Daily Nebraskan

Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Sports

If there's something in the air - mixed in among the excitement - that permeates practices and is infectious among Cornhusker football players, it's not there on accident.

Newness always creates a buzz. But the buzz, along with the unfamiliarity of a new situation and the anticipation of it, will fade

with time.

What's being built independent of the football field is something that will last, if not strengthen, with time. As with any game, excitement never carries all the way through.

So where excitement fades, an established culture serves

as solidarity.

Nebraska defensive backs Coach Marvin Sanders has seen the benefits of such a culture firsthand as a player and coach. It works in numerous roles, including acting as a support system for players and encouraging accountability and the development of character.

A well-developed culture is as valuable as any other intangible, provided it's created with the right purpose and intentions. For a coaching staff entering its first spring season, the formula is simple.

Stick to what works.

"It's the tradition, first of all," Sanders said. "You have to get these kids to understand Nebraska football. It's an honor to be out there, being a part of that defense. As a coach, I feel an obligation to work as hard as I can to get these young men to play to a level that we're used to here at Nebraska."

Players are taking to the new philosophies. Despite group efforts not to look back and compare previous seasons and coaching staffs, players have been unable to avoid comparing and contrasting the two mindsets.

So far, much of the excitement stirring players has come from the abstract aspects of tradition, emotion and environment. While new systems and strategies are being assimilated by players, it's the little things that seem to draw their attention.

Wide receiver Nate Swift saw changes in approach from the start of spring football and hasn't found reason to complain.

"Having 'Old Nebraska' around here is really nice," Swift said of the former players and coaches on staff with the new-look coaching regime. "Mixing in the new offense and getting back to the old ways really makes it feel like Nebraska."

Almost on arrival, coaches began meeting with players and developing relationships built

on trust.

"(Offensive line Coach Barney Cotton) is a real down-to-earth guy, and all of us offensive linemen love that," said senior offensive lineman Lydon Murtha. "He spends time with us and talks to us ... From the moment we (the offensive line) met Coach Cotton, it felt like he had been here for four years."

Continued...

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