'Huskers drop running game -- for now
QB Newcombe leads players in pass-happy workouts
Posted: Wednesday June 24, 1998 12:29 PM
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None of that running stuff: Newcombe gets nothing but passing two nights a week as the 'Huskers work on developing an air attack for next season (Brian Bahr/Allsport) |
LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) -- When it comes to running the football at this time of year, the Huskers will pass.
Nebraska quarterback Bobby Newcombe and his teammates are not only keeping busy with intense summer conditioning workouts. Two nights per week at Memorial Stadium, every Monday and Thursday, it's time to air it out.
In Nebraska's annual passing league, every play is a pass. There are no options, no linemen, no coaches. Just defensive backs and linebackers covering receivers and running backs.
"We get things done," said Newcombe, a 6-foot, 195-pound sophomore. "I guess this Nebraska team has shown it knows how to win, how to prepare to win. But the players know how to have fun and win at the same time."
The passing league is organized by the players. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from being involved in any way.
The mood is a mix of summertime fun and big-game intensity. Early Monday evening, in one corner of the stadium, a dozen or so players clowned around with a young visitor. On the field, though, it gets surprisingly intense even though the season opener against Louisiana Tech is more than two months away.
Receivers run routes full speed. The defenders play them physically. There are smiles, but there are also plenty of grunts.
The defensive players talk a little trash. The middle linebacker moves close to the line of scrimmage and harasses the quarterback.
"It's all about preparing each other for what's happening in games," Newcombe said.
"The kids can do what they want out there," Nebraska first-year head coach Frank Solich said. "Whatever they're doing, I hope they're working hard."
Newcombe takes the league seriously. Everybody knows Newcombe can run the football. Nebraska fans remember how quickly he turned the corner on a 91-yard touchdown run in the Red-White Spring Game in April.
Many, however, still wonder about Newcombe's passing. He said he is confident he can get the job done through the air. But, he said, he always looks to improve.
"I'm never comfortable with where I am," he said. "If I'm a perfect 20-for-20, then the way I look at it is I probably could have thrown five more balls. I'm never satisfied. But I was
comfortable with the improvement I made over the course of spring ball."
Newcombe didn't enter the summer planning to throw a specific amount of passes.
"I'll know when I've prepared myself enough," he said. "I know I need to throw to certain people, and I know I need to throw the ball every day. I know where I need to be at the end of the
summer."
"I think Bobby's a fine passer," Solich said. "I think he showed during the spring he's capable of being a complete player. His work habits dictate that he will do the right things in the
summer."
By throwing lots of passes in the summer, Solich said, Nebraska quarterbacks avoid getting sore arms during fall camp.
"Plus, it's like anything else in athletics -- it's a year-round process if you want to improve," Solich said.
Newcombe emerged as the No. 1 quarterback after an intense spring camp that attracted intense scrutiny. The summer, however, has given Newcombe a chance to stay out of the limelight.
But the Albuquerque, New Mexico, native knows another media onslaught awaits him in the fall.
"I'm prepared for it good and bad," he said. "I feel like I've always been prepared for it that's the way I've been raised by my father. He's taught me to handle unexpected situations that come up and to just be able to deal with them."
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