LINCOLN — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said he's still seeking “better attention to detail” as the Huskers progress through the last week of preparation before Saturday's opener against Western Kentucky.
“There were some things that weren't up to our standards, but we saw a lot of good things, too,” the third-year coach said after the Huskers practiced Monday on the FieldTurf outside the Hawks Center. “We need a whole week's practice to get ready for this football game.”
NU introduced more of its game plan to the players Monday. Pelini said practices have shifted to feature more repetitions for players on the top two units.
“We're not nearly a finished product yet,” he said. “Our biggest competition now — it is throughout the whole year — is yourself. It's coming out every day with the right attitude, the right focus to keep improving. That's what we've got in front of us.”
Bo rebuffs QB questions
More mystery from Pelini on Monday on the quarterback position. Asked if he had informed the QBs of their assignments Saturday against Western Kentucky, Pelini said no.
And then this: “I wouldn't tell you if I did.”
NU is not expected to announce a starter from among Zac Lee, Cody Green and Taylor Martinez.
Exhibition game? Don't bet on it
Pelini, who spent eight years in the NFL as an assistant coach, said he does not believe the league will pass its proposed shift to an 18-game regular season and two-game preseason.
On the subject of preseason, Pelini said he would like to see an exhibition game added to the August regimen for college teams — or even a practice against another team.
“I think that would always be good,” he said. “But I don't think that'll ever happen with the NCAA.”
Latravis joins special teams
Senior quarterback Latravis Washington, buried on the depth chart behind at least three others, recently requested to play on special teams. A former linebacker, he said he's worked on the punt return and kickoff return squads.
Pelini praised Washington for his attitude. Coaches moved him from defense before spring practice in 2009, but he lost a bid for the backup quarterback job to Green and played in just four games.
“He's sacrificed a lot for this football team,” Pelini said. “Latravis is as good a guy in the locker room as you're ever going to have. We love having him around. He has a great attitude. He's a winner.”
Washington said he's looking forward to the new job — and to seeing his old high school coach, Raymond Woodie, on Saturday in Lincoln. Woodie, who coached Washington and his ex-Husker cousin Fabian Washington at Bradenton (Fla.) Bayshore, works as a defensive assistant at Western Kentucky.
Woodie called Washington on Sunday.
“We didn't talk about football,” Washington said. “We just talked about life.”
They hadn't talked in several months, and Washington said he hasn't seen Woodie in a couple of years.
— Mitch Sherman
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
RSS Feeds