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10 things we learned from NU's weekly press conference

1. Frost shakes things up with depth chart moves

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Some of the biggest news of Monday’s press conference came right off the bat when Nebraska’s weekly game notes were passed out and a completely revamped depth chart was revealed.

Senior Tanner Farmer was listed the new No. 1 center over Cole Conrad (injury), and sophomore Boe Wilson moved up the No. 1 right guard. Senior Devine Ozigbo was the No. 1 running back over co-No. 2s Greg Bell and Maurice Washington, and walk-on Kade Warner – who made his first career start vs. Purdue – was a No. 1 wide receiver over junior Mike Williams.

Junior Carlos Davis was the No. 1 nose guard for the second week in a row, as senior Mick Stoltenberg was not listed due to a knee injury. Junior Jacob Weinmaster also moved up to the No. 2 inside linebacker behind Mohamed Barry with junior Will Honas also left off the depth chart with an injury.

Maybe the biggest shakeup was at cornerback, where senior Eric Lee was the new No. 1 cornerback over previous starter Lamar Jackson. After being pulled from the Purdue game following a defensive holding penalty that negated an interception, Jackson is now listed as a co-No. 2 with Braxton Clark.

"I told the guys I'm going to ride with the guys that I know are going to do it the right way and I trust," Frost said. "There's a lot of guys that we had to work with, and help to understand how we want things done, and what it takes to be that kind of person, that kind of good teammate.

"We're not giving up on anybody, but if there's somebody that we trust to go out there and at least not get us beat, I'm going to go out there and let him have a chance to make plays."

2. Honas out for season, other injuries looming

While a few of the depth chart moves were made to light a fire at some positions, others were the result of key players suffering long-term and even season-ending injuries.

Frost announced that Honas would require season-ending surgery after suffering ligament damage in his knee vs. Purdue. The junior college transfer will be able to redshirt this season and preserve a year of eligibility.

"It’s heartbreaking for him," Frost said. "He’s one of the guys that cares and works his butt off and the type of teammate you want on your team. That’s football and those things happen, but you just hate to see it happen to anybody that’s a good kid on any team at any time.”

Stoltenberg’s status also remains unclear after missing all of last week with a knee injury he suffered at Michigan.

“We’ll have to see on Mick," Frost said. "Mick’s a warrior too and he’s going to battle. If he can be out there he will. It’s not going to be anytime in the near future, but we’d love to see an opportunity for him to play again.”

Frost said he’s still holding out hope that Conrad will be available to play at Wisconsin, but he had already dropped on the depth chart last week and now is dealing with an undisclosed injury he suffered on Saturday.

3. Frost says NU's rebuild has required total overhaul of 'bad foundation'

Frost has proven to be quite good with analogies, and he busted out another gem on Monday when discussing the total rebuilding project he and his staff have in front of them.

"Sometimes when you're building a new house, you can't build it on a bad foundation or you won't have a house very long," Frost said. "We had some rot and some termites, and we still do. We got to get all that cleaned out. You can't build a structure on a foundation that's not solid. You'd like to get that foundation built quickly, and we're working on getting it built as quickly as we can, but there's still work to be done there.

"We're certainly not going to be ready to finish the house and put a penthouse in until that's all done."

4. Ozigbo has chance to become NU's feature back

As one of the few bright spots from Nebraska’s loss to Purdue, the door is now wide open for Ozigbo to solidify his place as the Huskers’ workhorse at running back.

Not only did he rack up a career-high 170 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries on Saturday, but Ozigbo brought an energy and physicality to NU’s offense that was desperately needed.

By finishing runs hard and setting the tone on every carry, Ozigbo capped up what Frost called a great full week of practice. Frost has been waiting for a back to emerge as the clear No. 1, and if Ozigbo can keep up his strong play the table could be set for him to be that guy.

"I trust Devine at this point, and Devine is one of the guys that is going to battle every time he’s out there, so we need him to keep it up and we need some guys to follow suit..." Frost said. "Devine is certainly one that has made huge strides, and he played like a guy that can be a feature back on Saturday.”

5. Lee has 'figured it out' in move up to No. 1 cornerback

Jackson’s benching vs. Purdue wasn’t solely a result of his costly penalty, nor was it the taunting dance he did towards the Boilermakers’ sideline after the play.

Frost never called out Jackson by name, but the move to pull him from the game was clearly done to send a message. It also turned out that Lee was ready to hit the ground with his first opportunity of the year.

