Newsletter | August 2011 Huskers Athletic Fund N E W S L E T T E R
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1 HUSKERS ATHLETIC FUND NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2011 HUSKERS ATHLETIC FUND NEWSLETTER A message from the Athletic Director Husker Fans, I want to welcome everyone to our first year as a member of the Big Ten, the oldest conference in intercollegiate athletics. The Big Ten’s solid foundation was pivotal in our decision to join, and our foundation was certainly important in the league’s decision to invite us. At Nebraska, we believe in excellence in athletics, academics and life, and our fans play a crucial role in that. You are known worldwide for your unmatched loyalty. As a coach, your sportsmanship always made me proud to be a Nebraskan. As your athletic director, it gives me great pleasure to say how much the Big Ten values the way you honor both our student-athletes and our opponents. We thank you for your continued support of Nebraska Athletics and the Huskers Athletic Fund (HAF). We hope that you find that the new HAF provides you with a simpler donation experience and excellent customer service, and we look forward to a fantastic year of Husker sports. Thank you and Go Big Red, A Publication of the Tom Osborne - August 2011 - 2 HUSKERS ATHLETIC FUND NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2011 Football Team Hosts Fan Day, Begins Fall Practice Season The turf of Memorial Stadium was filled once again on Friday, Aug. 5, as nearly 6,000 football fans covered the field for the Huskers’ 2011 NEBRASKA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE annual Fan Day event. Date Opponent Location Time (CT) Members of the 2011 football team and the coaching staff were Sept. 3 Tennesseee-Chattanooga Memorial Stadium 2:30 p.m. available to sign autographs for fans starting at 2 p.m. Many of the Sept. 10 Fresno State Memorial Stadium 6 p.m. Sept. 17 Washington Memorial Stadium 2:30 p.m. lines for position groups extended down the field and up the ramps Sept. 24 Wyoming at Laramie, Wyo. 6:30 p.m. inside the stadium. The coaches stayed after the 3:30 p.m. cutoff Oct. 1 Wisconsin * at Madison, Wis. 7 p.m. line to sign autographs, led by Head Coach Bo Pelini. Oct. 8 Ohio State * (HC) Memorial Stadium 7 p.m. The next day, the team took the practice field for the first time as Oct. 22 Minnesota * at Minneapolis, Minn. 2:30 p.m. Oct. 29 Michigan State * Memorial Stadium TBA they geared up for the start of the 2011 campaign. Nov. 5 Northwestern * Memorial Stadium TBA Head Coach Bo Pelini addressed the media after his squad’s Nov. 12 Penn State * at University Park, Pa. TBA opening practice. Pelini said that it was a typical first day and that Nov. 19 Michigan * at Ann Arbor, Mich. TBA guys were excited to be on the field again. Nov. 25 Iowa * Memorial Stadium 11 a.m. “It was pretty good,” Pelini said of Dec. 3 Big Ten Championship Game (Indianapolis, Ind.) 7 p.m. practice. “I thought the tempo was really good. Effort was great, guys were flying around. I think they were excited to be Pelini also touched on the progress of the offensive unit after out there. We got a lot done. Typical first two weeks of installing a new offense. Pelini noted that the offense day, you have a lot of good things; I saw has been getting more efficient, but the Huskers must continue to a lot of good things out there. I saw a lot become more disciplined on that side of the football. “I think we’re just getting better overall as a whole,” Pelini said. “I think Head Coach Bo Pelini of mental mistakes and things we need to get cleaned up, but I thought for our first our knowledge of the offense is getting better. Our efficiency is better day it was a pretty good day for us.” -- it’s not exactly where we want it to be yet, but I’m seeing progress.” One true freshman making headlines after Saturday’s practice was While several offensive linemen have been sidelined in the last Jamal Turner. Turner took some snaps at the quarterback position week because of injury, Pelini said that the injuries have not slowed for some of practice, but Pelini pointed out that Turner is a receiver down the Huskers progress, but has given the coaches a chance first and quarterback second. to evaluate more players. “Jamal is obviously a multi-talented guy,” Pelini said. “He’s receiver “You go practice,” Pelini said. “You put guys in there and other first, but we’re working him some at quarterback. Kind of the same guys have to step up. I think that’s happened. We’ve moved a couple plan we had with him during the spring.” guys around, moved