Coach Scott Frost is ready to play some football. While he doesn’t have the specifics on the format for Saturday’s Red-White Spring Game, Frost does have an idea of what fans can expect to see.
“We’re going to play football,” Frost said on Wednesday. “We’re not going to have the whole team up and going. There’s some guys—and it’s going to be released today—that are going to be held out for a variety of injuries. Mostly little injuries. We want a chance to have an opportunity to compete.”
Frost also said the Huskers will divide the players into two teams, with the players who will only “play part of the game on one side with their backups and the rest of the team on the other side.” He expects the rosters to be announced later on Wednesday.
That means quarterback Adrian Martinez will only see a few snaps on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander joked it’s “great for us” when asked. However, he quickly followed that up with compliments for Martinez.
"He's an exceptional football player, an exceptional leader,” Chinander said. “He makes our team better. One of the best I've been around."
While the format may not be set, Frost does know his role on Saturday will mirror what he did last year. He’ll take on a secondary role, allowing his assistants to handle a majority of the work.
"I enjoy spring games because I don't do any coaching," he joked.
Other news and notes:
>> Nebraska will likely be without a number of high profile players on Saturday, including freshman Wan’Dale Robinson. Frost said he’s dealing with a “little hamstring” issue.
>> Another player that will be out on Saturday is inside linebacker Nick Henrich. Inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud said there are some depth issues with his group as a result, so he’s not sure how the inside linebackers will be divided on Saturday. It might end up being a deal where some players switch jerseys at halftime.
>> With all that said, middle linebacker is specifically a spot of concern when it comes to depth. Frost said the group “needs more horses,” which Chinander echoed in his comments.
"I don't think we're deep enough there, for sure,” Chinander said. “We've got to have some of those other guys step up—maybe some of those incoming guys, some of those walk-on guys. They're not walk-ons anymore to me. They're just 2s and 3s and they’ve got to go."
>> Nebraska will show its support for the state and those impacted by the recent flooding by accepting cash donations to the American Red Cross on Saturday.
“Nebraska people are resilient, they perservere, they’re kind, they help each other,” Frost said. “If there’s any state that can handle all this, it’s Nebraska. But I know a lot of people have been affected by it and hurt by it, and our thoughts are with them. I know people are going to come through it.”
🔴 Spring Game Flood Relief ⚪️
Show your support for those impacted by the flooding this Saturday when you enter Memorial Stadium. Cash donations will be collected at each gate until 12:50pm.
More info: https://t.co/YgziPyX7EF pic.twitter.com/yNScCfl4d8
— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) April 10, 2019
Erin is the Deputy Editor and Digital Marketing Strategist for Hail Varsity. She has covered Nebraska athletics since 2012, which has included stops at Bleacher Report, Cox Media Group’s Land of 10, and even Hail Varsity (previously from 2012-2017). She has also been featured on the Big Ten Network, NET’s Big Red Wrap-Up, and a varsity of radio shows nationwide. When not covering the Huskers, Erin is probably at Chipotle.
