LG Keith Williams, 6-5, 315, Sr.

Now or never for Nebraska’s most talented interior offensive lineman. Injuries significantly slowed what should have been a breakout year for Williams; he was in and out of the lineup early in the year, and, because of NU’s thin depth at the position, never got a chance to rest his torn pectoral muscle. Playing with that is a bit like playing with a heart attack; it’s no joke. That Williams played some many games is a little amazing - it also speaks to how hard-up the Huskers really were.

Health is the primary concern with Williams; if he has that, he’s a top-shelf guard in the Big 12, among the best. Physical and possessing good feet, Williams is also plenty tough and a good run blocker for a left guard. He pulls well and gets his hat on the right side of defenders in a zone scheme. He simply must stay healthy.

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In the summer and fall, Husker Locker created its “50 Huskers to Know” list for the 2009 season. We now review our list by examining production, injuries and depth chart position.
We’ll present these in five-player increments. Here we go!

No. 5 Keith Williams: Poised for a breakout year, Williams tore his pectoral muscle in fall camp. He played through excruciating pain anyway, and had his moments. In 2010, provided he’s healthy, look for him to be an all-conference pick. He’s still Nebraska’s best.

No. 4 Niles Paul: It was almost like his two colossal blunders of the fall - failing to catch a backwards pass vs. Texas Tech, then failing to recover the ball that Tech returned for a touchdown, and that fumble-recover-fumble vs. Iowa State that cost NU the win - actually set Paul free. Over the last five games of the year, including the Holiday Bowl, Paul became a new man - a different player, returning one punt for a score, almost returning another vs. Texas, making clutch third-down grabs vs. Colorado, making huge plays vs. Kansas and Kansas State, and displaying an all-around game in the Holiday Bowl to earn MVP. He caught 40 passes for almost 800 yards, and became the big-play most hoped he would be.

No. 3 Roy Helu: More brilliance in games vs. Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas, and more perplexing injuries in many of the other games. Helu’s a tough guy to figure out on and off the field. Talent and instinct to burn, but there seems to be times when Rex Burkhead is the more consistent option. Still - it says something about a guy when he rushes for 1,137 yards, and you barely noticed him over the last four games of the year. He’s still a big-time weapon.

No. 2 Ndamukong Suh: Arguably the best player in Blackshirt history - remember, that doesn’t include Train Wreck Novak - and certainly the most decorated, Suh became the poster child for the emerging Bo Pelini era. He worked hard, excelled in the classroom and dominated on the field. A unique, game-changing talent in ways defensive linemen usually aren’t - pass coverage, downfield tackling. Hopefully NU fans enjoyed the show. He isn’t coming through that door again.

No. 1 Zac Lee: As great as we knew Suh was, Lee occupied the top spot for the obvious reason: He’s the only guy with the ball in his hands every play. So much has already been written about Lee, so let’s merely say one more thing: He turned a corner in his attitude and belief in himself as the year went on, and he doesn’t have a lot to fear in 2010. Bo likes him. It’s his job to lose.

The list is now complete! Check out the full list!

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Shotgun to stay? Whether we or you or any Husker fans prefers an under center power game is immaterial to what offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s players can actually execute. And the Huskers look better in a shotgun spread offense. They just do. It suits the quarterbacks, the running backs, the offensive line, the receivers and the Wildcat formation.

How long does it take Zac Lee to recover - and is recovery successful? Funny that Nebraska fans would pin a potential national title run on the health of No. 5, but, after seeing Cody Green’s wobbly work in the Holiday Bowl, so be it. Lee is unquestionably the No. 1 guy going into spring practice - and he still isn’t very good. So not only does he have to rehab after surgery on his right torn flexor tendon, he has to find a way to improve without throwing the ball - possibly through all of spring camp.

Can Cody Green capitalize on Lee’s absence to develop for 2010 and beyond? We can’t ignore his struggles during the last half of the season - but we also can’t take too much from them, either. Green hasn’t been allowed to grow into a starter - too much attention for a handful for a good plays, too short of a leash for a handful of bad ones - and he should make “the leap” in the spring. Well, he’d better, anyway.

Whither Kody Spano? The things Spano reportedly did best - throwing those skinny slants and posts, and hanging in the pocket when bullets started flying - are attributes Watson appreciates most. Can he come back from two ACL tears? Can he trust his knee enough to make plays. It’s rare - but possible.

