It’s part of the life of a college football defense, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini. Especially his defenses. Start a little slow and ragged. Pick up speed and excellence as time progresses. And the finished product looks pretty spiffy by season’s end.

So Pelini’s rather reactionary comments after Saturday’s 49-10 win over Western Kentucky well in the rearview mirror, he’s now looking at NU’s communication and alignment problems with a level gaze.

“I don't push the panic button,” he said Tuesday, clutching the bottle of Aquafina that’s become his accessory for each presser on Memorial Stadium’s sixth floor.

Here’s why: Nebraska’s defense struggled at times in the 2009 season opener vs. Florida Atlantic, too, giving up 368 total yards and 23 first downs. NU never surrendered that many yards again until the Colorado game - and the Buffaloes gained 56 of their 403 yards thanks to a game-ending Hail Mary pass.

More Pelini proof: In 2005 at LSU, the Tigers gave up 31 and 30 points in their first two games after Hurricane Katrina. That team advanced to the SEC Championship game and finished the year as one of the nation’s defenses, giving up just 267 yards and 14 points per game.

“If you look at my history, that's our style of defense,” Pelini said. “You get better as you go on, as you get more time together.”

Why?

*Pelini clearly doesn’t think 29 practices in fall camp are enough to install and massage out the kinks.

“That's about two weeks of pro practice during two-a-days,” the former NFL assistant said. “You just look across the board, you look at college football, there are a lot of mistakes.”

*Because Pelini packs each gameplan to the gills, including the scheme to stuff the Hilltoppers. Was it too much? Maybe, Pelini conceded Tuesday. But the method works over time, especially if the kink-busting opponents call the Sun Belt or WAC their home.

“We make a lot of adjustments, checks, calls,” Pelini said. “That takes time.”

Case in point: On WKU halfback Bobby Rainey’s 47-yard run, Whaley made the wrong call. Why?

“Because I didn’t see exactly what his call was before I turned my head,” Whaley said.

“His” is defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, who put a signifier of sorts on his base call that called for a run blitz. Whaley didn’t see it. Half of Nebraska’s defense played one scheme. The other played something else.

Safety Dejon Gomes bailed out Whaley with another of his Houdini strips at the goal line. But Whaley earned a little heated chat with Carl and Bo Pelini when he hit the sideline.

“It you can’t take coaching, this game isn’t for you,” Whaley said.

Said Bo: “I've been here before, I'm not real concerned. I'll be concerned if I'm saying this four or five weeks from now. I don't think that will be the case.”

On with the report:

Particulars: Nebraska practiced for two hours inside and outside the Hawks Championship Center. Full pads with heavy installation.

What’s New: Defensive end Cameron Meredith returned to practice after missing Monday with a shoulder problem. Carl Pelini said Meredith was limited to individual work. Left guard Brandon Thompson was back, too.

Wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen remains out, as does Chase Rome, Will Compton, Marcel Jones and Justin Blatchford. Compton is out at least 4-5 weeks, Bo Pelini said, with an eye on returning by the Big 12 Conference season.

Coach Quote: “I thought they played real hard. I thought they came off the ball and played real physical at times, especially when they knew what they were doing. Obviously there is a little indecision at times, but I thought they represented themselves well.” - Head coach Bo Pelini on the offensive line

Coach Quote II: "They want to peek in the backfield instead of playing with pad level and dealing with the blockers. It’s something you go through every year early in the season. The faster we break that bad habit the quicker we’ll progress.” - Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini on the defensive line.

Player Quote: “I don’t know that he’s quite as vocal as some of the guys I’ve been around. He leads just by the way he plays. I think he’s a confident player, but it’s not like he’s out there talking, motivating. I kind felt like Joe was like that. Kind of like the leader, the rah-rah guy. He is a little bit different in that sense.” - Tight end Mike McNeill on quarterback Taylor Martinez

Notes:

***Boise State has a big fan in one of the Nebraska’s best defensive players, Jared Crick. The Broncos beat Virginia Tech 33-30 Monday night, and Crick who keeps in touch with BSU defensive tackle Billy Winn, whom he met at a high school all-star game.

“They are such a close-knit group that nothing can break them apart, and that's how we need to be and that's how I see us right now, just one unit,” Crick said. “That's how they play and that's how we want to play. They played a great game last night. Virginia Tech played pretty good, but it's definitely pretty cool to see one of those WAC teams doing so well for themselves.”

In that same breath, Crick said life in an BCS-autobid conference like the Big 12 is much tougher.

“The teams that we play, every team can beat any team at any given time,” Crick said. “It may be different for them than us. The teams that we play, it gives us a little harder road, but if we take the same approach as they are then we can win every game if we want to.”

***Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson conceded Tuesday it was tough to tell senior quarterback Zac Lee he wasn’t starting last Monday. Lee missed spring camp while recovering from elbow surgery and Pelini has cited that lost time as a factor in Lee’s development.

“We understood how hard it was what we were saying to him,” Watson said. “Because we’re people, too, with sons. We’ve been competitors also.”

Lee’s job now, as NU’s most experienced signal caller, is to help mentor Martinez and Cody Green. And also: Be ready.

“He understood from us that his role was even more important now,” Watson said. “And how he handed it would say a lot about who he is and what his intentions were for our team. And he’s answered like a champion.”

***Both Watson and Pelini applauded the performance of junior center Mike Caputo in the opener. Caputo gets some notoriety for his lack of size at the position - 6-foot-1, 275 pounds - but Pelini said two of the best centers his LSU defenses faced were the same size.

“Especially at the center position, it's not about size,” Pelini said. “It's about quickness and intelligence. It's about want-to and having heart.”

Said Watson: “He’s got a great motor for game and a great appetite for the game. He loves competing. Great technician.”

***NU quarterback Cody Green, meanwhile, didn’t envy having to make Watson’s tough decision.

“I don’t think he would have been wrong picking any of us,” Green said. “Our depth is so deep that somebody can mess up and the next guy can be in there and nobody will miss a beat.

“For (Watson) and the job he does, I don’t know that I could do it. I’d rather just sit here and play rather than call the shots.

Next Practice: Wednesday

See also: No More Vanilla

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