• Video: Highlights from Friday's Husker football practice:
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• Photo Showcase: Friday's Husker football practice
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LINCOLN — If there has been a forgotten player in the Nebraska linebacker conversation, it probably is Alonzo Whaley.
But safety P.J. Smith said the sophomore hasn't been overlooked by his teammates.
“Whaley's flying around, having fun, getting better,” Smith said Friday. “They're all competing.”
Sean Fisher, Will Compton and Eric Martin all played a decent amount last season, either at linebacker or on special teams. Whaley is trying to make his mark this spring.
“I'll go up and watch film with Eric (Hagg) and he's like, ‘Gosh, Whaley's really getting it. Whaley's really getting it,'” Smith said. “After being in the system two years, it's starting to come to him. It's making it that much easier.”
In other linebacker news Friday, coach Bo Pelini said Micah Kreikemeier is sidelined by an elbow problem.
“He just basically has some debris in there we've got to get cleaned up,” Pelini said.
OL Smith praised
Who better to appreciate what Mike Smith is doing this spring than a fellow offensive lineman?
Left guard Keith Williams said he is impressed by Smith bouncing around during the first 10 practices. The senior-to-be started the past two seasons at left tackle.
“Mike is one heck of a guy,” Williams said. “He's sacrificing his body every day going position to position, and I appreciate everything he does. He's versatile.”
Mixed work today
Pelini put Nebraska through a 150-play scrimmage last Saturday, but he said this Saturday will be slightly different.
“We'll have some scrimmaging and some regular practice,” he said. “It'll be a little bit of a mix. It's not going to be like the same format as last week.”
Pelini remarked that the offense performed well Friday, but he said plenty of work remains a week before the Red-White game.
“I think we've made progress, and I'm happy with the progress up to this point,” he said. “But we've still got a ways to go.”
Safeties rotate
Pelini said before spring practice that any depth chart wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. And P.J. Smith said as much Friday as the sophomore described how the safeties bounce around from practice to practice.
Secondary coach Marvin Sanders might have a player with group one on a particular day, then with group three or four on another.
“It just depends on how Coach feels that day,” Smith said. “It's like, ‘Hey, you didn't do nothing wrong yesterday in practice, but just go down there. I'm trying to pull somebody up to try to get them more reps with the older guys.' He wants to get the younger guys with the older guys, and put some of the older guys with the younger guys and help them.”
— Rich Kaipust
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