Husker O-Line Battling Through Camp

The Nebraska football team worked out for 2 ½ hours Tuesday afternoon at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields, focusing primarily on third-down conversions and the two-minute drill.

“Lots of running for the skill guys, lots of pass blocking and lots of pass rushing for the big guys,” Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Barney Cotton said of the practice.

Cotton is pleased with the progress the offensive line has made in the first 10 days of fall camp, despite injury setbacks to Ricky Henry, Mike Smith and most recently, Brent Qvale. Henry and Smith are both back suited up for the Big Red, while Qvale is expected to miss the remainder of fall camp.

“Sometimes your development is maybe not as fast as you would like, but on the other hand, when you’ve got guys who aren’t out there for a period of time, you’re developing more depth,” Cotton said. “On the one hand, you’d like to be developing a lot more continuity with the guys that are probably going to play, but you’re also getting some other guys seasoned and ready to go, and maybe that can help our depth down the road.”

One player who has filled in capably for the offensive line has been senior Derek Meyer, a walk-on transfer from Kansas State who had to sit out the 2008 season. Meyer still made an impression last season, earning co-MVP of the offensive scout team, and is now impressing Cotton with a chance to earn playing time.

“Derek’s done a good job throughout camp. He’s challenging at either guard spot,” Cotton said. “We’ve had him at right (guard), now we’re trying to season him up at left, just seeing what the best fit for him is going to be.”

Tuesday’s practice marked the Huskers’ third of nine this week, and Cotton said players are feeling the sting a little bit.

“The big thing right now is we’ve got to find out which guys can really push themselves through it, and which guys are willing not just to compete against each other, but to compete against themselves,” Cotton said. “That’s what this week is kind of about too, to see which guys can really execute when the times get tough and when they get a little bit tired.”

The Huskers face their third two-a-day of fall camp on Wednesday.  

Nebraska senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh earned another preseason honor as he was among the 62 players initially selected for the Bronko Nagurski Watch List. The complete list can be found on the Football Writer’s Association of America web site at http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/news/2009/nagurski090818.html.