Husker assistant Ed Foley says competition will push special teams to be better

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska special teams coordinator Ed Foley sang the praises of the Huskers’ special teams unit on Tuesday.

In particular, Foley called junior kicker Timmy Bleekrode a “pro.”

“He goes out there every day with something to work on, which, which I really like about him,” Foley said.

Nebraska’s placekickers are not just working on field goals, but also kickoffs and onside kicks.

But Foley said the Huskers haven’t practiced a lot of “live kickoffs,” less than 20 days away from the spring game.

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Catching those kickoffs has been wide receiver Billy Kemp, whom Foley also praised.

“Billy’s a worker, like, he’s working at, you know, different aspects and wants to be challenged,” he said.

Foley shouted out Kemp for not only his return skills, but also his desire to work on improving as a player.

During practice, Kemp, a transfer from Virginia, has been finding ways to better position himself during kickoffs.

“He obviously brings some juice to the return game,” Foley said. “And there’s a few guys; the competition is going to be intense.”

And that competition will only benefit the Huskers.  Foley said the competition among the special teams unit will only push players to earn a starting position.

“I think it’s critical to have it at kicker, punter, anywhere we can have competition where guys are pushing each other, is going to make us all better,” Foley said.