LINCOLN — When Nebraska football legend Tom Osborne attends a game this fall, he won’t be sitting in the North Stadium skybox he’s had since 2007.
Osborne told NU athletic department officials months ago that he was giving up the skybox, which he estimated seats 25 to 30 people, though Nebraska let him keep it after he retired as athletic director. Osborne’s successor, Shawn Eichorst, took over as A.D. on Jan. 1, 2013.
“I just felt it wouldn’t be appropriate,” Osborne said of the keeping the skybox. He got it when he became the Huskers’ A.D. in 2007. “I wasn’t doing anything specific for the athletic department.”
Eichorst, Osborne said, was fine with the national title-winning coach continuing to use the skybox for as long as he wanted, and Osborne occasionally hosted ex-players and boosters for home games. Other times, his family watched games with him. Osborne said he couldn’t think of a former university leader — such as a president or chancellor — or former coach who enjoyed a similar situation in perpetuity.
Now it’s time, he said, for the athletic department “to realize some revenue” from the box. For one transition year, Osborne said, the athletic department would likely allow ex-players and boosters to sit in the skybox. After that, it could lease the skybox.
Osborne said he likes coach Mike Riley and occasionally goes to practice when his full-time work for the TeamMates Mentoring program allows. He’ll attend some of the Husker games this fall and watch all of them.
“I’ve always been a football junkie, so on Saturdays, I’ll watch Nebraska and 10 or 15 other games,” Osborne said.
Fans shouldn’t think this decision is related to his feelings about the athletic department, Osborne said. There’s no disconnect, he said. He’ll be a part of NU’s Oct. 7 celebration of the 1997 national title squad.
“In no way is this a sign of any animosity or any rift with anybody,” he said. “I wouldn’t want people to read into it.”
Where might the 80-year-old Osborne sit when he goes to games in the fall?
“I’ll sit with various people,” he said. “I’m sure if I call, the athletic department will get a ticket.”
With versatility valued in new Huskers’ defensive scheme, players seem to be getting the 10-4 on 3-4
CHICAGO — Mike Riley has told the story before. But that’s OK. Reminiscing about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defense from the mid-1980s often puts a smile on his face.
One popular line of questioning for Nebraska’s coach at Big Ten media days Tuesday — from local and national outlets — explored the 3-4 defense the Huskers will unveil this fall after decades of running the 4-3. Why the change? And why now?
The not-so-fun start of the answer is Riley needed a new coordinator after dismissing Mark Banker, whose unit gave up 62, 40 and 38 points in games late last season. Riley knew he’d found his next coordinator after a January interview with Bob Diaco, someone who stood out because of his personality and expertise in the scheme that features three down linemen ahead of four linebackers.
That’s when Riley circles back to the Blue Bombers. His roots as a defensive coach began with the CFL squad that excelled in the 3-4 alignment — “We weren’t so fancy then; we called it a 5-2,” Riley said — that no one else was running. A quartet of play-making linebackers made the early years especially exciting.
“Those guys were hell on wheels; it was fun,” Riley said. “So it always made a big impression on me. Being different.”
About an hour later in the same McCormick Place ballroom, NU senior linebacker Chris Weber grinned when he learned what Riley said about that defense.
These Huskers aren’t there now, he said, but they’re heading in that direction.
“Let’s hope he says something (like) that about us this year at some point,” Weber said. “He hasn’t said it to us yet, but it’s what we’ll work for.”
Defenders have been sweating toward that goal all summer since Diaco began installing his system in spring practice. Players went through drills for a couple of hours each week and held weekly meetings with Diaco and their position coaches to go over their new normal. With Diaco’s arrival, it probably isn’t a coincidence that these summer workouts are more difficult than others that safety Aaron Williams and Weber recall.
And a theme emerged: Close strong. That goes for a drill, a tackle, a practice. A season.
“It would be 98 outside and we’d be out there doing a grueling workout,” Weber said. “It was really focused on finishing. That’s something that I think we can get better at and need to get better at to be a great football team.
“But you’re out there in the high-90-degree weather and you had to give that much more. You were dog-tired and you had to get through it and you had to do it well.”
Of course, Nebraska’s transition won’t be without a few hitches. Riley said coaches are still mulling whether to leave senior Joshua Kalu at safety — where he moved in the spring — or return him to cornerback in the wake of Chris Jones’ knee injury that could sideline the senior for four to six months. Dicaprio Bootle and Eric Lee are among the defensive backs who will get long looks during fall camp in August.
Beyond that, Riley said, the 3-4 switch forces Nebraska to evaluate its players in a new light. He mentioned 6-foot-5, 255-pound sophomore Alex Davis as someone coaches projected as a 4-3 defensive end. Now he’s working as a stand-up outside linebacker tasked with rushing the quarterback, dropping into coverage or plugging running lanes.
Weber — dubbed one of the team’s smartest players by Riley and Williams on Tuesday — said the biggest mental challenge of the installation is terminology. He likened it to learning a new language, which takes time and repetition.
Riley said perhaps the top allure to the 3-4 is increased versatility. He named Marcus Newby, Dedrick Young and Weber among the linebackers “finding a home.” True freshman Avery Roberts is also a contender for playing time while junior Sedrick King and his 6-4, 245-pound frame appear ideal for the new alignment.