Is there a No. 2 receiver in the building? Some Husker - Brandon Kinnie, Khiry Cooper, Antonio Bell, Curenski Gilleylen - has to take the heat off of Niles Paul. And receivers coach Ted Gilmore has to stop sampling every guy on the roster for the role. Find two or three complimentary receivers, stick with them, and develop chemistry with Lee - when he returns - Green and whoever else tries out at QB.

How much can the redshirt freshmen - plus Jermarcus Hardrick - push the vets on he offensive line? Hardrick will push Marcel and D.J. Jones at right tackle - and potentially win the job. As for the redshirt freshmen, we’re talking about Brent Qvale (guard), Jeremiah Sirles (tackle), Jesse Coffey (guard) and Nick Ash(guard/center). At the very least, Qvale (huge, and nimble) and Sirles (looks the part) were slated for the two-deep before injuries tilted the risk/reward scale against burning their redshirt. Neither will likely start for NU in 2010, but they can provide important depth every third or fourth series, or serve as injury protection. At any rate - they sorely need experience for the future.

Where does Taylor Martinez fit in? We dug around in the few weeks after the Big 12 Championship game about Martinez, and found he was more feared as a receiver than he was at quarterback. And yet he’ll start at QB - potentially as a Wildcat guy - and take a run at the backup job. Either way - the kid needs to see the field, and get the chance to make plays. He’s among the fastest players on NU’s roster and he’s big enough to take some licks. T Magic is more like T Mystery.

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The story of Nebraska’s offense in 2009 turns out to be a crackerjack courtroom drama, complete with compelling characters, riveting testimony and a twist ending - touched off by a surprising revelation - that has some Cornhusker fans sailing out of theater satisfied, and others wondering if all plot threads meet up.

The men on trial - offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, his staff and quarterback Zac Lee - won acquittal in a 33-0 thumping of Arizona, returning to the shotgun, unveiling an effective version of the Wildcat - which running backs coach Tim Beck correctly described as an offense, not merely a play - and getting Lee to a point where he can run the zone read competently - if not beautifully - for yards and first downs.

Everything you could have hoped to see vs. Arizona - third-down efficiency, big running plays, Niles Paul, Mike McNeill, a dominant offensive line - you saw. Roy Helu got hurt early, but Rex Burkhead capably replaced him.

For the first time since the Kansas game, Lee looked like the solution instead of the problem. Afterward, when he revealed he’d been playing with a torn flexor tendon in his throwing arm, which requires surgery and nearly three months of rehab, it was like that beer glass in the novel “Presumed Innocent” that nobody could find - because nobody ever asked the guy who took it from the evidence room to return it.

“It was them that (screwed) up,” Lipranzer tells defendant Rusty at the end of Scott Turow’s best book.

In this case, the few left in Watson’s corner could say the same of his many naysayers. If you only you knew of all the injuries on the offensive line, at running back, in Lee’s right arm.

You can see how the arguments set up.

Credit where it’s deserved: Watson crafted a good plan, and called an even better game. He and Barney Cotton got their offensive line to fire off the ball. He trusted Lee on third-and-long to extend drives. Lee did. In short, Watson seemed to be returning to midseason 2008, when Nebraska sliced and diced Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State with a dizzying array of formations and plays.

Lee was a poor man’s Joe Ganz, which, with Bo’s defense, was more than enough. He’s a tough kid who chooses to struggle with injuries and inconsistencies in relative silence. Commendable enough.

But “Holiday Bowl scoreboard” isn’t a sufficient salve for every offensive problem in 2009.

“Torn flexor tendon” isn’t a sufficient answer for why Watson had Lee throwing the ball in the Missouri rain, or why Watson couldn’t bear to call a trick play - just one! - vs. Texas in the Big 12 Championship.

“O-line injuries” doesn’t explain why the wide receiver corps fell apart, with two starters apparently so unmotivated and disinterested that they spent two weeks on the scout team.

No, Watson didn’t suddenly forget how to call plays.

But we can’t suddenly gloss over real struggles, either.

The offseason, beginning with Lee’s surgery and rehabilitation, will be a test of patience, creativity and coaching for Watson and his assembled crew. I look forward to watching skilled - but embattled - guys whittle away the problem, with a prominent chip on their shoulder, I suspect, and something to prove.

*At quarterback, Watson will have to play it by doctor and trainer as to when Lee can return. Then he’ll have to develop quarterbacks Cody Green, Kody Spano and Taylor Martinez in three distinctly different places in their career. Will Ganz, a new graduate assistant, help? Sure. But even that’s a adjustment, for these Huskers know and respect Ganz quite a bit, and may initially see Lee - or any signal-caller - in stark relief of the former No. 12. When a former teammate suddenly becomes a mentor, it’s can be an interesting transition. Ganz isn’t going to sugarcoat anything, nor should he.

