Tag Archives: Thad Randle

As Jason Ankrah looked down the defensive line Saturday, the senior saw teammates like Kevin Williams, Aaron Curry and Avery Moss with him during the first spring practice for Nebraska.

Two Husker sophomores-to-be who played a limited amount last season and a redshirt freshman. Three players who could use his help and draw from his wisdom.

Ankrah knows that changes the way he has to go about his business as he prepares for his third season as a starter at defensive end.

“I wasn’t really a vocal guy and talking this whole 3½ years I’ve been here, but I got no choice but to do it,” Ankrah said. “So I embrace it and I’m happy about it.”

Ankrah will have leadership help from Thad Randle …

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Since we’re still several hours away from Nebraska’s showdown against Wisconsin, I assume you have some time to kill.

And because you can never have too many breakdowns of a rematch, here’s my compilation of five (mostly random) things to watch in Saturday night’s Big Ten title game…

1. Will Taylor Martinez find room on the ground? Wisconsin managed to keep him somewhat contained in the first meeting — with the exception of two quarterback draw plays, which totaled 56 yards. The Badgers likely won’t blitz much at all (maybe they’ll disguise some pressures by crowding the line on third down). Their safeties will storm down at times, and they do that well. Plus, linebacker Chris Borland will make some plays. But Martinez has been …

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Nebraska’s preparing for Saturday’s rematch against Wisconsin, a game the Huskers will have to play without their most disruptive defensive tackle.

Senior Baker Steinkuhler, a game-changer in NU’s 30-27 win over the Badgers in September, is out for the Big Ten title game. This much we knew.

How do the Huskers plan to replace him? Well, that question may not be answered until Saturday, but defensive coordinator John Papuchis said Tuesday that it won’t be just one player.

“That’s why we practice the way we practice,” Papuchis said. “All of our guys get a lot of reps. When their opportunity comes, they need to be ready.”

Sophomore Chase Rome finished the Iowa game in Steinkuhler’s place and played well, according to Papuchis. But junior Thad …

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Closing in on kickoff here at Ryan Field in Evanston and it appears that Nebraska will have some minor changes to its lineup defensively against Northwestern.

Neither Chase Rome nor Kevin Williams traveled, so NU will be a little thin at defensive tackle.

Todd Peat Jr. was taking some snaps with the first-team defense in warmups, so either Peat or Thad Randle will start next to Baker Steinkuhler. Jay Guy also could see more action than he has all season.

In the secondary, cornerback Josh Mitchell is not in uniform after starting the Huskers’ first six games. NU assistant coach Terry Joseph made no mention of Mitchell possibly being out when speaking Friday at the Big Red Breakfast.

Andrew Green likely will return to the …

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Nebraska’s offense appears to have finally found its rhythm. But is it too late?

The Huskers drove 93 yards on 12 plays, trimming their deficit in half when Taylor Martinez found Rex Burkhead for a 3-yard score with 3:11 left before halftime. Martinez was 7-for-7 on the possession, throwing for 53 yards. He also had two big runs for 32 combined yards.

Wisconsin tried to answer but missed a field goal just before halftime, its efforts aided by a third down pass interference penalty on Daimion Stafford (a good call because the NU safety never looked for the ball).

Despite the sloppy start, filled with unforced errors and silly mistakes, Nebraska has a chance here. The Huskers seem to have the momentum, at least. The …

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As Nebraska’s attempted to slow down spread offenses for four weeks, the snaps have been limited for senior linebackers Alonzo Whaley and Sean Fisher. But both are expected to get more looks against Wisconsin this weekend.

And the two veterans have responded well to their increased roles, according to Pelini.

“They’ll be ready to go,” Pelini said.

But Pelini said it’s not just about Whaley and Fisher, who’ll start at the two outside linebacker spots in Nebraska’s base 4-3 defense. “Everybody’s got to execute at a high level,” Pelini said.

More notes from Pelini Thursday…

>> Safety P.J. Smith and defensive tackle Thad Randle, who have both missed some practice time this week, are healthy enough to play Saturday, Pelini said. … Defensive tackle Chase …

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Sophomore defensive tackle Chase Rome, who temporarily left the NU program last week, has rejoined the Huskers and is available to play against Idaho State Saturday, coach Bo Pelini said Thursday.

Pelini said Rome has returned with “the right attitude” after a personal issue prompted a week-long absence. Rome started the first two games at defensive tackle for Nebraska this season.

“He’s ready to come back,” Pelini said. “He’s been practicing with us all week.”

An update on the DT rotation: Junior Thad Randle (still battling back from offseason knee surgery) started in Rome’s place last week, lining up next to senior Baker Steinkuhler. Redshirt freshman Kevin Williams’ role has increased lately. The same is expected for true freshman Aaron Curry and redshirt freshman Todd …

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Nebraska made an early commitment to the running game and then burned Arkansas State deep, taking an early 14-0 as the first quarter comes to a close.

The highlight of the day so far was a 42-yard touchdown grab by sophomore Kenny Bell, who adjusted nicely to an underthrown ball and hauled it in as he fell to the turf. That touchdown, with 30 seconds left in the first, came on a play-action fake against man-to-man coverage.

Meanwhile, Arkansas State’s offense has had some success moving the football, but nothing to show for it. The Red Wolves already have 71 rushing yards in the first quarter, executing the zone read option play well enough to find holes against NU.

But an interception on a failed …

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The crowd around Nebraska coach Bo Pelini was significantly smaller this year than it was in 2011, when out-of-town reporters huddled for Bo’s thoughts and memories on the Big Ten, Woody Hayes, football philosophy and quarterback Taylor Martinez’s dramatic 2010 season.

Friday, Pelini had the NU beat reporters — four or five from recruiting Web sites — and the topics often turned, shall we say, deeply toward the rote mechanics of recruiting. And Pelini can talk recruiting when he’s prompted to discuss challenges and overall philosophy.

My colleague, Tom Shatel, made a good point Friday when he said that the old-school scribes want personality and good stories, while the new-school idea is to delve into commit lists and scouting techniques. I enjoy a flavor of …

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The four Nebraska defensive tackles who missed spring practice have been participating in workouts all summer long and will be fine when camp starts, coach Bo Pelini said Thursday.

Injuries kept sophomore Chase Rome, junior Thad Randle, redshirt freshman Kevin Williams and redshirt freshman Todd Peat from practicing in the spring. But they’re healthy now, Pelini said.

Same goes for sophomore offensive guard Jake Cotton, according to Pelini. “We’re a healthy football team,” Pelini said.

A few other newsworthy nuggets from a 20-minute interview with Pelini are below…

>> Sophomore Braylon Heard is a running back again, but he’ll continue to have a role on the defense. If the workload does get too heavy, Pelini said the staff would first decrease Heard’s defensive responsibilities.

>> …

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