Hooks
Hooks
Hello fellow dodger fan, like your shirt
Here are a few things I can add to what you gave us from the Gold Sheet
Huskers usually "reload" rather than "rebuild",but even Lincoln faithful wondering how good TYs team can be(lost 11 starters,including Heisman winning QB Crouch). You could say Big Red is hoping for some "devine intervention"from 6-2,210 jr. qb Jammal Lord,who steps into Crouchs cleats.Coaches like Lords armstrength and up-field speed. However,HC Solich,quick to say burden of offense won't be placed early Lords shoulders. Solich turned some heads when he named true frosh Curt Dukes(prized recruit out of N. Carolina)as #2 q.b.(Dukes graduated early;participated in spring).
Lord knows the offense in and out. He is a better thrower than Crouch but that is not saying much. Lord is a guy whom has "eyes in the back of his head" and will be a much better scrambler than Crouch was, but will not be that homerun threat from the backfield that NU was so used to having with EC. The burden of the offense really will not be put onto Lord largely due to the fact that with Crouch gone the offense as a whole will have to step up. Can they do that? I doubt it this year.
N.U. deep at rb Still,coaches want more big plays out of sr. I backs Diedrick(1299YR LY) and Tunder Collins(good reciever;will be targeted more TY.Jr. Josh Davis& RS frosh Marquess Simmons provide breakaway speed.
Diedrick played most of last year with a bum ankle (which was not publicized) however this guy runs a 4.65 at best and does not have good hands. He is not afraid of contact and will squeeze every last inch out of every carry though which makes him a solid but not spectacular option. The Huskers have moved IB Thunder Collins to WB in an effort to get their best players on the field all at once. He will get an occasional carry from the IB spot, but JR. Josh Davis the 2nd fastest out of all NU I backs will probably get 10 carries a game or so and will offer the breakaway threat at IB that NU has been missing for a long time. Keep an eye out for RS FR Marquess Simmons, the fastest out of all NU backs to make a few big plays. He runs very tough for his size and has good hands out of the back field to add punch and is considered the future at IB for NU.
Recievers should get immediate help with return of former prized recruit Ross Pilkinton(minor leaque baseball last 2 years).
Ross Pilkington is the real deal and is very much in the mold of All-time record holder Matt Davison, but a step faster. Incoming Recruits Isiah Fluellen of Germany (fastest american in Europe) and highly touted Mark LeFlore of Omaha figure to play right away adding tremendous speed and depth to what was considered to be a weakness. SE Wilson Thomas will create matchup problems for everyone in the Big 12 with his size alone 6-6".
OL could be a notch below recent editions(lost 3 starters; Chris Loos still not fully recovered from offseason knee surgery) Best new starter could be RS frosh Ritchie Incognito.
Chris Loos figures never to play again and he was a huge loss. Richie INcognito is in the mold of the "Pipleine" of Husker All-Americans and has a tremendous mean streak. C John Garrison the SR is the leader and a great technician at his position. The other players in the mix are very talented but there is little time to gel which could create problems. Dan Waldroup if he can get his weight down even more can be an all-american.
There are also concerns on DL (embarassed by Colorado last yr), which Solich says needs to get quicker& stronger.Keep an eye on 6-5,305 RS frosh Seppo Evwareye.
"Hungry Hungry Seppo" runs an electronic 4.95 40 yard dash. At his size that is scary. He constantly demanded double and even triple teams in practice. This is the one position where the Huskers will be significantly more athletic than last year. He will team with DT LeKevin Smith with similar size and skills to whom is also a redshirt FR to give NU a very formidle 1-2 punch in the middle. Keep your eyes peeled for DT Ryon Bingham who is in the mold of the Peter Brothers in terms of strenght and intensity.
Coaches raving about range of juco LB Demorrio Williams possible imediate impact). But secondary dealt big blow when top cover CB Willie Amos(4 ints) blew out his knee,and will likely miss all of TY. That leaves sr. Dejuan Groce as only returning DB with starting experiance(coaches planning lots of zone TY)
Demorrio Williams is the real deal but what is troubling is that he is one of the guys not in the voluntary "summer workouts". He reminds many observers of Terrel Farley, a blitzing and tackling demon whom was instrumental in helping the Husker Defense to the title in 1995. The Huskers did lose their best LB as a transfer (Jason Richenberger). There is a lot of mishandling of personnel on the defensive side of the ball that Craig Bohl needs to get unfukhed if NU wants to be an elite front 7, or an average front 7. The ball is in his court, they do have the players .
Amos is a huge loss as he made a seamless transition from Safety to CB. He was the fastest player on the NU team and suffered a gruesome knee injury to the ACL and MCL in a freak non-contact accident during a scrimmage. He will definitely be out this year and part of next year, as he is just regaining range of motion now and needs more surgery to kill more scar tissue.
DeJuan Groce at the other Corner is an excellent cover man but does not have the speed to be a "shut down guy" 4.7 in the 40 yard dash. As a matter of fact former walkon CB Pat Ricketts is currently the fastest of all NU corners at a 4.56 40 yard dash and is pencilled in as the other starter at this time. NU is banking that incoming recruit Fabian Washington of Fla and his 41" vertical jump and 4.35 speed will supplant Ricketts and bring back memories of Ralph Brown coming in 1996 as a freshman and providing immediate stablity and star power to the other corner spot.
SUMMARY: NU gets Texas and Colorado at home(no Oklahoma unless in Big 12 title game) A transition year, with much of teams sucess dependant upon execution,leadership & the TOs of unproven jr. QB Lord.
NU plays their toughest schedule in quite some time and have some very interesting road games vs.
Penn State
Texas A&M
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas State
None of those games are gimmes and Colorado and Texas being on the home dockett are sure to lead to at least a split. This team looks to be on par with the 98 team that went 9-4 . NU AD Bill Byrne knew what he was doing by scheduling 2 extra games with McNeese State and Arizona State which should help keep the 9 game winnign seasons intact in LIncoln but maybe by a nose. Some of the honus will be on Lord, but The offensive line will need to pave the way for a down year in talent for Nu runners and while a talented but young defense gears itself up for what should be a title run again in 2003.
