Dan Alexander needs to change his name. Alexander, a 6-foot-1, 249-pound redshirt freshman, has become one of the most feared runners in the Cornhusker backfield after a successful spring football campaign. Taking snaps at both fullback and I-back in Saturday's Red-White Game, Alexander ran over and around Nebraska defenders nine times for 89 yards and two touchdowns, dazzling the crowd and making his new namesake a must. Just call him Diesel Alexander. "He's like a diesel engine really," cornerback Ralph Brown said. "He's a really good guy running the ball. Every time we go after him, we try to gang tackle him because usually we can't tackle him one on one. He's that good." Brown didn't have to deal with Alexander in the spring game -- both were on the White squad -- but he said he had seen enough and been hit enough during the 14 other spring practices to know that Alexander is a legitimate running threat. After a slow start in the first half Saturday, the 42,018 fans at Memorial Stadium also found out Alexander is a legitimate threat by watching several bullish, take-no-prisoner runs that dazed NU defenders. Alexander said he wasn't expecting his second half performance. "I think in the first half I was really nervous in there," Alexander said. "I was ready to leave. I was doing so bad." His nerves settled down quickly in the third quarter when he broke through a mass of Red Team defenders and rambled downfield for 29 yards. He later scored on the same drive with a powerful 1-yard plunge up the middle. But the Diesel was just warming up. With 9:09 left in the game, Alexander burst through a gaping hole in the left side of the line and sprinted 27 yards to the end zone, cutting the Red Teams' lead to 31-21. "I saw a cornerback and that was about it," he said of the run. "The linemen did a great job. I think that was about the biggest hole I've seen all year." Alexander went untouched on his 27-yard touchdown jaunt, which didn't come as a surprise to quarterback Scott Frost. "When he gets into the secondary, people can't tackle him," Frost said. "And people don't want to tackle him." Since coming to NU last fall, Alexander has gained 10 pounds of muscle and improved in each strength-testing category. He has also cut his 40-yard dash time from 4.68 seconds to 4.52. His improvements made him the first freshman in school history to earn the lifter-of-the-year honor from his Husker teammates. "It was a very big surprise," Alexander said. "I didn't think anyone would vote for me. In fact, I didn't even vote for myself." Alexander said weight training hadn't been a priority at Wentzville High School in Wentzville, Mo. But now, lifting has helped him become a contender for playing time in the Nebraska backfield this fall. NU Coach Tom Osborne said Alexander might be better suited to play the I-back position. But for Alexander, either position will be fine. "I don't have a preference either way," Alexander said. "I like both positions."
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