The coordinator report: Ed Foley says Husker punt-return unit needs work ‘across the board’
Ed Foley doesn’t mince words regarding Nebraska’s punt-return unit.
It has to do a better job, he said Tuesday.
“We need work on that unit across the board,” Foley told reporters. “It’s not like, ‘Well, we had a tough game last game.’ That’s something we’ve worked on to try to get better.
“To be honest with you, I like some of the things we’re doing on special teams. (But) I don’t like where we are on punt return. We have to keep looking at things.”
Nebraska (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) ranks 120th nationally with its average of 2.5 yards per return. The Huskers have made a total of eight returns for 20 yards.
In a 31-14 win against Purdue last week, Nebraska’s Alex Bullock muffed a first-quarter punt that was recovered by teammate Quinton Newsome.
Billy Kemp, Nebraska’s first-string punt returner, missed the Purdue game after suffering a knee injury the week before against Northwestern. Kemp has five returns for 19 yards this season, an average of 3.8 per attempt. Bullock has two attempts for zero yards, and Tommi Hill has one attempt for one yard.
Foley wants Nebraska to catch punts and return them 10 yards. However, Kemp has the longest return of the season — an 8-yarder.
True freshman Ethan Nation likely would be next in line after Bullock.
“Alex had trouble with the wind a little bit Saturday,” Foley said. “If you’ve never caught a punt before, that alone is hard enough. You only get so many looks off of a live leg during the week, and he’s not the starter — so we’ve given a lot of reps to Billy.
“Now, Alex is making the transition to try to get some reps.”
Steven Sipple: Nebraska doing plenty right to offset glaring turnover issues
Nebraska freshman kicker full of confidence, Foley says
Nebraska true freshman Tristan Alvano hammered home a 55-yard field goal against Purdue. Yes, the wind was at his back. But it was nevertheless a show of strength.
The Omaha Westside graduate apparently doesn’t lack for confidence.
“The moment’s not to big for him,” said Foley, noting Alvano made a 47-yard field goal into the wind the week before against Northwestern.
“To hit that one (from 45 yards) I think led to the 55,” Foley said.
The coach said distance of kicks isn’t an issue for Alvano; it’s a matter of consistency.
“It’s like any freshman player at any position, you’ve got to develop a consistency of the routine and make sure the balls are going down the middle enough times,” Foley said. “But he has the leg range.”
Alvano, after a shaky start, is 5-for-9 on field goals and 21-for-21 on PATs.
Brian Buschini doing what’s asked of him
Foley seemingly has no complaints about junior punter Brian Buschini, especially of late.
Buschini is averaging 42.1 yards on 38 punts — not that Foley puts much stock in a punter’s average. It’s more about hang time and how well he places punts, the coach said.
Sixteen of Buschini’s punts have been downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, and there have been 12 fair catches.
“If you look at him since Colorado — he’s mishit some balls, don’t get me wrong — but he’s really done a good job of putting the ball where we want it to go,” Foley said.
White identifies a teachable moment
As Newsome closed in on the end zone with a 68-yard blocked field-goal return Saturday, Hill ran next to him and at about the 13-yard line thrust up his arm for a high-five.
Newsome obliged, and it was a fun moment.
It also was a teachable moment, said Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White.
“Some of the young men (on the team) didn’t know that if they start high-fiving and the ref threw a flag, the offense would’ve had the ball 15 yards from the spot of where he threw it,” White said. “So, we got lucky.
“You want to use those moments to continue to educate and teach those guys, so when they get in that position again, they’ll act differently. It’s fun to see them make plays; we just want to do it the right way.”
Nebraska defense posts impressive stats
White’s unit now ranks fifth nationally in rushing defense, allowing only 79.0 yards on the ground per outing. What’s more, Nebraska is 13th in total defense (298.8) and 21st in scoring defense (18.6).
So, yes, a top 25 unit.
Nebraska defenders are flying to the ball because they understand the scheme and have a strong will to win.
“It’s a testament to the players learning what they’re doing and then the coaches not overloading them,” White said. “That’s myself included. You can’t give them so much to think about that they turn into robots or get stuck in mud.
“Those guys go out there and make you right.”
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