Tuesday Notebook: Jones out for the spring

Nebraska head coach Mike Riley has made it no secret that one of his biggest concerns about his team this spring was the limited numbers it has to work with in the secondary.

Those numbers got even smaller when the Huskers returned to action for Tuesday’s full-pads practice.

Defensive coordinator Mark Banker announced that junior cornerback Chris Jones would likely miss the remainder of the spring after having an infection in his thigh surgically removed.

“I’d rather lose him now and that he take care of his health right now,” Banker said. “Yeah, you always want to play with your best guys, but like I said, I’d rather have that happen now than during the course of the season.

“Anybody that’s in the developmental stage - and he’s beyond just developmental, he’s just trying to take things to the next level - you hate for them to miss time, because you only have 15 days.”

With Jones out, Nebraska was left with just four active cornerbacks for Tuesday’s practice.

Junior Boaz Joseph took Jones’ place as the other No. 1 cornerback opposite junior Joshua Kalu. Redshirt freshman Eric Lee was the only other available scholarship corner.

The good news for the Huskers is that help is on the way when five incoming freshmen - including cornerbacks Lamar Jackson and DiCaprio Bootle - join the mix this summer for the start of fall camp.

For now, though, NU just needs to find a way to make it through the final five spring practices without suffering any more setbacks in the secondary.

“We need to get all of our guys healthy,” Banker said.

- Robin Washut

Cornerbacks coach Brian Stewart admitted after practice Tuesday that his depth at cornerback was quite thin.

Based off what he’d seen so far this spring, Jones and Kalu were the clear starters, and no one was all that close behind.

Now that Jones is lost for the spring, some of the less-experienced players are simply going to have to step up. Stewart named Lee and Joseph as players who have a chance to make their mark in Jones’ absence.

“I think the young guys are doing a good job,” Stewart said. "But realistically, right now if we were playing in a game they’ve got to get their stuff together if they want to be counted on.

“I’ll tell you what I want all those guys to do – bring a consistency, toughness and ball production. That’s what I want them to do.”

As defined by Stewart, consistency is the defensive backs having confidence that everyone is going to compete on every pass, either picking it off, knocking it down or making the receiver’s life difficult.

Joseph and Lee have shown that in spurts, but not on a play-in, play-out basis.

And that pair would be well-served to start making an impact. Like Banker, Stewart indicated that some of the incoming freshman – especially Jackson – would be given chances to earn roles right away.

If Joseph and Lee are to stave them off, they can start proving themselves now.

“They’re scholarship kids. They’re here for a reason,” Stewart said. "I have seen it, but it’s not on a consistent basis.”

- Dan Hoppen

It’s been an interesting spring for fifth-year senior defensive end Ross Dzuris.

Besides adjusting to a new position coach and trying to lock down a starting job, the Plattsmouth native is in the midst of planning a July 1 wedding.

It’s been a challenge no doubt, but Dzuris said he’s got a lot of help in his corner.

“The family has been helping me out quite a bit, so it hasn’t been stressing me out or my fiancé out,” Dzuris said. “It’s been pretty good.

“I’m more moral support. I guess (I’m in charge) of final decisions on things they can’t decide I guess.”

Dzuris’s wedding party will also have quite the Husker flavor, with defensive linemen Jack Gangwish, Logan Rath and AJ Natter all serving as groomsmen.

The other big question for Dzuris regarding the wedding is will his mustache that was featured nationally on ESPN.com make it to pictures?

“It will,” Dzuris said when asked if his world famous mustache will be with him on his wedding day. “(My fiancé) has grown to like it. I wouldn’t be the same without it. She likes it a lot. It grew on her.”

-Sean Callahan

***Banker said today’s practice was “about average”, saying the defense worked on some nickel coverage stuff and a brief pressure period, “which was fun,” Banker said.

***Banker said Aaron Williams has been working as the No. 1 nickel since his return this spring, which allows Kalu to work specifically at corner.

***Banker said safety Avery Anderson has improved quite a bit in his overall consistency in practice over the course of the spring. He’s still far from perfect, but Banker said Anderson was a quick learner and a smart player who was fun to coach.

***Natter said he feels like a completely different player this spring. He’s finally healthy - even though he broke his right hand in Saturday’s practice - and the gains he’s made in his strength and conditioning have translated into an entirely new confidence on the field. Natter called himself “a psycho” in the weight room.

***Lee said one of the key moments this offseason for the cornerbacks was when Stewart met with the group in January and had them go over all of the things they liked and didn’t like as far as schemes and practice formats. He said that’s been a huge help to the comfort of the cornerbacks as a whole.

***Anderson said he came to Nebraska last year weighing 167, and now he’s up to 184 this spring. He said he actually came into the spring at 190. That weight gain was one of the big reasons he decided to move to safety.

***Dzuris said he was immediately comfortable with new d-line coach John Parrella, saying he actually went to football camps where Parrella and his dad worked back when Dzuris was five or six years old.