OT Marcel Jones 6-7, 310, Jr.

A willing soul who finally started trusting his coaching, skills and expanded frame toward the end of last year before getting hurt (again) and missing a big chunk of the last three games. Early in the year, Marcel Jones was so beaten by smaller, more effective pass rushers that NU was using D.J. Jones - who was even worse - as an option at right tackle.

Now that Marcel Jones will be pushed by Jermarcus Hardrick (or some combination of youngsters) at the right tackle position - not a guy who doesn’t even seem to fit the role - we’ll see if he gets more aggressive against his assignments, especially in the run game. This ultra-gifted player has now made the full transition to a football body and mindset after spending his prep years as a star basketball player. He’s NFL-caliber talent with two long years still left - if the light turns on.

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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. 30 Marcus Mendoza: We thought he’d be Shawn Watson’s secret weapon. We were wrong. Mendoza switched away from wide receiver back to running back, never got involved in the offense and has an uncertain role for the future. The guy who tore up NU’s defense on scout team has simply never earned the on-field playing time to show his skills. Thus far, Mendoza, a likable kid who remains one of the fastest players on the team, is a bust.

No. 29 Kody Spano: Tore his ACL again in fall camp and spend the season rehabbing - again. He was rushed back from the first ACL tear too quickly, in our estimation, and, as a result, was practicing when he shouldn’t have been. It’s to Spano’s credit that he never groused about it once. Of course, he can’t talk to the media, either.

No. 28 Jared Crick: Exploded in 2009 with a year that would have been even more memorable had Ndamukong Suh not stolen some of Crick’s thunder. Still, it’s Crick - not Suh - who owns the school’s single-game sack record with five vs. Baylor. And what a day for Crick to have done it, in front of a giant posse of his family on hand in Waco.

No. 27 Phillip Dillard: Sat out the first two games - wasn’t good enough, if you can actually buy that - before starting vs. Virginia Tech. He took over for Will Compton in the Missouri and Texas Tech games - and never sat the bench again. Dillard plowed through some differences with the coaching staff to become the most productive linebacker NU’s had since the 2005 season. Good against screens and draws, equally deft in pass coverage, Dillard is a testament to buying into the system - then biding your time as the coaches work out their own biases. It’s one heck of a success story that grew out of a cautionary tale.

No. 26 Marcel Jones: By the time he finally began to play up to his athleticism and potential late in year, Marcel Jones got hurt and was replaced by D.J. Jones for the bulk of the Big 12 Championship and Holiday Bowl. Marcel Jones remains a work in progress who is overpowered by stronger ends and doesn’t always get out on the quicker ones. In the run game, he’s improving, but isn’t suited for an option attack that asks for his giant frame to crack block and cut block.

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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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Our offensive report card through the non-conference season, broken down by position and player:

OFFENSIVE MVP: Roy Helu
Helu’s been the steady force on the offense, and a playmaker to boot. One could argue he wasn’t used quite enough in the Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette games, but his fresh legs will be better served in the Big 12 season.
Special Mention: Zac Lee, Curenski Gilleylen, Jacob Hickman, Marcel Jones

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: B Zac Lee aced three out of four tests. He struggled at Virginia Tech, the only non-conference where he faced a big-league pass rush. Lee’s got a big-time arm. That we can see. It creates opportunities where Zac Taylor, Sam Keller and Joe Ganz could not. And Lee throws a better deep ball than any NU quarterback in recent memory. But his tendency to scramble forward and fire passes into the middle of the field will burn him in the Big 12 race if he isn’t more careful. Lee also has to manage the huddle a little better, and not waste timeouts or audible opportunies because he’s run out of time…in his brief mop-up appearances, Cody Green has flashed a lot of speed and a long stride that makes him particularly good as runner. His passing has been just fair. Green brings a fun, emotional component to the field. He looks, acts and talks like a quarterback, even at 19. LaTravis Washington has served mostly to hand off and take a knee.

