Nebraska safety Myles Farmer (18) and cornerback Quinton Newsome talk between plays in the third quarter against Ohio State on Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Travis Fisher likely wishes the opportunity came under different circumstances, but the Nebraska secondary coach was happy to get a couple of his young players meaningful snaps on Oct. 24 against Ohio State.
In fact, Fisher has spoken highly about the likes of redshirt freshman safety Myles Farmer, sophomore cornerback Quinton Newsome and several others in the Huskers’ young corps of secondary players for a year now. He just hasn’t gotten them much in the way of game action because of the veteran nature of the top line.
“Anytime I can get younger guys in the game, it’s a bonus for me,” Fisher said Wednesday. “Guys are talented and they need to get the game experience. They’re getting practice experience now, but there’s nothing like having that game experience.”
That happened against Ohio State because both junior cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt and senior safety Deontai Williams were ejected for targeting. Since both carry suspensions through the first half of Saturday’s game against Northwestern, that young group figures to see the field even more against the Wildcats.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in the guys that are going to play week-to-week,” Fisher said. “Obviously, it starts on Monday and Tuesday and preparation going into the game. How well can we practice as a group? Guys have the individual goals that they want to accomplish in practice as far as, ‘I want to get better at this today, I want to get better on this tomorrow,’ and stuff like that.
“But all of our guys, when it’s their turn to play, whether it’s somewhere during the game, whether it’s the next game or whatever it may be, they’re starters. We just keep rolling. Whoever is in the game, they’re starters in my eyes.”
Farmer, in particular, has drawn praise from Fisher for months. In the spring, the secondary coach called his redshirt freshman from Atlanta among the best players in the room and said he could have played more as a true freshman in 2019.
Not surprisingly, he was happy with what he saw from Farmer against OSU.
“I thought he did a great job when he got in the game,” Fisher said.
Added Chinander, “He’s a very active safety. He can cover a lot of ground quickly because of his length and because of his speed and he’s also a very physical kid. He can be physical at the line of scrimmage, he can be a physical tackler. He’s physical on reroutes on the perimeter, but like I said, in the post, he can cover a lot of ground, so I feel pretty good about him in man coverage.”
It’s not just Farmer, though. Nebraska could also turn to redshirt freshman Noa Pola-Gates or true freshman Isaac Gifford if needed. Both traveled to Ohio State and played primarily on special teams.
Gifford, a Lincoln native, has impressed since arriving on campus in January even though he dealt with an injury in the spring.
“Not surprised. I mean, a pleasant surprise, but a guy like Isaac Gifford — you don’t exactly always know what you’re getting, but you think you know what you’re getting: A guy who comes from a great family with a good pedigree,” Chinander said. “Isaac is more athletic than he gets credit for and he really understands football. He wants to work the game. He’s accountable, he’s dependable and he’s going to work hard every single snap.”
Gifford may have a leg up in the conversation this week because of Northwestern’s run-heavy approach so far this season. Chinander said the 6-1, 205-pounder can handle some linebacker-type duties depending on the situation.
At corner, Newsome will likely get the nod for Taylor-Britt. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder was one of just four freshmen in 2019 to forgo a redshirt and he appeared in 10 games, playing mostly special teams and some corner in sub-packages.
If the Huskers have to go beyond Newsome and senior Dicaprio Bootle at cornerback before Taylor-Britt returns, they would likely turn to a true freshman in either Tamon Lynum or Ronald Delancy.
Bootle said earlier this week he’s confident no matter which direction Fisher turns.
“They know that they're going to be depended on, so we just have to continue to stay with those guys and get them right and get them ready,” Bootle said Monday. “As for me, they’re helping me get ready. They see things that I don't see sometimes. That's kind of the characteristic of a strong room when everybody can contribute and everyone has something to put forth, even the guys that don’t play. …
“They understand that we have one common goal and it’s is a beautiful thing.”
10 Huskers to watch this season
Wan'Dale Robinson
As a freshman, Robinson flashed his electrifying playmaking ability and topped 1,000 all-purpose yards. As a sophomore, he’s hoping he’s behind nagging hamstring issues and projects to have a huge role in the Husker offense.
Robinson has been used in a variety of ways on the football field and he’s also quickly become a staple off of it, too. He spoke at NU’s announcement of its $155 million football facility project last fall, he’s featured in a recruiting video recently produced by the school, and he’s regularly brought up by recruits considering Nebraska. He’s already a face of the program.
Luke McCaffrey
McCaffrey might not be in line to start at quarterback, but many are excited to see just how head coach Scott Frost and company decide to use him. Package player? Spot duty? One thing that’s clear: McCaffrey is an explosive player and NU needs as many of those as possible.
