LINCOLN — The more Ndamukong Suh plays this season, the better, right?

Maybe not, according to Terrence Moore.

Moore, the sophomore defensive tackle set to serve as the top backup for Suh and fellow interior lineman Jared Crick, said the Huskers “felt bad” last year that Suh and line mate Ty Steinkuhler rarely got a break.

Moore's goal this fall: Let both of the starters rest occasionally.

“I think it will help him a lot,” Moore said of Suh, a senior All-America candidate. “He probably won't get as winded. It will help his legs a little bit. He's a great player and we look up to him, but he can't do it all on his own.”

The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Moore played in seven games and contributed two sacks among his eight tackles last season as a redshirt freshman.

In fact, Moore said he might benefit in many ways from Suh's prominence.

“They're going to be thinking, ‘Stop 93,'” Moore said. “As soon as I get in there, they're probably not going to be worried about 90 as much. It just opens things up a little bit for me.”

Roles open on special teams

Assistant coach John Papuchis, Nebraska's overseer of all things special teams, isn't giving away any secrets about which players will fill several vacant positions on the punt and kickoff units.

Papuchis said position battles won't be settled until the end of the week — comments that echoed those of coach Bo Pelini, who told reporters Monday that a depth chart won't be released today.

Freshman walk-on P.J. Mangieri and redshirt freshman Sam Meginnis are still competing for the top long snapper job, Papuchis said.

On kickoff returns, Papuchis is auditioning as many as five players as return men — junior Niles Paul, sophomore Alfonzo Dennard, freshman Rex Burkhead, sophomore Curenski Gilleylen and freshman Antonio Bell. Paul, Burkhead and redshirt freshman Tim Marlowe have been fielding punts in practice.

Nebraska is also searching for a punter. The candidates: junior place kicker Alex Henery, sophomore Jon Damkroger and redshirt Brett Maher.

Lineman Williams expected to return

Projected starter Keith Williams missed Monday's practice with an undisclosed injury, but the junior left guard should return today, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini said.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Williams wore shorts and a jersey Monday, but had no obvious signs of injury as he watched the afternoon practice from the sidelines. Bo Pelini declined to go into any detail about Williams' ailment.

“He'll be fine,” Pelini said after Monday's practice. “He should be out here (today).”

The big-bodied guard, who emerged last season as a mainstay up front, is arguably Nebraska's most talented lineman.

Owls won't hoot this season

Florida Atlantic quarterback Rusty Smith said the Owls won't be giving Nebraska any bulletin board material this week. Not after last year.

FAU called out Texas before the opener last season — even questioning the Longhorns' toughness — and Smith said there were some other unnecessary predictions.

Before the Owls knew it, they were 1-5 and licking their wounds.

“A lot of us were probably way too arrogant, way too cocky,'' Smith said. “We stuck our foot in our mouth way too many times. The lesson we learned is we never want our team to be in that situation again.''

Although a humbler Florida Atlantic team will be coming, it won't be overwhelmed by the environment after playing at places like Texas, Florida, Michigan State and Clemson in the past.

“Playing in front of 70,000, 80,000, 90,000 fans, it's something that this football team, though we're young, we have seen before,'' Smith said.

Schnellenberger praises NU

Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger actually has been piling the niceties on Nebraska. In both a recent interview and Monday conference call he has said the Huskers are a national championship contender.

The veteran coach said it was different when the teams signed the one-game contract.

“When we scheduled the game, there was a little niche in Nebraska's situation and I hoped to maybe slip in there,'' Schnellenberger said. “But that little niche has been closed.''

— Mitch Sherman, Rich Kaipust and Jon Nyatawa

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