Huskers Hold Situational Drills

LINCOLN ? The Nebraska football team worked out in half pads for the second straight day on the FieldTurf inside Memorial Stadium Wednesday afternoon. The Huskers were able to practice several different situational drills as they continued preparations for their Sept. 3 season opener against Maine.

"It was a good practice today," Offensive Coordinator Jay Norvell said. "These are bonus days for Maine. We get different situational work in, all those special situations that we are trying to prepare our guys for game week."

Norvell commented on freshman offensive tackle Matt Slauson, who was a late addition to this year’s list of newcomers after spending the past year at Air Force Academy Prep. Slauson has impressed Norvell with the progress he has made in such a short amount of time.

"Slauson has been a pleasant surprise," Norvell said. "He’s had an extra year of prep school that has prepared him. He’s a very big kid, a physical player and has a great attitude for the game. We’ve been really happy with his progress so far. He’s a guy that has come in and shown some understanding and physical play, and he should give us some depth in the offensive line. You have to have depth at the offensive line to be any good, and he’s been a guy that has given us some of that."

Another player who has had a good impression on the offensive coaches during the fall has been tight end Clayton Sievers. Norvell believes Sievers has earned a shot at playing time once the season begins.

"Clayton Sievers has had an excellent camp," Norvell said. "He’s really competing at that position, and we should see him push for playing time. He’s an aggressive kid and we look to see him on the field. If he continues to progress, he’ll probably play quite a bit this year."

Nebraska returns to practice Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Head Coach Bill Callahan and requested players will be available to address the media following exercises.