Best game: Arkansas State. An array of dazzling passes.
Worst game: Virginia Tech. Lee “chased ghosts"

RUNNING BACK: B+ Very good things, thus far, out of Roy Helu, who’s running better – and tougher - than ever before. Helu’s not about to be the kind of guy who lets his level of play slip. He could polish up his pass blocking, but he’s been a credible receiver and tough runner. His back-up, Rex Burkhead, is shifty and elusive, similar to Helu, but possibly with better hands. Nebraska needs a hammer back, though, and apparently none is forthcoming to replace the departed Quentin Castille. Austin Jones and Lester Ward have been used sparingly, and Collins Okafor, who may possess the most natural talent, is fighting to learn the offense. Marcus Mendoza is back in the mix after an ill-advised move to wide receiver. Traye Robinson is a redshirt guy, and should be an interesting option next year.

Best Game: Virginia Tech. Helu = warrior. Burkhead had a nifty catch
Worst Game: Arkansas State. Helu missed some holes, blocks.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B Barney’s Cotton’s unit has battled injuries for a month and managed pretty well despite those problems. Aside from a couple breakdowns by D.J. Jones against excellent defensive ends, the pass blocking has been relatively solid, and Lee’s enjoyed plenty of time to throw. The run blocking has been better on first and second down than it has in short yardage. The Huskers pull and move with speed and aggression. They don’t maul as well as they could. Another weakness are dumb penalties – as evidenced by the Virginia Tech game – at bad times.

Individually, Jacob Hickman has been a steady force at center, aside from a few wayward snaps. Tackle Marcel Jones might well be MVP, swinging from left to right and winning more than his share of battles in the passing game. Guard Ricky Henry, aside from one costly holding penalty, has been surprisingly consistent and physical. Tackle Mike Smith had been a little dinged up, but solid. D.J. Jones still needs work on his pass blocking, but he could be NU’s best perimeter run blocker. Guard Derek Meyer filled in capably for an injured Keith Williams, who is now returning to form as Big 12 play begins. Andy Christensen and Mike Caputo offer useful depth.

Best Game: Lafayette. The big boys showed off all of their talents.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Several drive-killing penalties.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: B+ We expected this grade of the tight ends, but the receivers are a surprise unit, as Curenski Gilleylen and Chris Brooks had sidled up alongside Niles Paul, Menelik Holt and Mike McNeill to provide Lee five dependable receiving options. Gilleylen has been one of the MVPs of the offense thus far, consistently get open in zones and providing Lee a deep threat out of the slot. Brooks has also been sure-handed out of slot, raising questions as to why he wasn’t played earlier. Paul’s been dynamic, if a little underused, while Holt is Lee’s possession guy on quick slants and out patterns. At tight end, McNeill’s made a few highlight grabs, missed on a few others, and been so-so with his blocking. Defenses are paying more attention to him; he’ll work through it. Dreu Young and Ben Cotton are solid blockers, while Kyler Reed has been targeted quite a bit without quite cashing in yet. Khiry Cooper, Antonio Bell and Brandon Kinnie have flashed some talent in reserve roles. They’ll be the guys next year.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Everybody got some love.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Holt needed to make those two catches.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PENALTIES: C Nebraska continues to struggle with its huddle at times, even vs. Lafayette, when NU had to burn a timeout right after taking one. Lee’s a new quarterback, but this has to clean up going into Big 12 season. As for penalties, the third-quarter meltdown at Virginia Tech stands out right now, and one has to wonder whether Lee could make good on a two-minute drill – first half or second half – it he was forced to do it. This is still an offense that seems, just like the beginning of last year, a little unsure of itself.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Easily the cleanest in that area.
Worst Game: Florida Atlantic First-game jitters.

PLAYCALLING: A- We could quibble just a little with Shawn Watson’s red zone gameplan at Virginia Tech – but not that much, considering NU’s offensive line is struggling to open running holes near the goal line. Overall, Watson’s been terrific, even better than last year. He’s tailored the offense to Lee’s ability to throw the deep ball, he hasn’t been afraid to mix and match receiving personnel, and the running game has been more varied and efficient. We applaud the new shotgun running schemes that mirror some spread offenses, and like how Watson uses the toss play in a variety of formations and situations. Instead of screens, which are hard for Lee to throw given his height, Watson has incorporated more shovel passes. No wildcat yet, and not too many trick plays, but Watson, wisely, knows not to overdo them.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Especially the first quarter.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Trust the run game a little more.

