• Video: Husker football coach Bo Pelini after Monday's practice:
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LINCOLN — Many of Nebraska's muddled position battles could become clearer by the end of the week.
Monday's practices were the first of nine sessions scheduled before Sunday — a critical stretch that could be the best chance for the coaching staff to start finalizing lineups.
The roster expands when fall classes begin Monday. Game preparation will start soon after that.
And even though coach Bo Pelini says he and the NU assistants will always be assessing the players' in-practice performance, he acknowledged that the next few days should determine a lot.
“This is a big evaluation week,” he said, “but every day in our program is a big evaluation day. This program's about competing. ... This week, we have nine (practices). Obviously, it's a big week for us.”
Henry confident in receivers
Will Henry understands why everybody asks about the backup receivers. It stems from the inconsistency of a year ago from just about everybody behind Niles Paul.
Assistant coach Ted Gilmore tried to send messages at different times with benchings or cuts in playing time.
“I definitely think we've done better,” said Henry, a senior. “I think we'll definitely have a great year. We just got to keep working, pushing on. This is a really big evaluation week for us, so we know that we just have to work hard.”
Henry, Curenski Gilleylen, Khiry Cooper, Tim Marlowe and Steven Osborne are among the returnees behind Paul and Brandon Kinnie.
Henry is trying to ride some momentum out of the spring. He caught two passes in the Red-White game, including a 72-yard touchdown from Cody Green.
“I mean, I think I'll be in there, but that's something that coaches determine,” Henry said. “I'm just trying to go out there and have fun and compete.”
Henery connects with Kaeding
Alex Henery joined up with San Diego Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding and helped instruct high schoolers at a couple of kicking camps this summer.
But the Nebraska senior specialist didn't spend much time picking Kaeding's brain for pointers.
It was at an earlier Kaeding-led camp that Henery decided to start seriously pursuing football. He was a student at Omaha Burke High School then.
He and Kaeding have kept in touch since, though Henery doesn't necessarily use his NFL contact for position-related advice.
To ensure he gets better, Henery usually videotapes himself, then analyzes the clips for errors. He does occasionally watch film of Kaeding, and also Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould. But at this point, Henery's basically self-taught.
“It's about consistency, mainly,” he said.
Lighter class load for senior graduate
Senior Mike McNeill traded the mortar board for his helmet Monday after being excused from Saturday's practice to attend graduation ceremonies.
McNeill isn't sure what he wants to do with his marketing degree and said he might even try coaching first when his playing career is over. For now he called it a relief to have a lighter academic load for his final season of football.
“Just not having a whole lot on my plate should be nice,” he said.
— Jon Nyatawa and Rich Kaipust
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