Steven M. Sipple: Pondering Frost’s future can wait; focus Saturday should be enjoying show | Football

You get the feeling that Mickey Joseph, who’s quickly become a prominent and critical figure in the world of Nebraska football, doesn’t get caught off-guard very often. 

But he got caught earlier this week when he was asked what the Red-White Spring Game will mean to him Saturday. 

After all, Joseph once upon a time dazzled as an option quarterback in Memorial Stadium. 

You know what, he said, he hadn’t even thought about it.  

“I think it’s going to be a little weird, walking back in there after, what, 30 years,” said Joseph, 54, hired in December as Nebraska’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. “But once the ball kicks off, the focus will be to watch the game.”  

It’ll be offense versus defense. That’s the format, and that’s just fine. 

Most players are entertainers at heart. They like to put on a show. Have at it, guys. 

Nebraska coaches have indicated the offense has moved the ball well on the ground for most of the spring. That’s good news for the offense, particularly for an offensive line under new leadership. But it leads to questions about the defense. 

Does Erik Chinander’s crew have enough beef in the trenches to hold firm against all those Big Ten teams playing bully ball? 

That’s perhaps the most pressing question this spring. In fact, that’s a scary question for Nebraska fans to ponder.  

But they have all summer to ponder away, all summer to gnash their teeth. And, yes, they have all summer to mull what Scott Frost’s program may need to achieve in 2022 for Frost to be back in 2023. That’s an awfully heavy conversation. Frankly, it can wait. 

My unsolicited advice: Enjoy the show Saturday. 

“The spring game is fun, man,” Husker fifth-year secondary coach Travis Fisher said. “I’m going to sit back and watch that thing. I’ll coach them up. I want to watch those guys put it all together.”

A crowd in the 50,000 range is expected. It’s best to take a glass half-full approach to that part of the equation. Let’s see how many programs outdraw Nebraska’s spring game. Maybe one or two. Maybe a handful. Maybe none. 

“What I really want to do is see if they can block out that crowd and just stay focused and play football,” said Fisher, who once again appears to have a strong secondary ready to roll. 

If I were a fan, I’d circle jersey #0 on my roster. Tommi Hill, a transfer from ASU, has put himself in prime position to start at cornerback opposite 2021 starter Quinton Newsome. 

Make no mistake, Fisher uses this scrimmage — the 15th and final practice of the spring season — as an opportunity to evaluate defenders.

He told his secondary exactly that following Wednesday’s practice. 

“This kind of gives me exactly what I need to know going into the summer,” he said. “When I get to fall camp (in late July), I’ll already know who’s playing. I’m getting ready for the first game, that’s what I’m doing. In that first game, as soon as that offense gets in formation, those guys in the secondary (need to be) calling out exactly what it is before the ball’s even snapped.  

“But I find out in the spring who’s going to play football in the fall.” 

The spring game always is a mix of fun and business. 

“Everything we do around here, we’re competitive,” said Joseph, one of four new Husker offensive assistants who’ve injected energy into Frost’s program.  

Joseph obviously wants to see a passing game with good timing. Crisp timing. Or “crispy,” as Mickey puts it. 

He noted that good timing can be challenging to achieve when four or five different quarterbacks are alternating.  

On the other hand, the offense has had a bit of an edge on the defense this spring in that defensive coaches didn’t know exactly what to expect from the newfangled offense led by Mark Whipple. 

“It definitely had me in the office the whole spring, trying to figure things out,” Fisher said. “There hasn’t been a day where I could just relax and say, ‘Hey, we did this last year, this is easy.'” 

One aspect in particular to watch is the deep ball. Speedy slot receiver Trey Palmer, an LSU transfer, is a primary threat in that regard. But he’ll compete against some excellent corners. That alone could be worth the price of admission. 

“It’s been great. It’s been intense,” Newsome said of those battles. “The one-on-ones are always the best part of practice. You’ve got Coach Fish and coach Mickey Joseph and they just be going at it, too. I feel that really helps us and it increases the level of play.”

How much special teams action will we see? Nebraska fans hunger for progress in that area. No matter the scrimmage format, Frost should include special teams in the equation. Glossing over that part would indicate a certain level of tone-deafness. 

Joseph likes to say that if a player displays strength on special teams, it gives him a better chance of “getting on the plane.” 

He means on the team plane to Dublin. Or Ann Arbor. Or Iowa City. You get the picture.  

What will the big picture look like Saturday? How much will we learn?  

You can have fun and ponder the tough questions at the same time.

“Every day that you’re here, you appreciate it,” said Joseph, who lettered at Nebraska from 1988 to 1991. “It’s going to be a little different (than those days), but I’ll be fine.”  

He’ll be better than fine, especially if no one gets injured.