Tag: Thomas Fidone

Marcus Satterfield recognizes Thomas Fidone’s impact

Marcus Satterfield is impressed with how Thomas Fidone plays tight end.

Nebraska football offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield wants to get tight end Thomas Fidone II more involved in the offense. He made that clear in his press conference on Tuesday.

Fidone recorded four catches for 55 yards against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. This was his second-most productive game of the season. He recorded six catches for 91 yards against Indiana the week before. It seems as though Nebraska has put more focus on getting him involved in the scheme.

The junior has recorded 24 catches for 273 yards on the season. He has shown an ability to stretch the field, averaging 11.4 yards per reception. Satterfield recognizes the tight end’s big-play ability, as he noted on Tuesday.

“Giving him opportunities. His special trait is going vertically down the field. He’s extremely explosive and fast and can separate and use his body with 50/50 catches. Just giving him more opportunities as we go along the way to make more plays vertically down the field.”

Getting Fidone more involved could help quarterback Dylan Raiola, who has struggled over the last couple of games. Production from the outside receivers has also been a challenge. Continued progress from Fidone could be important as the offensive unit looks to find its groove.

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Matt Rhule pleased with tight end Thomas Fidone’s progress

Matt Rhule likes Thomas Fidone’s progress this season.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule discussed the role of tight end Thomas Fidone as the team gets ready to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.

Fidone has been a minor contributor in the Huskers offense to this point in the season. He has tallied 20 catches for 218 yards on the season. He made a large impact against Indiana, catching six passes for 91 yards. That was his highest output of the season. A 28-yard grab was his longest of the afternoon.

To this point in the season, he has struggled to find a consistent role in the offense. Rhule talked about the tight end’s performance on Saturday, and it appears he wants to get him going more in the offense.

“When you have a game like that and the score isn’t going your way, you still have to go play. You can’t control how everyone else is playing. I thought Thomas caught the ball with his hands, one versus man and made some big plays. He’s getting better and better and better. I thought he had a really good bye week. He sprained his ankle a little bit, so we were worried if he was going to be able to play. He came out and he played and he’s playing really good football. He’s a guy that you always want to have involved in the offense.”

It will be interesting to see what role the program carves out for him offensively. A large part of the offensive focus has been on the outside receivers. Making the tight end more of a focal point in the game plan could help Fidone get things going and help quarterback Dylan Raiola back on track.

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Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone expresses frustration on penalty call

Thomas Fidone had a strong day against Purdue, despite the call

Nebraska football tight end Thomas Fidone had strong feelings about his penalty that negated a Huskers touchdown on Saturday against the Purdue Boilermakers. The tight end was tagged with offensive pass interference in the second quarter despite not touching the Purdue player.

The touchdown would’ve given Nebraska a 7-0 lead on a day where the offense was at a premium in the first half. Fidone had a strong game otherwise, recording three catches for 39 yards. He was very active throughout the game, including on the negated touchdown.

The tight end vehemently disagreed with the call and spoke with the media after the game, expressing his displeasure to 1011 News’ Chase Matteson.

“They didn’t say anything to me. Yeah, they didn’t say anything to me. I thought it was a ridiculous call, I didn’t even touch the guy. I literally got out of his way so I didn’t get a flag called on me. Yeah, I was pretty upset about that, but they didn’t say anything to me.”

Fidone certainly has a solid case to be upset about the call, especially given that he actively tried to avoid the penalty. Nevertheless, it ended up being a footnote in what was a strong 28-10 win for the Huskers. They will have another challenge next week when they take on an undefeated Rutgers team in Lincoln.

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Husker tight end Thomas Fidone raves about QB Dylan Raiola

Thomas Fidone is excited about what Dylan Raiola brings the table

Nebraska football tight end Thomas Fidone had high praise for quarterback Dylan Raiola as the program gets set to take on UTEP on Saturday afternoon. During a press conference earlier this week, the junior raved about the freshman quarterback’s work ethic.

Fidone was able to get his feet under him last season at the tight end position. He tallied 25 catches for 260 yards and four touchdowns. Now, he figures to be a focal point of the tight end room in a revamped Nebraska offense.

Fidone discussed what Raiola brings to the table, a common theme throughout the off-season. Coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield have praised him over the past few weeks. The tight end also explained what makes the quarterback special.

“I think they can expect a great player, someone who does everything right, all the small things right. I was just talking out there – there was someone who came and spoke to us and said there’s magic in the minutia. I think that Dylan is someone who embodies that. I’ll be in here on the weekends when no one else is in here or very few people are in here, and he’s in the weight room, doing all the small things and getting his body right – stretches and arm workouts and things like that. He does everything right to go out there and be successful on the field.”

