Luben Runs Hard, Turns Some Heads in Game’s Second Half
By Jansen Coburn
Most fans in attendance for Nebraska’s spring game came for a sneak peek of the fall. After all, plenty of offseason changes have been made. Are things coming together?
New coaches, new players, new schemes. Many were eager to see projected starting quarterback Casey Thompson command a revamped offense coordinated by veteran offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. What they got was a teaser. Thompson attempted four passes, starters logged limited snaps and play-calling was vanilla.
But fans did get a look at younger players.
In the second half, Frost allowed younger players to get reps. “Thud” mode was over and live tackling allowed players to show what they’re made of – the perfect opportunity for a breakout player to emerge. In just two plays, that player was Trevin Luben.
Coming into the game, Luben, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound redshirt freshman, was an unfamiliar name. He’s a homegrown Husker who played his high school ball at Wahoo High School. He’d made just one appearance, against Fordham in 2021. Before the spring game, most of Luben’s contributions had gone largely unnoticed.
That isn’t to say he hasn’t accomplished much behind the scenes. He was awarded scout team special teams player of the year in 2021 and has excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten in 2021 and qualifying for the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll three consecutive semesters.
In the spring game, Luben immediately turned heads with a big run on his first carry. After his second carry, he emerged as the leading rusher on the day. By the end, he tallied eight carries for 91 yards. His longest run went for 32 yards.
Running back Trevin Luben is tackled by Jimari Butler. Luben had eight carries for 91 yards. Sam Sledge, a Husker commit from Omaha, attended the game with his parents, Dawn and Bob, a former Husker offensive lineman. Mike Rozier, left and Rich Glover were two of the Husker legends who attended the spring game. Coach Scott Frost watched the action from the field. A small crowd for a Husker spring game of 54,357 fans soak in the sunny day. It was the final game on the 13-year-old FieldTurf.
