Tag Archives: Spencer Long

Nebraska offensive guard Spencer Long Tuesday won second-team All-American honors from the Associated Press. No other Huskers were named to any of the three teams.

NU has not had a first-team All-American offensive lineman since 2001 with Toniu Fonoti.

Here’s the full list.…

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A mini-momentum boost for Minnesota just before halftime as the Gophers stuff Imani Cross at the goal-line to keep their deficit at 24-0.

Not much else has gone right for Minnesota, though.

Credit the Huskers, who’ve had forgettable first halves in Big Ten play. Not Saturday against Minnesota. Focused and sharp, Nebraska’s controlled this one from the start.

Quarterback Taylor Martinez has 221 yards through the air (17 of 23) against the nation’s seventh-ranked pass defense. Better yet, he’s turnover-free.

On the other side of the ball, the Blackshirts have controlled the line of scrimmage and have imposed their physical style of play on the outside. Minnesota has only 60 yards after two quarters and just four first downs (three on one possession).

The Gophers …

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Nebraska’s averaged 7.8 penalties in four Big Ten games, more than any other team in a league full of squads that don’t traditionally draw flags often. And it’s a concern, according to assistant coach John Garrison.

In conference play, only three Big Ten teams have averaged more than six penalties per game.

Sure, the rate that a team commits penalties doesn’t always correlate accurately to its final record (Ohio State’s second-to-last in the league, at 7.2 flags per game, yet it’s undefeated). Some judgment calls are debatable. But there are enough no-brainer infractions that have Nebraska’s coaches emphasizing cleaner play.

When a Husker player commits a penalty in practice, everything comes to a screeching halt, Garrison told a crowd of about 250 Nebraska fans at …

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On the fourth snap of the game, senior running back Rex Burkhead found a running lane and exploded down the sideline for a career-long 57-yard run.

Burkhead bobbled the handoff. Looked like he might drop it in the backfield, actually.

But he regained control and followed offensive guard Spencer Long through the line of scrimmage, into the open field.

Burkhead, a relentless self-critic, has regularly spoken about a desire to be more explosive, to have more of those long runs that tend to instantly seize momentum. Mission accomplished.

Burkhead’s score, with 13:42 left on the first quarter clock, has Nebraska in front, 7-0. And the Huskers are getting the ball back for Drive No. 2 after the commercial break.

>> Southern Miss had some success …

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Just a few leftover quotes here that, I think, help to convey the pure gratitude and joy that is presumably overwhelming the five Nebraska walk-ons who now are officially on scholarship for the 2012-13 academic year.

It’s a day that every walk-on works toward, looks forward to, cherishes. And considering the legacy that several distinguished walk-ons have within this program’s history, it’s a day that should be significant for all Huskers.

Junior Spencer Long and senior Brett Maher were told in the summer, but it’s pretty clear that hearing Bo Pelini call their names Saturday was still a surreal moment. The other three honored: seniors Justin Jackson, Seung Hoon Choi and Justin Blatchford. More coming Sunday.

>> Choi indicated that the entire team was pretty …

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Quick hits from Saturday’s scrimmage:

>> Nebraska coach Bo Pelini awarded junior Spencer Long and seniors Seung Hoon Choi, Justin Jackson, Justin Blatchford and Brett Maher scholarships for the upcoming season. Walk-ons Jase Dean, Graham Stoddard and Kenny Anderson will be put on scholarship during the second semester. Long and Maher were put on scholarship earlier this summer.

Pelini announced the new scholarship players at a midfield huddle after Saturday’s scrimmage.

“Words can’t describe,” Jackson said. “It chokes me up talking about it now. Been a long time. A lot of work. Coach Bo takes care of us. Great feeling. I was always hoping. We got a lot of guys on our team that bust their butt and work really hard. To hear my name …

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The 2012 version of Phil Steele’s college football bible hits newsstands in early June — I’m convinced it’s more useful for journalists and gamblers than it is for casual fans — but the Cleveland-based publisher has been dropping preseason all-conference teams (four deep!) on the Web site.

I present you with his four All-Big Ten teams.

Steele has three Huskers — running back Rex Burkhead, guard Spencer Long and kicker/punter Brett Maher — on his first team, with Maher taking honors at kicker and punter. Wisconsin had seven players on Steele’s first team. Seems a little high — Mike Taylor and Chris Borland have stiff competition at linebacker, if you ask me — but it reflects the Badgers’ ability to develop players at certain …

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Roved around a lot today. Picked up some good stuff. Among the items:

>> Tyler Evans has been a pleasant surprise at wide receiver, said position coach Rich Fisher, and Jamal Turner’s growth, Fisher said, “is like night and day.” Junior Quincy Enunwa and sophomore Kenny Bell, Jr., have taken on a leadership role in practice, Fisher said.

>> Two defenders have told me in the last two practices that Aaron Green and Ameer Abdullah are looking terrific. Quicker. Faster. Running backs coach Ron Brown doesn’t dispute it, saying lean mass gained in the offseason helped both. Abdullah got loose on a play down the sideline Wednesday, Brown said.

>> Andrew Rodriguez is gonna stay at tackle for awhile. That’s a big thumbs up for …

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Quick hits and notes from Bo Pelini’s and Tim Beck’s spring football pressers. Check tomorrow’s World-Herald for a full-scale rundown from Jon and Rich, plus Tom Shatel’s take on the afternoon.

For now, chew away. You’ll notice two categories:

Big picture stuff:

>> Wednesday meetings — featuring all of the players and coaches — have altered the team’s chemistry dynamic in a positive way. They’re voluntary — but everyone wants to be there. Check Shatel’s column for a lot of details you may not have heard in the presser.

>> Older players are also conducting study sessions where they teach younger players about some aspect of the offensive or defensive scheme. Then all the players have to pass a test to move on the next week. …

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Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard said the plan — at least for now — calls for him to line up against South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery for four full quarters during Monday’s Capital One Bowl.

Should be an fun matchup to watch. Dennard’s pumped.

“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “Let the best man win.”

Husker fans know all about Dennard. No need to mention his accolades.

Here are Jeffery’s stats and measureables: The 6-foot-4, 229-pound receiver leads the Gamecocks with 45 catches. He was a Biletnikoff finalist and an All-American in 2010 (set school records with 88 catches and 1,517 receiving yards). Jeffery will be quarterback Connor Shaw’s top target in the Capital One Bowl, no doubt.

Rarely does Nebraska assign one cornerback to …

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