SB Nation - Colton Koehler

Holiday Bowl: Against Arizona, Motivation for Nebraska Won't Be A Problem

Jon Johnston — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:31:53 -0000

More photos » by Amy Gutierrez - AP

Suh won't go out with a loss. While one man does not a team make, his teammates will follow his lead as they have before.

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There seems to be some question regarding Nebraska's motivation heading into the Holiday Bowl against Arizona. The feeling is that the Huskers will be flat because they came so close to greatness (within a second) that their game against the Wildcats must be seen as nothing more than a let down.

For fans, perhaps, it may be nothing more than another bowl game, another blip in a long history of Nebraska bowl appearances. On top of that, it's against an opponent with which Nebraska has had little history. Nebraska and Arizona have played only twice in history, the first game in 1961 in which the two teams played to a 14-14 tie. The last game was in the 1998 Holiday Bowl, a 23-20 loss for Nebraska as the Wildcats had one of their best seasons ever, while Nebraska's season, by our standards, was pedestrian at best.

History does not matter to the team. Nor does the fact that Arizona doesn't have a marquee name. For the head coach and this team, things are very different.

Bo Pelini has screamed motivation since he first arrived at Nebraska. He's talked about consistently improving his team, refusing to issue depth charts so as to make it clear to his players that no job is safe. He's benched starters in the middle of games in which they weren't performing well, replacing them with younger players who deserved their chance.

To think that Pelini is taking a game off from his constant harping on improvement is to not understand his nature. This isn't a bowl game to him. A win isn't about bringing home another bowl trophy, it's another step towards the return to greatness. A loss would be as unacceptable as it was in the Big 12 championship game because it would be a step back heading into next season.

For the Husker seniors, it's the end of a long journey on which they've come so far it has to be inconceivable that they would let up now.

To recall that journey, take yourself back to September 15, 2007, to the USC game. It was supposed to be Bill Callahan's coming out party against the top-ranked Trojans, but instead ended as an embarrassment and a foreshadow to the worst season in Nebraska football history. The defensive line was shredded, with USC blowing holes open large enough to accommodate a truck. As the season progressed, fans wondered if things could get much worse, and with each game, they did.

It's hard to believe that Barry Turner and Ndamukong Suh were on that 2007 defensive line. One year later under a new set of coaches their unit became the backbone of the defense. Add another year and they've become the best in the nation. Suh will finish his college career as the most decorated Husker in school history, having won the Bronko Nagurski, Bednarik, Lombardi, Outland, finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy and was recently named the AP Player of the Year. To say that he's come a long way would be an understatement of preposterous proportions.

Turner had to fight back from a broken leg that occurred in September 2008 to just to be a part of this season. This season he's third on the team in sacks, and second in tackles for loss.

Consider Phillip Dillard's journey. He was the starting Mike linebacker in 2007. Entering 2009, Dillard was so far in the doghouse that he'd nearly dropped off the depth chart. He started the season on the scout team and didn't play until the third game against Virginia Tech. Since then, he's made the most of his opportunity, finishing the regular season third in tackles and playing well enough to earn second team All-Big 12 honors.

Jacob Hickman was the starting left guard in 2007. The Holiday Bowl will be his 37th start, and while the offense has been much aligned this season, Hickman has been an anchor and consistent throughout. Andy Christensen never returned to his 2006 form, but has still been a part of the team. Derek Meyer's journey took him first to Kansas State and then back again as he walked on at Nebraska in 2008. He had to sit out last year to realize his dream of playing for Nebraska this season.

Larry Asante will be making his 36th start, the veteran of a secondary that's been nothing less than stellar this season. Asante is second in tackles behind Suh and made first team All-Big 12 in his final season. Matt O'Hanlon has had some exceptional moments, including 12 tackles and three interceptions in this year's 10-3 win against Oklahoma.

Add to them Chris Brooks, Andy Christensen, Wes Cammack, Menelik Holt, David Harvey, and Colton Koehler. For some their Husker careers didn't turn out the way they might have planned, but they've still been part of an amazing turn around.

You think these guys are looking at this as just another bowl game? This is their last game as a Husker, the last time wearing the scarlet and cream. After all they've been through, is there any question that they don't want to go out with a loss?

Mizzou Links, 8-17-09

Bill C. — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:41:50 -0000

Photo via The Trib's Nick King

More scrimmage reactions!

Post-Dispatch (Bryan Burwell): Don't worry about Missouri
Pinkel believes he has created a Program with a capital P, not a fleeting "here today, gone tomorrow" era that rides on the strength of one good recruiting class. The way you build a Program — and with it the all-important tradition — is by reloading, not rebuilding. And Saturday morning, there was evidence that Pinkel has another glimmering athletic centerpiece upon which to continue that tradition.

Blaine Gabbert.
The Trib (Dave Matter): Emptying the notebook
Gabbert could throw a touchdown pass on every throw he makes the rest of camp, but we still won't know how he'll play in front of a crowd of 65,000 at the Edward Jones Dome, where he'll make his first career start, in his hometown, no less. And we won't know how he'll react to his first interception. Or his first sack.