*At running back, Tim Beck has to manage Roy Helu’s health, devise new ways to exploit Rex Burkhead’s skills and find a No. 3 running back between Traye Robinson, Lester Ward and Austin Jones.

*At offensive line, Barney Cotton gets to integrate young pups Brent Qvale, Jeremiah Sirles, Jesse Coffey and Nick Ash, get JUCO signee Jermarcus Hardrick quickly up to speed, break in center Mike Caputo, wait out the recovery of Keith Williams - who has a torn pectoral muscle - and hone the games of Ricky Henry, Mike Smith, Marcel Jones and D.J. Jones. Cotton has the most important - and arguably toughest - job of the bunch. As goes the offensive line, so goes NU.

*At wide receiver, Ted Gilmore needs to build around senior-to-be Niles Paul, with an emphasis on guys who can actually catch, run and keep their balance on a wet field. Gilmore has to put a better product on the field than NU offered up in 2009, when Menelik Holt’s drops cost the Huskers at Virginia Tech, and Paul’s midseason lapses in concentration contributed heavily to losses vs. Texas Tech and Iowa State.

*At tight end, Ron Brown just needs to keep doing what he’s doing, juggling time and snaps for a gifted unit.

Presuming he has enough healthy pieces, Watson then gets to play chemist. Which combination of formations, plays and players make the best brew? Injuries, execution and “inexperience” - plus Bo’s intervention right around the Oklahoma game - prevented him from figuring that out in 2009.

What are the key questions for this offseason? Click here.

Otherwise, continue the debate. Does the Holiday Bowl resolve your concerns? Does the end of the movie forgive its dull middle?

In 2010 - a national-title contending season - we’ll have the sequel.

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It was a quick vocabulary lesson in the difference between offensive and defensive coaches.

When Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini critiqued, at length, his defense in Tuesday’s press conference, he used the word “soft” to describe its physical effort in a 49-3 win over Florida Atlantic.

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s word of the day? Tempo. As in the speed with which quarterback Zac Lee received the play from the sideline, communicated it to the offense, and actually ran it.

In a 21-point first half, it wasn’t so good, despite touchdown passes of 28 and 51 yards.

But when Nebraska sped up in the second half, FAU “couldn’t stop us,” Watson said after Tuesday’s two-hour practice on the grass fields north of Memorial Stadium. “We went right down the field on them.”

The difference? Lee himself. The junior from San Francisco was “a little nervous in the service,” Watson said, in the first half, and kept heading to the sidelines to receive the play. That’s not uncommon in some offenses; however, Watson and Co. are making a concerted effort to speed up without ditching the huddle altogether.

At halftime, Watson told Lee to stand by the rest of his teammates on the field.

“That’s step one,” Watson smiled. “Pretty logical.”

Then, NU coaches held Lee “more accountable” for making sure the line hustled to their spots.

“If guys aren’t getting their hand in the dirt, he’s got to get them to get their hand in the dirt so we can play,” Watson said.

Watson called Lee’s second-half tempo “beautiful.” Nebraska needed only four plays on each its first two drives in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on runs by junior Roy Helu.

“It could have been a little better,” Lee said. “But it’s kind of a first game thing.”

Other than the tempo problems, Watson said Lee “graded out really high” in his initial start. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

“We didn’t ask him to do a whole lot of stuff, but we asked him to do enough to win the football game,” Watson said. “And as the game wore on I gave him more responsibility. And he really handled it well.”

Concerns about Lee vacating the pocket to run seemed answered by Saturday’s performance. Lee only scrambled once, and that was for a 12-yard gain. Mostly, Lee said, he tried to buy time for receivers to get open downfield by stepping into the pocket and moving away from pressure.

“I’ll run if I have to,” Lee said. “But I’d rather somebody got open downfield and hit them for a big gain…you want to get out and run around and make plays yourself, but I think the best thing, in the big picture, is to let guys get open.”

Notes:

*Both left guard Keith Williams and tight end Dreu Young practiced in full pads Tuesday. Young missed most of fall camp and the first game recovering from back surgery.

“It’s good to have (Dreu) back,” Watson said. “He’ll be in the gameplan. He has a lot of thump on the line of scrimmage and he’s a good pass receiver.”

*Watson seemed pretty set on using just Helu and true freshman Rex Burkhead at running back.

“We would ride those two horses, to be honest with you, forever,” Watson said. “That’s the way we’d do it. And we need a third guy, it’d be Lester (Ward).”

