Husker Nation received some terrible news today, as special teams ace and expected breakout star Demornay Pierson-El had broken a bone in his left foot and would miss the next six to eight weeks. Pierson-El was expected to thrive in new head coach Mike Riley’s system, as he was expected to be used similarly to former Oregon State Beaver stars James Rodgers and Biletnikoff winner Brandin Cooks. Now the sky may seem like it is falling in Lincoln, but give me just a few minutes of your time and I can convince you that this isn’t nearly as devastating an injury as you think.
Demornay Pierson-El Out Until Midseason
Reason #1: Its not a season ending injury
I know this seems like a hollow reason, but hear me out. Demornay’s injury was announced today on August 19th. If you are an optimist that means he will be back in action by September 30th, if your a pessimist that means he will be back on October 14th. So if you are an optimist, Demornay only misses 4 games and is back for the Big 10 opener against Illinois; If your a pessimist he comes back after 6 games before Nebraska faces Minnesota. Either way you slice it Nebraska will get Demornay back before Nebraska plays against the two toughest defenses on their schedule, Minnesota and Michigan State. While his injury is certainly not ideal, Husker fans should be thanking their lucky stars that they at least get half a season of Demornay Pierson-El instead of no season at all.
Reason #2: He isn’t even Nebraska’s #1 Wide Receiver
You’ve got to feel for Jordan Westerkamp sometimes. This guy made one of the greatest plays in Nebraska history his freshman year, then was Tommy Armstrong’s favorite target during the 2014 season, catching 44 passes for 747 yards and 5 touchdowns. But last year he was overshadowed by Kenny Bell’s swan song season and this spring Demornay took center stage as Husker nation salivated over “the next Johnny Rodgers”. Westerkamp proved last season that he is a legitimate #1, as he has extremely reliable hands and was a matchup nightmare out of the slot with a flair for the spectacular. Everyone in Lincoln raved about how well Pierson-El fit Riley’s scheme that they forgot that Westerkamp was a perfect fit for it as well; don’t be surprised if Westerkamp becomes Nebraska’s first ever 1,000 yard receiver as NU’s undisputed #1 target.
Reason #3: Jamal Turner has almost the exact same skillset as Pierson-El
Lets take things back to 2011, when Nebraska was entering its first season in the Big 10 and was still considered a national title contender under the leadership of Bo Pelini. They had a freshman stud similar to Pierson-El, lighting quick, a game breaker out of the slot and outside as an X receiver, and a home run threat as a punt returner. That young man’s name was Jamal Turner, and he appeared to be on his way to a sterling Husker career before injuries got in the way. After a decent freshman year (15 catches for 243 yards) and a solid sophomore year as NU’s #3 receiver (32 catches, 417 yards, 3 TD’s) Jamal struggled with a balky hamstring and never seemed to get on the same page as new starter Tommy Armstrong, catching only 13 passes in 2013. In 2014, Jamal was supposed to emerge as Kenny Bell’s sidekick, replacing Quincy Enunwa, but a torn Achilles against McNeese State derailed those plans. Jamal fully recovered from his Achilles injury and looked good in the Spring game, indicating that he is finally ready to deliver on all the promise he showed early in his career. Now Jamal isn’t as dynamic as Pierson-El is, but he is shifty in the open field and has big time speed, meaning that he can very easily fill in at the X receiver spot and as a punt returner until Pierson-El gets back.
Reason #4: The one spot that Nebraska has plenty of depth at is Wide Receiver
Jordan Westerkamp, Jamal Turner, Alonzo Moore, Taariq Allen, Brandon Reilly, Sam Burtch, Lane Hovey. What do all of these names have in common? All of them have started or seen significant snaps at the wide receiver position for Nebraska in their careers. Westerkamp, Turner, and Moore all started games in 2014, Reilly and Burtch both played significant reps in 2013 when injuries hit the Husker receivers, Allen caught one of the biggest touchdown’s of Nebraska’s season in 2012 against Northwestern, and lane Hovey actually was ahead of Pierson-El on the depth chart during non conference play last season. All of these guys have proven in the past that they are solid receivers, and in Turner and Alonzo Moore’s case, they have the potential to be very good in a system that actually plays to their strengths (looking at you Tim Beck).
Reason #5: Nebraska is still going to be a run first team in 2015
Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf both like to throw the ball around on offense, if you don’t believe me just watch Oregon State in 2013 when Sean Mannion threw for nearly 5,000 yards. But neither Mike Riley or Danny Langsdorf are crazy enough to try to turn Nebraska into an air raid offense right away. Nebraska already tried making a seismic shift just 10 years ago, when Bill Callahan tried to turn Nebraska into the San Francisco 49ers in just 25 practices (it didn’t go well). Langsdorf is going to play to NU’s strengths this season, meaning that they will be a run first team that gives Tommy Armstrong a lot of zone read and play action, which fits his skillset. Add in 5 talented options at running back and it makes to much sense to be a run first team in year 1 of Mike Riley’s tenure.
My final statement for Husker fans, chill, it is going to be okay. Losing a preseason all American in fall camp is never fun, but Nebraska is well-equipped to handle this injury. They have depth and talent at the wide receiver position and a perfect replacement option for the time being in Jamal Turner. Add in the fact that Nebraska will still be a more run-oriented team with Tommy Armstrong at quarterback and a stable of talented running backs, and Nebraska should be just fine for the first half of the season.
