]Nebraska held its second practice of the spring on Monday afternoon inside the Hawks Championship Center and the fields north of Memorial Stadium. Here are a few notes and observations to pass along from today's session...[/size]
***Offensive coordinator Tim Beck said the offense is "going back to basics" this spring and really focusing on the fundamentals. In particular, turnovers have been a top emphasis. That could be seen when the quarterbacks and running backs stayed late after practice to work on ball security drills with the slick sleeve wrapped over the football.
***Defensive coordinator John Papuchis said the competition the defensive line will be as tight as any position on the team this spring, especially because of the small numbers the Huskers have up front due to injuries. By splitting up the defense into multiple groups to help the younger players catch up, all 12 active d-linemen are getting the same number of reps every practice.
***Defensive tackle Aaron Curry said he didn't know what his status was right now in getting a medical redshirt. He said he was leaving that in the hands of the coaches, but for now he's still listed as a sophomore.
***Linebacker Zaire Anderson said he feels really good coming back from his ACL injury last season. While the coaches still won't let him go full speed since he's only five months into his recovery, he said he doesn't have any hesitation making cuts or running. In fact, his off-season training and conditioning has gone as well as anyone could have imagined, as he's gained more than 20 pounds of muscle and now weighs in at 227 after coming in at 205 last year.
***Freshman linebacker Courtney Love got a lot of praise from both Papuchis and Anderson. His physicality has immediately stood out through the first couple practices, but his grasp of the defense already has been even more impressive. Anderson even said Love already knows more of the defense than he did at this point last year.
***Offensive line coach John Garrison said lineman David Knevel was as physically impressive of a freshman as he's seen
***Linebackers coach Ross Els said that David Santos is currently working out at the MIKE linebacker spot, but could return to the WILL, which he played last season. Santos said he learned he would start spring at the MIKE shortly after the Big Ten Championship game and has been leaning on former Husker Will Compton a lot.
***Secondary coach Terry Joseph said that Harvey Jackson and Corey Cooper are the current starters at safety due to their experience, but a number of younger players, most notably Charles Jackson, are nipping at their heels. Papuchis said Charles Jackson was working as a No. 2 safety right now.
***Running backs coach Ron Brown said that although he did drop ten pounds in the offseason, Imani Cross hasn't lost his strength and is still repping 500 pounds on squats ? he made sure to emphasize those are reps, not maxing out. Cross said he's now down to 235 pounds to 221 and feels much quicker in his cuts and straight away speed.