Nebraska football coaches have versatility on their minds
The Nebraska football coaches are going to be looking for their receivers to run and their running backs to catch the ball.
While the Nebraska football coaching staff has hit pause on Spring Practice while the Cornhusker players enjoy Spring Break, we’re still hearing quite a bit about the plans of Scott Frost and company.
One of the biggest points that was talked about earlier this week is how the staff wants to utilize the skill position players the Huskers have. If you paid attention to UCF at all last year, you might have noticed that being listed as one position does not mean a player is being locked into one role.
Troy Walters recently spoke to the Lincoln Journal Star about how he felt about his skill players. The biggest takeaway appears to be that not only will the players be learning a new offense, but they will, in many ways be learning new positions.
No, that doesn’t mean that JD Spielman is moving from receiver to running back. What it does mean is that Spielman better be ready to carry the ball every now and then.
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For UCF last season, Otis Anderson was listed as a wide receiver. When the smoke had cleared on the season, Anderson had 69 carries and 30 catches.
Adrian Killins a running back who led the Knights in carries (123) and yards rushing (790) also had 25 catches for 169 yards. It went the other way too.
Tre’Quan Smith was the Knights’ leading receiver with 59 catches for 1,171 yards. He also had five carries for 23 yards. When you look up and down the roster for UCF there are few running backs who didn’t have catches. There are also few wide receivers who didn’t have at least one carry.
Walters has made it clear that approach is going to continue. That is one of the reasons UCF had such a potent attack. No one knows where that attack is coming from.
Now take a look at the Nebraska football roster. Devine Ozigbo led the team in carries but he also had 16 catches for 123 yards.
Mikale Wilbon had 88 carries and 21 catches. Of the running backs on the roster who saw playing time, only Tre Bryant didn’t have a catch.
When looking at the Cornhusker receivers, JD Spielman had 55 catches for 830 yards while also getting 10 carries and 73 yards. Receiver Tyjon Lindsey almost had as many carries (7) as catches (12).
Nothing is certain. While the Nebraska football team looks like it might be set up to be exactly as versatile as Troy Walters and Scott Frost want, there are still going to be some hiccups. Still, it’s good to see the skill players Walters has to use aren’t strangers to playing all over the field.