2023 Fall Camp Notes - Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Husker in WI said:
IMO if you have a #1 receiver, then yeah it's pretty easy to find some guys who can contribute alongside them. But without a guy like Palmer or Stanley Morgan it's tougher, if the defense doesn't have to worry more about a specific guy it's tougher for all of the receivers. Now maybe Washington or IGC can be that dude and just needed the opportunity, but we definitely haven't seen that yet. And for the record none of the bold things are particularly easy.

At least to start the year I expect we'll see opposing defense load up to stop the run and just dare our receivers to beat their DBs, and I am not convinced we can. Turner and Coleman aren't going to scare them, they have scouting reports and will expect them to run deep. Can probably just press them, experienced Big Ten CBs are just going to manhandle freshmen WRs.

I do love the future of our WR room, and I do think we'll see flashes of it this year. There are plenty of solid options, but I think you need at least one guy better than that. I fully expect us to be a pretty poor passing team until A) one or more WRs steps up to be a guy who can consistently beat the DB in front of him one on one or B) the run game is performing so well defense have to completely sell out to stop it. Either or both of those could happen this year, but I don't think either is likely against the better teams on our schedule. 
Click to expand...
I like the future of our WR room too.  Let's keep them and build it up.

My view and beliefs are that we have a good group collectively for a short yardage passing to move the ball down the field.  Kind of like an extended running game if that makes sense.  4 yards here, 6 yards there, etc...

Kemp in the slot, TE Fidone & Boerkircher, Rhamir Johnson out of the backfield, H-Back Bonner out of the backfield or in motion.... 

Just picking and popping to these guys in space and also using the sideline quick tosses and screens.

And in addition to the short passing game, you include Sims ability to run from the pocket, plus Washington and Garcia-Castaneda and Hahn running routes.  And all of the younger guys (freshmen) have the speed to help out too, and it's a perfect opportunity for them to show up in the next 4 games. 

We should know exactly what we have by the time we play the stretch of games versus Northwestern, Purdue, Michigan State and Maryland.  

So get them all on the field early in the year.  Someone (or two or 3) will emerge as the year progresses.  Which will also benefit next season and so on.  

And let's not forget that this is a "rebuild" season with new staff and talent.  Don't waste it if it really is a rebuild.  

We will be fine.  

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mavric said:
I don't think anyone has been making it out to be the strength of the team.

And I'm not trying to pump sunshine either.

But we also (still) have four receivers who have caught a combined 364 passes in Division 1.  I would venture to wager that there aren't too many years of Husker football where that claim could be made going into the season.  
Click to expand...
This is a very solid observation 

 
Mavric said:
I don't think anyone has been making it out to be the strength of the team.

And I'm not trying to pump sunshine either.

But we also (still) have four receivers who have caught a combined 364 passes in Division 1.  I would venture to wager that there aren't too many years of Husker football where that claim could be made going into the season.  
Click to expand...
It ain't intramurals, brutha!

 
BIG ERN said:
We aren't too far removed from Kanawai Noa or Levi Falck as our third WR option...
Click to expand...


Who had career lines of 96/1267/6 and 54/577/2 (albeit at South Dakota, but he did go 11/140 against K State while there) respectively before coming to Nebraska. Washington has 56/837/4 coming into this year, IGC 47/759/5, Fleeks 69/707/3. Kemp doing the heavy lifting with 192/1774/8. 

I am generally an optimist, and I do fully believe the current guys are much better than Noa and Falck. But Kemp is the only one with enough career production to feel really good about, and he may catch 80 passes this year. I expect a few guys to put up solid numbers. But my biggest concern is getting explosive plays and he has a 9.2 career yards per catch. Going again by yards per catch Washington and IGC have definitely shown a bit - 14.9 and 16.1 are both great numbers. I'm just not convinced that will hold up when there's no Trey Palmer or Xavier Worthy attracting attention away from Washington, and IGC has very little experience against P5 teams. 

 
Husker in WI said:
Who had career lines of 96/1267/6 and 54/577/2 (albeit at South Dakota, but he did go 11/140 against K State while there) respectively before coming to Nebraska. Washington has 56/837/4 coming into this year, IGC 47/759/5, Fleeks 69/707/3. Kemp doing the heavy lifting with 192/1774/8. 

I am generally an optimist, and I do fully believe the current guys are much better than Noa and Falck. But Kemp is the only one with enough career production to feel really good about, and he may catch 80 passes this year. I expect a few guys to put up solid numbers. But my biggest concern is getting explosive plays and he has a 9.2 career yards per catch. Going again by yards per catch Washington and IGC have definitely shown a bit - 14.9 and 16.1 are both great numbers. I'm just not convinced that will hold up when there's no Trey Palmer or Xavier Worthy attracting attention away from Washington, and IGC has very little experience against P5 teams. 
Click to expand...
Isn't Fleeks supposed to be the speedster and he's only a step or so slower than Palmer?

I would be interested in knowing what Kemp's QB was like.  We have had QBs here before that really struggled throwing past 20 yards so all of the passing game was short passes.  Maybe that's the type he was with.

 
BigRedBuster said:
Isn't Fleeks supposed to be the speedster and he's only a step or so slower than Palmer?

I would be interested in knowing what Kemp's QB was like.  We have had QBs here before that really struggled throwing past 20 yards so all of the passing game was short passes.  Maybe that's the type he was with.
Click to expand...


I think he is considered speedier than average, but nowhere near Palmer. The speed guys we have are freshmen, and if one or two of them can step up that would help a lot.

Look, I want to believe in this group. But every year I convince myself that a weakness on the team is not a weakness going into the year, and it's always blindingly obvious that it was in retrospect. Some guys are getting glowing reviews from the coaches - the RBs, the TEs, Sims, several guys on defense. Kemp is the only WR where I've heard comments better than "he's coming along, doing some good things," and he's going to be good. But I do think the WRs will be the limiting factor for the offense this year. If something happens to a Tackle that may quickly change to OL.

I don't think it will doom this team to 3 wins or anything, but I do think it will hold them back from really competing with the top teams on the schedule. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
BigRedBuster said:
Is Fleeks back to practicing yet?
Click to expand...
I think he only ended up missing a couple of days. As in, there’s no way being significantly overweight was the only issue. Perhaps somewhat out of shape and a bit overweight. But it seems to me there was probably either something else involved or it was more of a “we brought you in here to be a leader, not a slacker” kind of thing. Which is fine with me. But I don’t see the little time he missed holding him back, as long as the attitude is right. 

 
Mavric said:
I think he only ended up missing a couple of days. As in, there’s no way being significantly overweight was the only issue. Perhaps somewhat out of shape and a bit overweight. But it seems to me there was probably either something else involved or it was more of a “we brought you in here to be a leader, not a slacker” kind of thing. Which is fine with me. But I don’t see the little time he missed holding him back, as long as the attitude is right. 
Click to expand...
Yeah....if it were because he was out of shape and heavy, a few days at home isn't going to fix that.

 
Back
Top