See also: Non-Conference Report Card Defense

CHALK TALK: Mizzou’s Run Game Pt. 1 and 2

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We seriously debated building this five keys article as a shrine to that TBS Superstation legend Patrick Swayze, who died this week after a long battle with cancer. He was a staple of what we like to call Generation HDTV, that class of twenty and thirtysomething guys with ridiculously big flat screens and hours to burn watching mindless pop culture from their collective youth.

Swayze thrilled us on many a Sunday afternoon in the 12 minutes before the kickoff of early NFL games. When it came to the choice of watching retired football players guffaw through their lead pipe locks, or Dalton take out the trash at the Double Deuce, well, it wasn’t really a choice. None of that processed cheese; give us the sharp Vermont cheddar. Until the kickoff of the early NFL games.

We even had the “key” names picked out according to his movies: Red Dawn, Next of Kin, Ghost, The Outsiders…

But then we realized: It’s Virginia Tech week. And that’s no time for kitsch. Hokie cornerback Stephan Virgil, who forced a key fumble in Tech’s 35-30 win at NU last year, was right:

“We’re going to give Nebraska our best game,” Virgil said. “They’ve played two Sun Belt teams. They’re not Virginia Tech. We’re going to get their best shot, and we’re going to give them our best shot.”

The original Virgil couldn’t have said it any better. Well, yeah, he probably could have, but we don’t know Latin.

On with the keys.

Violent Dance: That’s an apt name for what offensive tackles and defensive ends engage in 30-40 times a game. Last year, Tech’s fast, physical, undersized line won more battles than it lost, consistently harassing Joe Ganz into sacks or errant throws. The Hokies should have even more of an advantage in its home stadium.

Enter Marcel Jones, who held his own vs. Arkansas State defensive end Alex Carrington last week, and will likely be called upon to block VT’s excellent end, Jason Worilds, at least part of the time on Saturday.

“They’re pretty quick off the ball, but they also play with a lot of power moves,” Jones said. “A lot of bull moves. I’m going to have to drop the anchor and sit on them a little bit. Keep my feet ready for counter moves.”

Worilds owned left tackle Mike Smith in 2008 with 1.5 sacks and several more hurries. If Smith isn’t up for the challenge Saturday, look for Jones to swing over there. How NU protects quarterback Zac Lee may determine his success.

The Specials: They’re certainly not an afterthought in this game; Tech’s already returned two kicks for touchdowns in 2009. The Hokies used a blocked punt for a safety and a punt return by Macho Harris in 2008 to quickly put Nebraska in a 9-0 hole.

“What they do, they do well,” said NU coach John Papuchis, who spearheads Nebraska’s special teams units. “It’s not a gimmicky scheme or anything like that. But they’re very fundamentally sound. They do a very good job of getting on and off blocks…we have some keys and things we’re looking for. Basically, it’s a lot of want-to and a lot of technique and execution.”

The Huskers’ kick and punt coverage units are better in 2009 than they were in 2008, thanks to an influx of young athletic talent, and some needed energy from a healthy Rickey Thenarse and true freshman Eric Martin.

We remain unsold on Niles Paul as a punt returner, but in the kick return game he’s a threat, with his straight-ahead speed, to bust one open.

Hustle and Flow: Linebacker is one hard position to play in college football. You’ve got to be aggressive, but patient. Physical, yet nimble enough to tackle some guy almost two-thirds your size. Single-minded, yet versatile. You’ve got to run like hell, but not too much, lest you get caught in the backwash of a cutback play.

If you want to know why the spread offense works so well these days, just consider the stress it puts on 19-year-old linebackers, and how few of them can hold up to it. You can’t just have three good ‘backers. You’d better have six who can do different things, depending on the circumstances.

This week, Phillip Dillard takes the stage to help Nebraska shore up its run defense against the Hokies. Tech loves to run sweeps, counters and occasionally options, and do it with a maximum of pulling guards and tackles. Dillard’s playing style and body type fits this game. He’s good at sitting in the hole, taking on a block with one shoulder and blasting through with his free shoulder. Bo and Carl Pelini wisely moved him away from the middle position, where he’s required to make the calls, to a spot where Dillard can expend that emotion and physicality.

Sean Fisher and Will Compton, meanwhile, are going to get a smashmouth introduction to big-time college football. Tech’s going attack them specifically, you can count on it.

