“Watching Ameer and what he did in the Miami game, what struck me is how aggressively he ran and the abandon with which he ran,” Jones said. “Then he showed the longer the game went the stronger he got. That is a trademark of all the great Nebraska backs.”

Abdullah will get more years, more games and more carries than Rozier, Green and Jones, but Green said that also will speak well to his durability and dependability. Taking care of all the things that people don’t see when it comes to lifting, conditioning and practice.

Green and Abdullah had met previously, but started connecting more often after NU assistant coach Ron Brown reached out to Green last spring. They talked after the spring game and Green ever since has just tried to “drop little bits of knowledge” from time to time to help.

Abdullah is open to the advice. Open to getting better. Open to respecting the past.

Jones said that all makes him easier to root for as he passes some of the great names in Husker history, including Roger Craig, Rick Berns, Keith Jones, Derek Brown, Lawrence Phillips and I.M. Hipp to get to his No. 8 spot to start this season.