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Last weekend’s game against Bethune-Cookman was a chance for Nebraska to gain confidence and pile up points against an overmatched FCS opponent.
It also gave head coach Scott Frost a chance to get some players into the game that had not played all season.
The most notable backup to make his Big Red season debut was Noah Vedral, who was a backup quarterback at UCF when Frost was coaching the Knights last season. Vedral just gained eligibility a couple of weeks earlier after transferring to the Cornhuskers.
Vedral, a Nebraska native, not only saw his first game action of 2018, he scored a 20-yard rushing touchdown in the second half. The sophomore from the town of Wahoo (population about 4,500) was 2-for-9 passing for 29 yards and ran for 13 yards (he was sacked twice, accounting for his rushing total being less than the length of his TD run) on seven carries.
“I’ve seen Noah practice for a long time and I know how good of a player he is. … It was good seeing him get in the end zone,” Frost said. “I know growing up here, when I was little, that was all I could think about was scoring as a Husker, and it’s been kind of a weird path for him to get there, but it was great to see him dive into the end zone at Memorial Stadium.”
Frost said the starters were motivated to take a big lead not just for the sake of winning 45-9, but to let some of their backups get significant playing time.
“Absolutely. I think they knew (that) if they went out and took care of business that some of those other guys would get some reps,” Frost said. “Then, you’ve got (Matt) Jarzynka making sacks and the guys (are) going crazy and some other guys out there making plays that haven’t gotten a chance to yet. That kind of feeling of team and camaraderie has really grown over the course of this year and it was exciting to see the old guys that excited for the kids that haven’t played much.”
In all, nine Nebraska players made their season debut against the Wildcats: Vedral; defensive linemen Jarzynka, Fyn Anderson, Vaha Vainuku, Chris Walker and Damian Jackson; running back Miles Jones; tight end Katerian Legrone and linebacker Jordan Paup.
What does it mean for the players and the coaching staff to get all of those backups playing time?
First, it meant Nebraska could rest some starters, which is crucial considering that the team gave up its bye week to schedule the game against Bethune-Cookman. Quarterback Adrian Martinez got to watch the entire second half along with running back Devine Ozigbo and starting receivers Stanley Morgan and J.D. Spielman.
Second, it meant coaches could dangle a carrot for any players thinking about leaving to find more playing time. Nebraska has already had 20 non-senior players leave the program since Frost took over. To keep any semblance of depth, the coaches will want younger backups to stick around, not only for this season but for the future when those players might earn starting time..
As for the players, they gain a bit of experience which could be crucial down the stretch. If starters get hurt, or if Nebraska is at the other end of the same type of blowout that it inflicted on Bethune-Cookman, those players will become more important.
And they all owe it to a game which wasn’t even originally on the schedule.
Longtime newspaper veteran Jim Tomlin is a writer and editor for saturdaytradition.com and saturdaydownsouth.com.