Future Husker with James Carnie: Big plays on Friday nights of senior season earned Carnie chance with the Huskers | Football

Carnie’s senior season: “James played lights-out this year. He came into the season needing to be more physical on both sides of the ball. He came out and he was 25 or 30 pounds heavier than he was last year, so he made a huge commitment to the weight room. And it showed on the field. Really, where I saw it shine was on defense. He played defensive end this year and he was just a force. You get his speed and his athletic ability, and you combine that with his physicality and the strength that he’s gained, and he had a phenomenal season.”

The plays that make you rewind the game tape: “Watching him get the ball in space, especially if we’d throw him a 5-yard hitch or an out, or just a little 3-yard pass, you knew right away it was going to be a big gain because that kid, he can just accelerate. He’s got that deceiving speed. Even with being 6-foot-5 he’s got those long levers and he just gets moving so quick. Every time he caught the ball, even on those short plays, it’s like, ‘OK, how big of play is this going to be?’”

The best play I’ve seen him make: “It was against Elkhorn North, he caught the ball on a little drag route coming across. He catches it and there is about three defenders in front of him, and he just hits the acceleration and just goes up our sideline and scores.”

Favorite story about Carnie: “The biggest thing that I’ve got with James is how he treated my son. I have a 4-year-old son (Trindon), and James would always go over after a game or after practice. That’s going to be my best memory of James and my son doing pushups out there right after practice one day. He’s just a special kid, and I’m going to miss him a lot.”