“I was like, ‘Oh sh …’”
Aaron Williams trailed off before completing the sentence. But, yes, he said, that was his reaction last week when news broke that Chris Jones could be out four to six months with a knee injury.
Williams, a junior safety, said Nebraska has the means to fill in for Jones in the short term. He can “name drop” guys like DiCaprio Bootle, Eric Lee and sophomore Jeremiah Stovall as those who can contribute.
But eventually, he added, Nebraska will get one of its leaders back.
“Everybody gotta elevate their game to get better,” Williams said. “We have a lot of young corners that are going to be ready to step in and fill his shoes for the time being, and everybody else that’s been there, we have to just elevate our game.
“(Jones’) spirit is high. Me personally, knowing Chris, I think he’s going to be better this year than he was last year. I watched Chris put in so much work, so many hours, so this is a little speed bump in the road, but he’s going to get over it.”
Like Williams, linebacker Chris Weber’s first thought when he heard the news wasn’t whether Kalu would move back to corner or stay at safety. It was for the friend who has been the epitome of hard work for years within the program.
“The first thing I felt was I felt bad for Chris,” Weber said. “How hard he’s worked to be where he’s at, going into his senior year and coming off a great junior year. My initial reaction was I just felt bad for Chris. But I also know he works as hard as anybody. He desires to be great, so I know he’ll bounce back stronger than ever.”
Huskers bond in Chicago
Williams, Chris Weber and Tanner Lee didn’t realize it until it was too late. All had brought blue suits to media days.
The three Nebraska player reps at the annual league event spent much of Tuesday working the interview circuit in their similar attire. Weber was the only one sporting a blue tie while his teammates each opted for red.
But the Huskers still had plenty of time for some bonding outside of their media obligations. They took an elevated train to visit Wrigley Field on Monday night after indulging in some local deep-dish pizza. Weber and Williams shared a hotel room while Lee — set to be the starting quarterback this season as a junior transfer — had his own.
“We hung out,” Weber said. “I found out (Williams) snores when he sleeps. He would tell you I talk in my sleep, which I don’t know about that. It was funny. He put on a suit this morning and I don’t think he’d ever worn a suit before. So he threw it on and thought that he was looking pretty nice.”
The three also lip-synced a Justin Timberlake song as part of the festivities. Williams moved lightly on his feet while Weber and Lee slid from side to side behind him.
“Tanner and I told (Williams) that we’d be his backup dancers if he’d take the lead,” Weber said. “He danced for 30 seconds just right in front of us. It was nice to have. I told him I’d handle the tough questions if he handled the dancing.”
Quick hits
» Senior walk-on Tyler Hoppes might be the best receiving tight end Riley has coached in some time, the coach said. Tanner Lee said Hoppes, who does not have a catch at Nebraska, may not be as fast as former tight end Cethan Carter, but he’s close.
» Domann is open to redshirting this season after tearing his ACL in spring practice. Riley hasn’t broached the subject with Chris Jones, who had cartilage surgery, because he wanted to let the “dust settle.” Riley has only talked with Jones twice over the phone regarding the injury thus far.
“Too soon after the surgery to have that conversation is not a good idea,” Riley said.
» Riley said he expects the offensive line to “play well, and frankly they need to.” It’s important for Nebraska to effectively run screens and draws to help the offensive line, too, Riley said.
» Two true freshmen who should play, Riley said, are linebacker Avery Roberts of Wilmington, Delaware, and receiver Tyjon Lindsey of Corona, California. Roberts enrolled early and is recovering from a stress fracture but should be 100 percent by the season. Lindsey arrived this summer.
“We’ve got to push him and coach him hard and try in every way to get him comfortable to play,” Riley said of Lindsey. “Whatever that means in terms of packaging, we’ve got to get Tyjon involved in some fashion.”
Lee said Lindsey might be the fastest player on the team.
» Don’t judge receiver Stanley Morgan by his arrest in Florida for marijuana possession, Riley said.
“Stan has a great loyalty, actually — despite what everybody knows about him publicly in a negative regard — he brings another part to the team where he can put them on his back and he’ll be a good, loyal player for our team,” Riley said.
» Nebraska learned a lot in its 62-3 loss to Ohio State last season, Riley said. The Huskers host OSU this season and are in the midst of playing the Buckeyes for four straight seasons.
“It hit me right between the eyes of where we have to go,” Riley said. “When it’s all said and done, and you get embarrassed like that, and that’s the way that thing looked, then you’ve got to go back to work with the football part of it — if you want to compete at that level.”
» When asked which position was the most important in the 3-4 defense, Riley quipped “Lawrence Taylor.” In other words, the pass-rushing outside linebacker. Riley said Nebraska didn’t have a Taylor-type player yet, but was working on it, and cited Alex Davis, Marcus Newby and Sedrick King as some players who could be factors.
» Outside of Roberts, Jones and Domann, Riley said Nebraska had no known injuries headed into practice, which begins Sunday. Alex Davis (foot) should be 100 percent for the start of camp, while some players who tend to have minor injury issues crop up — such as sophomore DaiShon Neal — have to be watched closely but should be fine.
