With Herian sidelined, other tight ends need to step up
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BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
Nebraska junior tight end Matt Herian is getting out of the hospital this morning.
Unfortunately, he's leaving with a pair of crutches and a rod in his left leg.
Doctors told Herian he'd be on those crutches eight to 12 weeks, meaning the Huskers' leading receiver is lost for the rest of this season because of a broken tibia.
The Pierce native underwent surgery on Saturday, shortly after being carted off the field during the second quarter of Nebraska's 24-3 win over Missouri. A rod, which he was told he'd have for eight to 12 months, was inserted in his leg.
Herian's sister, Kylie, said doctors told him he could play with that rod and were optimistic he could return for spring ball in April.
In the meantime, Nebraska is hoping two low-key guys senior Dusty Keiser and redshirt freshman J.B. Phillips can provide a crutch at the tight end position as the 5-3 Huskers attempt to win the Big 12 North.
"They're going to have to fill Matt's void. You don't really fill that with just one guy," said Jay Norvell, Nebraska's offensive coordinator. "It's really everybody pulling their boot straps together a little tighter, fighting a little bit harder, to make those kind of plays that Matt gave us. He's a real talented player to replace. We're just going to have to do it collectively."
When asked how tough it would be for Nebraska to overcome Herian's absence, junior right tackle Seppo Evwaraye said: "It's not going to kill us. We're not going to let that kill us."
While Norvell lauded the Saturday play of both Keiser and Phillips, neither one of them can be expected to be in the same class as Herian, an NFL prospect and preseason All-American who had 24 catches for 308 yards.
Comparatively, Keiser has two catches. Phillips has none.
"We obviously had some plays that we liked Matt in, that we had designed for Matt," Norvell said. "But we'll still use our tight ends. Those kids have done a good job. Dusty has done a good job as a receiver and J.B. is really a tremendous blocker. He's got a real role for us, so we'll continue to use those guys."
Norvell said redshirt freshman Josh Mueller would now probably see more snaps as the third-string tight end, but also noted the West Coast offense allows a team to use tight ends and fullbacks interchangeably.
In other words, fullbacks Steve Kriewald and Dane Todd also should be factored when considering Nebraska's depth at tight end.
"With this offense, you can do anything. I think that really helps with the tight end position, that we can do so many different things," said Keiser, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound Norfolk native. "(On Saturday) I was comfortable with every play, every route."
Keiser isn't exactly green. Against Missouri, he would have been on the field plenty even if Herian were not injured. Nebraska used many sets with two tight ends in an attempt to play smashmouth football.
That attempt was only mildly successful. Nebraska managed a mere 235 total yards against Missouri, and that number would have looked much worse save for an 86-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run by Cory Ross.
While the running game was mediocre at best, the Husker passing game would be better described as woeful. Nebraska sophomore quarterback Joe Dailey was 4 of 18 for just 26 yards. He's now completed just seven passes in the past two games.
"It concerns me. I don't think we're executing our passing game very well right now," Norvell said. "Two weeks ago we did very well against Baylor and the last two games have been poor to be honest with you. We have to work hard to rectify that and get the ball to the open guys."
Nebraska which now leads the Big 12 North with a 3-2 conference record and could win the division by beating Iowa State and Colorado has also been awful on third downs. Against Mizzou, the Huskers were 0 for 14 on third downs. Against Kansas State the week prior, they were 2 for 11.
Those numbers eat Norvell up inside, and losing a possession receiver like Herian sure doesn't help a team trying to cure those ills.
"Matt's been really big on third down and really big in the red zone, so he'll be missed," Norvell said.
Teammates and coaches have been visiting the hospital all weekend to wish Herian encouragement.
"He's in pretty good spirits," said Keiser, who visited his teammate Saturday night. "He was cracking jokes and everything
"I think he understands the situation and that he's got a long road ahead of him to get his leg stronger after this."
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
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