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Ed Foley Addresses Highs and Lows of Husker Special Teams

Nebraska preparing to face Michigan State on the road

Joe Hudson

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It was a game-changer when Nebraska blocked a Purdue field goal attempt Saturday and returned it for a touchdown. Husker special teams coordinator Ed Foley is still waiting to see something remotely as productive from Nebraska’s punt-return unit.

The Huskers have returned eight of their opponents’ 44 punts for a total of 20 yards this season. No return has gone for more than eight yards. In the Big Ten, only Indiana has less yardage per return.

For Nebraska, There Can Be No Overlooking the Spartans

“We need work on that unit across the board,” Foley said after Tuesday’s Nebraska football practice. “I like some of the things we’re doing on special teams. I don’t like what we’re doing on punt returning.” 

Substandard blocking has been an issue at times, he said, and now Nebraska is dealing with the unavailability of return man Billy Kemp due to injury. Foley said tricky wind conditions contributed to Alex Bullock’s dropped punt Saturday. Freshman Ethan Nation has yet to return a punt but is showing promise in that role, Foley said.

As for Elijah Jeudy’s blocked kick against Purdue, Foley said the play was called “Crash” and was executed as designed. Quinton Newsome’s role on the play was to “scoop and score,” and that’s what he did — with an over-the-shoulder catch instead of a scoop.

Also speaking Tuesday was defensive coordinator Tony White, who said he likes how his players have responded when placed in tough situations, such as defending a short field after a Husker turnover.

“It doesn’t matter where. It doesn’t matter how,” White said. “When it’s our turn to go play ball, we go play ball.”

White said Michigan State, the Huskers' opponent this Saturday, is not a team to be taken lightly despite its 2-6 record.

“They led at Iowa going into the fourth quarter,” White noted. “They were kicking Rutgers’ butt going into the fourth quarter.” 

Several players also spoke ahead of this weekend's trip to East Lansing. Refresh this page to see the latest additions to the coverage. Asterisk indicates item may require a subscription. | HuskerMax discussion

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Joe Hudson
JOE HUDSON

Joe Hudson has operated a Husker-related website since 1995 and joined forces with David Max to form HuskerPedia (later renamed HuskerMax) in 1999. It began as a hobby during his 35 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, a career that included stints at the Lincoln Star, Omaha World-Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Denver Post. In Denver, Joe was chief of the copy desk during his final 16 years at the Post. He is proud to have been involved in Pulitzer Prize-winning projects in both Philadelphia and Denver. Joe has been a Nebraska football fan since the mid-1960s during his childhood in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism and economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1976. He resides a few freeway exits north of Colorado Springs and enjoys bicycling and walking his dogs in his spare time. You can reach him at joeroyhud@outlook.com.

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