Expect more of Ward in the Big 12 season, when Nebraska routinely used three running backs in 2008.

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Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini hasn’t been kidding when he intimated that position battles may not end until one day before kickoff.

Pelini after Monday’s practice – the first truly dedicated to preparing for Florida Atlantic – that NU would not release a depth chart Tuesday, as has been normally custom.

“It won’t be final until the end of the week,” Pelini said. “Changes every day. The competition’s on every day. We rep a lot of guys. We could give you a depth chart with a lot of “ORs” on it. We’ll see how it plays out. Whoever wins the job, that’s who’s going to be in the game Saturday.”

The closest battles continue at right tackle, wide receiver, punt returner, WILL and MIKE linebacker, and potentially in the secondary. Third-string is up for grabs at many more positions, as well.

At right tackle, offensive line coach Barney Cotton said both juniors Marcel and D.J. Jones should play “both fairly equally” in the FAU game.

“Both had good camps and both deserve to play,” Cotton said.

Cotton did not have the services of left guard Keith Williams, held out because of an undisclosed injury. In his absence Andy Christensen moved back over from right guard to work with the top units.

“I won’t talk about that, but he’s fine,” Pelini said. “He should be out here tomorrow.”

In practice, freshman walk-on Ron Kellogg III drew the job of simulating the Owls’ quarterback, Rusty Smith. Although Kellogg is 4-5 inches shorter than Smith, Pelini said the Omaha Westside product “did a really good job.”

NU returns to the practice field Tuesday after its weekly press conference.

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Nebraskans can be a hearty-yet-worrisome lot, and in times of concern, they often turn to the timeless stress reliever known as hand-wringing. Or hand-clasping, if you prefer.

It’s a tidy, discreet Midwestern gesture but fairly unmistakable at a Husker football game, when, in a big moment, you see a mass of hands drawn together, as if trying to rub off paint, to defuse the tension of the moment.

I suspect that more than a few hands have been wrung over the state of Nebraska’s right guard position, and maybe even the right side as a whole. The money side in the running game, usually. Where you stick the maulers and the gate crashers, and watch them slug and push and cut and engulf defenders to part holes for running backs.

But those same fans have looked past the strength of the left side of the line, where two returning junior starters –tackle Mike Smith and guard Keith Williams - are nice blend of athleticism and power.

And to hear Williams talk about it, chemistry between he and Smith and center Jacob Hickman.

“We show and lead by example,” he said. “If we’re not doing the job, then the others slack off. We’re not having that…it’s gonna be a war. We have our plays and we need to get the job done.”

The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder caught my eye late last year, when he seemed to blossom into the physical player that Bill Callahan envisioned him being in 2007, when Williams played frequently as a redshirt freshman. But Williams didn’t start to play with more nasty until Barney Cotton got ahold of him. Williams started the last ten games in 2008, and steadily improved.

On Quentin Castille’s 60-yard run in the Gator Bowl, Williams blocked/carried/tossed his Clemson defender ten yards to the side, creating a giant cutback crease for Castille to work through. In the Red/White Spring Game, the White team, with reserve running backs, repeatedly ran right behind the Florissant, Mo., native, as he generally controlled NU defensive tackle Jared Crick.

You cut these moments of excellence splice them together with the penalties Williams has committed and missed blocks, and you get a picture of inconsistency. And Williams, though he wears a slight smile on this day – the offensive line got the better of the defensive line in a goal line scrimmage – knows it.

“Can’t make mistakes anymore,” Williams said. “I’ve got to be mental error-free.”

Position coach Barney Cotton sees a steadily improving, and more consistent, lineman through this fall camp. After Saturday’s scrimmage, Cotton said Williams’ best practices had been his last two. NU had two more practices Monday.

“Keith has a chance to be a very, very physical guy for us,” Cotton said. “We just look for that continued development. I don’t worry about what his top end potential.”

We’ll say this much: Williams has the potential to be NU’s best guard since, oh, Toniu Fonoti in 2001. That spans a lot of time and a lot of players – including recently drafted Matt Slauson – but Williams is nearly prototypical for the role.

Now about that right side…

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It was the second straight season that zero Nebraska players were taken on the first day of the NFL Draft and only three were taken overall. It served as a death rattle for the Bill Callahan era.

Will the trend change in future years? We look at the potential Draft prospects of current Huskers:

2010 Draft

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: If Suh stays healthy and continues to improve his technique – whether or not his statistics are comparable to 2008 – he’s a sure-fire first-round pick, and possibly a top-ten or top-five pick, depending on team need. At 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, Suh probably isn’t a 3-4 nose guard – those guys are usually squatter and, well, fatter – but he fits into a 4-3 scheme as a 1, 2 or 3 technique, depending on how a defense chooses to play him. He already makes the flashy plays behind the line of scrimmage, and has since his sophomore year.

