Friday Five: O-line tested, Ives rising and WRs finding their stride

Nebraska’s offensive coordinator met with the media Thursday after the Huskers’ ninth spring practice and didn’t sugarcoat the state of the offensive line. That and more to end the week.

Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

We are well past the halfway mark of spring football in Lincoln, which means the Husker Games will be here before we know it. With that said, the wear and tear of the weekly practices are starting to show.

That’s not a bad thing though. Not in Dana Holgorsen’s world, at least.

Nebraska’s offensive coordinator met with the media Thursday after the Huskers’ ninth spring practice and didn’t sugarcoat the state of the offensive line.

“They got yelled at a lot today,” Holgorsen told reporters. “You can tell it’s practice No. 9.”

Holgorsen is blunt — we know this by now — but he’s also optimistic. While the group is banged up and down a few bodies to a stomach bug, there’s progress being made. That’s particularly true when it comes to logging reps for young players and building depth.

The Friday Five returns — do we like this? — to recap a little more about Thursday’s post-practice availability.

The offensive line is bruised, getting yelled at but also getting better.

The offensive line is thin right now. Injuries and illness have forced walk-ons and underclassmen into extended reps. Holgorsen isn’t complaining.

“We had a little stomach bug going on too, which knocked a couple guys out,” he said. “I thought we would pull the plug on the third group and we didn’t. Good for those guys, having to play more snaps.”

With four experienced linemen expected to return by summer, this spring session is more about survival and skill-building than clean execution. Holgorsen made it clear: development at offensive line doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years.

“You put young kids at the o-line position into the program and you forget about it for a couple of years,” he said. “It takes so long… but I’m really happy with that group as far as hanging in there and giving it everything they’ve got.”

Do we have a center? Perhaps?

While Nebraska searches for answers up front, it may have already found its next center.

Justin Evans — last year’s starting left guard — is now anchoring the middle. According to Holgorsen, the junior has taken firm control of the position vacated by Ben Scott.

“Justin, I have been very happy with it,” Holgorsen said. “The snaps need to improve a little bit… but very happy with his mentality.”

Holgorsen said there’s a significant drop-off between Evans and the younger options like Sam Sledge and Preston Taumua right now, but Evans is trending toward something bigger.

“He is a dude and can be as good of a center that exists in college football,” Holgorsen said.

To be clear, that's the expectation from Holgorsen no matter what.

Veteran receivers are settling in through spring, while the young receivers play catch-up.

If the offensive line is a long game, the wide receiver group is more of a work in progress that’s starting to show signs of life.

“That’s not going to happen overnight either,” Holgorsen said of the unit adjusting to new wide receivers coach Daikiel Shorts Jr.’s system. “Fortunately, you have some vets in there.”

Those veterans include Dane Key, Luke Lindenmeyer, Jacory Barney Jr., Janiran Bonner and Nyzaiah Hunter. Each veteran, according to Holgorsen, is beginning to show a strong rapport with quarterback Dylan Raiola.

As for the early enrollees?

“The younger guys… their heads are spinning,” Holgorsen said. “Cortez (Mills), Isaiah (Mozee)… understandable.”

Holgorsen still praised Mills and Mozee’s one-on-one ability and noted their rare knack for avoiding press coverage.

“Very rarely do defensive backs get hands on those guys,” he said. “They are two very talented kids that will play this year.”

Let’s talk about Kwinten Ives’ confidence for a moment.

The Huskers haven’t added a running back from the portal this offseason and that hasn’t been by accident. It was a vote of confidence in returning sophomore Kwinten Ives.

Running backs coach EJ Barthel said Ives is turning potential into production, crediting the former Pinstripe Bowl touchdown-scorer for stacking strong spring days.

“This is the best I have ever seen him,” Barthel said.

Ives, who scored his first-career touchdown against Boston College in December, echoed that mindset.

“I got told all week that if I put you in the game you better score,” Ives said. “I had big T-Rob (Ty Robinson) in front of me and can’t go wrong with that. Found a little hole and took it in.”

There’s a path for Ives to be the No. 2 back behind Emmett Johnson and the coaching staff has let him know the job is truly his to lose.

“The ball is in his court at this point,” Barthel said.

Nyziah Hunter’s journey to Nebraska.

Nyziah Hunter didn’t come to Nebraska just for the Big Ten lights or the history. He came because of the Huskers’ brand.

“The brand will get you to the league,” Hunter said. “And that’s my end goal.”

The former Cal receiver cited a packed Memorial Stadium and a well-timed text from Raiola as key reasons he transferred to Nebraska this offseason. He also brings production — 40 catches, 578 yards and five touchdowns — to a room that needs difference-makers.

At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Hunter believes his physicality and speed are what separate him.

“This room has potential,” he said of his fellow wideouts. “We just have to keep getting better every day.”

***

It’s worth noting that Holgorsen said everything is already installed in the playbook, so it’s not just “plays of the day” anymore through spring ball. it’s situational work, red zone packages, third downs, the whole thing.

In other words: the reps now matter more.

“We’ve got five¹ more opportunities to coach them before we come back in June,” he said.

And the Huskers — banged up, repping hard, getting better — still have a lot left to show. They’ll be back on the practice field this Saturday for session No. 10.

1. Technically six, but I wonder if he wasn’t taking into account the Husker Games practice – which does, in fact, count as one of the 15 practices Nebraska gets this spring.