Lincoln, Neb. – The Huskers practiced for just under two hours in half pads Tuesday in afternoon. The offense practiced inside Memorial Stadium and the defense practiced on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice field in preparation for the Wisconsin game this Saturday. Offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf spoke with the media following practice.
“I thought we did a great walkthrough yesterday and a good, sharp-spirited practice today. They’ve got great intentions and are practicing hard.” Langsdorf said.
Freshman running back Devine Ozigbo had a solid game last Saturday, averaging 10 yards per carry.
“I liked how he ran, Langsdorf said. I thought he had good footwork. He read the hole well, and I thought he gave us some hard yards. He gives us a little combination of power and speed.”
Langsdorf went on to talk about sophomore wide receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El and spoke of how he’d like to incorporate him back into the offense. Pierson-El missed NU’s first four games before returning in a limited role against Illinois.
“We’d like to get him going fast. We don’t want to overdo it and rush it with him, but we’d like to use him. I think he’s a valuable receiver. He’s a great returner. I think we can do some things with him handing him the ball. He’s kind of still recovering, and we’re making sure we’re not rushing him that way.” Langsdorf said.
Coach Langsdorf also spoke of how he plans on using the combination of Ozigbo and senior fullback Andy Janovich going forward.
“I think you’ll see that combination probably again. I thought it was a good change of pace for us. We want (Terrell) Newby in there a little bit too. We’re not just shelving him. He’s got some specific plays that we like (like him in).” said Langsdorf.
The Huskers will be back practicing tomorrow. Check back to Huskers.com for continued coverage. Nebraska takes on Wisconsin in Lincoln at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and the game can be found on ABC or ESPN2, depending on your location around the country. It will also be available online at WatchESPN.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Coach Langsdorf on how rare it is for a true freshman like Ozigbo to come in and make an impact on this offense.
“It’s pretty rare. I think there’s a lot to it, whether it’s runs protections or routes out of the backfield. I thought early in camp he showed some ability to handle it and the way he’s played, I think he’s done great.”