LINCOLN Bo Pelini, head coach, was no different than Bo Pelini, defensive coordinator, on Nebraska's first day of spring practice.
"It's just another title," Pelini said after Wednesday's 2 1/2-hour workout.
Pelini, mastermind of LSU's national championship defense last season, spent almost all of his time with the Cornhuskers' defense.
Middle linebacker Phillip Dillard and his teammates saw why Pelini has earned a reputation for being a high-energy coach.
"Every play he's yelling, 'Run to the ball, run to the ball. D-linemen, I want you running 10 yards to the ball no matter what,"' Dillard said. "If you're not, you're going to hear from him."
After last year's defense ranked 112th out of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, this unit has plenty to prove to Pelini and the rest of the coaching staff.
"Everyone on defense wants to run hard. Tired or not, everyone's out there running hard," Dillard said. "They want to step up their game for the new coaches and show them that there is talent on this team and we can do good and will do good."
Pelini said the entire team's energy level was high.
"You're not going to be game-ready on the first day," he said. "There are a lot of mistakes. Usually the first day is the toughest and you progress from there. It's kind of what I expected."
Pelini said the defense is learning new terminology, and the offense has tweaked some things now that Shawn Watson has full control of the offense.
"They're being taxed physically and mentally, but the kids reacted to it well," Pelini said. "It's a good group of guys."
Dillard said the 40-year-old Pelini was in the thick of the action during drills.
One thing Dillard knows for sure is that the players will always know where they stand with Pelini.
"If you're messing up, he's talking to you, and he's going to correct you because he wants everything done right," Dillard said. "If you're not doing something right, he's going to call you out. And the other players are going to call you out. That's the way it's supposed to be."
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