Husker Football Notes, 9/30: QB Keller impresses on scout team
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Former Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller, who transferred to Nebraska in August, has been impressive playing on the Huskers’ scout team, NU cornerbacks coach Phil Elmassian said Friday.
“He’s been special,” Elmassian told the Big Red Breakfast crowd at the Holiday Inn Convention Centre in Omaha.
Keller has had an excellent attitude about playing on the scout team, Elmassian said.
“Sam’s a lot of fun,” the coach said. “It’s like having another coach on the field. He’s very enthusiastic and challenges the players to perform.”
Keller is sitting out this season as senior Zac Taylor guides the offense. Keller, who has one season of playing eligibility remaining, is expected to compete for the starting job come spring practice.
“He up-lifts me, I know that,” said Elmassian, a 33-year college coaching veteran. “I love being around him. If I was going to college, I think I’d want to be his roommate.”
Will Henry, a 6-foot-5 wideout from El Paso, Texas, also has played particularly well on the scout team, according to Elmassian.
“The guy’s going to be a good player for us — a big, tall receiver with good work ethic.”
CORNER MARKET: If either or both of Nebraska’s starting cornerbacks were injured, Elmassian said, Nebraska would consider three players as fill-ins — Tyrell Spain, Rickey Thenarse and Corey Young. Thenarse and Young are true freshmen, and Spain is a junior who moved from wideout to corner during preseason drills. “They’re not ready yet ... but they’re going to have to be,” Elmassian said. He said he teaches corners to learn in three basic phases: 1. The player learns what he needs to do; 2. The player learns what his teammates are supposed to do; 3. The corner learns what opposing offenses are trying to do. The Huskers’ young backups are currently somewhere between phases one and two, Elmassian said. “We want to get them to phase three in a hurry.”
WHICH ONE?: Elmassian said Nebraska is prepared to face either Kerry Meier or Adam Barmann. Meier, Kansas’ starting quarterback for the first three games, injured his shoulder during the fourth quarter of KU’s 37-31 double-overtime loss Sept. 15 at Toledo. Barmann, a senior, started and went the distance last week in the Jayhawks’ 13-7 home win against South Florida. Meier, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound redshirt freshman, presents problems because of his running ability. “They’re going to run the football when he’s in there. He’s a gifted runner,” Elmassian said.
GETTING PHYSICAL: Nebraska is trying hard to establish an identity as a hard-hitting and physical team in all three phases of the game, Elmassian said. Yes, even on offense. “Probably the one big misnomer about the West Coast offense, or offenses that work to be balanced, is they’re not physical,” he said. “But that’s not true. It’s been a staple with Coach (Bill) Callahan for years, and we’re starting to see the signs.”
DEFENSE!: Elmassian said Kansas’ progress on defense in the last few years has been particularly impressive. In fact, beside Texas and Oklahoma, the Jayhawks probably have played the best defense during that period, he said. This season, KU ranks 52nd nationally in total defense, allowing 313.25 yards per game, and 55th in scoring defense (20.25 points per game). “It’s going to be a great challenge for us offensively.”
OCTAVIEN OUT: Husker backup weakside linebacker Steve Octavien will miss today’s game with a hamstring injury. It’s hard to say when he’ll return to action, Elmassian said. “It could be four weeks, it could be next week.”
DEPTH ALERT: In college football, injuries sometimes create depth — as is the case with Nebraska’s cornerback situation right now, Elmassian said. Sometimes, however, a team having depth at certain positions simply means its first-string players aren’t very good, the coach said. “You have a lot of guys on a team, and if you can’t find a starter ... Well, that’s called death.”
ETC.: Nebraska shoots for its 19th straight home win against Kansas. ... The Huskers and Jayhawks are meeting for the 101st straight season, the nation’s longest continuous series. ... Kansas’ win against Nebraska last season ended the Huskers’ 36-year stranglehold on the series.
Most Commented news