NU Notebook: Vedral Ready, If Needed

Scott Frost has a friend who has climbed Mount Everest, and the Nebraska football coach has told his team about how his friend responded when asked what he did differently to prepare for the strenuous, life-threatening hike.
 
His answer? Nothing. If you have to change something, Frost's friend says, you probably shouldn't be hiking Mount Everest in the first place.
 
Sophomore quarterback Noah Vedral shared that story at Monday's weekly news conference.
 
"That's a quote that kind of goes for this week for the quarterback unit," Vedral said. "We don't need to do anything different. We prepare the same every week, regardless of the team or who's playing or whatever the situation may be."
 
This week's situation, as Nebraska (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten Conference) prepares for Saturday's game at Minnesota (5-0, 2-0), is the unknown status of starting quarterback Adrian Martinez, who left the Huskers' victory against Northwestern with an injury.
 
Frost didn't divulge much information regarding Martinez, saying only coaches have the week to see where Martinez is, and that he's comfortable if Nebraska must turn to Vedral and true freshman Luke McCaffrey.
 
"If Adrian is ready to go, that's awesome; hoping for the best for him," said Vedral, who took the brunt of the snaps with the No. 1 offense in Monday's practice. "Myself and the quarterbacks, we'll be ready when we need to be and if we need to be."
 
Vedral, playing the entire fourth quarter against Northwestern, competed two of his five passes for 41 yards, including a 32-yard strike to Wan'Dale Robinson that set up Lane McCallum's walk-off field goal in a 13-10 victory. Vedral also ran seven times for 33 yards, and showed poise in leading the offense.
 
"It was like nothing changed," offensive tackle Matt Farniok said of Vedral leading the offense. "Our quarterbacks, they do a great job of just being ready. Like he was saying earlier, their job is to be ready no matter what happens or who is playing.
 
"Whatever happens, if Adrian comes out, then next man up. We don't believe in a drop-off, so he stepped up and he took control and he did a fantastic job. He did exactly what we expected of him."
 
After all, Vedral has as more years of experience than Martinez, a true sophomore, in running Frost's offense. Vedral played as a true freshman at UCF as the Knight's No. 2 quarterback and was 22-of-27 passing for 276 yards, with 77 rushing yards in eight games.
 
"I take pride in making quick, decisive decisions," said Vedral, who redshirted last year with Nebraska while playing in one game. "Then once that decision is made, it's making it work the best that I can. That's what I've done for the last two and a half years of my career, and that is what I will continue to do. That's what I think is what I do best."
 
Vedral also noted the importance of remaining engaged throughout the week and during games as a backup quarterback, and playing, in a sense, through the eyes of Martinez.
 
"We make sure we know what's called, and make sure we are watching the defense," Vedral said. "Some of us might have a role to watch his feet and make sure he's carrying out his fakes correctly. A vast majority of us will watch the game and try to play it as if we were him. What would we do? That way when he comes off the field, we can talk to him."
 
Vedral, a Wahoo native, is the son of Mike Vedral, who played and lettered at Nebraska from 1990-92. Noah also has three uncles, Jon Vedral, Mark Vedral and Matt Turman, who've played for the Huskers.
 
Among those players, Turman perhaps has the most notable performance in Nebraska history, leading the unbeaten, No. 2 Huskers to a 17-6 victory at No. 16 Kansas State as the No. 3 quarterback, in the 1994 national championship season, when Tommie Frazier and Brook Berringer were both injured.
 
Now, Vedral may find himself in a similar position.
 
"I am hoping I get to talk to him sometime early this week," he said of Turman and his experience. "I think he is going to have great insight for me. It will be fun to hear how he prepared for it and what he thought." 
 
Frost played with Turman and Jon Vedral and regarded them as great athletes and players. In knowing the Vedral family well, he recruited Noah as a scholarship player to UCF. Playing for his grandfather, Tim Turman, at Neumann High School, Vedral threw for a career 4,561 yards and rushed for 2,250 yards.
 
"We like the way Noah threw. Liked his athletic ability," Frost said, noting Vedral's accomplishments also in basketball and track and field.
 
"We knew he had the speed that he needed. He's just got the right mentality. We saw something in him, and he hasn't disappointed us. He's been a really good player, and if it is his turn to play on Saturday, I feel great about him."

McCaffrey Ready, Too
 
When Vedral entered for Martinez in the fourth quarter, quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco, through his headset in the coaches' box, asked Frost who should play if, for instance, Vedral happened to lose his helmet and would have to leave the game.
 
Frost immediately said McCaffrey. And no sooner did Frost make that decision did Vedral indeed lose his helmet and, by rule, have to leave the game for one play.
 
You'd better believe McCaffrey was ready for his college debut.
 
"We were still getting Noah off the ground," Farniok said, "and I look around and was like, 'Luke's here.' "
 
That, Vedral said, is a prime example of how McCaffrey works.
 
"I mean he's pretty fast, might as well try him, right?" Vedral joked. "But no, that was fine. I was excited for him. He's a quick kid. He's on top of things."
 
Farniok said McCaffrey, who ran one play, a keeper over left tackle for 3 yards, embodies the "next man up" mentality.
 
"I mean, that is part of the thing, why he is so quick and just ready, is because he is here to play football, and he is really good at playing football," Farniok said. "When he comes, he knows what he is going to do, and we know that he knows what he is going to do.
 
"He's like the Energizer bunny. I have never seen someone that can just keep sprinting and not get tired."
 
Frost said McCaffrey is a special athlete, and is going to be a special player. That's why it's unfortunate, Frost said, that McCaffrey, on just one snap, used one of the four games he can play while still maintaining a redshirt.
 
Frost said McCaffrey won't play in more than three more games.
 
"We definitely want to save his years, so we have to be smart," Frost said. "I would love to see him out there doing something, but we have to be smart in which other games we play him in."


 
No Explanation
 
Have you ever watched one of those Big 12 Conference football games, where one team gains 650 yards, but gives up 700, and loses?
 
That, John Cook said, is the best analogy he can make to explain how his Nebraska volleyball team could hit .336 – and still lose.
 
"Otherwise," Cook said, "I can't figure it out or explain it. All I know is we've got to finish."
 
Wisconsin hit .376 in its 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 victory Saturday in Lincoln, marking the first time in the Cook era that Nebraska has lost a match where it hit at least .300. Prior to Saturday, the Huskers were 299-0 under Cook in such matches.
 
"Neither team could stop each other," Cook said. "We made a couple of errors at the end – overpasses, missed serves, hitting error here and there.
 
"We were on their tendencies. We were doing the right things. We were in the right spots. It's just their attackers were better than our defense."
 
Cook wonders if his team was tired after opening conference play with three road matches in a six-day span, including its longest conference trip of the season, a midweek trip to Rutgers.
 
Whatever the case, Nebraska has this week to regroup, with no midweek matches ahead of two home weekend clashes with Michigan State and Michigan.
 
"You're just trying to keep them sharp and fresh," Cook said. "That's the key. And rested."
 
Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.