Part of playing the position, as Brad Smith and Chase Daniel proved, is taking a hit and bouncing back up, first for the next play, then the next week. Toughness, as he's said many times, is one quality Pinkel demands from his quarterbacks above the rest.
The Trib: Gabbert shows his strut in scrimmage
The Trib: Scrimmage Slide Show
PowerMizzou: Nickname or not, Tiger backfield ready to run
The Missourian: De'Vion Moore adds strong second offensive option
The Missourian: Coulter feels like new man
The MIssourian: Missouri football team still sorting out return game
KC Star: Screen play stands out in MU scrimmage
Mutigers.com: Tigers Hold First Fall Scrimmage

2009 Nebraska Football Spring Preview: Linebackers A Plenty!

Jon Johnston — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:00:11 -0000

Last year Bo Pelini walked into his first spring practice wondering where his linebacking unit was. He finally located them standing behind a post, difficult to locate because they were so thin (insert collective groan).

Bo Pelini started his first season with one returning starter, Phillip Dillard, at linebacker. Tyler Wortman had played in 2008 due to injuries to Bo Ruud and Lance Brandenburgh, but that was the extent of the experience. The depth chart looked so bad going into spring practice that Cody Glenn switched positions from running back to linebacker.

This year the linebacker position is so loaded that Latravis Washington switched to quarterback, leaving no less than 12 players to vie for playing time at three positions. What a difference a year makes - this year you couldn’t throw a rock at the Husker football team without hitting a linebacker.

Can Phillip Dillard work his way back into a starting middle linebacker role?
Photo by Dennis Hubbard.

The switch for Glenn appeared to work out well as at times he played like a man possessed, while at others he made silly mistakes. Even though an unfortunate suspension ended his season after nine games, Glenn ended up fifth in total tackles with 51. He had six tackles for loss, four pass break-ups and a forced fumble.

Phillard Dillard played in nine games, but suffered an ankle injury against Baylor and missed the remaining fives games. He finished the season with 38 tackles and a half sack. Colton Koehler started the season a relative unknown, but played in seven games and eventually replaced Dillard as the starter. Koehler got his first career start in the Gator Bowl and finished the season with 16 tackles, including eight against Kansas State and a safety against Baylor.

Matt Holt was another surprise, earning his first career start against Texas Tech. He played in nine games, finishing with a total of 14 tackles, including eight against Texas Tech. He suffered an injury during the Kansas game and missed the rest of the season due to should surgery.

Beyond Dillard, Blake Lawrence has the most experience of this year’s linebackers. Lawrence played in ten games at the will spot and started two games including the Gator Bowl. He finished 2008 with 21 total tackles and had an interception against Clemson that lead to a Alex Henery field goal.

The talk before the start of spring practice was whether or not Dillard could fight off middle linebacker of the future Will Compton. After Mike Ekeler’s recent comments it appears that Dillard may have to worry about fighting Colton Koehler and Matthew May for playing time as well.

Redshirt freshmen Will Compton, Alonzo Whaley, and Sean Fisher are highly-touted newcomers expected to compete for a starting role. Compton is widely considered Nebraska’s middle linebacker of the future while Whaley and Fisher will compete for the outside linebacker roles.

Who are the projected starters? Right now, who cares? Pelini won’t make a depth chart for spring practice, and with this many linebackers vying for playing time there’s no reason why he should as the competition will continue well into fall. There will be a depth chart come fall and someone will be starting, but given that the Huskers first two games are against Sun Belt conference teams Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State expect a number of different linebackers to see playing time. This will give Compton, Whaley, or Fisher time to grow into starters without necessarily exposing the defense early in the season.

Nebraska started three linebackers only three times last season. Whether that is due to the Big 12’s shift to the spread offense or because of the 2008 depth issues is debatable. If the 2009 group, particularly the will and buck positions, can show enough speed they’ll see the field more than their 2008 counterparts.

Who Goes Where?

Brian Christopherson at Husker Extra was kind enough to lay out the position battles going into spring, also noting that this does not represent a depth chart.

At the WILL: Blake Lawrence, Alonzo Whaley, Matt Holt, Matthew May
At the MIKE: Colton Koehler, Phillip Dillard, Will Compton, Matthew May (he's swinging between MIKE and WILL)

At the BUCK: Sean Fisher, Micah Kreikemeier, Graham Stoddard, Blake Lawrence (swinging between the WILL and BUCK)

A look at the class breakdown:
Phillip Dillard - Sr
Colton Koehler - Sr

Thomas Grove - Jr
Blake Lawrence - Jr
LaTravis Washington - Jr - switched to quarterback

Mathew May - So
Matt Holt - So
Joseph Camarata - So
Austin Stafford - So - no longer with team

Sean Fisher - RFr
Tanner Foxhoven - RFr
Will Compton - RFr
Micah Kreikmeier - RFr
Matt Manninger - RFr
Alonzo Whaley - RFr
Graham Stoddard - RFr
Sam Meginnis - RFr

Freshman Recruits:

Robert Barry - Fr - Walk On
Colby Starkebaum - Fr - Walk On
Chris Williams - Fr - Scholarship
Devin Paulsen - Fr - Walk On
Eric Martin - Fr - Scholarship

Reviewing The First 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers Depth Chart

Jon Johnston — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:07 -0000

The first Bo Pelini depth chart was released today not too many surprises, but worth a discussion.