After not playing a single defensive snap all season, Lee ended up playing 57 snaps at cornerback on Saturday. The senior ended up posting a modest overall grade for the game at 58.9 per Pro Football Focus, but registered a solid 70.5 score in his run defense.

Lee’s ability to answer the call at the drop of a hat definitely impressed his coaches and teammates alike and helped him secure a starting job this week at Wisconsin.

"Eric has figured it out, and I wouldn’t say that was the case at the beginning (of the season)," Frost said. "But he’s done everything right this fall - everything right."

6. 'Mr. Consistent' Warner has earned his place at the table

As Nebraska’s search for reliable wide receiver depth continues, an unexpected face might have emerged as a fixture in the lineup going forward.

Warner came out of nowhere last week to earn his first career start vs. Purdue, catching two passes for 16 yards. His contributions in the passing game were nice, but it’s been Warner’s consistency in practice and proven ability as a blocker that have led to his rapid rise.

“He is Mr. Consistent," quarterback Adrian Martinez said. "I think if you would have asked us about him back in spring ball we would say that he’s a guy that knows what he’s doing, a guy that we can count on our there. I think where he is going to be on the field and that is nice to have as a quarterback.

"I can rely on him to catch the ball, to run the right route, to block his guy and I think that is definitely a good thing right now for us.”

7. Frost doesn't foresee any transfers at fourth-game redshirt cutoff

After finally reaching the four-game mark of the season, Nebraska now has some decisions to make with a few true freshmen regarding their redshirt statuses going forward.

On the other side of that coin, this week also brings up the potential risk of players opting to take advantage of the new NCAA redshirt rules and transferring somewhere else to preserve a season of eligibility.

As of Monday, Frost said he hadn’t "gotten a hint” of any players thinking about leaving, which he took as a very positive sign that the team was all completely on board with what the staff was trying to build.

"The guys doing it the right way, and that’s the majority of the team," Frost said. "They’re playing with their brother, they’re where they want to be, and they’re intent on getting this thing right. I see it out of them and really appreciate what they’re doing. People can read into a lot of stuff, but these guys are fighting and we’re going to keep fighting.”

8. Interior o-line picture coming into focus

Frost didn’t rule out the possibility of Conrad working his way back into the starting center spot in time for Wisconsin, but as it stands now Farmer will man the middle and Wilson will take over at right guard.

That starting combination ended up being pretty effective early on vs. Purdue, as it helped NU march to its first opening drive touchdown of the season.

Wilson ended up scoring the highest grade of any offensive lineman in the game (70.3), so regardless of whether Conrad can work his way back this week, Nebraska might be best served to stick with the Farmer-Wilson combo.

"It’s good to know that there’s a guy that can come in and get the job done at that spot," Frost said. "Boe Wilson is a fighter, he’s going to give us everything he has, so we feel good about having him in the game and starting to develop depth like that and guys that can rotate in at certain positions is a good thing.”

9. Martinez: Competitors embrace challenge that awaits at Wisconsin

Martinez’s first and only Big Ten road game at Michigan was a total disaster, but that isn’t keeping him from chomping at the bit to head out to another hostile road venue at Wisconsin this week.

“I am excited for the opportunity," Martinez said. "That is what college football is about. I think if you are not a competitor you would be afraid, but, I am a competitor. I think we are going to be prepared. With Scott Frost and these guys I have behind me, I am going to be confident going in.”

No current Husker has ever beaten Wisconsin in their careers, but that doesn’t mean a thing to the true freshman quarterback. If anything, it shows exactly what NU needs to do in order to take the biggest step towards becoming a Big Ten contender again.

“That’s not necessarily something we talk about. It is something that I wasn’t fully aware of, to be honest with you," Martinez said. "But, I think it is something that needs to happen while we’re here.

"I think that is everyone’s goal obviously, to beat Wisconsin. It is something we need to do. They are a tough team that rules on our side of the division I think for a little while here. They are definitely a team that I think we’re aiming to take off.”

10. Players respond after 'watershed' moment; Frost's ask; 'What took you so long?'

We’ve heard it all season, and Monday wasn’t any different: Frost said several Huskers had their best practices of the season to start the week.

The difference this time around, though, is that many of those players were guys who needed to respond more than anyone.

Frost wouldn’t specify any of the players by name, but said two of them were wide receivers and all of them were guys the staff had been waiting on to show that type of effort and execution.

"I told them after practice, 'What took you so long to practice like that?' Because that's what it takes," Frost said. "I think some of them are finally getting it, so hopefully we're taking more steps in the right direction.

“I've said all along, if you're getting better day by day, inevitably you're going to end up where you want. We got better today."

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