Ed Foley updates Nebraska special teams ahead of Minnesota season opener

We are just a few short days until Nebraska kicks off the Matt Rhule Era. The team will leave for Minnesota on Wednesday after one more physical practice on Tuesday. We heard from defensive coordinator Tony White on Monday ahead of that practice. We also spoke with special teams coordinator Ed Foley.

The very first question for Foley was about the ongoing kicker battle between freshman Tristan Alvano and veteran Timmy Bleekrode.

"We have not. "We'll let coach Rhule handle that tomorrow,” Foley said.

“We're making evaluations on who that's going to be. I got a pretty good idea of who it's going to be. I'm just going to let coach talk about that tomorrow, from a final standpoint of the decision. We still have one more day today. We're going to look at a couple things. We've got it down to where we need it to be. But coach will let you guys know about that tomorrow."

The kicker battle has been one of the most competitive battles we’ve heard about all spring. Given this programs hot and cold kicking in recent years it’s a decision that fans will eagerly anticipate. Perhaps we will have to see how things go in the games to truly know who can hold onto the job.

Not a member of Inside Nebraska? GET 60% OFF AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION to read ALL OF OUR PRESEASON COVERAGE and get access to our Insider's Board.

Offer expires at MIDNIGHT!

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

>> Special teams is unique. 90% of what will happen in games is stuff Foley has prepared his unit for. But that other 10% just can’t be prepared for.

"I worry about everything. It's part of my job," Foley said. "But where this is with the first year for me is, 90% of what we're going to do is in. And we've been working on it, but that 10% of all the things that could happen on special teams, is a lot of stuff. There's a lot of situational football, that you can maybe get a rep at, there's going to be a couple things that we're probably not going to. We try to do the best we can to get a look at what we're going to do. But some of those really uncommon special teams plays that happen very infrequently are hard to get worked on. Those are the things that keep me up at night."

>>> RELATED: Tony White explains Blackshirts selections | What coaches, teammates are saying about players selected for single-digit jerseys

>> One player that doesn’t get talked about a ton is punter Brian Buschini. There is good reason for that since he’s one of the known commodities on the team. Foley discussed his August.

"He was really good," Foley said. He's got a big leg; he had a really good camp. He was very consistent; he can kick it far. And he can kick it where he wants it to go. So, I feel really good about what he can do and what he brings to the table. He has leadership qualities. He's taken that unit to heart. It's very personal for him to go out and have a good day. If he misses a couple of kicks, he's very critical of himself. But he's been really good."

>> It’s Foley’s first time coaching a game at Minnesota so he’ll get out on the field early to get a feel for Huntington Bank Stadium’s wind conditions.

"We will be out there looking at what the wind patterns are. I've never coached a game in that stadium. But I can tell you from all the places that I have coached there have been some closed stadiums that have had a really kind of weird situation. Carolina was one of them. Philadelphia, coaching at Temple where they were both closed had kind of a swirling kind of weird wind to them. So I am looking forward to getting out there and getting out there early and kind of getting a feel for what our game plan will be. Particularly in the punt game with the wind."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

MORE FROM FRIDAY'S FIRST GAME WEEK PRESSER:

>>> Rhule updates Arik Gilbert, Marques Buford
>>> Alex Bullock earns scholarship, starting WR spot
>>> Now is the time for DeShon Singleton in Nebraska's defensive backfield
>>> Jeff Sims: "Third down is everything"
>>> Kicker battle rages one
>>> What Rhule is most confident in going into Minnesota game

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

MORE FROM INSIDE NEBRASKA:

>>> Trev Alberts' observations after watching preseason practice
>>> Preseason HQ
>>> Insider's Board
>>> Subscribe