them back. We’ve used this time to look at a Over the course of the first two weeks, the team conducted several lot of guys and make some decisions. I think it’s all slowly but surely practices, including the start of two-a-day practice sessions. After the coming together for us.” two-hour practice marking the finish of the first week of fall camp, Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck said the Pelini said the team is “about where you think we would be.” team is practicing hard as it starts another “We are not ready to play a football game yet,” Pelini said. “We week of practice. are seeing progress in some areas, and not so much in other areas. “Guys are playing hard,” Beck said. “I’m That is what camp is for. really pleased with the effort offensively. “We are seeing progress in a lot of different places,” Pelini said. We’re obviously still making mistakes; a young football team is going to do that. “But, you know, you need it across the board. You need consistency, Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck but like I said, we are nowhere near ready to play a football game We’ll keep coaching them hard and keep in any phase.” demanding perfection from them. I think they understand that. They’re Saturday morning’s workout on Aug. 20 marked the final practice working hard and I like what I see so far from them as a group.” for NU before the team begins classes on Monday. Pelini addressed Beck spoke about where the offense is now and where he is the media after the morning session and was pleased with his team’s looking for it to go in the coming weeks of practice. effort this past week. “I’m pleased, we’re still a young football team,” Beck said. “We “I thought we had a good week,” Pelini said. “At this point of camp have a lot of young players. You’re playing with a lot of guys who I think guys are tired of hitting each other, but we basically finished are still learning the game of football and learning our offense. up fall camp this morning. We start school on Monday, but we’ll It’s a combination of two things or some of those things for those continue on basically the same path we’re on, at least up through guys. Again, I think the effort, the will and the want-to is there. The Thursday or Friday and we’ll start getting into our first opponent. We toughness has been there, I’ve been really pleased with that. We have to keep getting better as a football team, and keep improving have to improve our consistency. We’re inconsistent at times and our technique and our fundamentals.” we have to keep being disciplined.” 3 HUSKERS ATHLETIC FUND NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2011 A Glimpse Into Fall Camp... Coach Bo Pelini chats with the Big Ten Network OL Jermarcus Hardrick and DL Baker Steinkuhler LB Lavonte David and WR Kenny Bell QB Brion Carnes WR Taylor Dixon CB Alfonzo Dennard and LB Will Compton Defensive Coordinator Carl Pelini The team signs autographs for youngsters at Fan Day The offensive line lines up for a snap TE Robert Barry and LB Mathew May QB Taylor Martinez and RB Rex Burkhead P/PK Brett Maher HUSKERS ON 2011 WATCH LISTS Bednarik Award - Alfonzo Dennard, Jared Crick, Lavonte David Butkus Award - Lavonte David Doak Walker Award - Rex Burkhead DE Eric Martin and OL Tyler Moore Hendricks Award - Cameron Meredith Lombardi Award - Jared Crick, Cameron Meredith, Lavonte David Lott Trophy - Jared Crick, Lavonte David Mackey Award - Kyler Reed Manning Award - Taylor Martinez Maxwell Award - Taylor Martinez Nagurski Trophy - Alfonzo Dennard, Jared Crick, Lavonte David O’Brien Award - Taylor Martinez Outland Trophy - Jared Crick Rimington Trophy - Mike Caputo Thorpe Award - Alfonzo Dennard DL Jared Crick and DL Terrence Moore WR Brandon Kinnie Walter Camp Award - Jared Crick 4 HUSKERS ATHLETIC FUND NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2011 Are You Ready for Some Football? Bo Wins Over HAF Crowd Story by Randy York Opening kickoff is still a few weeks away, but Bo Pelini is already UPCOMING 2011-12 HAF LUNCHEONS 1-and-0 in the eyes of Husker fans lucky enough to be part of the first All HAF Luncheons will be held at the Embassy Suites - Downtown Lincoln, sold out Huskers Athletic Fund (HAF) Luncheon of the season, held and run from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase on Wednesday, Aug. 3 at the Embassy Suites in Lincoln. tickets, visit www.huskers.com/donate or call the Huskers Athletic Fund at 800-8-BIG RED. “Bo talked to us just like he talks to his players. He got us all fired up,” said Jim Ray, a Nebraska season ticketholder for 51 years.