Offense:

Quarterback: 1 - Joe Ganz, 2 - Patrick Witt, 3- Zac Lee.

No surprises here, although you have to ask yourself what happens if Joe Ganz goes down with an injury. What does that do to the season?

I-Back: 1 - Marlon Lucky -or- Roy Helu -or- Quentin Castille

So there are three backs listed as co #1's. There seems to be a lot of buzz about this, and I'll be honest, I don't get it (the fuss, that is). Running backs get the holy crap beat out of them much worse than they used to, so you are not going to make it through a full season without your main guy getting banged up.

What is sad here is the name that's missing - Kenny Wilson. It's doubtful he'll play again due to his leg injury. It's easy to forget the potential that was there, but don't.

Fullback: 1 - Thomas Lawson, 2 - Justin Makovicka

No surprises, remember that while Callahan didn't use fullbacks on the run, Lawson caught three TD's last season which was as many as Nate Swift and Marlon Lucky, and more than the entire receiving corp besides Swift and Peterson.

Wide Receiver X: 1 - Nate Swift, 2 - Menelik Holt, 3 - Will Henry, 4- Chris Brooks

No surprise, although I guess I'm a little surprised that Chris Brooks is all the way down at #4.

Wide Receiver Z: 1 - Todd Peterson, 2 - Niles Paul or Curenski Gilleylen

Again, no surprise here.

Tight End: 1 - Mike McNeill, 2 - Dreu Young, 3 - Ryan Hill, 4 - Ben Cotton

Obviously Tyson Hetzer hasn't recovered enough from his spring knee injury to be listed on the roster at this point. Perhaps he'll join in later in the season. This position is more critical to offensive success than people are giving it, here's hoping they can perform well this season.

Offensive Line:

They're a unit, and we treat them like a unit.

LT: 1 - Mike Smith, 2 - Jaivorio Burkes
LG: 1 - Mike Huff, 2 - Keith Williams
C: 1 - Jacob Hickman, 2 - Mike Caputo
RG: 1 - Matt Slauson, 2 - DJ Jones
RT: 1 - Lydon Murtha, 2 - Marcel Jones

Lydon Murtha moves back to right tackle. Murtha is an enigma - the guy has the body size for a prototypical NFL left tackle, but gives that spot up to Mike Smith. Go figure. Burkes at #2 behind Mike Smith is a little surprise, but we'll see how the rotation comes out.

The key to this line is that some of these guys can move around to different positions. Slauson has played both guard and tackle, while Hickman has played guard and center. An incredibly solid group, with plenty of depth and experience.

Defense:

Nose Tackle: 1 - Ndamukong Suh, 2 - Shukree Barfield, 3 - Terrence Moore

Defensive Tackle: 1 - Ty Steinkuhler, 2 - Jared Crick

Base End: 1 - Zach Potter, 2 - Clayton Sievers

Open End: 1 - Barry Turner, 2 - Pierre Allen

No surprises here. Obviously losing Kevin Dixon hurt, but I don't see this group as thin as a lot of other people. Note that Baker Steinkuhler isn't listed - hopefully a redshirt season is in the works for him.

Linebackers:

Will Linebacker: 1 - Cody Glenn, 2 - Blake Lawrence

Mike Linebacker: 1 - Phillip Dillard, 2 - Will Compton, 3 - Colton Koehler

Buck Linebacker: 1 - Tyler Wortman, 2 - Sean Fisher

Obviously the linebacker position is of huge concern. Will Compton and Sean Fisher are both true freshmen. Dillard is a solid middle linebacker with experience, so the hope would be that Compton and Fisher aren't needed this season which will give them time to get stronger and learn. LaTravis Washington is not listed here due to injury. Nor is Nick Covey.

Is there a Husker fan who isn't cheering for Cody Glenn's position switch to work out well? Even beyond the sake of the team, you have to admire the guy for moving there. Lot of guts, love that guy.

Defensive Backfield:

Right Cornerback: 1 - Anthony West, 2 - Prince Amukamara

Left Cornerback: 1 - Armando Murillo, 2 - Eric Hagg

Strong Safety: 1 - Larry Asante, 2 - Major Culbert

Free Safety: 1 - Rickey Thenarse, 2 - Matt O'Hanlon

The starting four are a pretty decent group. What you have to ask is what happens when we move to using five or six defensive backs, ala defending Texas Tech. Amukamara has never played corner before, so the first three games may be key to getting him valuable experience. Eric Hagg and Major Culbert should be able to step into the extra roles if needed, so keep an eye on them should they get into the game against Western Michigan.

I realize I tagged everyone on the depth chart with this post, but hey it was my chance to check out our rosters, and make sure everything is okay. Corrections will be made!