Nebraska Football: Casey Rogers grateful for opportunities

Rogers can make a big impact for Nebraska football.

You’ve heard me talk ad nauseam about the improvement that I saw on Saturday from the Nebraska football defensive line. Improvement was definitely noticeable, and it was definitely evident. Line was getting a push, and they were playing hard. Those two things were not things I necessarily saw from the defense last season.

One player was a huge part in that was Casey Rogers. He recorded four tackles in the team’s loss to Ohio State, and he was one of the five players who defensive line coach Tony Tuioti  used as his five lineman. Although a 52-17 score was not necessarily the result that everybody wanted, there was no doubt that the line showed improvement. Rogers was a big part of that.

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There is no doubt that there has been some turnover on the defensive line. After all, they lost three lineman to the National Football League. Rogers could certainly be a huge part of the changing of the guard. He has not really got too much playing time up to this point. Now however, it seems as though playing time is his for the taking.

Personally, I saw a player in Rogers who was not afraid to help get pressure up front. That’s exactly what Nebraska football needs as the roster turnover continues. Rogers certainly has a body type for it, measuring in at six-foot-four, 300 pounds. I’ll be interested to see what he does against Wisconsin this week, and if he can help generate pressure on the Wisconsin quarterback.

Right now, it seems as though Rogers is taking everything in. Perhaps even more importantly, he is not taking anything for granted. Instead, he is simply enjoying his role. Listening to the press conference on Monday, it sounded like so many Nebraska players were enjoying their spots on the team. Hopefully, Rogers role can increase in the coming weeks.

"“It’s everything I ever trained for. It’s everything I ever wanted,” Rogers said. “It was expected to go out there and work as hard as I can no matter what.”"

I’m really happy that he is succeeding, especially since he was buried on the defensive line last season. Now is his time to shine.

I knew coming in that Nebraska football would need players to step up on the line, and Rogers is making an impact. If he can continue to play hard and at a high level, this could be a special season for him.