Trev Alberts announces Indiana sellout, expects “new faces” to play

LINCOLN – It won’t win Nebraska football any games, but Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts likes the feeling he gets at the Husker training table when players are eating there.

“I go down there on purpose to just look and watch the body language, see the players,” Alberts said on his monthly show on Husker Sports Radio. “I feel some positivity, and I see them working really hard and fighting.”

Alberts conceded NU has had a “tough couple weeks” for the program since he fired head coach Scott Frost.

“But it also gives opportunity for players who had perhaps had fallen out of the previous vision and gives them a new opportunity. So you’re going to see some new faces. The two weeks were really good for the team and good for Coach ( Mickey) Joseph to work on fundamentals and some additional evaluations.

“All things considered, I’m really, really proud of those young men.”

Alberts continues a search for a new coach – which, in theory, could be Joseph – since firing Frost. Alberts said “nothing’s imminent” related to the coaching search, which is unlikely to wrap up before the end of the regular season.

Asked directly by a fan about the coaches contacted by NU, Alberts said he’d “rather not dive into the details.”

More notes from Alberts’ radio hour:

>>Nebraska sold all of its tickets for Saturday night’s Indiana game. It’s the 386th straight sellout. Alberts said NU had made “progress” on selling out the other three home games.

>>Alberts announced Nebraska will bring back a “slightly modernized” version of the original Herbie Husker mascot early in 2023.

“Complete with corn and overalls,” said Alberts. The Herbie has been replaced over the years by mascots like the voluminous Lil’ Red and later a Herbie Husker with a button-up red shirt, jeans and an usually large, toothy smile.

>> While the first phase of NU’s new outdoor track is complete, the second phase – with a press box and scoreboard – is on pause until Nebraska finds donor money to “augment” the money the Board of Regents has already approved for phase two. Phase one included the track itself and lights for the facility.

Alberts said interim head coach Justin St. Clair has “really dove in” so far in replacing the retired Gary Pepin.

>>Nebraska’s staff needs to “make it less difficult” for fans to get to the stadium and to their seats.