If the 55-year history of the Nebraska's Red-White Spring Game has revealed anything, it's to not put too much stock into its box score.
Many a player has gone through the football program without ever earning a letter.
But before being buried in Cornhusker obscurity, a good number of them saw substantial playing time in the spring, putting up big numbers after the starters had been pulled.
Anyone remember Todd Uhlir?
The sophomore I-back ran for 114 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in the 1995 Spring Game, but he never lettered.
Forgetting Uhlir's performance was likely made even easier that year considering that Nebraska won the National Championship with future NFL runners Lawrence Phillips and Ahman Green on the roster.
More recently, fans might recall the play of former NU quarterback Joe Dailey in the annual scrimmage.
In 2004, Dailey threw for what was then a Spring Game-record 241 yards on 29 of 49 passing. The sophomore tossed four touchdown passes and one interception in front of 61,417 frenzied Husker fans getting their first peek of NU Coach Bill Callahan's West Coast offense.
``We were having a blast (after that game),'' said senior fullback Dane Todd. ``We were still all so confused about the offense that we couldn't believe it actually happened. It was neat.''
That fall, Dailey struggled with the new offense, completing less than 50 percent of his passes and throwing 19 interceptions to go with 17 touchdown passes.
Todd said the 2004 spring game put the whole team in a false light, not just Dailey.
``I wouldn't blame Joe for having a bad year because the whole team had to learn the offense that year,'' Todd said. ``Zac (Taylor) came in and had a great spring and a great last season, but at the same time the whole team knew more about the offense and we knew how to run it better.''
Last spring as a junior, Taylor lit up the Lincoln skyline in completing 20 of 27 pass attempts. His 357-yard passing performance - all in the first half - shattered Dailey's old mark.
Once again, Husker Nation was abuzz.
After that game nearly a year ago, Taylor said the experience of sitting in the tunnel before the game gave him chills.
``That's something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life,'' Taylor said. ``It's really tough to describe to people who haven't experienced it.''
Taylor went on to lead Nebraska to an 8-4 record in 2005, completing 55.1 percent of his passes to go with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
``We didn't help out Joe a whole lot so we couldn't let him show what he had,'' Todd said. ``We could help Zac a little bit more last season.''
But Dailey and Taylor are just the most recent examples of Huskers to have breakthrough spring games before either fading or rising in the fall.
In the 1994 game, quarterback Tommie Frazier passed for 153 yards on 10 of 18 passing.
That fall, Frazier was sidelined four games into the season with a blood clot in his lower left leg. But the junior came back to help lead Nebraska to the National Championship that year and again in 1995.
Quarterback Scott Frost enjoyed a similar path, completing 10 of 17 passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns in the 1995 game. Frost, a transfer from Stanford, sat out that fall before earning the starting job in 1996 and winning the national title in 1997.
In 1998, Bobby Newcombe rushed for 175 yards in the Spring Game, propelling then-NU Coach Frank Solich to name him the team's starting quarterback ahead of eventual 2001 Heisman Trophy Winner Eric Crouch.
Who will emerge this spring?
Sophomore wide receiver Todd Peterson is looking to impress the Nebraska coaches and earn more playing time next fall, and he said has already seen some potential stars in sophomore I-back Cody Glenn and junior wide receiver Terrence Nunn.
``The main thing about spring is it's a launching board for players to move up the depth chart,'' Peterson said. ``Once we come to the fall, there's so much install getting ready for games.''
Todd picked Blake Tiedtke as the player who the Spring Game helped most last season.
The free safety, whose eligibility expired after last season, started all 12 games in 2005 and earned a Blackshirt after playing in a combined eight games in his previous three years.
``(Tiedtke) did a great job for us,'' Todd said. ``Every single year there are one or two guys who just step up and stand out.''
This year, as in the past two years under Callahan, the top offensive and defensive units will take on the rest of the team, giving new players a chance to emerge.
For Taylor, the game is a good way to entertain the fans and showcase his ability.
Hopefully, like Taylor, those fans won't look too much into the final numbers.
``It is fun to go out there and play well, but if I had a bad game I don't think it really would have changed anything in the fall,'' Taylor said. ``But it is nice to get out there.''