Saturday’s game will be the freshman’s first test of a highly anticipated afternoon. Fidone should play a large part in the game itself and could provide welcome help in the red zone.

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Thomas Fidone II named to John Mackey Award watch list

Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone has been named to Mackey Award watch list.

Nebraska’s returning starting tight end, Thomas Fidone II, has earned a spot on the John Mackey Award watch list. The award is handed out to the nation’s best tight end; no Cornhusker has ever won it.

Fidone enters 2024 as one of the Husker’s top offensive weapons after recording 25 receptions for 260 yards and four touchdowns a season ago.

After not recording a reception against Minnesota in last year’s season opener, Fidone recorded receptions in each of the Husker’s 11 remaining games on the season, including eight games of two receptions or more.

This offseason, the Huskers recruited one of the nation’s top tight ends, Carter Nelson, to join the program. However, in hopes of creating a more dynamic offense, Matt Rhule and his coaching staff opted to move Nelson to wide receiver, specifically in the slot.

The move will also allow Fidone and Nelson to see playing time throughout the season, including on the field at the same time, perhaps giving the Huskers some potential mismatch advantages.

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Nebraska football overcomes miscues en route to 31-14 win over Purdue

A glance at the final score would make it appear as though Nebraska dominated in its win over Purdue. That is not the case.

A glance at the final score would make it appear as though Nebraska dominated in its win over Purdue. That is not the case. The Huskers delivered a strong showing in the victory over the Boilermakers, but it was anything but consistent.

The offense scored three touchdowns and a field goal, but also lost three fumbles, resulting in Purdue’s 14 total points. The second touchdown came off a fourth down strip fumble on Jeff Sims, which Purdue took 55 yards to the house. Special teams also put the ball on the ground a few times, losing the ball on the opening kickoff and nearly giving up the ball during a punt return. But despite the major miscues, Nebraska stood its ground.

Heinrich Haarberg went 6-of-11 in the air but threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas Fidone II and freshman Jaylen Lloyd were on the receiving end of those touchdown passes. Fidone hauled in a one-yard catch for a touchdown, while Lloyd was all alone for his 73-yard touchdown. Emmett Johnson scored the final touchdown, running up the middle for a 28-yard score to put the game away.

The Blackshirts were the shining light in the game once again for Nebraska. The Huskers held Purdue to under 100 yards in both rushing and passing. This is the first time Nebraska has accomplished this achievement since 2012 when it defeated Minnesota 38-14. The Blackshirts also recovered a fumble, snatched two interceptions and blocked a field goal and took it for a touchdown.

Tommi Hill hauled in both interceptions for Nebraska, while Quinton Newsome ran the blocked field goal back for a touchdown.

Nebraska is now 5-3 on the season, its first five-win season since 2019. The Huskers will travel to East Lansing to face Michigan State on Saturday, with a win punching their ticket to a bowl game. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and can be viewed on FS1.

Nebraska football takes down Louisiana Tech 28-14

The Nebraska football team hosted its second game of the season on Saturday afternoon.

The Nebraska football team hosted its second game of the season on Saturday afternoon. After taking down Northern Illinois to improve to 1-2, the Huskers welcomed in Louisiana Tech. Though Nebraska snatched win number two for the 2023 season, it was closer than last week’s victory, walking away with a 28-14 win.

Heinrich Haarberg started for Nebraska for the second straight week and led the Huskers both in the pass and ground games. Haarberg went 8-of-17 in the air for 107 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 157 yards and one touchdown off 19 carries. Haarberg’s touchdown run came off a huge 72-yard option, which put Nebraska up 28-7 with over 11 minutes to go in the game.

Anthony Grant and Thomas Fidone II also found their way into the endzone for the second straight week. Grant scored on the ground off a two-yard run, adding to his 135-yard rushing on the day. Fidone had only one catch in the game but made a big one, scoring a 29-yard touchdown.

Billy Kemp IV finished as the top receiver for the Huskers, hauling in five catches for 62 yards. Kemp also scored Nebraska’s first touchdown of the game off a jet sweep, which came after a fake field goal by the Huskers. Louisiana Tech responded quickly to the score, running in for a touchdown on its next drive.

