Nebraska’s Week 1 on special teams featured considerable ups and considerable downs.
Week 2 has a chance to feature a similar roller coaster.
First, the main question mark: Will sophomore place-kicker Barret Pickering play and, if not, what will the Huskers do in his stead?
Pickering, a Hoover, Alabama, native, made his final 10 field-goal attempts of 2018 but missed last week’s opener because of a leg/hip injury. He was not dressed for practice and Frost said the Huskers worked through contingency plans Thursday during the team’s walk-through.
“We had some of those kicks today to see who else could do it,†Frost said of identifying other options. “(Punter) Isaac Armstrong can kick and does a good job and (walk-on safety) Lane McCallum transferred in from Air Force and kicked at Air Force, so both of those guys got some reps today.â€
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Asked if freshman walk-on Dylan Jorgensen, who kicked last week for NU and had a 31-yard attempt blocked in addition to making all five point-after touchdowns, would be the top option if Pickering doesn’t play, Frost said, “We’ll see. We have to make a decision.â€
On Tuesday, special teams coordinator Jovan Dewitt called Jorgensen’s debut “average.â€
“Not up to par but enough to help us get done what we needed to get done,†he continued. “It’s going to have to improve, but anytime you’re a true freshman kicking in front of the hometown crowd and 90,000 or so, you’ve got to make sure you calm the guy down. We’ll continue to put him in some of those pressure situations should we need him again.â€
Jorgensen didn’t kick off very deep — regularly landing the ball around the 10-yard line — but Dewitt complimented his ball placement and said Armstrong did similarly excellent work placing his punts and allowing the coverage team to get down the field.
“Our punt team execution was as high as it’s been,†Dewitt said. "It’s all about where the ball gets placed, and in that part he did really well. Punt return we graded out really, really well. Those were the two highest grades we’ve had since we’ve been here.â€
The high grade in the punt return game came in large part because Husker junior receiver JD Spielman returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown. He also muffed one, though, handing South Alabama a short field that turned into a 13-yard touchdown drive.
On kick returns, freshman Wan’Dale Robinson nearly broke a return for a score, too, only to be knocked out of bounds by the Jaguars kicker.
“He’s got a lot of juice,†Dewitt said. “Although, we have to give him a little bit of guff because he got tackled by the kicker. He got tackled by the kicker. I said, ‘You know who blocks the kicker? You do. That’s your job. We’ll block everybody but the kicker.’â€
In close games, the importance of special teams only ramps up. In last year’s game, Buffs kicker James Stefanau went 2-of-4 on field-goal attempts and Pickering missed his only one.