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The Nebraska football team completed its sixth practice of fall camp on Saturday afternoon at the Hawks Championship Center.
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The Huskers practiced for over two hours in full pads. The practice was originally scheduled to be held inside Memorial Stadium, but a morning storm forced the team inside the Hawks.
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Head coach Mike Riley summarized the first week of fall camp, and gave his thoughts on Saturday’s practice, which he described as an 86-play scrimmage.
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**Scrimmage and week one review**
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Riley said the first-team players worked in about 25 plays of live scrimmage Saturday, while the second and third team had about 25-30. Riley described the scrimmage as a “mixed bag.”
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“There were a lot of good plays with the (first team) defense in there,” Riley said. “The (first team) offense made some plays. Not consistently, but they had some nice runs. I was excited about that, too.”
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“All four quarterbacks actually functioned okay. It was pretty good. We had real problems down the line in numbers with procedure.”
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Riley said false starts and tackling were some of the procedural problems seen Saturday, but all told, he believes it was a productive day.
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“It was a real good day,” Riley said. “I think we hit the number of plays we wanted to be live. This has been just a really seamless, smooth week. Maybe as much so as any I’ve been in. Really good. Guys doing what they’re supposed to do.”
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Riley mentioned that linebackers Chris Weber and Dedrick Young, along with defensive linemen Mick Stoltenberg, have provided solid leadership, which made the team “very easy to handle.”
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Riley also mentioned that big runs seen in Saturday’s scrimmage made him feel “encouraged” about the play of the offensive line.”
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**Extending fall camp and no two-a-days**
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With two-a-day practices being eliminated by the NCAA this year, fall camp started considerably earlier than usual to ensure teams got in the allotted number of practices they need before the season starts.
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Coach Riley said Saturday that stretching out the length of fall camp because of no two-a-days might be better for his team physically.
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“We can spend more time with body maintenance than ever, because we don’t have a practice at the end of the day,” Riley said. “I think stretching camp, with a couple more days off in camp, maybe two or three more, is not bad for (the team) physically.”
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**Bryan Reimers**
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Riley said the team got through the scrimmage pretty well physically, but junior receiver Bryan Reimers had to exit early after falling on his back in the end zone while trying to catch a high pass.
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Reimers will be evaluated, but Riley says the injury appears minor, and doesn’t see it being a long term issue.***
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**Secondary**
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Riley didn’t specify which individual players impressed him in Saturday’s scrimmage, but he was impressed with how the secondary performed.
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“The secondary definitely made some plays,” Riley said. “We tried to get the corners a lot of turns today. Maybe more than the rest of the (first team players) just because a couple of them haven’t played in the games yet.”
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**Cade Warner**
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Freshman and walk-on receiver Cade Warner, son of former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, fractured his hand in Wednesday’s practice, as first reported in a tweet by Kurt on Wednesday evening.
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Riley confirmed the injury, and said Warner has been replaced on the 105-man roster with redshirt wide receiver Ty Chaffin of Burwell, NE.
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Riley didn’t say how long Warner would be held out of practice for.
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**Adidas**
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According to a University of Nebraska Board of Regents meeting agenda for August 11, it appears the board will be asked to approve an 11-year agreement with sports apparel giant Adidas, who’s had a relationship with the university since 1995.
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The new deal would be worth nearly $129 million. $64 million would be in cash, while the company would provide about $64.7 million in athletic apparel.
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“My experience with Adidas has been at least outstanding,” Riley said. “I’ve really enjoyed it. I think this is a progressive, creative, hard-working (company). I think Adidas has grown, branding wise, in three years, a lot. And it’s due to their work.”
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If the deal is approved, it would be in effect retroactive to July 1 and run through 2028.
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**Other Notables**
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Riley was asked how special teams has been functioning under the direction of special teams and safeties assistant Scott Booker, who was added to the coaching staff in March.
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That relationship appears to be running smoothly.
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“I love Scott (Booker),” Riley said. “The enthusiasm for the work, the galvanizing of the players in the unit has been outstanding. I think he grabs kids in a really good way mentally. It’s a good picture.”
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Riley had similar praise for Gary Darnell, who was brought in on as a defensive analysts on July 24.
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“Gary (Darnell) is really good for me,” Riley said. “In the evenings, I say, ‘Okay, what did you see today? What do you think about the team? Where should we emphasize it?’”
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“And, he’s been around football for as long as I have. I love talking to him. He spends the whole day in the office with the defensive staff. He’s a big part of opinions and thoughts.”
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Darnell has been involved in coaching for more than 40 years, including as a head coach at Western Michigan from 1997-2004. Nebraska defensive coordinator Bob Diaco worked under Darnell in 2004 as a linebackers coach.
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When asked which individual players have stood out on the field through the first week overall, Riley didn’t go into detail, but mentioned redshirt freshman linebacker Ben Stille, junior linebacker Sedrick King and true freshman running back Jaylin Bradley as players who caught his eye in the first week.
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Redshirt freshman receiver J.D. Spielman impressed in the Saturday scrimmage due to his ability to play slot receiver and run the ball.
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Nebraska has Sunday off, but will practice again on Monday and Tuesday. Coach Diaco, defensive assistants and players will speak to the media following Tuesday’s workout.
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You can contact Tommy at 402-840-5226, or you can follow him on Twitter **@Tommy_KLIN.**
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