Defensive end Barry Turner: Teams will look over Turner’s broken leg injury, and since we’re not doctors or insurance specialists, we couldn’t say whether that would prevent Turner from getting selected. As an end, Turner has a good first step and can beat slower linemen to the corner. He’s not as adept at swim and rip moves as he should be. On the flip side, Turner’s received average coaching at best from John Blake. He’s got room to grow.

Center Jacob Hickman: He’ll be helped by his versatility to play either guard spot or center. Hickman, 6-4 and 290, is agile when pulling and skilled at getting to the second level. Probably not the nastiest guy on the planet, but he’s smart, and he knows a number of positions. You could see some team taking him with a late-round pick and developing him as a valuable reserve.

Strong safety Larry Asante: Depending on whether some NFL team thought they could put 20-30 pounds on Asante, he could play linebacker at the next level. Asante hits hard, and he’s generally decent in run support. Where’s he’s struggled is in the passing game. As a safety, we’d see him as a free agent; Clemson’s Michael Hamlin, a much better college player, lasted until well into the second day in the 2009 Draft.

Wide receiver Menelik Holt: Longshot here, but one never knows. Holt has the speed, and he’s a good enough blocker. Nobody knows if he can catch balls and get open consistently, however. He’ll get only one year to prove it and he’d better have big-time numbers. Otherwise, he’ll be a free agent, if that.

For now, we don’t consider middle linebackers Phillip Dillard and Colton Koehler, free safeties Rickey Thenarse and Matt O’Hanlon or receiver Chris Brooks as likely selections, although they may sign as free agents.

2011

Left guard Keith Williams: At 6-5, 305, Williams has the size and strength to become a very good NFL guard. He needs to get more consistent, and cut out wasteful penalties. He’s quicker than recent draftee Matt Slauson and he’ll get two more years of coaching under Barney Cotton. Too hard to project a specific round right now, but Williams would be in the Draft.

Safety Eric Hagg: Could be a quality safety for some NFL team; his size and anticipatory skills are a good fit. Nebraska coaches finally seem set on putting Hagg at safety and letting him blossom there. Two years of good development puts him right in the crosshairs of being drafted. Sometimes, though, it seems like Hagg isn’t aware of how good he could be.

Running back Roy Helu: We fully expect Helu to play four years at NU, if he stays healthy. As a pure runner, Helu is instinctive, quick and hard to bring down. He’s a decent pass-catcher and should improve his blocking. If you were projecting way out, you could see Helu getting picked in the 3rd-4th rounds, maybe even the first day.

Tight end Mike McNeill: We could definitely see a guy like McNeill taking that Dallas Clark role with the Indianapolis Colts. McNeill is sure-handed and athletic, and pretty fast for a tight end. His best skill is open-field running. In two years, he’s a 4th-6th-round selection, and better if he improves his blocking.

Defensive end Pierre Allen: Very good sophomore campaign could lead to big things in 2009 and 2010. Allen needs to keep grinding away as a pass rusher so that he can fit into a 4-3 system, which requires good pass-rushing skills out of its ends. He’d need to gain 20-30 pounds to play end in a 3-4.

Kicker/punter Alex Henery: If he continues to kick like he did in 2008, he’ll be one of a handful of kickers selected in the Draft. Henery’s punting skills may also help him make a roster. The kid’s a bit of a kicking savant; many of his field goal tries are perfectly shaped into the middle of the goalposts, looking like a Phil Mickelson wedge shot.

Running back Quentin Castille: Credit where it’s due: Castille has lost enough weight to be a viable player in a one-back, one-cut outside zone NFL system. No the lead guy, necessarily, but a bruiser type. He gets downhill quickly, strides nicely for a big guy, and seems more comfortable in the open field than he does traffic. Blocks and catches pretty well. Hasn’t shown himself to be a great short-yardage back, but he could develop into one. Castille isn’t a fullback, and NFL teams will quickly notice that watching him on film. The right team with the right need could draft him.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara: If this kid picks up the red the courtesy phone and figures out the position, he’s as intriguing a prospect as any on NU’s team. Naturally gifted, huge vertical leap, tall and fast, not afraid to tackle. Amukamara’s stumbling block isn’t physical stuff. But can he play, drive after drive, without mental errors?

