LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Tommy Armstrong Jr. remains Nebraska’s No. 1 quarterback heading into coach Mike Riley’s first spring practice with the Cornhuskers.
Besides that, the offense is going to look much different as Riley begins installing a pro-style system when practice begins Saturday.
Armstrong said Wednesday he won’t get nearly the number of rushing attempts in the new offense. Armstrong ran 145 times in 2014, mostly on designed runs and zone-read keepers.
Riley said he would divide the team into two groups for spring practices so he can familiarize himself with and better evaluate the players. Coaches will conduct two separate practices each day, with about 60 players on Team Red and 60 on Team White. The spring game is April 11.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong Jr. was running play after play during a preseason practice and was beginning to wear down in the heat.
He could have asked for a break, but he didn’t have to. An assistant strength coach who was keeping electronic tabs on Armstrong could tell by looking at his laptop that the quarterback was fatigued. Armstrong was ordered to the sideline.
“Dial it down,” he was told.
Armstrong had just entered the “red zone” — and not the kind that extends from the end zone to the 20-yard line. This “red zone” meant Armstrong — who was wearing a tracking device relaying biomechanical data to the staffer’s laptop in real time — was overexerting himself and at greater risk for injury.
It’s one of the features of technology being used by about 30 college football teams and 15 NFL teams to monitor the movements and physical output of players during conditioning, practices and games.
The Australia-based company Catapult developed the system about eight years ago. Rugby and soccer teams were among the first to use it. Football teams in the United States began signing on with Catapult three years ago, and several hockey and basketball teams have followed.
“You build a portfolio of data on each player so over a period of time you can tell when they’re wearing down, do they need an extra rest, do they need a day off, all those things,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. “The most important thing is what you do throughout the week to get them ready to perform at their peak, at their optimal level, come game day.”
At Nebraska, the top 50 football players slip a monitor weighing about 3 ounces into a pouch in the back of the tight-fit shirts they wear under their shoulder pads. Head strength coach James Dobson said it’s too expensive to track all of the Huskers’ 130 players. As it is, Nebraska will pay Catapult more than $363,000 over three years to rent equipment.
Each monitor includes a GPS device and other sensors that measure hundreds of variables per second, many of them hard to pronounce.
Some of the basic metrics: how far and fast did the player travel during a practice or game, his rate of acceleration, how many times he went right vs. left and whether he moved faster when he went one way or the other. The monitor is so sensitive that it can detect even a slight change in a player’s gait, which can be a sign of fatigue or injury.
Data collected is put into an algorithm developed by Catapult, and the result is a number called “player load.” The load is a number that varies depending on a player’s position, but the average in college football would be about 350, said Catapult sports performance manager Ben Peterson. The higher a player’s number goes, the greater his exertion.
A baseline is established for each player, and his readings can be monitored in real time.
“On certain days you have to be in certain zones,” said Armstrong, the Nebraska quarterback. “If you go over that, they tell you, ‘Hey, yesterday you were in the red, so make sure you’re not today.’ If you are in the red zone, you take a few series off.”
Under NCAA rules, Catapult data cannot be looked at in real time during games because it could provide a competitive advantage if one team is using the system and the other is not.
Peterson said college teams using the system have reported an average of a 27-percent decrease in soft-tissue injuries.
When an athlete does get hurt, sports medicine personnel can use Catapult data to manage his recovery. For instance, if an injured wide receiver were able to reach only 70 percent of his maximum acceleration or speed, it would show he has a ways to go before he’s ready to play in a game. The data also could be used to establish points of emphasis in a hurt athlete’s rehabilitation protocol.
Alabama coach Nick Saban said he looks at player load readings to see which players are working as hard as they can and, conversely, to identify ones who aren’t. Saban said players who know they’re going to play on Saturdays tend to give maximum effort all the time, but that’s not necessarily the case for those who aren’t as likely to play.
Saban said it’s telling to track defensive backs.
“When they’re covering a good receiver, their numbers are higher,” Saban said. “When they’re covering a guy who’s not as fast, they’re not as good.”
Tennessee safety Brian Randolph said the technology helps coaches put players in the best position for success.
