Nebraska Football Notebook

Practice report

LINCOLN  --  The Nebraska football team completed its second of 29 fall-camp practices Tuesday afternoon with a 2 1/2-hour workout on the grass practice fields northeast of Memorial Stadium. For the second straight day, the Huskers were in shorts and helmets.

"We picked up where we left off," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "We're making some progress in some areas, but we're not going to be satisfied until we see perfection out there. We're far away from that."

Although the Huskers haven't donned pads yet this fall camp, Pelini said he was impressed with the hard work and physical play from his team.

"Obviously when you get the pads on, it gets a little more physical," Pelini said. "But it's been pretty physical out there for having no pads. Guys are working their technique and their fundamentals. There's a lot of learning going on."

Pelini said coaches have taken the first two days to get to know the newcomers and see what they can do.

"We see some guys getting better," Pelini said. "Their heads are spinning. Some guys are a little more comfortable than others, and that's to be expected. It's a good group. A couple of them might have a chance to help us out. We'll see how that plays out."

The Huskers continue with single practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, before their first two-a-day session on Saturday.



 ’Game' revisited

According to The Oklahoman, Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione is planning a halftime ceremony during the Nov. 1 Nebraska-OU football game to commemorate the 1971 "Game of the Century," which was won by the Cornhuskers, 35-31.

Castiglione told the newspaper he wants to honor one of Oklahoma's top rivals and use the weekend as a reunion for players who participated in the game on either side. He also hopes the act will repair some hard feelings over Nebraska's last visit to Norman, Okla., in 2004, which included accusations that a member of OU's Ruf Neks squad was punched by a Husker player, OU fans booing a late Nebraska field goal in the 30-3 Huskers' loss and former NU coach Bill Callahan calling Sooner fans "(expletive) hillbillies" as he ran off the field.

"After the last game, the type of comments that were made, the things that were said were so foreign to the rivalry," Castiglione told The Oklahoman. "I know rivalries have such an intensity to it that people want to term the opponent the ’hated rival.' But there is something that has transcended this rivalry, and that has been immense respect for each other."



Race for No. 2

While most figure fifth-year senior Joe Ganz has the starting quarterback job locked up, the real fall-camp question at the position is who will be Ganz's backup. Entering fall camp, redshirt freshman Patrick Witt was No. 2 on the depth chart and sophomore Zac Lee was third.

"We feel good about that whole group," Pelini said when asked about who might wind up as the No. 2 quarterback. "Time will tell. The competition's good. They're both playing well. We'll see how it works as the camp goes on."

Lee, who said he's 100 percent healthy this year after trying to go through last season still recovering from a knee injury that he suffered in 2006, said he obviously wants to win the backup job, but can't let the competition with Witt consume him.

"You try and just focus on yourself," Lee said. "Because as soon as you start looking at the other guy, it just leads to cobwebs and headaches, so you just try to focus on yourself."



Still missing

Freshman wide receiver Antonio Bell, offensive lineman David Grant and defensive backs Justin Rogers and David Whitmore still aren't with the program, Pelini said Tuesday.

"It's kind of a work in progress," Pelini said. "We've got a few weeks until school starts. That's kind of the date. We're kind of at the Clearinghouse with the NCAA, waiting for test scores (to come) back, that kind of thing. We'll see."



Dixon decision

One day after announcing that backup defensive tackle Kevin Dixon had been dismissed from the program for a violation of team rules, Pelini offered little more explanation on Tuesday.

Asked if the fact that Dixon had received two July citations from UNL police  --  one for public urination and another for marijuana possession  --  Pelini responded: "That had something to do with it, obviously."

Pelini said that no personnel moves have bee made yet to account for the loss of Dixon. The senior was being counted on to provide depth as the backup behind both starting nose tackle Ndamukong Suh and starting defensive tackle Ty Stwinkuhler.

"We're just trying to get to know some of these guys and trying to figure out who fits," Pelini said. "We feel OK about it."



Husker huddle

— On the injury front, starting right tackle Jaivorio Burkes didn't practice again Tuesday due to an undisclosed injury. Burkes is apparently day-to-day. "We'll see," Pelini said. "It's more of a medical issue."

—  Also, Pelini said junior tight end Tyson Hetzer, who is not on the 105-man preseason practice roster due to a knee injury, is approximately two weeks away from returning from an injury. He also confirmed that true freshman linebacker Micah Kreikemeier injured a knee during summer workouts and will redshirt this season

—  Twenty-five incoming Husker football players participated in community outreach as part of football orientation on Tuesday. Players visited the F Street Recreation Center and Village Manor Living Center in Lincoln.



 -- Staff and wire reports