{"id":49349,"date":"2024-04-27T09:58:28","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T14:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=49349"},"modified":"2024-04-27T09:58:28","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T14:58:28","slug":"sipple-five-nebraska-spring-game-storylines-to-monitor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/sipple-five-nebraska-spring-game-storylines-to-monitor\/","title":{"rendered":"Sipple: Five Nebraska Spring Game storylines to monitor"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s finally arrived. Yes, many Nebraska football fans have been eagerly anticipating this year\u2019s Red-White Spring Game, as evidenced by a crowd expected to be in the 60,000 range Saturday. Of course, Dylan Raiola<\/a><\/strong> is a focal point. But there are plenty of other elements to consider.<\/p>\n

Five storylines: <\/p>\n

Matt Rhule sets tone with serious approach<\/h2>\n

You won\u2019t see any hot-dog eating competitions or other assorted contests pitting players against sorority girls or whatever. You won\u2019t see media members fielding punts. This isn\u2019t a \u201ccelebration of the program,\u201d a throwaway day, as spring games have become at some other places. No, sir. As long as Matt Rhule<\/a><\/strong> is in charge of Nebraska\u2019s program, the Huskers likely will take this scrimmage \u2014 the 15th and final practice of spring \u2014 very seriously. Rhule, 49, has an old-school bent that snugly fits a Nebraska program with a proud gridiron tradition. He said he\u2019ll be looking for a high standard of football. \u201cI don\u2019t care if you\u2019re a two or three \u2014 whoever \u2014 the standard had better be high,\u201d he said. Love that approach. \u201cI\u2019ve never not done it this way,\u201d Rhule added. <\/p>\n

Troy Dannen on radio: Memorial Stadium project remains on \u201csame trajectory\u201d it was under Nebraska\u2019s previous leadership<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n\n

24 Hours #GBR<\/a> x #WhatsNExt<\/a>! pic.twitter.com\/T0TMwWa3IE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) April 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Look for Tony White\u2019s crew to be dialed-in hard<\/h2>\n

Rhule got people\u2019s attention this week when he said matter-of-factly that Nebraska\u2019s defense \u201cdid not have a good day\u201d during last Saturday\u2019s scrimmage. He said the offense scored at least 10 touchdowns. Keep in mind, Nebraska\u2019s defense ranked seventh nationally last season in average yards allowed per play (4.62) and 13th nationally in average points allowed per game (18.3). Second-year Husker defensive coordinator Tony White<\/a><\/strong> has no fewer than 15 defenders who played significant roles in 2023. This is supposed to be an excellent defense, so let\u2019s see it Saturday when the curtain goes up. \u201cI expect Tony to come out raring this Saturday,\u201d Rhule said. <\/p>\n

What to expect from Nebraska offense <\/h2>\n

Rhule told us in plain terms what to expect this scrimmage to look like (for the most part, anyway). \u201cI can\u2019t change the name because the marketing department would kill me,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this isn\u2019t like the Red-White Game for me; this is like the Red-and-White Shootout for me. I know we\u2019ll be able to run the ball. I want to see if we can throw the ball, I want to see if we can catch the ball, I want to see if we can engage in two-minute (offense),\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to see if we can throw, catch, rush the passer.\u201d In other words, the spotlight will be on scholarship quarterbacks Raiola, Heinrich Haarberg<\/a><\/strong>, and Daniel Kaelin<\/a><\/strong> as well as rising-star receivers such as true freshman Jacory Barney Jr.<\/a><\/strong> and high-profile transfer wideouts Jahmal Banks <\/a><\/strong>and Isaiah Neyor<\/a><\/strong>. This should be fun to watch. By the way, it was interesting to hear Rhule express that much confidence in the run game. Seems like a good sign.<\/p>\n

Excellent training ground for rookie QBs<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve heard from several people who see practice regularly that rookie QBs Raiola and Kaelin have acquitted themselves nicely this spring (as has Haarberg, a junior). To be sure, Raiola has performed well enough to be considered the favorite to emerge with the starting job. No surprise there, right? But you wonder: Is he ready for the spotlight? I mean, really<\/em> ready? \u201cIf you want to be the starting quarterback at Nebraska, you better be ready to deal with the heat,\u201d Rhule said. \u201cHeinrich learned that last year. A lot of guys have learned that it\u2019s hard. I mean, you guys (in the media) don\u2019t talk to Isaac Gifford<\/a><\/strong> after games. You don\u2019t talk to Nash (Hutmacher)<\/a><\/strong>. The media talks to me and the quarterback. The two people with the most pressure are me and the quarterback. If a freshman is starting, they better learn it now.\u201d As in today. <\/p>\n

Yes, the big crowd matters to the big boss <\/h2>\n

Rhule always gives you plenty to chew on during his media appearances. He\u2019s often downright fascinating as he steers you into challenges his team faces. He had a great answer to a great question this week: Does the fact Nebraska players will perform in front of a big crowd Saturday raise the stakes in terms of evaluation? His answer tells you the big crowd absolutely matters. \u201cThe Tuesday-Wednesday (practice) Huskers last year were better than the Saturday Huskers,\u201d the coach said. \u201cThe Saturday Huskers last year (had) doubt, fear, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of what people are going to say \u2026 all that stuff affects performance for young people.\u201d Bottom line, he said, it\u2019s his job to help his players overcome those fears and play to their capability, or beyond. \u201cI\u2019m very much excited to see us operate in front of a crowd.\u201d He\u2019s not the only one.<\/p>\n

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The post Sipple: Five Nebraska Spring Game storylines to monitor<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s finally arrived. Yes, many Nebraska football fans have been eagerly anticipating this year\u2019s Red-White…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49349"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49366,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49349\/revisions\/49366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}