The Nebraska football team practiced for a little over two hours on the Ed and Joanne Gass practice fields located north of Memorial Stadium on Wednesday. In chilly conditions, the Huskers practiced in helmets and shoulder pads for the second straight day. With the bye week, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said backup quarterbacks Patrick Witt and Zac Lee have seen more reps in this week’s practices.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
“We put some time into Pat (Witt) and Zac (Lee),” Watson said. “We let them go a little bit. We got a chance to get them some extra reps, and let Joe (Ganz) rest up a little. I gave them even reps today with the ones and twos. We had a plus day today so we were able to give them extra time. We won’t be able to do that when we start our work on Sunday. They might get a little more time tomorrow.”
One thing coach Watson has been impressed with this year is the progression of his tight ends, led by sophomore Mike McNeill. McNeill leads the Husker tight ends with five touchdown catches on the year and is third on the team in receptions with 26. Watson stressed the importance of solid tight end play in the Husker offense.
“They have been good,” Watson said. “We’ve have three guys that can really run and catch the football. Mike (McNeill) especially and Dreu (Young), they really can run and they give you a dimension as a pass-receiving tight end. I’ve always been a big tight end guy. I think they are a big part of the passing game.”
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he Huskers will continue their bye week with another work out tomorrow afternoon. The Big Red is set to face off against Big 12 North foe Colorado on Friday, Nov. 28, at Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.