said. "Obviously, I can't say Ihave it all down ... but it's a challenge. I like what it's all about."

Nebraska has 18 wide receivers on its spring roster, including Willie Amos, who previously played defensive back.

Gill said no one player has really stuck out in the initial practices.

"I like the cohesiveness of the group," Gill said. "It's helping each other out, because everybody's learning a new system, and all those types of things.

"We put a lot on them, really, four days in a row. It was somewhat tough on them, but they hung in there. They kept a good focus, and they played hard."

Callahan said Monday the progression of the wide receivers is "seemingly better," although he said the group still needs to correct a number of errors.

"But the overall grasp of the system and knowledge of it ... it's tough to attain at times, and these guys have gone out and done a good job," Callahan said. "There's so many different personnel groupings and plays and formations and concepts and principles to pick up."

Pilkington knows.

"The first couple of days was rough, I'll tell you that," he said. "We were having to focus, getting a lot of things wrong, but that's how you learn.

"I think we're starting to pick it up, starting to learn. Once we get the formations down, which we are, it's a lot easier for us to know where to line up, and from there, know what we're supposed to do on the play."

And when NUreceivers aren't catching the ball?Don't worry. Blocking's still crucial for wide receivers, even in the West Coast offense, and Pilkington said the physicalness of the group hasn't changed a bit.

"It doesn't go away,"he said. "When it comes time to run block, we're going to put our hat on somebody, just like we have in recent years."

Only with a few more catches mixed in.

Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@;journalstar.com.