Nebraska offensive coordinator Mark Whipple met with members of the media following Wednesday’s spring practice. Whipple talked about noticeable improvements within the group of quarterbacks.
“They are taking care of the ball better which I thought we were a little loose with the ball earlier at quarterback,” Whipple said. “Today we had an interception in the red zone. We are getting more work in the red zone which will help us in the tight windows and third downs and things like that. Casey (Thompson) has done well. Logan (Smothers) has done well. Chubba (Purdy) has been working a little bit more so it has been good to see him.”
Whipple discussed the depth in the receivers’ room and the possibility of some receivers playing two positions.
“They have done a really good job,” he said. “I think we have good leadership with some of the older guys. We have taken some guys and moved them to different positions and that gives you some more depth also. So Alante (Brown) is able to play two positions. Trey (Palmer) has been inside but we will let him play some outside stuff as we go. Oliver (Martin) has done a good job. Omar (Manning) has done a good job. I really like where we are going. We have a deep room there and we are getting better every day.”
He was asked what the best part of spring practice has been.
“The best thing is these kids are fun,” Whipple said. “They come to work every day. They fought through Monday, it was a tough day. When you look at the schedule you will see we had a practice on Thursday where we scrimmaged and you have to come right back on Monday with full pads but I thought they did a really good job that way. They are fun to be around. We had a walk through in here which was something new before the scrimmage. There was an air of confidence but a business-like attitude which is what you want. You do not want them all being uptight.”
Whipple talked about the offense and defense balancing each other out during spring practices.
“We have had good battles with the defense,” he said. “What I have learned with spring practice is if one side is dominating the other then you probably do not have a good team. Defense has made plays and offense has bounced back and handles adversity so it is a fun group to be around.”
The Huskers will continue their spring practice on Monday. The annual red-white spring game is set for April, 9 at 1 p.m. (CT). The game will be broadcast on KBBN 95.3 FM with coverage on the Huskers Radio Network.
