10 things we learned in the spring in Nebraska

The fans had a little more time for the starting quarterback Adrian Martinez that some were waiting, while he was playing the first five disks of the red team for a total of 23 shots.

After leaving the game, however, it was when the real quarterback competition started. Bunch started the first five orders of the white team, and he, Noah Vedral, and Luke McCaffrey finished the game

While Bunch started in front of Martinez, Vedral and McCaffrey were more successful in their opportunities. L & # 39; s head coach Scott Frost said in his post-match interview that Vedral would be the # 2 quarterback if NU were to play a game tomorrow, but added that the battle behind Martinez was far from over.

"The other three guys did good things," Frost said. "I've made some mistakes here and there, and there's a learning curve out there, but I feel good about this piece in general. We will let the competition stay open throughout the fall. "

Aside from a brief fear when the corner half Dicaprio Bootle Nebraska was briefly injured in the right leg in the second quarter (he picked up and walked on his own). Nebraska has reached its biggest goal of the day by avoiding notable injuries.

There's a reason why Frost mentioned that in his opening response after the match, his most pressing concern for Spring was finding the right balance between providing a good show to the 85,000 spectators at Memorial Stadium while preserving health. of his guys.

With the exception of a few bumps, bruises and small mishaps, the Huskers survived the spring ball, and for Frost, that victory was as important as anything else.

"My first thought is that I'm glad we came out of spring healthy," Frost said. "Most of the time, we did not have major problems. I think we came out pretty healthy today. "

The red team certainly competed at the bridge with almost all players in the first team, but the red and white defenses came to play on Saturday and ended a mighty spring.

The red defense started with the first planned unit of Darrion Daniels, Ben Stille, and Carlos Davis on the defensive line; Mohamed Barry, Collin Miller, Alex Davis, and JoJo Domann at the linebacker; and Bootle, Lamar Jackson, Marquel Dismuke, and Deontai Williams in the secondary.

This group smothered the White's offense all day, placing only 14 of 34 passes, a total of 155 yards, a pick and four sacks. To take away Matt Masker's 55 yard bomb at Wyatt Liewer, the red defense would have kept the White less than 200 yards and zero touchdown.

The jump made by the defense since the end of last season was one of the best scenarios of the spring, and Saturday's spring match gave a good overview of the reason.

"We're really good, like, really good," Daniels said. "The teams that I played on were really good and had many of the older leaders, but in this defense, there is leadership everywhere, we asked a lot of young people to ask a lot of accounts to a lot of old people, and vice versa.I think there's really a good balance so everyone keeps everyone well. "

Last season, there was a moment when the baseball game in Nebraska, for the first time in years, seemed to be on a very fragile terrain. Barret Pickering, then a real freshman, missed four of his first eight goals to start the year.

But the player from Birmingham, Alaska, turned around making his last 10 attempts. On Saturday, Pickering still looked calm and collected, scoring his three goals of 27, 33 and 45 yards and scoring four more points.

Nebraska has been a bit spoiled by its series of top kickers over the years. Therefore, for Pickering, his game, comparable to that he has since last November, will bring some comfort in the third element.

He may still have a steep climb to get ready for a job, but McCaffrey explained why the Nebraska coaching staff was so excited about his potential.

The real freshman only completed three of his 13 passes as he played with the Red and White faults, but he also played a few plays that made eyebrows on Saturday. McCaffrey has demonstrated his ability to improvise out of pocket and save time with his feet. He also showed his dynamic speed as a runner.

The former three-star has not scored any touchdown and has launched an interception, but these two areas are also the fault of his receivers. His choice came on a deflection of his target's hands, and he and a potential touchdown pass dropped into the end zone.

"I think it's a well-composed kid who's going to be able to handle it," Martinez said of McCaffrey. "The first time you're in front of 90,000 people, there's not much you can really do, but I think he did a good job. I really did. He made very good throws, good games and he controlled what he could. I think he's done a solid job there. "

The arrival of Daniels as a Oklahoma State graduate was one of the spring stories, and his unofficial debut as a Husker did not disappoint.

Daniels only had three tackles and a half for the loss, but his presence in the middle of NU's first line of defense was evident in the first game.

He combined on a TFL and then pushed his blocker into the quarter to help cause a gap in the Reds' first-ever defensive series, and he helped his team keep the White team only 81 yards rushing in 25 runs .

The fun part is to imagine how good Daniels could be with a few months of learning from the Nebraska program to his credit.

"I know this spring, I was really trying to regain my position as a defensive lineman," Daniels said. "I'm just trying to reduce my scales and always tell them to see the whole scheme of defense, to try to understand the covers and the way linebackers do it." So, I get the impression that we are trying to understand the whole defense instead of D-line. "

Alex Davis Always seemed to have the tools to play a pivotal role in Nebraska's defense, but he never seemed comfortable enough to maximize his abilities on match day.

All spring reports were announced that something was wrong with the elder 6 feet 5 inches, 255 pounds, and he gave every reason to believe him on Saturday. Davis was credited with two bags at the top of the match and his interception down the court was canceled when Bunch was judged on a touch bag.

The Riviera Beach, Florida native was the strong starting linebacker for the Red team, and if he continues to play, he will likely be on the first unit again in September.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the spring game was Nebraska, as one of the three punters was not very consistent.

Senior Isaac Armstrong, who took charge last season, averaged a modest 37.5 yards on all four holes and did not place any goals inside the 20-yard line. Caleb Lightbourn, who lost his job to Armstrong, did not make much of his point by throwing a punt three times for an average of 29.3 yards.

Walk on Jackson Walker got the majority of the work for the white team, posting the best average of the day (39.2) on four kicks, placing two out of 20.

In the return match, there was no kickoff during Saturday's intra-team scrum. In addition, given the number of key players who attended the spring game, many of the contenders for the best kick returner position were not even available to play.

As a result, the corner half Cam Taylor performed all the tasks related to the return of the punt, and he caught the four balloons that he lined up the same day.

Due to the rarity of Nebraska's running depth this spring, guys like Jaylin Bradley and Brody Belt had golden opportunities to shine in the red-white game.

Although neither of them posted staggering figures, they both had good days and led their respective teams, red and white, to the race. Bradley, one of two defenders of the scholarships available for the match, has rushed 12 times for a record 57 yards, recording in particular the longest course of the day at 18 yards. .

Belt, who appeared to be a great spring story thanks to his regular play, carried the ball 13 times, a top in the game, for a total of 53 yards, and he scored a touchdown to the first goal canceled by a penalty.

The backyard will change drastically this fall when new faces arrive on campus, but Bradley and Belt have both made their point before the summer.

What makes Spring so special is how much it means to Nebraska fans.

For coaches and players it's a fun experience, but overall it's just one of 15 spring practices. For the fans, however, this is one of the most memorable moments of the off-season, and the 85,946 fans who registered at the Memorial Stadium made Saturday another unforgettable red-and-white match.

"It's a little outdated (my expectations)," said Daniels. "It was probably the greatest number of fans I've seen in a stadium all through my university career, and it's just a spring game, I can only imagine what it would be like. like for a real game. "