Wednesday notebook: Morgan has 'meant everything' to Huskers

When head coach Scott Frost and offensive coordinator Troy Walters first took over at Nebraska, one of the top items on their to-do list was to sit down with Stanley Morgan Jr.

The standout wide receiver was coming off an impressive junior campaign and had a legitimate option of making an early jump to the NFL. But after some good, long talks, Morgan decided to stick around Lincoln for one more season.

Looking back, Walters said that was one of the best things to happen to the Huskers.

“He’s meant everything,” Walters said of Morgan. “He’s kind of the standard of how we do things around here. He’s been excellent. He’s been awesome.; loves football. Every time he steps on the field, he’s passionate; he plays until the whistle. He sets the standard.

“We want all the younger guys in that receiver room to watch him and to be like him, because if you’re like him, you’re going to be successful. He’s done a great job this year not only on the field, but off the field, being a leader, setting the standard, setting the environment, the expectations.

“Even when things were a little rocky and we weren’t playing as well, he never jumped ship. He always had a positive attitude. I’m glad to see that his hard work and perseverance are paying off.”

With two games remaining in his NU career, Morgan is just 90 yards shy of matching Kenny Bell’s school career receiving record (2,689), 130 away from reaching his own single-season school record (986), and 144 from becoming the Huskers’ first-ever 1,000-yard receiver.

He said he wasn’t sure what his emotions were going to be like when he takes the field at Memorial Stadium for the last time on Saturday, but one thing he does know is that he wants to make sure he ends his Husker career the same way he’s played for the past four years.

“I want to be remembered for my hard work, every day,” Morgan said. “Not just on Saturday. It’s my hard work every day on the field, throughout practice, throughout meetings and on the field, off the field work. I don’t give up; I just keep going.”

While Frost and Walters only got to spend one season with Morgan, the New Orleans native will always hold a special place with both coaches.

“I’ve said this a bunch about Stanley: the best part about Stan is that he loves football,” Frost said. “Every day at practice he’s got a smile on his face, he’s excited to do warm-ups to get ready to practice. There’s always positive energy coming out of Stanley, and you need that on your team.

“I don’t know if he’s quite as vocal consistently as some of the other leaders, but he sets the example daily for how you’re supposed to do things and how you’re supposed to practice and his enthusiasm is infectious.”

- Robin Washut

While this week will be a sendoff for Morgan, the status of Nebraska’s other top wide receiver remains in doubt heading into Saturday’s game vs. Michigan State.

Sophomore JD Spielman suffered an injury during a punt return in last week’s win over Illinois, and Walter’s said Spielman was limited through the first three days of practice this week.

The positive news is that Spielman’s experience allows him a little more leeway when it comes to missing practice time and still being ready to play in a game, but NU would continue to keep a close eye on his recovery over the next few days.

“He’s been day-to-day,” Walters said. “The good thing about JD is that he knows the offense in and out. So, he doesn’t need a whole lot of practice time to stay sharp. So, we’ll make sure he’s healthy and we’ll just see.”

If he does play, Spielman will have a chance to close in even further on some NU records of his own. His 66 receptions for the year rank second on the school’s single-season chart behind only Marlon Lucky’s 75 in 2007, and he’s also now 182 yards from reaching the 1,000-yard mark.

- Robin Washut

There was some question going into Saturday about the health status of running back Maurice Washington.

Last week against Illinois he had just three carries on offense and one kick return where he looked noticeably injured that went for only 11 yards.

Washington was pulled from the Illinois game in the first half and was seen wearing a knee brace on Wednesday. Running backs coach Ryan Held remains confident that Washington will have a strong role in the game plan this week.

“He has obviously been a little banged up, but he’s had a good week of practice,” Held said. “We want to keep our one-two punch. If something happens in the game, then we’ll need to adjust, and we’ll be smart with that. We are promised two more games. Devine (Ozigbo) has Senior Day on Saturday, so he’ll be ready to go.

“If he has to go the distance, he will. Hopefully, we can keep one-two punch going. (Washington) has had good three days of practice at this point.”

- Sean Callahan

Safety Antonio Reed has battled a shoulder injury the last several weeks for Nebraska.

As he approaches his final game ever at Memorial Stadium, his shoulder injury is something he’s continuing to battle. The injury caused him to leave this past Saturday’s Illinois game.

“It’s actually getting better,” Reed said. “It’s something I’m working every single day. You just have to wait until Saturday to find out. I’m pretty sure it will just heal on its own. It’s not a real big injury. It’s just something that’s irritating that’s going to stay there until you get it fixed.”

As for the challenge this week, Reed said the Huskers have to be ready for anything from the Spartans, including some QB run game out of the Wildcat.

“They haven’t shown a lot, they have shown enough for us to practice it and rep it and be able to adjust to it when they bring it into the game,” Reed said.

- Sean Callahan

***Running backs coach Ryan Held said Maurice Washington was practicing and would be good to go for Michigan State. Held said Devine Ozigbo and Washington would again serve as a one-two punch attack in NU’s run game.

***Walters said Nebraska would have to run the football against Michigan State, which boasts the top run defense in the country. He noted that the Huskers are averaging more than 220 rushing yards per game, while MSU is only allowing 75 ypg. Maintaining balance and keeping the pressure off of Adrian Martinez would be a huge piece to NU’s success on Saturday.

***Offensive line coach Greg Austin said Boe Wilson graded out the highest of any offensive linemen against Illinois and was named the unit’s Player of the Game. Austin said Wilson has always played with great toughness and technique, but his pass protection has really improved.

***Austin said Saturday would be a game of trench warfare” against Michigan State’s front seven. He said the Spartans don’t do anything fancy, but they do it extremely well with great physicality and talent.

***Senior safety Antonio Reed said the shoulder injury he suffered vs. Illinois was fine and he was ready to go for Michigan State.