Whipple Discusses Offense’s Spring Progress

Nebraska’s tight ends enjoy being more of a first option in the passing game

Even though he's the offensive coordinator, Mark Whipple says it's probably a good thing that his unit hasn't consistently held the upper hand during spring ball.

"We've had good battles with the defense," Whipple said after Wednesday's Nebraska football practice, the 11th of spring. "What I've always learned in spring practice is if one side is dominating the other, you probably don't have a good team. But I believe we have a good team because the defense has made plays and the offense has bounced back and handled adversity."

As for the quarterbacks, "they are taking care of the ball better which I thought we were a little loose with the ball earlier," Whipple said. "...Casey [Thompson] has done well. Logan [Smothers] has done well. Chubba [Purdy] has been working a little bit more, so it has been good to see him."

Assistant coach Sean Beckton said his tight ends, though thinned by injuries, are "really excited about being more of a first option" in the passing game.

"We’ve always been third or fourth. Now we've got multiple plays where we're the first option," Beckton said. "So the kids are really excited about that, in particular Travis Vokolek. We want him to have a big year this year. We’re really doing a good job working on the top of his routes, so he can improve his pass skills."

Much more from coaches and players during Wednesday's post-practice media availability is in the links below. Refresh this page for the latest updates. Go here for the HuskerMax discussion. Asterisk indicates item may require a subscription.