KNOWLTON: Pelini puts emphasis back on spring football

It had been so long since I'd heard Bo Pelini speak, I'd almost forgotten how deep his philosophical talks at press conferences can get.


He may look like a typical roughneck football coach, but it's obvious that there's a lot going on underneath that crew-cut of his. The man with the plan for Nebraska football was at it again during Tuesday's meeting with the media to open spring practices.


Spring football is all about player development and guys battling for starting jobs. Pelini said his philosophy is that competition is the ultimate motivational factor that will breed success this spring.

"No promises, no guarantees," the Cornhusker coach said.


Let the battles – and improvement – begin.


There must be competition at every position for players to improve from year to year – or at least a semblance of competition.


Only the really special players can motivate themselves enough to improve without someone challenging them. Pelini has bred a culture of competition within the program that will pay dividends come Saturdays in the fall.


"Competition makes everybody better," Pelini said. "At the end of the day, that's what we're looking for – guys that go out on the practice field every single day and compete and compete and compete."


The second-year NU coach will even throw linebacker Latravis Washington into the high-profile quarterback battle this spring.

Washington played the position in high school and Pelini said he has a "big arm." Anything in the name of furthering competition should be looked at positively.


Not all college athletes agree, however – namely Patrick Witt. Witt was Nebraska's most experienced returning quarterback from last season, but he left the program before rumors surfaced that he wanted Pelini to assure him the starting role prior to the start of spring practice.

Heated position battles aren't for everyone, but those who survive spring ball will reap the benefits later.


Pelini may have lost his star quarterback because he didn't want to promise anyone a job, but building a culture of competition is far more important to Nebraska football.


The Huskers that stayed have bought in.

NU linebacker Blake Lawrence said the opportunity is there for anybody to step up and start at his position this season.


"That's what I like about these freshman," Lawrence said, "they're not scared to compete."


NU running back Quentin Castille said the number of carries he receives this season will depend on how the spring practices play out. NU's leading returning rusher, Roy Helu Jr. said the competition is going to be "cut-throat."


Pelini talks a lot about process – the step-by-step approach he takes in molding his team to the level he eventually wants it to be at – and he did again on Tuesday. He's a calculating man who makes specific decisions, moves and policies in the name of bettering the Cornhuskers.


Think back to his strategic timing when he handed out the blackshirts to NU defenders near the end of last season. The move gave Nebraska's defense the motivation it needed to hold Kansas State to under 250 yards of total offense in its next game.


Pelini is like a puppet-master, making subtle tugs and slight moves to improve the program.

His latest directive – the competitive agenda for spring practices – will help the Huskers put on a good show come fall.


For proof, think back to the touted recruiting classes of former NU coach Bill Callahan. Top 10 national rankings and five-star recruits were supposed to catapult Nebraska back to the top of college football. Instead, hyped-up players never reached their potential and the Huskers suffered two losing seasons in four years.

Player development, i.e. the lack of a competitive atmosphere, was largely to blame. Former NU quarterback Sam Keller started over Joe Ganz during NU's 5-7 campaign in 2007 when it was widely assumed that there was no quarterback competition in the spring.


Ganz threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns last season. Keller led the 2007 offense on one of the least successful Nebraska teams in school history and passed for 2,422 yards and 10 interceptions through nine games.


Those days are over. Spring football is meaningful again and every spot is up for grabs. The Huskers who work the hardest will be rewarded.


"It's going to be a lot of fun to watch what happens," Pelini said.


Kris Knowlton is a senior news-editorial major. Reach him at krisknowlton@dailynebraskan.com.