TE Mueller making strides in senior year

LINCOLN - During the offseason, Nebraska senior tight end Josh Mueller picked up some friends in high places.

Mueller's position coach last year, Shawn Watson, was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Watson's replacement, first-year coach Joe Rudolph, said Mueller and the rest of the tight ends are in a position to get more looks in the Huskers' offense.

“(Watson) is very close to the situation and knows what the tight ends can bring to the passing game. I think that is getting echoed to the quarterback,” Rudolph said. “I communicate that to the guys that things are being pointed out and said on every play, now it is up to them to make the play.”

The tight end finished Saturday's Red-White spring game with mixed results. Red team starter J.B. Phillips finished with three catches for 35 yards. On the other side, Mueller, a Lakeview graduate, caught just one pass and two other skipped off his hands. The White team struggled to establish drives as they finished 8-for-23 passing for 42 yards.

Despite the lack of production in the scrimmage, Mueller said he was satisfied with how he performed this spring and the progress he made.

Last season, the tight ends combined for 10 touchdowns and 35 receptions. Mueller caught five passes for 26 yards and two touchdowns. Phillips led the group with 13 receptions, while Hunter Teafatiller hauled in five passes for four scores.

Mueller said the touchdowns last year gave him more confidence and was an awesome experience. With the abundance of talent and experience the Huskers have at wide receiver, the 6-foot-5 265-pound senior said every pass thrown his way is precious.

“You have to place value on every single play,” Mueller said. “With the talent we have on this team the ball can be thrown all over the field.”

Rudolph said after the first week of practices the tight ends were getting the job done, but he felt they still could improve. The former Ohio State aide had the tight ends come into the offices on a Sunday, a day after a scrimmage, and fill out a questionnaire.

The meetings resulted in a challenge for the players to up the effort level on each play and focus on the small details. The result was a more determined group for the final two weeks of spring practice and better results on the field.

“It helped me as a coach to see how much (Mueller) cared about it and what he was thinking,” Rudolph said. “I saw more concentration on the little things and then taking his thinking to the next level and then bringing it to the field.”

He said one of the nice things about with the group of tight ends is they each bring something different to the table. Phillips is the hard-nosed blocker and Teafatiller is the speedy big play guy. Rudolph said Mueller fits the mold of the prototypical tight end: He's big bodied, can catch the ball and can block at the line of scrimmage or in motion.

“The tight end group has some amazing guys,” Rudolph said. “He's the type of guy you feel comfortable to have in there in any situation to have him in there. Regardless of what is going on, you can put him in there. He brings a lot to the offense.”

Mueller enters his final season for the Huskers still trying to improve his all-around game and become a more complete player. He said last year's success and trip to the Big 12 Conference championship game made the Huskers hungry for more.

“Last year was huge for us,” he said. “Now we know we can get there and we have to go out and do it again.”