Sports

Nebraska QB situation

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:58:33 +0000

Nebraska put the finishing touches on its spring practice schedule Saturday with its annual Red-White Game in Lincoln.
The biggest question mark facing the Huskers this spring centered on quarterback. Who would replace the gutsy, overachieving Joe Ganz? OK, maybe it wasn't that big of a mystery.
After Patrick Witt announced his decision to transfer, that basically left Zac Lee as the frontrunner with Kody Spano and freshman Cody Green in pursuit.
A knee injury sidelined Spano and Green has also been hobbled. The injury bug forced Coach Bo Pelini to move linebacker LaTravis Washington to quarterback. After watching the Spring Game, it wasn't just a quirky move. Washington has some ability.
Although Washington is a talented athlete and Green has an impressive prep background, the 2009 Huskers appear to be Lee's team.
"He had a great spring," Pelini said about the son of former NFL quarterback Bob Lee.
Lee has a strong arm and good feet. Although it was difficult to tell Saturday because of the "hands off" rule regarding the quarterbacks, Lee has some speed that can make things happen if a pocket collapses.
More importantly, Lee appears to have a vote of confidence of his teammates. His receivers and backs raved about his ability.
Lee's health is of the utmost importance. With a true freshman and a former linebacker as his top backups, NU has talked to former Duke point guard Greg Paulus as possibly joining the mix this fall. Paulus was an outstanding prep player, but that was four years ago.
No matter what happens with Paulus, Lee will be NU's man when the season starts. He has a good pedigree and the right mix of talent and composure.
The season can't get here soon enough. Everyone is curious to see how this next NU quarterback chapter plays out.

Patrick Witt

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:32:35 +0000

Subtract one of the candidates seeking to replace Joe Ganz as the starting quarterback for the University of Nebraska.
Sophomore Patrick Witt, who served as a backup to Ganz in 2008, will transfer at the end of the spring semester. He was expected to battle junior-to-be Zac Lee, redshirt freshman Kody Spano and the much hyped Cody Green for the starting job in 2009.
His father, Gene Witt, declined to provide much information on the decision when contacted by various media outlets. That is unfortunate because that leaves fans speculating on what factors made the younger Witt decide Lincoln wasn't for him. This will only add fuel to the rumor mill.
Witt has a history of not staying in one place too long. He started his career at Chattahoochee High School in Atlanta before transferring to a school in Lilburn, Ga. After a season there, he moved to Dallas and then eventually Wylie (Texas) High School.
Should fans assume that the job is now Lee's to lose? Will Spano play a factor? Is Green as good as advertised or is he just Curt Dukes or Harrison Beck II?
Witt is a 4.0 student so this probably wasn't a flippant decision. Still, one wonders why someone would walk away from the opportunity to play a key part of Nebraska's resurgence.

Nebraska football recruiting

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:25:23 +0000

Forgive me for not getting too excited about the 2009 Nebraska football recruiting class.
Please don't take that as a knock on NU coach Bo Pelini or his staff. I just think it is kind of silly to get enthralled or depressed about a group of teenagers who haven't even donned practice pads for the Big Red.
I used to gobble up as much information as I could about recruiting. I winced when Nebraska lost out to Georgia for Hines Ward more than a decade ago. I cursed Charles Woodson for helping Michigan lure Larry Foote to the Wolverines instead of the Huskers in 1998.
Analyzing recruiting classes has made so-called experts like Allen Wallace, Jeremy Crabtree and Tom Lemming household names during this time of year. More power to the recruiting gurus and their pocketbooks.
What has turned me off, however, is that recruiting is - prepare for the understatement of the year - far from an exact science. The next-door neighbor or the businessman down the street can provide as good of a guess as which players will develop into contributors and which ones won't.
A lot of time and energy is spent making predictions that so-and-so will be the next Broderick Thomas or Ahman Green. Thomas and Green were two players who lived up their recruiting hype, but many fall way short of expectations.
Others, like former NU receiver Nate Swift and quarterback Joe Ganz, barely made a blip on the national recruiting radar, but went on to solid careers.
Pelini's second official class is in the books. Experts can say what they want about Chris Williams, Cole Pensick and others, but their value won't be judged for three, four or five years down the road.
Pelini didn't comment about any individual recruits during his press conference Wednesday. That's smart. Why comment on athletes who haven't earned anything yet?
Time will tell who were gems and the busts of this class.

Super Bowl aftermath

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:27:12 +0000

Pittsburgh defeated Arizona 27-23 Sunday night in Super Bowl XLIII in a game that was just as exciting as the New York Giants' upset of New England last year.
Anyone rooting for the underdog this year has to be disappointed. The Cardinals came within an eyelash of winning, but a 100-yard interception return by defensive stud James Harrison and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's steady play derailed the Cardinals' Cinderella story.
What will be interesting to watch in the offseason is what Cardinals' quarterback Kurt Warner decides to do about his future. With the exception of the ill-fated pass that Harrison turned into six points, Warner was solid for the Cardinals.
Warner has several explosive offensive options at his disposal, including receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Rookie running back Tim Hightower also appears to have a bright future.
There has been much debate on whether Warner will eventually go into the Hall of Fame. Here's hoping that he will come back to the Cardinals next year to continue to build his resume for the hall.
The Cardinals will have some financial issues to decide, especially in regards to Boldin, but Arizona is a lot better team with Warner than without him.

Nebraska and Creighton basketball

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:22:33 +0000

As the NCAA Tournament unfolds, it is easy to focus on the North Carolinas, Dukes and Pittsburghs of the world and forget about this state's only two Division I programs.
Creighton and Nebraska both passed their first-round tests in the NIT this week. The Huskers trounced Charlotte while the Jays battled back from a double-digit deficit to defeat Rhode Island.
The NIT is often called the "No one is interested tournament" or "Non-Intriguing Tournament." While it is true that the NIT is a weak sister of the NCAA event, it is still basketball and it gives young teams like the Huskers and Jays extra games.
Dana Altman's Jays have served notice that they will be a force in the Missouri Valley Conference in the next few years. It is no secret that Altman can flat-out coach and he has some young talent that will only mature and blossom in upcoming seasons.
Doc Sadler has done a solid job with the Huskers. Although center Aleks Maric will be missed next year, Sadler is slowly assembling a team that could make a jump from respectable to contender next year. Granted, the Huskers probably won't be making any Final Four reservations in 2009, but players like Cookie Miller and Ryan Anderson give NU a solid nucleus.
Sadler also has some promising newcomers who redshirted this season which only heighten the optimism.
It is OK to scoff at the NIT appearances, but remember that Altman and Sadler expect more from their respective teams. Both the Huskers and Jays have the potential to be in the "Big Dance" next year. I don't think their coaches will be happy with anything less.