WANTED: A Few Home Run Threats

6 comments so far March 31, 2009 by Brandon Vogel

How long has it been since Nebraska has had a true home run hitter? I'm talking a Percy Harvin/Johnny Rodgers type of player who was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. An absolute, unquestionable, game-changing threat that opposing teams had to account for at all times.

The only inarguable answer in my mind is Eric Crouch in 2001. His 95-yard touchdown scamper against Missouri is the stuff of legend and precisely the sort of "something outta nothing" play great players make. DeJuan Groce was certainly explosive in 2002--4 punt returns for touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 758 all purpose yards on the season (that's a 54.1/game average)--despite the fact that he didn't play offense. But that's just it. There's a distinct difference between a special teams threat who touches the ball three or four times a game and an offensive threat who you can utilize as you see fit.

Ideally, you'd have one guy who could do both and Nebraska hasn't really had that over the past six or seven seasons. Is there that sort of player currently on the roster? In my mind that's one of the most pressing questions of the spring.

So who are the contenders to become the long time coming long-ball hitter in 2009? In my mind there are a couple of prospects.

Marcus Mendoza - His move to a wide receiver/slot back (can we call him a wingback for old time's sake?)has led to a lot of excitement amongst Husker fans that jet sweeps and screens of the Florida/Missouri ilk could be in our future. In limited attempts, but not so limited as to render the numbers useless (i.e. 2 carries each by Swift and Peterson, etc.), Mendoza had the highest YPC average on the team last season. Much of that came in mop up duty but Mendoza's shown the speed and shiftiness to at least have fans longing to see more and the coaching staff looking for different ways to get him on the field.

Roy Helu, Jr. - I like suffixes so he'll always be Junior to me (and his father, I suppose) but nothing about Helu looks small this spring. The much discussed bulking up over the winter has done someting I wasn't even sure was possible: It's made Husker fans even more excited about seeing more carries out of Junior. With a YPC as impressive as Mendoza's (with more carries), a history of hurdling, and some uncharacteristic early praise from Bo Pelini, Helu's potential hints at the big but nimble backs of yore.

Niles Paul - He has the size, speed, and pedigree of an absolute thoroughbred, now he just needs to break his maiden. (Horse racing reference, I promise.) In two years of limited action Paul has yet to catch his first touchdown pass but he showed a flash of brilliance (and the speed) with his clutch kickoff return for six against San Jose State last season. A former track and basketball standout at Omaha North, Paul led the West squad in receiving at the U.S. Army All-American Game in 2007. Based on that alone he seems like a sure pick to be a true home run threat but we've yet to see it in the scarlet and cream and that hold's me back just a bit.

Rex Burkhead - It just wouldn't be as much fun if we didn't throw a freshman into the mix and this guy is a true Texas legend, Jonathon Moxon and Boobie Miles rolled into one, and that's no small feat considering the talent that comes out of the Lone Star State. Last year for Plano High he had 28 rushing TDs and 5 receiving, making him a versatile addition come fall. Not a true burner or a juke you out of your shoes type of player, Burkhead doesn't precisely fit the usual profile of the home run hitter but the "overachiever element" ESPN labeled him with leads me to hope he's one of those rare guys who can almost will things to happen. And if that's the case, while I'm generally all in favor of redshirting freshman, I'd be more than willing to see him play in impact situations if he proves he's ready in August. Bill Callahan wasn't shy about playing freshman and Nebraska has paid for that time and time again, but I'd love to see a guy so talented you couldn't afford to keep him off the field even if he's only used in spots.

The further down this list we go the further we get away from having a real home run threat along the lines of former Husker greats, but that doesn't mean there aren't sleepers. A few more names, briefly...

Zac Lee - My BRN colleague Darren raves about Lee's mobility and his teammates are already impressed with his speed so I'm willing to give Lee sleeper status even though the sample size is practically nonexistent. I look at it like this: Does Colt McCoy look like Texas' leading rusher? No, but he is and while I wouldn't call McCoy a homer run hitter I would call him a play maker and I'll take that out of a QB any day.

Curenski Gilleylen - The sum of what we know about Gilleylen is this: 1) He caught a long touchdown in last year's spring game, and 2) He seemed to have a case of the drops in the season to follow. That said, speed kills and until he proves he positively cannot catch the ball, you'll see his name mentioned as a potential deep threat. He seems a year or two away, however, from being a real every down threat.

Antonio Bell - A total unknown at this point, there have been murmurs of Bell contributing in year one. Bell had offers from Tennessee, South Carolina and West Virginia, school not usually in the business of recruiting plodders at the receiver slots and he was a four year starter at Mainland HS in Daytona Beach. We haven't seen anything not to like but, then again, we haven't seen anything, period. His emergence would be a true bonus but at least he fits the profile.

That's my list, who is on yours?

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