Nebraska’s defense, however, delivered another big showing in the run game, holding the Bulldogs to 46 total yards. The Huskers did surrender 292 passing yards, 146 of them coming in the fourth quarter, which led to Louisiana Tech’s second touchdown. Another significant factor in the game was the Bulldogs’ penalties. Louisiana Tech surrendered 12 penalties for 100 yards, which halted many of its drives and even kept some of Nebraska’s drives alive.

The Huskers improve to 2-2 on the season but face a significant task next week as they welcome in No. 2 Michigan. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be viewed on FOX.

Nebraska TE will miss the remainder of the season

A Nebraska TE is set to miss the remainder of the season.

According to The Omaha World-Herald’s Evan Bland, Nebraska Cornhuskers interim head coach Mickey Joseph ruled out tight end Thomas Fidone II for the remainder of the season.

“I don’t want to take a chance with him,” Joseph said per Bland.

Fidone had not played a game this season, as he is recovering from a knee injury. He appeared in only one game in 2021.

Joseph added that Fidone is “moving well”.

“But he’s really moving well right now,” Joseph said via Bland. “He’s in a good spot right now. But he understands that we’re not going to put him out there until, really, he’s going to say he’s ready. We’ve got to be smart with Fidone.”

Fidone was a highly regarded recruit out of high school. 247 Sports Composite ranked him as the second-best tight end in the 2021 class.

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2022 Husker Breakdown: Receivers and tight ends aplenty, who will step up?

Nebraska lost a lot of receiving production from last year, but a number of wideouts and tight ends have a chance to break out in 2021

Welcome to the third position-by-position breakdown of Nebraska Cornhuskers football, where the wide receivers and tight ends complete our analysis of the skill positions. The Huskers are pretty stable, at least on paper, at the quarterback and running back positions, but relatively speaking, the receiving core has a little bit more to prove. 

Just two of Nebraska’s 16 wide receivers on their roster donned the red and white last year. Former wideout Samori Toure is fighting for a roster spot with the Green Bay Packers currently after leading the Huskers with 898 yards and five touchdowns last year. Tight end Austin Allen, who set Nebraska single-season yardage records for a tight end, is doing the same with the New York Giants. No. 2 and 3 wideouts from 2021 Zavier Betts and Levi Falck are gone too. 

Nevertheless, the Nebraska pass catchers aren’t all doom and gloom, thanks to three transfers who should see a heap of playing time. Travis Vokolek is a physical presence at tight end that will improve on his 2021 stat line of 11 catches and 127 yards by leaps and bounds as well. 

But perhaps the biggest presence in the Husker’s group of pass catchers is someone that won’t be on the playing field: new wide receivers coach and former Nebraska QB Mickey Joseph, who arrives in Lincoln after coaching the likes of Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson at LSU. 

Perhaps a reason why Nebraska’s wideouts haven’t been as heralded as the QB’s and RB’s is because Joseph hasn’t taken it easy on Nebraska’s receivers. 

“My thing is, I rule with an iron fist. They understand that. They accept that. I’m never going to cater to them. I’m never going to tell them what they want to hear. I’m always going to tell the truth. And I’m going to demand that they play with excellence. That’s how you win,” Joseph said.

However, there’s still a group of six wideouts that Joseph seems to think can make an impact, and the Huskers have a couple wild cards that could also break out too. 

Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple loves his tight ends as Pitt’s top TE duo combined for 768 yards and 10 touchdowns on 65 catches last year. Vokolek is a good bet to lead the bunch this year but if last season is any indicator, there’ll be room for other Huskers tight ends such as Thomas Fidone to shine. 

Reaction from Nebraska’s Wednesday morning practice

The season-opening kickoff is getting closer and closer.

Nebraska’s football practice on Wednesday morning was open to the local media, and social media reactions are pouring in. One of the most significant pieces of news today was former Texas Tech transfer Devin Drew officially being cleared by the Nebraska football staff for full participation in fall camp. The 6-2, 280-pound Defensive Lineman played in 20 games over the last two years and logged 55 total tackles and .5 sacks during his tenure as a Red Raider.

Reporters also saw head coach Scott Frost and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple working with the first team offense on read-option drills, which could be further proof that the Huskers will still be running the quarterback in 2022. There was also a Thomas Fidone sighting at the practice. The tight end was the top recruit at his position in 2020 and was the highest-rated recruit to sign with NU since 2008. The Iowa native suffered a knee injury before the 2021 season and is still rehabbing with medical staff. Scroll below to see social media reactions to Wednesday morning’s workout.

We are officially 17 days from the season-opening kickoff, in which Nebraska will face Northwestern in Dublin, Ireland. Stay tuned to Cornhuskers Wire for all the latest news!