Nebraska defenders already should know plenty about Laviska Shenault. After all, the Colorado junior wide receiver caught 10 passes for 177 yards and the game-winning touchdown against the Huskers last season in Lincoln.
But Husker defensive backs coach Travis Fisher wants to leave nothing to chance for Saturday's game in Boulder, Colorado. To that end, he has a straightforward message for his secondary.
"Know where he's at at all times," the coach told reporters Tuesday. "Know if he's on the field. Know if he's off the field. Know everything about him. First name, last name. Where he went to high school. Know everything about him. What does he like to eat? Know everything about him."
It's about a defender having an extra sense of urgency when he's lined up across from Shenault, a 6-foot-2, 220-pounder from DeSoto, Texas.
People are also reading…
"You can put him anywhere," Fisher said. "You can put him in the backfield. You can put him in the slot. You can put him out wide. You can motion him. When he touches the ball, he's a running back. When he's blocking, he's a tight end. He's very versatile, he catches the ball very good and he's a great competitor, too."
Shenault has been rated as a potential NFL first-round draft pick in 2020 by many publications. He's played in 22 games at Colorado with nine starts, including eight last season, when he had 86 catches for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns.
He had three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown in last week's 52-31 win against Colorado State.
"It’s Where’s Waldo, right?" said Nebraska defensive coordinator Erik Chinander, echoing Fisher's sentiment. "You’ve got to know where that cat’s at. And just because you know where he’s at doesn’t mean you know what’s going to go on. But you always have to understand where he’s at, and how we can work our calls to benefit us when he’s in the slot, when he’s at X, when he’s in the backfield, when he’s at tight end. But we’ve got to know where he’s at."