Nebraska Wednesday nuggets: Satterfield talks offensive keys vs. Colorado
Before taking the field for Wednesday afternoon’s practice, Nebraska’s players and coaches met with media to give the latest on their prep for Colorado.
Here’s a recap of what offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, defensive backs coach Evan Cooper, quarterback Jeff Sims, and defensive end Blaise Gunnerson had to say…
Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield
***Satterfield said it had been a good week of practice of Nebraska’s offense, especially after having “an opportunity to uncover some warts” at Minnesota.
***After losing Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda to injury, Satterfield said NU’s younger wide receivers had a great opportunity to elevate their roles in the offense.
***Satterfield said his message to Sims this week has been to “trust his training” and continue improving. He felt Sims had “an unbelievable game from a competitive standpoint” at Minnesota. Most of all, Satterfield said he was surprised with how “physical” of a runner Sims was.
He’d seen the QB run in practice, but it wasn’t until the first game that he saw how tough of a runner he was through contact.
***The biggest thing for freshman receiver Jaylen Lloyd was “consistency,” Satterfield said. “The No. 1 thing is knowing what to do.” Satterfield said Lloyd had all of the physical skills to make an impact this season.
***When evaluating Sims, Satterfield clarified that it wasn’t all on the quarterback. He said everyone on offense – from coaches to players – needed to be better to help Sims.
***Satterfield said tight ends coach Josh Martin was the only full-time assistant coach in the box at Minnesota. Everyone else was on the field. Satterfield thought the staff operation went well and had no issues with communication.
***Satterfield said he didn’t notice the new game clock rules until halftime. That was when he realized Nebraska only had three offensive possessions.
***Satterfield said it had been “amazing” to have an actual game to build off of in practice. Nebraska saw a bit of everything from a situational standpoint, and those experiences would be invaluable going forward.
***Satterfield said all three of the sacks Nebraska allowed vs. Minnesota came over a span of six plays. One of those was on a read-option where the ball was kept too long. He said he was “proud” of the way the offensive line protected on Saturday.
***Satterfield said Heinrich Haarberg was “super athletic” and that Nebraska needed to find ways to get him on the field.
***Nebraska’s offensive coaches talked at halftime about needing to get Billy Kemp the football in the second half at Minnesota. Kemp didn’t catch a pass on only two targets in the loss.
“We’ve got to make sure that our guys touch the ball.”
***Satterfield said Nebraska needed to run the ball early and often against Colorado. That became especially clear after seeing TCU’s success on the ground last week. However, NU also needed to protect the football better than it did at Minnesota.
Satterfield said Colorado did an excellent job attacking the football and trying to knock it loose with “punches.”
***Satterfield said cornerback Tommi Hill would remain an option at wide receiver. He mainly liked the “speed component” Hill brought to the position.
***On Anthony Grant’s mindset this week, Satterfield said his fumble at Minnesota wasn’t affecting his work in practice. Satterfield expects Grant to get more opportunities “somewhere down the road to vindicate himself.”
Defensive backs coach Evan Cooper
***On Nebraska’s secondary at Minnesota, Cooper said, “We did a good enough job to be in the game but not good enough to win the game.”
***Cooper said Colorado’s offense presented “a tremendous challenge” to NU’s defensive backs. “They’re one of the best teams in the country.”
***Colorado will likely take a lot of deep shots down the field against Nebraska. Cooper said it was tough on a DB whenever they had to turn their back to the ball. The keys will be playing the ball, the receivers’ hands, and staying in position to make a play.
***Cooper said it was “obvious” that Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter was “a different human.” He said it was hard enough to play 50-60 snaps in a game, let alone 130.
***Overall, Cooper said he saw the same things from his DBs at Minnesota as he’d seen all offseason. He said the unit had no bad coverage busts and tackled well. But with their position, “you can’t have a bad play.”
***One “bad play” Cooper was referring to was Minnesota’s lone touchdown pass to tie the game in the fourth quarter. While cornerback Malcolm Hartzog got beat on the play, Cooper took full blame for not putting Hartzog in a better position for success.
***Omar Brown and DeShon Singleton’s play at Minnesota didn’t surprise Cooper at all. He said those two were always asking questions and doing all they could to improve daily.
“Those guys are everything that I’ve wanted to coach,” Cooper said.
***Nebraska might need to go deeper into its defensive back depth chart vs. Colorado’s tempo offense. However, Cooper said everyone who played Saturday would have to earn it this week in practice.
“They control the depth chart, not me,” he said.
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