Tuesday with Bo & Bell

CHICAGO, Ill. - Media members had a more casual atmosphere Tuesday with Big Ten players and coaches at the Hilton ballroom during the second and final session of Big Ten Media Days. For two hours, Bo Pelini, Kenny Bell, Corey Cooper and Ameer Abdullah fielded question from the media in a roundtable setting.

Bell and Pelini both talked the future of Nebraska’s offensive identity, the hope to become more efficient and alternate uniforms (yes, they’ll have them this year.) of course Pelini’s post-cat image changes were a hot topic, with both Bell and Pelini addressing it. Here’s the biggest news hits from day 2:

-Pelini’s image was easily one of the most talked-about topics both days in Chicago. Bell vehemently defended his coach’s reputations, saying that he’s been falsely portrayed since 2010.

“You show me a coach in here that doesn’t yell at a player, and get in their face, I’ll show you a liar,” Bell said. “I’ll be the first one to say it. A 20-year-old kid playing football needs to have someone point in his face and yell at him sometimes. It’s just the truth.”

Bell said a yelling coach is simply a learning tool.

“We’re all big boys. No one’s gonna cry and get hurt feelings,” he said. “It sucks, it’s embarrassing, yeah, but it should be nothing.”

“Every single coach in college football yells at their players and at the referees,” he said. “But when you get that reputation, it’s hard to shake, especially when you can’t personally meet all the people that see ESPN.”

-While Nebraska may have its strongest defense in years in 2014, questions still remained Tuesday about the depth of the defense ends behind Randy Gregory and Greg McMullen.

“(We) feel better about the depth (at defensive end) than you would think,” Bo Pelini said at the round table media session. “(Joe) Keels has come a long way, since spring especially. He’s really changed his body and gotten in shape. He wasn’t in shape coming into the spring, coming from junior college.”

As for incoming players, Pelini said in-state freshman Mick Stoltenberg and Kansas native Peyton Newell will start their careers at defensive end. Maliek Collins continues to give the option of versatility, he added.

“We’re not going to do it early, but we know we can move Maliek Collins outside if we have to,” Pelini said.

-Behind the line, Pelini said he thinks more than three players earned significant time at linebacker, and the distribution of playing time will reflect that. As suspected during spring ball, senior Zaire Anderson made the best case, Pelini said.

“(Zaire) played his best football in the spring. Coming out of the spring – I don’t think there’s any question and I’ve told him this – he was our best linebacker,” he said. “Now it’s up to him to continue it, but he’s made strides.”

–Other big questions surrounding the Huskers in Chicago centered on special team, where Pelini said he feels good about the upcoming year’s prospectus. Jamal Turner, Jordan Westerkamp, Terrell Newby, Ameer Abdullah and Alonzo Moore could factor into return duties, according to Pelini.

“We caught a lot of balls during the spring.,” he said. “(I) feel pretty good about it going in.”

Pelini hinted that Abdullah could potentially have some “other roles” on special teams besides return man. What that role is remains a mystery for now.

“I’m not going to share that right now,” Pelini said.

-On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Pelini like the outlook on the line, a season removed from an injury-laden year in the offensive trenches.

“I like our offensive line,” he said. “It’s a good group, a very athletic group, and it has the potential to be a very physical group.”

Pelini specified newcomer Alex Lewis, the left tackle from the University of Colorado who appears to have taken the top spot almost immediately.

“I think he’s a heckuva an addition to our team,” he said. “I like his mindset, I like the way he competes.

-As for the offense, Kenny Bell faced his fair share of question about Nebraska’s success against Michigan State’s “no fly zone” defense.

“We’ve always been effective against Michigan State I don’t know how or why, because they’re defense…they’re a stout defense,” he said.

While he wasn’t sure how Nebraska was able to crack the Spartan defense, he did say it was the most athletic he’s ever faced.

“They’re more athletic than any other defense in the Big Ten, in my opinion,” he said. “They’re talented enough to play man; you don’t see that very often in college football.”

Bell also mentioned that in addition to being the most athletic defense he’s faced, the “no fly zone” was “by far” the best-coached unit he’s ever seen.

“Teams that are very well coached are teams like Michigan State, Iowa and Northwestern from what I’ve experienced, those guys are fundamentally disciplined,” he said. “They’re just sound.”

-Pelini didn’t expand much on the strange process of losing former Washington receiver Demore’ea Stringfellow to Ole Miss, but give a quick and poignant answer when asked about it.

“Read between the lines,” he said. “I think we all know what happened in that situation.”

-Alternate uniform fans will get their wish, and Bo Pelini said the Huskers will likely wear the change in uniforms against Illinois on September 27.

“We are doing an alternate uniform,” he confirmed.  ”Don’t hold me to it, but I think (we’ll wear it for) the Illinois game…I think the announcement is coming up.”