Defensive end Carriker not only plans on starting, but dominating

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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE

Well, nobody can accuse Adam Carriker of setting his sights too low.


"I want to be a Blackshirt, and I want to dominate, basically," said the Nebraska sophomore defensive end. "I want to dominate my position."


Can Carriker, relatively unproven at the college level, really be a dominant player in 2004?

He said the potential is there.


"I think I can," he said. "But ‘can' is different than ‘will.' We'll find out. But you have to have that mind-set or else why even be here?"


It appears the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Carriker will get a chance to dominate. He's the prohibitive favorite to start at right defensive end ahead of top backup Wali Muhammad, meaning Carriker's goal of obtaining a black practice jersey — traditionally designated for Nebraska defensive starters — seems almost assured.


In addition, Carriker said, he likely will play tackle in the Huskers' nickel package, as he did in 2003.


Although Carriker's college playing future appears bright, it's not as if he's coasting through spring drills, which began last week and end April 17 with the Red-White Game.


Carriker said he's using the spring to improve his techniques.


"I'm pretty strong and fast, but I need to work on my footwork and hand placement and concentrate on giving effort on every play," he said.


With the off-season overhaul of the Nebraska coaching staff came changes in what Husker defenders needed to learn. Carriker said new defensive line coach John Blake teaches techniques that are a little different than ones taught by Jeff Jamrog.


"Jamrog watched your feet on every play — exactly where they went," Carriker said. "Blake is more about hand placement and being strong and getting push. It's basically the same things, with little differences."


Carriker said the defensive end's role in Nebraska's 2004 defense will be essentially the same as it was in the previous defense.


Carriker, though, said he hopes to see more action this season.


Last season, Carriker played only three snaps at defensive end, all against Utah State in the second game.


Carriker spent most of last season recovering from an ankle injury suffered on the third play of the third game (Penn State). He sat out of the next two games and didn't return to full speed until mid-November.


Against Colorado in the regular-season finale Carriker flashed his potential. He recorded three quarterback hurries and ended a CU drive in the third quarter with a 9-yard sack of Joel Klatt in Nebraska's 31-22 triumph in Boulder.
Ankle injury aside, Carriker said he was pleased with his play in 2003.


"I got to play, and that's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid," said Carriker, who was born in Hastings and moved to Kennewick, Wash., when he was 3. "I got a lot stronger, and I learned about practicing with the first-team defense. As a redshirt (freshman), playing on the scout team, nobody really cares about you."


Carriker no longer gets lost in the mass of Husker players. One of the team's better all-around athletes, he can throw a football 75 yards using a one-step approach (he played quarterback during his first three years of high school).
As a sophomore in high school, Carriker's fastball was clocked at 93 mph, and major-league scouts showed interest. However, an elbow injury squelched thoughts of a baseball career.


Carriker arrived at Nebraska in 2002 weighing 245 pounds. Although he's added nearly 30 pounds, Carriker said, he has gotten faster.


Now, Carriker has become a key component of a defensive line that already has drawn praise from Nebraska's new coaching staff.


In addition to Carriker, Nebraska's top linemen include left ends Jay Moore and Benard Thomas and tackles Le Kevin Smith, Titus Adams, Brandon Teamer and Brandon Greeson. 


Said Blake: "I know I'm going to do the best I can to make these guys the best defensive line in college football. I don't know whether we'll get there this year or not. But I know what the future can hold, and this could be a dominant defensive line."


Carriker expressed optimism after Monday's hard-hitting workout, saying the overall intensity during practices has been turned up a notch.


"There's no walking on the field; it's a lot faster pace — there's no wasted time whatsoever," Carriker said. "The first couple of practices, I was pretty tired. But it keeps you in shape. It keeps you flowing because you don't have much time to sit there and think about other things.


"You don't waste a second now."


Briefly


Nebraska didn't practice Tuesday. The Huskers have workouts scheduled for today, Friday and Saturday. The Huskers on Saturday will have their first full-scale scrimmage of the spring.


Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.