‘Dudes are getting pancaked’: Nebraska special teams practicing with renewed vigor this fall | Football

Bill Busch’s special-teams practices require your mouthpiece.

Last season, Nebraska’s special teams lacked consistency, cohesion — and a coordinator. Five days into fall camp this year, however, the Huskers see an uptick in care.

Busch’s drills encourage competition. His reps run at game speed. And his players hit each other.

“Dudes are getting pancaked in special-teams drills,” tight end Chancellor Brewington said Monday. “It’s real physical.”

Busch wants it that way. Tight ends coach Sean Beckton said NU’s special-teams coordinator devises drills that pit players against one another in close quarters. One such example: The trail and retrace drill, where defenders fight past blockers before a punt and chase after the blockers when the ball is kicked.

Slackers will be embarrassed the following morning. Nebraska begins every day with its special-teams meetings — Brewington said players arrive 15 minutes early and “no one’s ever been late” — and Busch reviews every rep.

“If there’s a rep where somebody doesn’t give effort, that’s one of the first reps coach Busch is gonna show,” Beckton said.

But Beckton, who also coaches returners, hasn’t noticed many lollygaggers so far. The veteran coach described special-teams periods as “dogfights” where players fight “extremely hard.” If a gunner beats his blocker, Beckton said, the blocker becomes a “shadow” on the gunner’s back. And when a player loses a rep, wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph said the player takes it personally.

“You can see it in the look on their face,” Joseph said.

Joseph has been one of Busch’s strongest allies since the spring. He decreed in March that his wide receivers would be required to compete for a special-teams role. Five months later, he expects several to earn playing time on the unit.

Alante Brown is working as a gunner and kickoff returner in practice. Oliver Martin and Brody Belt are catching punts. Trey Palmer could be a weapon in either return game, and Texas transfer Marcus Washington should be a “very good” special-teams player, too.

Beckton believes NU has more of those this season, particularly in the return game. He said Monday that every Husker running back is taking reps as a kick returner. The receivers provide options on punts, and defensive back Tommi Hill is also turning heads as a punt returner.

One season after NU ranked 121st or worse in both punt and kick return average, “I’ve got more depth than I’ve ever had to work with back there,” Beckton said. “A lot more playmakers.”

A lot more buy-in, too. Joseph said Rahmir Johnson looks “explosive” as a gunner. “He does a good job because he takes it to heart,” Joseph said. Brown says players are “locked-in” on Busch in meetings, and everyone takes notes.

“We got players that actually want to play on special teams,” Brown said. “That’s gonna be a big factor that’s gonna help us win.”

Special teams contributed to several losses last season. Mishandled (and mishit) punts. Blocked (and shanked) kicks. No return juice.

Busch hasn’t fixed everything yet — Joseph said NU is still learning Busch’s schemes — but he’s added spirit to the special teams. At each practice, the Huskers are trying, fighting and hitting.

“You see us after practice, we’re drained,” Brewington said. “We’re really giving it everything we have (on special teams).”