Cornerback Anthony West: Steadier than Amukamara, not quite as gifted, and not quite as big. Gambled and lost a couple times in 2008. Needs to close better and be more aggressive to the ball, as his allowed touchdown in the Red/White Spring Game showed.

Wide receiver Niles Paul: Needs to play more often, and more consistently. Paul would be a slot receiver in the NFL, so route-running, savvy and elusiveness would be important to develop.

Guard Ricky Henry: Strictly a project right now, but the clay is there to be molded. We’ll see.

Cornerback Dejon Gomes: See Ricky Henry.

Quarterback Zac Lee: Too early to tell. The skillset and height suggests he’ll fit into the Joe Ganz category.

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Close the book on the 2009 spring season for Nebraska football. Smile at the positives NU took out of these four weeks, while being mindful of all the Cornhuskers must do before the Sept. 5 game vs. Florida Atlantic.

The Red/White Spring Game was a kind of final exam for spring, but not one of those final exams that was worth, say, 50 percent of a player’s grade. Head coach Bo Pelini and his staff had already completed most of their evaluations by Saturday, and had done so by conducting some of the longest – and reportedly toughest – this side of Kansas State’s Bill Snyder. And we all know what kind of workaholic that guy is.

“Let me tell you, it was a long, physical spring,” Pelini said. “The practices were long; the practices were physical. The competition was there. I think we’re a deeper football team because we have more guys that know what’s being asked of them. We’re nowhere near being a finished product and we’re nowhere near being game-ready. But we made a lot of strides in a lot of areas."

Why’d Pelini do it? Well, mental toughness and stamina is part of the man’s signature. It’s why the Huskers got better in the second half of games last year. It’s why NU busted wide open a close Kansas game, survived an upset-minded Colorado and came back on Clemson, Baylor and Texas Tech. Those second-half performances were forged in the heat of practice, when players wanted to give less, and Pelini wouldn’t allow it.

He still didn’t allow it this spring. And his assistants – even a mild-mannered bloke like Shawn Watson – got in on the act, too.

What did we learn? That Zac Lee says the right things, and he throws a decent ball, too. That Roy Helu is such a valuable commodity that he can sit out the final two weeks of spring because he’s already dazzled the coaches enough. That Ndamukong Suh has a great motor. That NU might have some great young talent on defense, but not all of those guys are quite ready.

We learned that smart kids, like Niles Paul, make poor decisions just like smart adults. We learned that former starters like Phillip Dillard sometimes have to begin again, at the back of the line. We learned that Alex Henery just might have the most golden foot in the Big 12 – and maybe college football.

And we learned, once more, that while it’s only practice, it’s a nice little fix of Husker football to tide us over for May, June, July and half of August. On with the review.

Five Guys We Loved

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: Suh didn’t take off the spring game. Didn’t take off a single play, for that matter. He fought center Jacob Hickman and right guard Ricky Henry, got across their faces a couple of times and even made a spectacular tackle of formidable Quentin Castille for a loss.

“Suh’s the kind of guy where, if you don’t do the right thing, he’ll beat you,” center Jacob Hickman said. “And guys were a little overanxious, not doing the right footwork, attacking him the wrong way.”

Suh looked every bit of the nation’s best defensive tackle.

Wide receiver Chris Brooks: Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson didn’t want to make too much out of “just a couple of catches” in the game, even though several of them were quite good, and caught off of the rocket arm of Latravis Washington.

What impressed us more about Brooks was his hustle on a punt that he and Lester Ward downed at the one-yard line. Brooks has been in the program for five years, and he’s still willing to make that kind of effort on a punt in the middle of a glorified scrimmage, you at least know that, next year, he can be a locker room guy and a dependable third or fourth option. And maybe more than that.

Left guard Keith Williams: The junior big man battled No. 1 defensive tackle Jared Crick most of the day, and won more scrums than he lost. A quiet guy who occasionally flashes immense talent, Williams, according to coaches and teammates, seems to have pulled alongside Jacob Hickman as the best offensive lineman.

“You want to be playing on their side of the line of scrimmage, and you want to keep the quarterback clean,” offensive line coach Barney Cotton said. “I saw some good things from him out there. He put in an honest day’s worth of work. It was great to see when the white team came out with an eight-minute drive.”

Running back Collins Okafor: A good day, really, from all of the NU running backs, as Castille looked faster and more agile, Lester Ward showed off wiggle and hustle, and Austin Jones looks like a Cory Ross guy, a change-of-pace option. But Watson was happiest for Okafor, a player who had struggled to pick up the offense this spring, but made it click over the last week, and especially on Saturday.