“(King) was really a guy without a spot in the 4-3 defense. All of a sudden (he) has emerged as a guy that might be that outside linebacker type that might have all of a sudden come upon a real good deal,” Riley said. “There could be some real good stories in this linebacker thing.”
Count Williams among the Huskers excited to show off the defense — but also happy to have five more weeks to soak it in.
“We’re not looking to do a drop-off from last year to this year,” Williams said. “We’re looking to elevate. We’re looking to put up better numbers this year and the year after that and the year after that. No matter what system we’re under, we’re looking as a team of players to better our game.”
Riley said he thinks the unit will be much improved. So much so that he cited it as the reason he’s more bullish than most national and local prognosticators on Nebraska’s outlook this season.
“I’ve been real impressed with the buy-in from the players,” Riley said. “I know that is a key, key ingredient. If we can play good defense and basically not let the big plays and the big points get away from us at that, then we’re going to have a chance to win every game.
“That’s the way I feel about it.”
New wraparound boards at Memorial Stadium to mean less neck-craning
LINCOLN — Maybe it was the comeback against Michigan State in 2015 or the Hail Mary to beat Northwestern in 2013. It could have been a key catch or big tackle.
Whatever the moment, fans in the north portion of Memorial Stadium wanting to see a replay had two options: turn around or squint more than 100 yards to smaller video boards on the south side of the field.
“The north (seats) were probably the least desirable seats, so to speak,” said David Witty, Nebraska’s senior associate athletic director for marketing and communications. “But now with this, it’s a great enhancement for North Stadium.”
“This” is a pair of wraparound video boards perched in the northwest and northeast corners of the stadium. Each consists of a pair of 21-by-24-foot screens connected by a 9-foot radius — all in Super HD.
The upgraded displays are among a variety of new amenities the athletic department will unveil Saturday for Fan Day, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and gives visitors the chance to meet coaches and players and get autographs before the first practice of fall camp Sunday morning. “Lego Batman” will show on the video boards beginning at 8:30 p.m. Saturday to cap the event.
Teams recognize and continue to fight fan temptation to stay home to watch games on TV. Texas, for example, introduced alcohol sales in 2015 and announced this month that Corona would become an official sponsor. Missouri recently scheduled one-hour concerts by nationally recognized artists before each home contest. Iowa and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs are offering more affordable season tickets available only through mobile devices.
Nebraska’s latest effort begins with the boards — updated for the first time since 2006 — which Witty said are unlike any setup he’s seen. Longtime Nebraska contractor Mitsubishi came up with the design at the school’s request — it models a project the company completed in New York’s Times Square — and executed the concept with the help of various local businesses.
Demolition for the entirety of the $6.25 million project began April 17 after the spring game and construction is set to conclude before the Sept. 2 home opener. On Thursday, some scaffolding on the boards and repainting along the steps were among final touchups.
“We’re always looking for different ways to welcome fans,” Witty said. “It’s important that whatever we do here with our game presentation throughout the stadium, we’re always thinking about the fans’ experience and making this the place to be. As much as there is with TV and all of that, some of the moments we’ve had here over the years, you can be watching at home, but it’s not the same.”
Like the smaller video displays in all four corners of the facility, the main North Stadium board boasts a crisper image after being upgraded from 20-millimeter to 10-millimeter pixels. It remains at its same 118-by-33.5-foot dimensions.
A pair of ribbon boards also will be featured along the east and west balconies. The lower boards stretching 380 feet replace shorter ones, while new upper boards have been installed and measure 471 feet long. The upper board in East Stadium is where the academic All-American and sellout streak figures had been displayed, though Witty said those numbers will be moved to a higher facade.
“Between the wi-fi and the sound system and now the new video boards, it’s a great opportunity to come with a great game-day product,” Witty said.
Other changes:
» Some seats will be wider this season. Rows 80 and above in North Stadium expand from 18 inches to 22 to 24. Section 14 in South Stadium grows seat space in rows 16 through 98 from 18 inches to 20 to 22. Witty said the expansion was done in response to requests.
“If we get fan feedback, seat comfort is right there at the top,” Witty said. “We’ve got to continue to look at that as one of the top priorities for fan experience.”
» The wraparound boards can display the same image on either side or stretch one image across the entire screen.
» There will be 11 merchandise outlets this fall, nearly triple from last year. The East Stadium store will be open daily from 10 to 4 after previously operating on Fridays and game days. Another store is set to open at the College of Business Administration on Aug. 18.
» Renovations to football offices off the North Stadium concourse will be complete within a week, Witty said. The offices will likely be for graduate assistants and video personnel. Four arches flank each side of the brick-and-concrete main structure with “NEBRASKA FOOTBALL” engraved above double doors. Each arch will be filled by LED panels rotating player images. Another arch will show Husker uniforms.
» The clear-bag policy is a new security measure Nebraska is taking for all events beginning this fall. Full details are available at huskers.com/bagpolicy.
» Fan Day will be Saturday night. It had previously been Wednesdays or mid-afternoon Fridays.
» The one-year-old video boards that occupied the north corners of the stadium will be moved to the softball complex and ready for use this fall.
» Adidas unveiled an alternate uniform design in honor of Nebraska’s 1997 championship team. A mannequin wearing the full uniform — which the Huskers will don Oct. 7 against Wisconsin — will be in the North Stadium lobby Friday and Saturday.
