Green looks for improvement in start No. 2
Cody Green had a large group of family and friends on hand to see his first college start.
Among the group were three of his high school coaches who were there to watch Green lead the Nebraska offense against Baylor last Saturday.
Green got a little constructive criticism from his old offensive coordinator, who told him to hang on to the ball in reference to a second-half fumble.
His old high school coach also pitched in with a few comments of his own.
"He said, 'You know what? You choked in the second half,"' Green said.
Green got a phone call the next day from his old coach.
"He said, 'I watched the film and analyzed it and it wasn't that bad, but you can do better,'" Green said. "And he just hung up on me. It's nothing I wasn't expecting. Other than that, my high school coaches loved being there."
Green certainly hopes to do better, starting Saturday when the Huskers (5-3, 2-2 Big 12) face No. 20 Oklahoma (5-3, 3-1) in a 7 p.m. game at Memorial Stadium that can be seen live on ABC.
This is why Green graduated from high school early and joined the Husker program in January. Last year's starting quarterback, Joe Ganz, was gone -- there was a job up for grabs.
"I honestly don't think if I had came at any other time that I'd be in this position," Green said. "Just trying to learn the offense as a quarterback really takes awhile, and it really took me all the way until halfway through fall camp to have things start clicking for me.
"And that's with me being here from January on just really to learn the ins and outs of things. I really think if I had came here during the summer I'd be redshirting."
It's still not certain that Green will be in the starting lineup against the Sooners. Junior Zac Lee started the first seven games of the season, but didn't play against Baylor.
Lee had his ups and downs in his seven starts. He completed 59.9 percent of his passes and threw 10 touchdowns with six interceptions. Lee struggled in losses to Virginia Tech and Texas Tech, and also in the first three quarters of NU's 27-12 victory over Missouri.
Green and the Husker offense certainly didn't light it up against the Bears. NU had just 11 first downs and 145 yards rushing. Green was 12-for-21 passing for 128 yards and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Green was about as hard on himself as his old high school coaches. He didn't like a lot of what he saw watching film the next day.
"We always say if you want to watch the game on the field, go buy a ticket," Green said. "That's really what I started doing at the end of the game. I started being a spectator instead of actually playing.
"That's one thing I was really hard on myself for."
Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson pointed that out to Green on Monday.
"He had a lot to learn," Watson said. "The first time you walk out onto the field is obviously different than practice. You can't simulate a game, the emotions of the game and the highs and lows.
"He had a valuable learning experience in that game. There are a lot of things from the management aspect and getting into the huddle and situation football."
Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini wouldn't say if Green would be the starting quarterback against Oklahoma, but he does like Green's attitude.
"He's a perfectionist. I like the way Cody approaches things," Pelini said. "Like I say, you do some good things and there's a lot to learn from any time you walk out onto the field.
"It's even more magnified in your first start. I think that was the case with Cody. You hope he gets better because of all the things he learned and that experience, both from the good things and the things he didn't do well."
Green's attitude and confidence is obvious when he talks with the media. He was well into his media session on Tuesday when some jazz music suddenly started playing from a speaker in front of him.
Green just laughed and said, "You want me to shut this off?"
He then shut off the speaker and went right on answering questions without missing a beat.
Things happen off the field -- like the jazz music playing during the press conference -- and on the field -- like Green's first fumble in "two or three years" or the interception that was returned for a touchdown.
"He's a confident young man with a lot of poise," Pelini said. "Things are going to happen. You're going to make mistakes. You have to move on to the next play. It just becomes that much more magnified at the quarterback position."
Watson, who normally watches the games from the press box, was on the field last week so he could talk to Green directly.
"I want to be down there to help the quarterback and to help the unit," Watson said. "We are playing a lot of younger guys. I think I have a responsibility to be down there to help."
Green said it was a huge help having Watson on the sidelines.
"It helped tremendously," Green said. "It was kind of like having a father figure out there. Instead of having him up in the press box where I can't see him, I can just go straight to him on the sidelines and ask him directory what I did wrong, what the read I should have made or what the defense is doing that I can't see on the field."
The Sooners will be a big challenge for Green and the Huskers. The OU defense is rated 11th in total defense (277.3 yards per game) and is fifth in sacks at 3.8 per game.
"I think they'll try and come after me a lot just because of the age and experience in big games," Green said. "That really is just what I think any defensive coordinator would do -- try and show me things I haven't seen on tape before.
"I just have to rely on my instincts and the coaches to explain to me things on the field that will help me out throughout the game."