It’s not hard to see Okafor’s natural talent. Just like he did at Omaha Westside, Okafor has a real gift in the open field, able to shift directions and accelerate at the same time. For him, it’s about seeing the hole, picking up his feet and finding the second level. When he does it, look out. If it sounds a lot like Marlon Lucky, well, there’s some of that. Lucky had pretty great hands, but Okafor is faster.

Overall, though, you have to like NU’s running back situation. Ward was better than I thought, and Jones wasn’t bad. Castille, already a threat, just keeps adding to his game. Throw the best of the bunch, Roy Helu, into the mix, and NU can give Oklahoma and Oklahoma State a run for their money in the backfield.

All of the tight ends: OK, OK, this is clearly about six or seven guys, including Mike McNeill, Dreu Young, Ben Cotton, Kyler Reed and Mychael McClure, but they collectively deserve the honor, as Ron Brown’s group flashed potential and production in equal measure. Husker fans already knew what McNeill and Young brought to the table, and they didn’t disappoint. But the young pups made the future of this position look bright until, oh, the next presidential election. We’ll take it.

Three Concerns We Have

Inconsistency at linebacker: Part of what makes him such a skilled recruiter and communicator is that linebackers coach Mike Ekeler wears his heart on his sleeve. On Saturday, he might have been a little too hard on himself by labeling his unit’s play “poor” – we saw some pretty good flashes out of Sean Fisher, Matt May, Will Compton and Colton Koehler – but he knows the unit is a work in progress.

Too many tight ends were open underneath coverage, and Watson exploited it over and over to give his quarterbacks confidence. Yeah, sometimes a tight end be might a check down guy who’s the last option remaining. But some of those tight ends were 10, 15 yards down the field. It’s either a safety or a linebacker with responsibility there.

The wild card remains Phillip Dillard. He played OK Saturday. Whiffed on one Lester Ward run, but stuck a few backs in the hole a couple times, too. Dillard isn’t going to climb the depth chart until he turns in a strong summer of conditioning and leadership. If he does that, and comes into fall camp at the right weight, Ekeler will likely give Dillard a long, good look.

Lingering doubt on the offensive line: Both the Red and White offensive lines opened holes and protected their respective quarterback – at times. On other occasions, especially with the Red unit early in the game, we were left scratching our heads a little. Nebraska’s going to face some solid defensive ends and tackles this year.

Mediocre Meno: Menelik Holt was supposed to be the heir apparent to Mo Purify and Nate Swift. But, by his own admission, Holt could have had a better spring and, on Saturday, Brooks Bell and even Wes Cammack stole the spotlight. Holt was a non-factor, and he was well covered. Was that NU’s defense, or Holt’s inability to get open? Holt is still a good blocker and leader and all that. But is he dynamic?

Reviewing the Five Keys

Why Safe May = Sorry: We thought it’d be best if NU’s offensive playcalling, while vanilla, still took advantage of some personnel advantages. After playing a little too safe with Zac Lee to start the game, Watson dialed up some nice zone-busting pass plays and Lee responded nicely. We also liked that wide counter sweep Castille ran midway through the second quarter. The White defense didn’t see it coming.

Clean and efficient: A whistle-happy officiating crew didn’t exactly help things on Saturday – two pass interference penalties were either called on the wrong players, or simply bogus – but NU was a bit sloppy as the game wore on. A number of false starts, an illegal substation penalty, several holding calls on punt returns. Well, hey, it’s a practice.

Busting the defensive advantage: Just from this eye, it seemed like the top White defense was only entirely intact for the first two or three drives. Probably a good thing for the Red offense.

At any rate, NU coaches did a nice job of balancing out the process. The offense got some plays, and the defense did, too. And Lee’s touchdown toss to Wes Cammack was against Anthony West and Larry Asante. Cammack got inside West and Asante was too late getting to the over-the-top spot.

Young pups and unknowns: As we reviewed above, many of the young pups on offense looked a little better than the young pups on defense. They were put in better position to look good, mind you, but guys like Bell, Cotton, Reed, Brandon Thompson and others made me more optimistic about the young offensive talent than what I saw of the defensive guys, many of whom – save Fisher and P.J. Smith, who looked pretty comfortable – need work.

The Specials: Alex Henery looks like a good punter to us. Sign him up to start. On punt returns, Bell and speedy Tim Marlowe will give Pelini a lot to think about this summer. Both were fearless and fast.

Three Questions We Still Have for the Summer

How daring can Lee be in the fall? And we mean running the ball on zone read plays. That’s one thing it would have been hard for Watson and Lee to gauge this spring.