“They don’t want to overwork us. It shows that they care,” Randolph said. “They definitely tell you when you’ve had a lot of reps or when you have a lot of mileage on your legs from the day before, so they tell you to get in the cold tub and get extra recovery.”
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. will find out how good he is when he faces Miami on Saturday night in Lincoln.
Armstrong has put up big numbers through three games, but they were against statistically the worst and second-to-worst defenses in the Bowl Subdivision and an opponent from the second-tier Championship Subdivision.
The No. 24 Cornhuskers (3-0) are fifth nationally in total offense, averaging 594 yards a game and eight per play. The Hurricanes (2-1) are eighth in total defense, allowing 259 yards a game and 3.7 per play.
When Nebraska’s self-titled “Red Storm” offense is at its best, Armstrong said he doesn’t think any defense can stop it.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. knows expectations for him will be higher this season.
Armstrong had never taken a meaningful snap when he was thrust into the starter’s job after Taylor Martinez was injured last year. Armstrong helped the Cornhuskers to a nine-win season that ended with a bowl victory over Georgia.
Armstrong says he feels more like a leader now.
Ameer Abdullah, the nation’s top returning rusher, remains the top offensive threat for seventh-year coach Bo Pelini.
The Huskers are playing in the new Big Ten West Division. They’re looking for their first conference title since 1999.
Their opener is Aug. 30 at home against Florida Atlantic.
Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska football team continued its week of preparation for Saturday’s Big Ten Conference matchup at Purdue on Tuesday afternoon. The team practiced in full pads for just over two hours inside the Hawks Center and outside at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields.
Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck addressed the media after practice, focusing on the Purdue defense the Huskers will faceon Saturday morning (11 a.m. CT start)
“Defensively, they play hard,” Beck said. “They run to the football. They tackle well, and they hit well. We have to come to play. They’re going to be fast, they’re going to play hard and they’re going to hit you.”
One area the Huskers will look to improve on against Purdue is the ability to finish drives late in the game. Although Nebraska outrushed Illinois 335-195 in Saturday’s Big Ten opener, the squad only scored three points in the final 17 minutes of the game. Coach Beck commented on his frustration and aims to improve that area this week against Purdue.
“We put in our plan today and there’s always a little bit of a learning curve when you first put stuff in,” Beck said. “We’re just trying to keep working to improve. Late in the last game, I thought we moved the ball okay, but we didn’t finish. We have to be better at finishing off those drives.”
A key to Nebraska’s success will once again be the play of quarterback Tommy Armstrong, as the redshirt freshman has thrown for 304 yards and three touchdowns this season, impressing Coach Beck with his composure.
“(Tommy Armstrong) has done a good job of being level-headed and staying poised,” Beck said. “I coached him pretty hard today, but I know that he’s the kind of guy that doesn’t let things get to him. He will need to do that on the road against a faster, more aggressive defensive football team.”
Husker fans should also be prepared to see Ron Kellogg III behind center on Saturday. According to Beck, Nebraska will use both quarterbacks in order to see who’s playing well and keep both ready in case of injury.
“You never know who’s got the hot hand,” Beck said. “You never know what’s going to happen. You better have guys ready to go in there and play. You have to play both (Tommy Armstrong) and (Ron Kellogg) so that if you have to go back to them later in the game, you aren’t going to a guy who hasn’t played at all.”
Nebraska will hit the practice field again on Wednesday as the team moves closer to its second conference game of the season. NU will face the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on BTN.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini says Taylor Martinez is doubtful for Saturday’s game against South Dakota State and that redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong Jr. is the probable starter.
Martinez has missed all week of practice because of a turf toe injury on his left foot.
Pelini said after practice Thursday that Armstrong and fifth-year senior Ron Kellogg III would take snaps against the Jackrabbits. Both played in the second half of the 56-13 win over Southern Mississippi on Sept. 7.
Pelini said the competition between Armstrong and Kellogg is close but that Armstrong had a “tremendous” week of practice.
The Cornhuskers (2-1) have an open date after this week and open Big Ten play Oct. 5 at home against Illinois.
