Nebraska football’s Alex Bullock making more winning plays

Alex Bullock caught a glimpse of Jacory Barney flashing past him down the left sideline. Just a glimpse because he was tumbling onto his belly after knocking back two Purdue defenders.

Bullock’s first reaction was happiness as his fellow Nebraska receiver streaked into the end zone on a 25-yard sweep midway through the fourth quarter Saturday. His second was relief that he got the play right — an errant block on the same call earned him an earful from coach Matt Rhule earlier in the game.

“I blocked the wrong guy on the first play — I didn’t see the safety rolling down to me the first time when I messed it up,” Bullock said Tuesday. “The second time I saw him come down, that’s how I blocked the two guys.”

Nebraska coaches showed the key sequence — Bullock simultaneously knocking a cornerback and safety off course to help the Huskers take a 21-3 lead — in a team meeting this week. It’s a new role for the fourth-year junior out of Creighton Prep who caught 15 passes for 221 yards last year and has one grab for 12 yards as the current season nears its midpoint.

Bullock isn’t complaining. He’s found a niche helping the Huskers win.

“That’s really all I care about,” Bullock said. “Just a lot in the run game, really, this year compared to last year just because we have a lot of explosive weapons.”

* The process of designing plays to feature Barney is collaborative, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said Tuesday. The 170-pound speedster has been uniquely featured of late, including multiple sweeps and reverses against Purdue. Barney is a unique blend of quick, athletic and a natural football player.

“You could literally just talk to him like, ‘Go here, do this, make this move at this depth’ and he could go out there and visualize it and do it,” Satterfield said. “It allows you to be more creative with guys like that.”

* Center Ben Scott said play-calling surprises from Satterfield have been fun to execute. He laughed recalling how defenses that see quarterbacks Dylan Raiola and Heinrich Haarberg on the field together often shout out “Double pass!” trying to anticipate what’s coming.

“We have everything out of the different personnels so you never know what we could end up running out of those,” Scott said.

* Sixth-year linebacker Javin Wright has maintained his same weight and muscle and stayed mentally engaged while missing Nebraska’s first four games for health reasons. He returned Saturday and logged three tackles in limited action.

“Testament to him not letting an adverse situation bring him down,” defensive coordinator Tony White said. “It actually sped up his process — he had to sit in meetings more and do those things right to know what to do and all the calls.”

* The emergence of the 19-year-old Raiola as a leader of the offense and the team has been noticed, tight end Thomas Fidone said. It’s only happening because of the talent and preparation the former five-star prospect has displayed from the beginning.

“The calmness he has, the work he’s put in, it just shows,” Fidone said. “The amount of work he’s put in makes him calm on the field. Nothing ever phases him.”