• Photo Showcase: Husker football practice, Aug. 11
• Video: NU coach Bo Pelini after practice:
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LINCOLN — Imagine ordering three pizzas and the delivery man bringing two.
Or buying three airline tickets and boarding the plane to find only two seats available.
Or showing up somewhere thinking that three jobs are open and realizing that it’s just two.
In any of the situations, and particularly the last, you might be able to understand what it’s like to be a Nebraska linebacker.
Nickel and dime defensive packages the past two seasons already have cut into the linebackers’ workload. The installment of former defensive back Eric Hagg in the “Peso” position has only made it official that three-linebacker sets aren’t part of the Husker operation.
To which Will Compton shrugs and says, so what?
“When I committed here and I came here, I bought into the product they sold to me, so I trust them 100 percent,” Compton said. “If they change something up, then I know they’re doing what’s best for the team. You’re here to win a championship. You’re not here for yourself and things like that.”
Such a selfless attitude has become almost as important as tackling backs and covering tight ends for NU linebackers.
The first depth chart before the Western Kentucky game will show MIKE and WILL spots. The long list of those competing for them includes Compton, Sean Fisher, Eric Martin, Alonzo Whaley, Lavonte David, Mathew May and others, none of whom are seniors.
It might lead to more competition in preseason camp, but Compton said that’s the way it should be anyway.
“You’ve got to be cranked up every practice, no matter what,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you are or how many people are there — if there’s two spots, three spots, five spots — you’ve got to fight like there’s only going to be one spot on the field at all times.”
That was often the case as last season wore on, and Phillip Dillard held it down. Dillard led the linebackers with 83 total tackles, although Compton and Fisher played enough as redshirt freshmen to add at least 35 tackles apiece.
As far as the Peso, Fisher said the Huskers actually used it against Kansas State in their final home game.
“We had it installed all year. We just didn’t use it every game,” Fisher said. “It wasn’t something brand new that we hadn’t seen before. Going into the spring, we were just made aware that that was going to be the base package from then on out, and nobody really got upset about it.”
While Hagg now officially takes up a full-time linebacker spot, it’s hard to say how often NU will go with a sixth defensive back in 2010 and use up another. The linebackers will just go forward planning on two playing — and all will know both positions.
Depending on what front the Huskers are playing, Fisher said linebackers could end up being either a true middle spot or the WILL position on the outside. Responsibilities really haven’t changed.
After five practices, it’s hard to say who’s emerging or ahead.
“We’re rotating back and forth every time,” Martin said. “Everybody gets reps, everybody gets to play. Coach is just seeing who’s paying attention and who’s not.
“I just feel like we’re all in this together. Regardless if Coach puts somebody else in ahead of me, obviously I can’t take it personal. I’ve just got to take it as I got to work harder to get back out there.”
That’s the fuse that’s been lit. And the fire that will burn through August.
“Obviously competition is kind of raised to a new level when you go from three spots to two and you have as many capable players as we have,” Fisher said. “People are just really getting after it and trying to battle for those two spots.”
Contact the writer:
444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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• Video: NU football practice, Aug. 11
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