Nebraska football fans, like all college fans, have to suffer through the cruelty of the calendar. The college football season really only lasts for four months, September through December, with a little bit sprinkled in through the end of August and the beginning of January.
That leaves eight long football-free months to suffer through for those fans. But there is one oasis of football in that desert of other sports. This Saturday, in Memorial Stadium (weather permitting) Nebraska will host the annual Red-White Spring Game, the finale of NU's spring practice.
So for fans heading to the oasis, stocking up on football to get them through the long months of summer, here are five things you can expect to see.
Nebraska has a pretty good idea of what it has. With a senior quarterback in Taylor Martinez, a veteran I-back in Ameer Abdullah and an experienced wide receiving corps, not a lot of new ground will be broken offensively.
Seeing how the offensive line and the tight ends shake out, as well as a good chunk of the defense will be interesting, but on offense Nebraska should spend most of the Red-White game playing the backups.
On offense, the natural consequence of the starters not playing is that you'll see a lot of new names on the field. Look to see a lot of Imani Cross at I-back, as well as some of the backup wide receivers like Alonzo Moore, Tyler Evans and Jordan Westerkamp.
On defense, watching how defensive tackle and the secondary sort themselves out, with Nebraska having to replace so many starters, should give fans an opportunity to see NU's coaching staff experimenting.
This year's spring game will give fans their first chance to see kids who redshirted last year on the field for the first time. Many of those redshirts seem likely to play a big role this fall on defense, including defensive tackle Vincent Valentine and linebackers Michael Rose, Thomas Brown and Jared Afalava.
And, of course, the most popular position with the fans on any football team—the backup quarterback—will get a boost when Tommy Armstrong is finally able to show the fans what he can do.
With the exception of offensive tackle David Knevel, linebacker Courtney Love and safety D.J. Singleton, none of Nebraska's most recent recruiting class will be participating in spring practice. And it would be a surprise if some of those new recruits don't make an impact right away this fall.
Junior college recruit Randy Gregory will almost certainly start at defensive end, tight ends Cethan Carter and Greg Hart will have a chance to compete for playing time at a thin position, and linebackers Josh Banderas and Marcus Newby have the potential to see the field as true freshmen.
At I-back, particularly, what you see at the spring game will have little bearing on what fall's depth chart will look like. Not only will starting I-back Ameer Abdullah not be in on the field, but true freshmen Terrell Newby and Adam Taylor will be in the mix, with at least one (if not both) seeing playing time immediately.
But remember, this is really a practice session, just one of many Nebraska has held this spring. Because it's the only chance to lay eyes on the team, it's easy to read too much into what you see at the spring game going forward.
So either restrain your enthusiasm or curb your disappointment, depending on how you feel after watching the game on Saturday. While it is great to see and will have to keep the Children of the Corn satisfied through a long summer, the spring game is a very small source of information relative to everything the coaching staff will be using to make roster decisions this fall. In other words, one way or the other, don't freak out.
If you'd like to contact Patrick to schedule an interview, provide feedback or get advice on which type of chocolate goes best with fresh fruit (spoiler alert: dark), send an email to patrickrunge@gmail.com.
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