• Watch video of Nebraska's Phillip Dillard at Tuesday's press conference:

LINCOLN — The Huskers had just finished their final pregame walk-through last week, and as they broke for the locker room, secondary coach Marvin Sanders sought out one of the team's most improved defensive backs.

It was a rare exchange between coach and player, one that junior Dejon Gomes didn't expect.

“He said that I had a really good week of practice and that I'd probably get in a lot more,” Gomes said.

Sanders didn't necessarily reveal any personnel secrets with his somewhat vague acknowledgment of Gomes' progress. But Sanders did deviate a bit from a pattern that has developed since this staff took over.

At Nebraska, the coaches don't share player-to-player comparisons. They don't go name by name at each position, openly ranking the performances. There's no posted depth chart that players can sift through.

So why the ambiguity?

The staff doesn't want its players to ease into any perceived role. The reserves should always be fighting for on-field opportunities. Conscious of that, the starters should push that much harder to keep their jobs.

The result is more competition — and the kind of strive-for-perfection culture that coach Bo Pelini has been trying to instill since day one.

“Our guys know that to play, you've got to practice well and you've got to perform on the field,” Pelini said. “There doesn't have to be a lot of words spoken. Our guys know that's the way it is.”

But for the first time, it seems Pelini and his staff aren't hesitating to prove that.

Against Louisiana-Lafayette, Nebraska pulled 15-game starter Anthony West in favor of sophomore Alfonzo Dennard. West has hardly played since.

After his midweek promise to Gomes, Sanders inserted the junior college transfer as the fourth cornerback against Missouri on Thursday, replacing Lance Thorell on the second series. Gomes played the rest of the way.

There were similar instances Thursday, in which the developing depth allowed for substitutions.

Junior Phillip Dillard played about half the game as the primary dime linebacker instead of starter Will Compton. Rex Burkhead relieved Niles Paul of his punt return duties after the veteran muffed one near the Missouri sideline. Nebraska's top three receivers — Paul, Menelik Holt and Curenski Gilleylen — were all benched for the first two series after halftime.Those types of midgame personnel swaps weren't as common last year, partially because Pelini said the options were limited.

“We weren't a real deep football team, especially defensively last year,” he said.

Ever since spring practice, Pelini's made a point to stress that nothing's guaranteed.

“We don't have a penciled-in starter. We go from week to week,” senior safety Larry Asante said. “Whoever has the best practice is the guy that's going to step in and play.”

The week-to-week lineup shuffle isn't difficult to predict, either, Asante said. Players can tell who's performing well as they prepare for an opponent.

Gomes said that his pre-Missouri practices were some of the best he has had. Sanders' comment only added confidence, but Gomes didn't need it to stay motivated.

The players treat everything as a competition, from practices to weightlifting to film-room note taking. And they know the coaches are watching, even if there's no direct acknowledgment.

“It's a good thing, going out and competing every day, knowing you could be the (starter),” Gomes said. “Or if you're the (starter), your spot's at risk. It just makes the competition that much better and makes you that much better as a player.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com

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