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Open season Nebraska tries to find No. 2 QB, defensive starters
Posted: Tuesday March 21, 2000 12:03 AM
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Nebraska football coach Frank Solich knows what his returning starters can do. The Cornhuskers' newcomers are the players who will get the most scrutiny from the third-year coach during spring practice, which began Monday. Nebraska has seven starting positions to fill before the season opener Sept. 2 against San Jose State in Lincoln. "The guys that aren't first on the depth chart, they're competing for those starting positions," Solich said after Monday's two-hour workout. "That's a little bit of what spring ball is all about." The Huskers donned helmets and sweats on a gray, chilly afternoon that seemed more appropriate for one of the final practices of a season instead of the first. The team hasn't played since a 31-21 win over Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2 and the 2 1/2-month layoff was plenty, linebacker Carlos Polk said. "During the season, sometimes you don't get a chance to rough each other up," Polk said. "The offense starts talking and the defense starts talking. In the spring, you get the chance to prove what you're worth." Nebraska has nine offensive and five defensive starters back from last season's team that finished 12-1 and ranked No. 3. Solich said the experience will be a factor in the fall, but for now the Huskers have 13 more practices and their annual spring game April 15 to get the newcomers and veterans ready. "I think there is a definite connection between what you get done during the spring and how you end up playing in the fall," Solich said. "You're always wanting to go into the fall with your team knowing the offense and defense inside-out so that mentally you're not going to have the breakdowns." The Huskers are rebuilding a defense that held opponents to 252 yards and 12.5 points a game last fall. That defense was stocked with veterans while the offense had a lot of newcomers. Nebraska has the opposite situation this spring. Solich also is looking for a backup for quarterback Eric Crouch, who is recovering from shoulder surgery he had in January and is not expected to scrimmage this spring. Nebraska also will work more on its kickoff and punt coverage during spring practices. "Spring ball is a matter of one trying to experiment with a little bit of new offense, little bit of new defense and then getting your best players on the field and positioned right," Solich said. With an experienced team, Nebraska is likely to be near or at the top of many preseason polls. Solich doesn't want the Huskers worrying about that or where they will be when the final polls come out next January. "I don't want to look too far down the road," he said. "We'll have time as we get into the summer and the early part of next fall when we're setting our goals to determine exactly what all we want to get accomplished."
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