How much – if any – attrition and addition is there over the summer? It’s possible – although not necessarily certain – that Nebraska could drop a couple more players before the beginning of fall camp. NU could also be adding a guy like Robert Marve or now, apparently Greg Paulus, the former Duke point guard who wants to play one year of college football.

Does every nose stay clean, and which new leaders emerge? A two-for-one deal here, but both pertain to the same issue: Team chemistry. The Huskers need to stay way off the police blotter – and that’s not easy to do with a team of this size, but Pelini runs a fairly tight ship – while key guys develop as leaders. The offense especially needs somebody to stand alongside Jacob Hickman. Arrest and all, our money is still on the likable, smart Niles Paul. But Lee has to become “the guy” this summer in arranging workouts and conducting film study. It’s his team, and his time.

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After the Red's 31-17 victory over the White team, seven Huskers who impressed us on the white team:

Chris Brooks, wide receiver: Brooks made a number of difficult catches in the first half off of the arm of Latravis Washington, and hustled down on a Brett Maher punt to help down it at the one-yard line. Brooks finally looked ready Saturday to break the two-deep and be a capable backup to Menelik Holt. He hustled, ran good routes, and made tough catches.

"He played like senior today," offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. "Really played big, which is good to see."

Latravis Washington, quarterback: By no means is Washington ready to lead the Cornhuskers. But, in a mop-up or limited role, he showed Saturday he can make a play or two. Washington played quite well against the red’s top defense.

"For where he started as a linebacker about a month ago, he came a long way," head coach Bo Pelini said.

Antonio Bell, wide receiver: Bell’s going to be a stud, Husker fans. He made an incredible catch to help set up the white team’s only touchdown, and he showed impressive burst on punt and kickoff returns. Bell’s ready. Now.

"He made a very competitive catch today, which was awesome to see," offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. "He's really talented kid."

Keith Williams, left guard: Punishing performance from Williams. He helped open a lot of holes for the white offense early in the game.

"I always was going against Keith today," defensive tackle Jared Crick said. "Every play was just a battle. It's been a battle all spring inside. He's 330 and strong as an ox. So he's really taught me to play great technique."

Will Compton, linebacker: Compton got burned a few times in pass coverage, yeah, when Zac Lee threw right over his head. But Compton was very active against the run, and generally around the ball quite a bit.

Austin Jones, running back: It was Jones, and not Lester Ward, who received more carries Saturday and looked like the team’s No. 3 guy. Jones showed wiggle, toughness and good hands.

Baker Steinkuhler, defensive tackle: Obviously Ndamukong Suh was more dominating – pretty much unblockable for the first quarter – but Steinkuhler showed good technique and push, as well. He’ll challenge Jared Crick throughout the fall.

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More than 800 high school coaches milled around Nebraska’s football practice Friday as the Cornhuskers hosted their second day of the coaches clinic and capped it off with a situational scrimmage near the end of practice.

NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson indicated “some good and some bad” in Friday’s two-and-a-half-hour workout. Friday was a “heavy install” day according to a number of coaches, so many of the younger Huskers – and some of the older ones – seemed to be swimming in the details a bit.

Watson did, however, take the time Friday to run down some of the offensive players he’s been impressed with so far in fall camp.

At quarterback, Watson kept the compliments pretty boilerplate. Zac Lee is handling the offense well, Kody Spano "has had his moments" and Cody Green is just hitting the ground with both feet now.

"They're getting it mentally," Watson said.

Running back Roy Helu “plays well every day,” Watson said. “I don’t expect anything but that. You watch film, he’s always making plays.”

On the offensive line, Watson said he’s particularly pleased with left guard Keith Williams and center Jacob Hickman. Hickman, Watson said, “got lost in the sauce” last year, but “us as coaches know how good of a player Jacob Hickman is.”

“He captains every call on the offensive line,” Watson said. Not only is he a smart player, but he’s a talented player.”

At right guard, where D.J. Jones and Ricky Henry are duking it out for the starting job, play “has to get more consistent,” Watson said. Although Jones is getting “more assured of his assignments” and Henry has been “really good at times,” both aren’t where Watson wants them.

Watson called Derek Meyer “a wild card” at the right guard spot.

At receiver, Watson said Curenski Gilleylen and Niles Paul have had good springs. He's also been impressed with the speed and hands of Antonio Bell.

“Big surprise,” Watson said. “Really fast. Instinctual. Natural at the position. Natural route runner, Good ball-catcher. Physical player. He just needs to grow in our offense. We didn’t know what to expect, but we’re pleasantly surprised because he’s a natural player.”

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