Lincoln, Neb.- The
Nebraska football team practiced for two hours in full pads on the Ed and
Joyanne Gass practice fields Tuesday afternoon, as the Huskers continued
preparations for Saturday's Legends Division showdown against the Northwestern
Wildcats.
Defensive Coordinator John Papuchis addressed the media
after practice with his focus on Northwestern's dual-threat quarterback/wide receiver,
Kain Colter.
"He's a great talent and a great athlete. He has come a
long way as a quarterback, and he's a threat as a wide out," Papuchis said. "He's
the guy they are looking for when he lines up outside, and a big part of the
game plan is going to be to neutralize him, whether he's at wide out or quarterback."
Colter started the first four games at quarterback for
the Wildcats this season before switching back to his quarterback/wide receiver
dual role. Last season, as a sophomore, he led Northwestern in rushing, passing,
and receiving yards. He also scored two rushing touchdowns and threw for
another in Northwestern's 28-25 win at Nebraska last season. Papuchis commented
on preparing for both Colter and sophomore Trevor Siemian at quarterback this
week.
"In the first five weeks they both ran the same plays,
but obviously Kain's more of a running weapon at quarterback," Papuchis said. "We're
preparing for both guys to play, we expect both guys to play, and our guys will
be ready for both of them."
Nebraska's last time out saw an early lead turn into a
63-38 loss at Ohio State. Papuchis discussed how the team has moved on from the
disappointing setback, and how much is still left on the table for the Huskers
this year.
"Our guys are resilient," Papuchis said. "They know there's
a lot left for us in the back half of the year. We still control our destiny to
Indianapolis and we control our destiny to the Rose Bowl."
Check back here on Huskers.com for
updates throughout the week as the Nebraska football team prepares for
Saturday's game, which is set for 2:30 p.m. (central) with live national
television coverage on ABC or ESPN2 in markets where the game is not on ABC.
