Monday notebook: Morgan's record season not surprising

Before the question about Stanley Morgan potentially breaking Nebraska’s all-time single-season receiving yards record was even finished, De’Mornay Pierson-El had a very clear and confident answer.

“He’ll get it,” Pierson-El said.

Coming into Friday’s 2017 finale against Iowa, Morgan stands just 30 yards shy of the great Johnny Rodgers’ school-record mark of 942 yards, a record that has held for 45 years.

If the junior wideout can match his season average of 91.2 yards per game, he would also become the Huskers’ first-ever 1,000-yard receiver.

“I’m not even remotely surprised at all,” Pierson-El said of Morgan’s impressive season. “Stanley’s a hard worker. We knew that was coming. I’m happy for him, he deserves it. He’s been balling out, so hopefully he gets it. I want him to get it.”

There has been plenty of praise flowing this week for Morgan, who just caught seven passes for a career-high 185 yards and a touchdown in NU’s loss at Penn State on Saturday night.

The New Orleans native moved up to eighth on the school’s season receptions chart with 54, and his 112 career catches now rank eighth on the all-time list.

Head coach Mike Riley said that performance vs. the Nittany Lions was the type of game he feels Morgan is capable of putting on every week, and he thinks the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has only just begun a rapid ascension in his development.

“Stanley Morgan has been that guy that we have appreciated since he was young because of his approach day to day,” Riley said. “He’s very competitive. He uses his attributes well. He’s strong, he’s physical, and he’s pretty much fearless.

“He’ll go play. Despite some injuries he’s had, whatever’s gone on, he’s remained the same person that way. You kind of always know what you’re going to get day-to-day in practice with Stanley.”

Quarterback Tanner Lee immediately found a connection with Morgan since the start of spring practices, and nearly 23 percent of his completions and 30 percent of his passing yardage on the season have gone to No. 8.

“I think he’s an extremely valuable piece of our offense,” Lee said. “Especially from my perspective, having him out there and just knowing that he makes tough catches and he’s always open. Having confidence in him and being able to throw it to him when he’s getting so much press coverage and double teams and he’s still making plays.

“So I think for Stanley to be so close to getting that record is not surprising.”

- Robin Washut

It’s not a very complicated formula for Nebraska’s defense this week as it gets ready to take on Iowa on Friday.

First off, the main key is stopping the run. Then you have to stop the run. After that, it's stopping the run.

“That’s our challenge,” Riley said. “There’s no doubt that that’s what Iowa will present. We’ll get a good dose of that, we’re going to have to hold up against it, do well against it.

“We’ll have to have a good plan together, and then guys are going to have to be ready to play physically, because that’s what it will be against them.”

It’s not as if the Hawkeyes are a statistically dominant running attack by any stretch, as they currently rank 12th in the Big Ten and 107th nationally in rushing offense at 126.9 yards per game.

The challenge is how Iowa sticks with the run all game and wears down opposing defenses with a physical, grinding game plan.

The Huskers have given up a staggering average of 289.2 rushing yards and 21 total rushing touchdowns over their past six games.

That’s why senior linebacker Chris Weber fully expects the Hawkeyes to run right at the Blackshirts from start to finish.

“They’re going to try to run the football, and if you’re looking at our last couple games, why wouldn’t you do that?” Weber said. “So we’re going to have to be able to stop the run.

- Robin Washut

For the second time in three years, the Nebraska football program faces an uncertain future with the leadership in place.

After a Black Friday win in 2014, Husker players returned home hours before former athletic director Shawn Eichorst fired head coach Bo Pelini.

The Huskers will face speculation swirling again as a 4-7 campaign in 2017 comes to a close against Iowa on Friday. New athletic director Bill Moos made it clear on Oct. 15 that he would not make a coaching change midseason, but for this year’s seniors, the deafening outside noise has been difficult to shut out.

“It’s pretty emotional,” kicker Drew Brown said. “What I would tell the younger guys now is to keep fighting and keep doing what you love. Don’t worry about the things you can’t control because you’ll drive yourself crazy worrying about it.”

On an issue that’s driven some fans to create t-shirts campaigning for a new coach, other seniors echoed Brown in saying they’ve worked hard to keep it from affecting the younger players on the team.

Pelini’s firing in 2014, while surprising to the players, did not come out of thin air. Speculation ran wild weeks prior to the day and seeped into the Nebraska locker room.

But this time, when the noise is perhaps even louder, the Huskers are determined to not let it affect them.

“You can’t be worried about what everyone else is saying,” Pierson-El said. “You have to be worried about what’s in the building. At the end of the day, whoever makes speculations isn’t God. It’s not the final say, so we worry about us and that’s that.”

While Friday’s game against Iowa will be the seniors' last in a Husker uniform, a few players who were around for Pelini’s firing say they still have a year to play.

Fourth-year junior Mikale Wilbon has snaps left to take in his college career, and it may come under a new coaching staff in 2018.

“When Coach Bo got fired, I didn’t know he was going to get fired,” Wilbon said. “It came as a surprise.

“At this point, I don’t know what’s going to happen next season or the following however many days we have left, so my job is to prepare for this week, listen to our coaches and get ready for Iowa.”

- Matt Reynoldson

***Running back Devine Ozigbo suffered a sprained ankle at Penn State and was listed as questionable going into the week, but the junior running back was suited up on Monday.

***Offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf said he saw some good things from David Knevel at right guard, and Knevel would get the start there again on Friday vs. Iowa.

***Langsdorf said Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell was a player the offense had to account for on every play because of his ability to find the football wherever he is.

***Langsdorf said Iowa’s defense as a whole would be a major physical test. “They get dirty, they play hard,” Langsdorf said. “They’ll hit you in the mouth from the first play of the game, and if you’re not ready for it it’ll set you back a little bit.”

***Langsdorf said he’s really been impressed with how good of a receiving tight end Jack Stoll has turned into since he first arrived in Lincoln. Langsdorf said they recruited Stoll as a “bruiser” blocking tight end, but the redshirt freshman has really come along with his hands and his route running.

***Receivers coach Keith Williams said he’s not surprised at all either that Morgan is so close to breaking Nebraska’s all-time receiving yards record. In fact, Williams said Morgan probably should have already broken the record by now if he hadn’t left so many yards on the field with drops.

***Williams said the tandem of Morgan and J.D. Spielman could go down as one of the best receiving duos in school history if they both continue to develop the way they have been next season.