There were signs. Interstate 80 traffic heading southwest from Omaha was busy. As you got into Lincoln, there were more […]
www.huskermax.com
" The crowd of 36,406 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."
"From where I sat, very little of the Nebraska passing game looked sharp, regardless of who was throwing the ball. Certainly, a 25-mph south wind didn’t help matters any, but Adrian Martinez didn’t quite look like a fourth-year starter with the ability to rip the second-team defense to shreds. He went 12-for-20 with one interception and missed a few open receivers. Most notable was a botched connection with a curiously decelerating Manning as he crossed the back of the end zone in the second quarter, which came not long after Manning dropped a slightly underthrown 40-yard pass from Martinez. The Huskers were as ineffective on screen passes in the spring game as they have been against Big Ten opponents the past two seasons."
"Meanwhile, on the field, Jacquez Yant looked like the running back most likely to make a significant impact on the Husker offense this fall, with Gabe Ervin and Marvin Scott a notch behind."
"Scott led all rushers with 75 yards on 11 carries after breaking a 39-yard second-quarter run"
"Omar Manning looks impressive lining up at wide receiver, but on Saturday, he did very little to announce his arrival..." "Oliver Martin (five catches for 47) and Samori Toure (three catches for 47) were a bit more productive."
"Zavier Betts was almost invisible..."
"Smothers showed nimble feet, quick decision making and an improved passing arm." "Meanwhile, Haarberg struggled much of the afternoon"
"All signs point to the need for Cam Taylor-Britt, JoJo Domann and a solid defensive line to shine this fall. The Huskers showed me very little to change the notion that they must lean heavily on their defense this fall."