Nebraska Spring Game: Observations and Thoughts as White Beats Red 21-20
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Jon Johnston
There is no live tackling in the first half. Most people will be watching personnel groupings and trying to get clues at to the likely depth chart going into summer. There won’t be much shown in the way of offensive plays, but hopefully some great individual efforts.
First Quarter
Marvin Scott was called on first to carry the ball.
Logan Smothers is fast.
Quinton Newsome was Cam Taylor-Bitt’s running mate at cornerback for the Red team.
There is a concerted effort to get Omar Manning involved. He made an early appearance with a nice catch and almost another huge one, but bobbled it at the last second.
May 1, 2021
There were signs. Interstate 80 traffic heading southwest from Omaha was busy. As you got into Lincoln, there were more signs. Lots of signs. Approaching Memorial Stadium, something seemed familiar, almost comforting. The signs said things like, “Game Parking $25.” Or, “Lot Full.”
After a year of pandemic-induced isolation, it appeared that life was returning to the Haymarket. At least, it looked like the early stages of reinvigoration.
Once they made their way into the stadium and spread out, the crowd of 36,406 looked more like a skimpy layer of red frosting on a sugar cookie than the iconic Red Sea that paints Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoons in the fall. The crowd came in below its 50% capacity limit and fell well short of the 47,000-plus, who showed up for Alabama’s spring game the week before, but they filled parking lots, bars and restaurants, bringing signs of life to downtown Lincoln.
Here is a quick snapshot of what to watch in Saturday s Red-White Nebraska spring game.
Wide receiver Omar Manning (Tyler Krecklow)
Players I ll be watching closelyÂ
These are players I ll be watching closely:
QB Heinrich Haarberg - The Kearney native may have the best arm talent on the team.
RB Gabe Irvin - The freshman could be Nebraska s most complete back right now.
WR Omar Manning - Will the talented JUCO transfer put on another show in front of the fans?
WR Samori Toure - The Montana transfer broke a Randy Moss playoff record. How many others on NU s roster can say something like that?
These are players I’ll be watching closely:
QB Heinrich Haarberg – The Kearney native may have the best arm talent on the team.
RB Gabe Irvin – The freshman could be Nebraska’s most complete back right now.
WR Omar Manning – Will the talented JUCO transfer put on another show in front of the fans?
WR Samori Toure – The Montana transfer broke a Randy Moss playoff record. How many others on NU’s roster can say something like that?
TE Austin Allen – The staff feels like he’s one of the top overall players on this roster right now.
OLB Pheldarius Payne – He has arguably made the biggest jump of any player from last season.
Nebraska counting on sharper Martinez in prove it season Follow Us
Question of the Day By ERIC OLSON - Associated Press - Thursday, April 29, 2021
Adrian Martinez will be a rare four-year starting quarterback at Nebraska this fall and yet, for all his experience, he is one of the team’s biggest mysteries.
He was among the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country as a freshman in 2018 and appeared on Heisman Trophy candidate lists the next spring.
But a sophomore slump set in amid injuries, he seemed to lose a step and committed 13 turnovers in 10 games. It didn’t get better in last year’s pandemic-shortened season. He continued to struggle hanging onto the ball, and he lost the starter’s job for two games as the Cornhuskers went 3-5.