Lane and Lee: Zac Lee’s been to a few road games at Nebraska. Oklahoma. Kansas State. He just hasn’t had to walk out there on the first offensive snap of the game, and feel the weight of the joint pressing down on him.

The biggest road game Lee’s started in was at San Francisco City College, when he quarterbacked that team to the California Junior College state title game. He played in Chukchansi Park, a Fresno baseball stadium that holds 12,500 fans.

So, yeah, this is a step up.

A good running game will help, but here’s the reality: The Hokies are going to force Lee to beat them. Don’t get fooled by Alabama’s plush ground stats in a 34-24 win; it was Tide quarterback Greg McElroy who hit several key passes – two of them right over the head of giant free safety Kam Chancellor – that opened up those running lanes in the second half.

Big-Game Coaching: We’ll talk more about this in a column tomorrow, but we want to see how Nebraska’s braintrust responds to adversity on Saturday. Namely, when Tech makes a couple big plays on offense or defense, and Lane Stadium launches into madness. How will Bo Pelini, Carl Pelini and Shawn Watson digest and respond?

We’ll be blunt: Watson called 10 excellent games in 2008. One, Oklahoma, was out of his hands before he had a chance. Another, Missouri, was a failure of defensive execution. But against Virginia Tech, he bailed on the running game by the end of the first drive, never tried to use the Hokies’ pursuit against them with a trick play, and generally showed Bud Foster too much respect. He pulled a Callahan. And he hasn’t done it since.

The Brothers Pelini, meanwhile, got impatient with their linebacker play and dialed up blitzes to pressure Tyrod Taylor. Taylor calmly sidestepped those poorly-executed blitzes and either ran or passed for big gains. The Huskers practically handed Tech half of its yards by leaving giant swaths of the field wide open. That’s execution, sure. But it’s also coaching, to know that your players can’t do what’s being asked of them.

In other words: When Virginia Tech puts Bo’s boys in the corner, how do they get out?

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Another day of fall camp in the books for the Nebraska football team equaled more changes and movement along NU’s offensive line Tuesday.

Position coach Barney Cotton opened his chat with the media after a 2 ½-hour workout on the grass fields just east of the Hawks Center with news that true freshman Brent Qvale, who had been working as the No. 2 right guard, will be held out for the remainder of fall camp with an undisclosed injury.

Only head Bo Pelini goes into any depth on injury issues, and he doesn’t speak on Tuesday.

In Qvale’s place: Redshirt freshman Quentin Toailoa, one of the few scholarship players to miss the original 105-man roster.

Qvale’s absence is another curve ball thrown at Cotton. Left tackle Mike Smith and right guard Ricky Henry have missed practices. True freshman Jesse Coffey is out for the rest of camp with an MCL knee injury. Even now, Henry, who is a contender to start at right guard, is “probably going a fourth of the time,” Cotton said.

“Sometimes your development is maybe not as fast as you would like,” Cotton said. “On the other hand, when you’ve got guys who aren’t out there for periods of time, you’ve got more depth.”

Cotton said he’s got a good idea of which ten players he’ll be using this fall on the line.

“We don’t necessarily know the order of which those guys are going to be placed on the depth chart yet,” Cotton said. “Little by little, it’s starting to fall into place.”

In the meantime, Cotton has experimented with a number of his linemen at different positions. Seniors Andy Christensen and Derek Meyer have worked at both guard positions. Marcel Jones, currently No. 1 at right tackle, has also worked at left tackle. Junior D.J. Jones was at left tackle briefly, but is now challenging Marcel Jones for the top job on the right side.

“Marcel and D.J. are locked in a good battle right now,” Cotton said. “It’s a very even competition.”

Center Jacob Hickman “experimented for one day” at right guard, Cotton said, but he’d prefer to keep the senior right where he is. Hickman previously started at right guard before moving to center, where a capable backup, sophomore Mike Caputo, now provides a viable starting option, if needed.

Continuity is important as the Huskers installed more of the two-minute offense and worked on third down situations Wednesday.

“Lots of running for the skill guys, lots of pass blocking and lots of pass rushing for the big guys,” Cotton said.

One skill guy held out: Junior running back Roy Helu, who walked among the rows during stretching encouraging linemen, and guided younger running backs to their spots. His injury, whatever it was, did not seem serious.

“Just the normal strain of practice,” Cotton said when asked why Helu wasn’t practicing.

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