NU Holds First Major Spring Scrimmage

LINCOLN ? The Nebraska football team held the seventh spring practice Saturday morning inside the Hawks Championship Center, as more than 150 guests watched the Huskers hold their first major live scrimmage of spring ball. More than 50 high school junior recruits and their parents were among the crowd getting a taste of the NU football experience.

Much of Saturday’s workout was dedicated to live scrimmage work, including goal line and short yardage drills, as well as 10-play drive sets. Head Coach Bill Callahan was pleased with the amount of work his squad was able to put in during the two-hour practice.

"We got a lot of repetition in, and it was just another opportunity to maximize the 15 (spring) practices that we have," Callahan said. "It was great work, especially for our young players. They got a lot of reps. We are still working to build our depth, and that provided us with a lot of insight about our players today."

The Huskers placed a large amount of focus on the running game Saturday, as at least one drive featured nearly a two-to-one run-pass ratio.

"We want to keep emphasizing the run," Callahan said. "We are trying to work that aspect as hard as we can this spring. We wanted to set the pace for our offense and get our guys working in that phase, especially early. Early in the scrimmage we wanted to run the football, and I thought we were successful."

Callahan said he is pleased with the progress the young Husker offensive line has shown through the first half of spring ball.

"Our young (offensive) line is coming along. They are getting better. Slauson, Huff and Christensen, even Greg Austin stepping in at the center position did a great job. All of those guys provided the holes and opportunities for our (I-backs) to make plays.

"Our progress is improving. We really drill it on a daily basis in terms of getting the most out of our players, the schemes and techniques. Improving fundamental techniques?that’s the emphasis we place on the offensive line, and that’s what we’ve been seeing on the practice field. We’re going to continue that emphasis, keep competing like crazy and digging a little deeper to improve our overall team."

The Huskers return to the practice field Monday afternoon with spring workout No. 8 inside the Hawks Championship Center.