Saturday fall camp nuggets

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Here are some quick notes and observations to pass along from Nebraska's second practice of fall camp in half pads on Saturday inside the Hawks Championship Center and fields north of Memorial Stadium…

***Defensive tackle Vincent Valentine (bruised knee) was limited again on Saturday.

***Defensive coordinator Mark Banker said the last two practices have been good from a personnel standpoint, as the staff has been able to rotate a lot of players in to get reps and get some good competition going a specific position battles.

***Banker said the defense was already starting to prepare for BYU's offensive tempo. Banker said the Cougars were one of the fastest tempo offenses in the country last season, getting snaps off as quickly as 7-11 seconds into the play clock at times.

***Banker said he's been initially very impressed with Nebraska's freshmen class on the defensive side of the ball. He said DaiShon Neal is up to about 270 pounds of "decent weight", and Alex Davis was a really exciting prospect because his frame was basically "a clean slate" for the strength and conditioning coaches. Banker also said Tyrin Ferguson and Mohamed Barry came in physically ready to play.

***Banker and several other NU players commented on defensive tackle Kevin Williams' "I'm not a backup" rant on Thursday. Banker said he and Williams have had that discussion going back to December, and that the issues "resonates deep with him." However, Banker added: "It's not about one person, it's about everybody. That's something everybody needs to understand."

***Banker was asked when the Blackshirts would be awarded, and he said definitely before the first game.

***Safety Byerson Cockrell said his shoulder injury occurred during the spring game when he landed on it and fully tore some previously partially torn ligaments that were bothering him last season. He said he feels much better after surgery and feels close to 100 percent.

***Freshman running back Jordan Stevenson stayed around well after practice was over to take some one-on-one coaching with running backs coach Reggie Davis.

***One of the biggest differences between fall camp this year and last year is how much longer the days are this fall, safety Kieron Williams said. He said players are basically at the facility from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. between workouts, meetings, walk-throughs and practice.

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