Nebraska special teams coordinator Ed Foley met with the media following day seven of fall camp on Monday. Foley spoke on top candidates for the kicking position and what he’s looking for from his group. 

“The kicking jobs are all open so to say, but who are we kidding right?,” Foley said. “The kicking job is a battle between Tristan Alvano and Timmy Bleekrode for both jobs (place-kicker and kickoffs), with Brian Buschini involved in kickoff as well. Brian is doing a nice job with it and there’s a fine line during this time of year. We’re not trying to do too much in terms of getting a bunch of kickoffs, we want to make sure Brian is getting his time off. So we’re trying to be smart about how we’re separating that, but Brian is going to be our starting punter. I don’t see any secret about that.“

Foley also spoke on the atmosphere and competition between the kickers.

“This is my 35th year coaching college football and whether I was coaching the offensive line, the tight ends or even special teams, competition is always good for everybody,” he said. “I’m really pleased with how those guys are pushing and supporting each other. With Brian in the middle, it's a fun room. I told the guys that I love coaching this room. There’s a lot of positive energy, and there’s a lot of guys working on their craft to get better.” 

Foley then discussed what he is looking for from the Husker kickers this season. 

“The No. 1 thing that we’re looking for right now is the percentage of kicks through the pipes at a higher level,” Foley said. “I’m quantifying who’s better from what distance right now. It’s still early, and we’re just collecting data and seeing who’s making more kicks from whatever distance it is."

Lastly, Foley also spoke on the freshmen on special teams and the impact they might make in the 2023 season.

“There are freshmen that can play on special teams,” Foley said. “They’re certainly projecting right now. There’s a number of them that are there as backups. When it comes to starting for us, mid-season, injury break or because they’ve earned it, there’s a young group of guys out there running around. They’re fun too and great to coach.”

Nebraska continues fall camp with practice on Tuesday. The Huskers open the season on Thursday, Aug. 31 at Minnesota. 

HUSKERS ERUPT IN WIN OVER CRETE

Alexis Markowski notched her third straight double-double and Jaz Shelley led six Huskers in double figures with 20 points, as the Nebraska women's basketball team rolled to a 124-18 win over the Crete All Stars in Heraklion on Monday.

Shelley, a two-time All-Big Ten guard, hit 7-of-14 shots from the field including 5-of-11 three-pointers, while dishing out six assists and grabbing three steals to complete Nebraska's 3-0 foreign tour in Greece.

While Shelley filled it up from long range,  Markowski dominated the paint with 17 points and a game-high 21 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards. The two-time All-Big Ten center hit 7-of-13 shots from the field and dished out an assist while grabbing three steals of her own.

True freshman Natalie Potts matched Shelley with a game-high 20 points to go along with 12 rebounds for her first double-double on the tour. Potts also pitched in three steals while going 7-for-14 from the floor and 6-of-8 at the free throw line.

Graduate transfer guard Darian White contributed 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting while adding five assists, five steals and four rebounds for the Big Red.

Nebraska's third newcomer for 2023-24, true freshman Logan Nissley added 15 points, while connecting on a trio of three-pointers. Nissley also contributed six rebounds and five steals to go with two assists.

Annika Stewart rounded out the six Huskers in double figures with 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor.

Kendall Coley and Kendall Moriarty each contributed eight points, while Callin Hake (3) and Maddie Krull (2) completed the scoring for the Big Red. Krull snagged five steals for Nebraska, while Hake added four for a Husker unit that totaled 35 steals in the game.

As a team, Nebraska hit 48 percent (48-100) of its shots from the floor, despite knocking down just 23.7 percent (9-38) of its three-pointers. The Huskers also hit 19-of-25 free throws (.760). The Huskers produced a 68-11 advantage on the boards and a 38-6 edge in the turnover department.

Nebraska will travel from Heraklion back to Athens on Tuesday, before returning from Athens to Lincoln on Wednesday to complete the tour.

Overall, six Huskers averaged double figures in points during the three-game tour, led by team bests of 18 points and 16 rebounds per game from Markowski, who also hit a team-best 62.5 percent (5-8) of her three-point attempts. White added 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, a team-high 4.7 assists and 3.3 steals, while Shelley contributed 15.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals while knocking down a team-high 10 three-pointers. 

Stewart finished the tour with 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while connecting on 57.1 percent (4-7) of her threes. True freshmen Potts (11.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.7 spg) and Nissley (11.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 3.7 spg) rounded out the six Huskers averaging in double figures while tying each other for the team lead in steals. Potts finished second on the tour in rebounding, while Nissley closed the tour second in three-pointers made with seven.

Markowski and Shelley were the only Huskers to start all three games, while White made two starts. All 10 Huskers on the tour started at least one game, and all 10 averaged at least 16 minutes per game. No Husker averaged as much as 23 minutes per contest. As a team, Nebraska averaged 112 points per game, while allowing just 39.3.

Nebraska Overall Greece Tour Stats (3 games)
Alexis Markowski - 18.0 ppg, 16.0 rpg, 0.7 apg, 2.7 spg
Darian White - 15.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.7 apg, 3.3 spg
Jaz Shelley - 15.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.0 spg
Annika Stewart - 14.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 0.7 apg, 2.0 spg
Natalie Potts - 11.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.7 spg
Logan Nissley - 11.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 3.7 spg
Kendall Moriarty - 9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.7 spg
Callin Hake - 6.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.7 spg
Maddie Krull - 5.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.0 spg
Kendall Coley - 4.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 spg

HUSKERS MEET JACKRABBITS IN FIRST OF TWO EXHIBITIONS