Five teams moving ahead and five in reverse
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It was one of those gorgeous sun-splashed spring days, that anticipated moment that makes you forget weeks of shoveling snow. And think about new beginnings.
At a time when many teams simply are sharpening skills, Nebraska was redefining itself with new coach Bo Pelini. More specifically, finding a personality.
"The process is well under way," Pelini says. "But it's not nearly finished."
Compared with where the process was last fall in Lincoln, the Huskers have made bigger strides than any team this spring. How bad was the dysfunction? Consider this anecdote:
Former coach Bill Callahan was obsessive about his offense; he made the game plan and called the plays. Sources say before the Texas game -- and at the height of Nebraska's failures -- Callahan let his assistants build the game plan and said he wouldn't call one play.
After the first series, Callahan not only called every offensive play, he called the defensive sets, too. The Huskers gave up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and lost, 28-25. Then they allowed 172 points over their final three games.
No wonder defense has been the spring focus -- and the foundation for Pelini's rebuilding project. The Huskers are on the positive side of the 10 teams that made the biggest strides forward and backward this spring.
Five in drive
Nebraska. Pelini shook things up quickly when he called the entire defense too fat. He moved tailback Cody Glenn to weakside linebacker to get more speed in the back seven, and promising end Pierre Allen and tackle Kevin Dixon -- both of whom were overweight last fall -- were among a group that played faster in reshaped bodies.
Ohio State. We heard the same thing last year: The team has never been in better shape, never been more focused -- despite a championship game meltdown. It helps that super quarterback recruit Terrelle Pryor will give the offense a Tebow-like jolt in the fall -- and loosen up what could be a tight atmosphere.
Clemson. Funny what a little job security can do. Coach Tommy Bowden gets extended to 2014, and the Tigers have their best spring since his first at the school ... in 1999. Freshman defensive end Da'Quan Bowers enrolled early and was dominant, giving the Tigers a dangerous pass rush combination with Ricky Sapp. The story of the spring: Dynamic tailback C.J. Spiller learning/agreeing to run between the tackles.
Texas. When the Longhorns won 34 of 38 games from 2004-06, they fed off defensive energy. So Mack Brown hired Will Muschamp away from Auburn, made him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the nation and watched him whirl through spring drills. Muschamp, who used more than 40 blitz packages at Auburn, says his new defense likely will use more.
Illinois. The story is that dynamic quarterback Juice Williams struggled this spring. The reality is that Illinois is going to be scary good on defense with an influx of developing young players. No team in the Big Ten will have a better front four or secondary, and if young linebackers Martez Wilson and Ian Thomas learn quickly, Illinois won't be far from another significant jump.
Five in reverse
Michigan. No quarterback emerged to run new coach Rich Rodriguez's spread option offense, which means incoming freshman Justin Feagin is in deep. Three projected starting linemen left school, the team is thin at receiver, and the defense just isn't that good. And you thought Rodriguez's legal dance with West Virginia was an issue.
Iowa. Problem No. 1: Iowa finished a nonbowl season with a home loss to Western Michigan. Problem No. 2: The next time the team played for a home crowd, projected starting quarterback Jake Christensen's first throw of the spring game was intercepted and returned for a touchdown -- by a second-team cornerback. This Hawkeyes have limited talent at three key areas on offense: quarterback, tailback and wideout.
South Carolina. Steve Spurrier used to be a quarterbacks guru. Then a couple of guys named Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher threw eight interceptions in the spring game. Add those to the litany of mistakes made by former quarterback Blake Mitchell the past three years, and it's easy to see how the Gamecocks already have plateaued under the coach who used to own the SEC.
UCF. A season of hope has been crushed by the death of wide receiver Ereck Plancher during conditioning drills -- and players anonymously speaking out against coach George O'Leary's practice/conditioning tactics. All of that talent -- and there's enough for another C-USA title -- means nothing now. The team is fractured, and it will take more than just one season to heal.
Florida State. Bad news: Erratic starting quarterback Drew Weatherford missed most of camp with a knee injury. Worse news: Backups Christian Ponder and D'Vontrey Richardson did little to impress the staff. Demoralizing news: Wide receiver Preston Parker, clearly the team's best player, was arrested last week and his future is tenuous.
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