Newcombe
Frankie London, Bobby Newcombe and Eric Crouch all presented their cases for the No. 1 quarterback job Saturday during Nebraska's annual Red-White Spring Game.
But after watching each of the quarterbacks shine in their final test of the spring, NU Coach Frank Solich said the jury is still out as to who won the spot for the fall.
At least until today.
Solich and Cornhusker Quarterbacks Coach Turner Gill will grade the quarterbacks' individual play during the spring game and also will review the play of the quarterbacks in NU's three previous scrimmages before making a decision.
I-BACK DAN ALEXANDER gives a straight arm as he tries to fight off the tackle of left rush end Chad Kelsay during Saturday's Red-White Spring Game. Alexander had seven carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. MICHAEL WARREN /DN
"Until I look at films, I think you're going to find me a pretty boring coach," Solich said. "I'm not going to make comments about a good play or a bad play until I've had a chance to look at the film. Then, I'll try to let you know how I assessed it. But I will say I did see a lot of good things from all three quarterbacks.
"Certainly there were some big, big plays made by our quarterbacks, and that will be taken into consideration."
Newcombe cut left and coasted 91 yards against the No. 2 defense for a touchdown on the White team's second play of the scrimmage. Newcombe, listed as the No. 2 quarterback before spring practices, played on both the Red and White teams and guided them to five of NU's seven scoring drives.
Newcombe, who played wingback last season, led both teams in rushing, gaining 175 yards on 13 carries. He completed 4 of 9 passes for 64 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown pass to Casey Vanderhoef with 1:29 remaining in the first quarter.
"I feel like I made a lot of big plays," Newcombe said. "That's always been my talent. Now that I'm feeling more comfortable with the offense, I can use the system to make big plays."
London and Crouch also said they were pleased with their performances. London led two scoring drives and rushed for 68 yards on 17 carries. The junior completed 3 of 7 passes for 28 yards.
"I think on my part, I bring the entire package," London said. "I can throw and I can think, and that's what you want."
Crouch gained 48 yards on 16 carries and connected on 3 of 6 pass attempts for 52 yards. Crouch entered the race as the No. 5 quarterback after redshirting last season but emerged in the last two scrimmages as a legitimate contender for the starting spot.
"It took me some time to learn the offense," Crouch said. "Running with the (No. 1 offense) helped make me a better player, and I feel more confident going into the summer than I did."
London also said he felt confident about his play Saturday.
"I'm not at all disappointed in how I played," London said. "I made some mistakes, but nobody's perfect. I didn't play the best in the world, but I did a lot of the things I wanted to do.
None of the quarterbacks would offer any guesses as to who might win the position, but Gill hinted that certain big plays may weigh heavily in the decision.
"All three of them helped their cause," Gill said, "but it is very important to see a young man make some plays. We'll take that into consideration.
"When a young man gets into positions, he has to make a big play out of it. That's something you can't coach, and it's something you can't teach. Definitely, Bobby has that ability to make a big play out of something that may not be there."
Gill also said that he would like to have two of three quarterbacks on the field at the same time, which means the coaches will likely ask someone to change positions.
All three quarterbacks said that they didn't want to give up signal-calling duties but would accept a position change for the good of the team.
"I don't want to be a backup quarterback for two years," London said. "My best option would be to change positions and get on the field in some other way."
Newcombe agreed.
"I'll be happy with whatever decision they make," Newcombe said. "I don't want to give up quarterback, but I want to know if I have to so I can have the whole summer to prepare for whatever I'm playing."