McCaffrey, remember, didn’t play quarterback full time until his senior year of high school, which only adds to the intrigue considering now he has additional months to add strength and also to further immerse himself into quarterback play.
Ty Robinson
The big man from Arizona opened eyes with the way he held up against Wisconsin last fall and now hopes to be a full-time player. At 6-foot-6 and about 325 pounds, Robinson might be the most promising young defensive lineman the Huskers have had in years.
Ideally, Robinson would be a defensive end who can rush the passer and also be stout at the point of attack. The Huskers think he has the versatility, though, to play up and down the line as needed.
Omar Manning
NU lacked perimeter playmakers in 2019 and had no physically imposing receivers. Manning is being counted on to solve both problems at 6-4 and 225 pounds. Husker fans have watched his dominating junior college film and wonder what might be in store in Lincoln. Manning will be interesting to watch because it may not take much for him to put himself back on NFL radar screens. Any type of late fall or winter season might be as important for Manning as for any player on the NU roster.
Cam Taylor-Britt
The secondary’s Swiss Army knife played multiple positions as a sophomore and dealt with injuries, leading to some uneven play. He also made a lot of big plays, though, including a pick-six against Iowa. He’ll be among the defense’s leaders and could be a big, physical corner for Travis Fisher this fall. Taylor-Britt has plenty of competition, including the newest addition to the secondary in juco transfer Nadab Joseph. One of the things the staff likes about Taylor-Britt, though, is he never seems to shy away from a challenge.
Cameron Jurgens
Jurgens took his lumps as a redshirt freshman when he was thrown into the fire as Nebraska’s starting center and struggled with the first step of the position: snapping the ball. The Beatrice native, though, settled in as the season went along and ended up showing signs of why the coaching staff is so high on his prospects by the time the season ended. Another year will do him good across the board. He’s bigger and stronger, he’s been healthy for an extended period of time now and he’s got a better understanding of the offense and his extensive responsibilities in the middle of the offensive line. Greg Austin calls it “command presence.” Jurgens has that now, along with a lot of snaps under his belt.
Travis Vokolek
Like many of these entries, there are multiple players who could qualify here. At tight end, Vokolek will draw eyes because he’s the newcomer in the room. The Rutgers transfer sat out the 2019 season because of NCAA transfer rules but drew rave reviews from pretty much everybody that saw him work on the scout team. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, the Missouri native fits the bill in Sean Beckton’s physically imposing position group. The Huskers have had periods of quality play from Jack Stoll, Austin Allen and Kurt Rafdal over the past two years, but nobody has truly emerged as a dangerous weapon in the pass game. Maybe Vokolek will, or perhaps it will be somebody else in the room.
Deontai Williams
Nebraska thought Williams was in for a big season in 2019 before he suffered a season-ending injury less than one quarter into the first game of the season. Williams, though, is healthy now, and head coach Scott Frost and secondary coach Travis Fisher have consistently expressed excitement about what his future holds. Williams was a part-time player in 2018 and made some big plays despite being in the midst of learning NU’s defense. He’s had a long road from being an SEC recruit out of high school, through the junior college ranks and now into his third season already with the Huskers. Can he prove himself to be ready for the next level?
Caleb Tannor
Tannor is part of Frost’s first recruiting class at Nebraska and already is going into his third year in the program. He’s played a lot over his first two seasons but still hasn’t shown the ability to be an every-down Big Ten outside linebacker. Fans and coaches have seen the flashes from Tannor, though. He’s got a new position coach this year in Mike Dawson, who oversaw the NU defensive line in 2018 before spending 2019 with the New York Giants. Will it click for Tannor? At 6-2 and 220 pounds, he’s not perhaps going to be a true run-stuffer, but if he can hold up at the point of attack and get to the quarterback, he would be a major upgrade at the position for the Huskers.
Adrian Martinez
You didn’t think we were going to make it through the whole list without the starting quarterback, did you?
Martinez didn’t play as well as he would have liked in 2019; his completion percentage backtracked to less than 60% and he turned the ball over too often. Martinez, though, is still in prime position to be the Huskers’ starting quarterback for a third straight season.
The Fresno, California, native has shown the ability to make explosive plays through the air and with his legs, especially when he’s healthy. He needs to be more accurate and more decisive in the passing game, but if he takes those steps as a junior — and has more talent around him along with a veteran offensive line — the chance for a big jump forward is there.
Contact the writer at pgabriel@journalstar.com or 402-473-7439. On Twitter @HuskerExtraPG.
Parker Gabriel
Husker football reporter
Parker joined the Journal Star as the University of Nebraska football beat writer in August 2017. He previously covered Montana State athletics for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2012.
