The Nebraska football team began week three of spring practice on Monday with a 2 1/2 hour workout in helmets and shoulder pads inside the Hawks Championship Center. After finishing last week with a scrimmage, the Huskers went back to situational drills on Monday and will resume scrimmaging later in the week.

NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson spent time discussing the Husker receivers following practice and said that he is happy with the progress shown at that position during spring drills.

“The thing that jumps out as far as our receiving corps is that we’ve got a really good bunch of receivers,” Watson said. “They’ve got speed and size and they are just explosive players, like (Maurice) Purify. And you see young guys coming along like Menelik Holt and Will Henry. There have been several guys in that unit that just strengthen it.”

Watson also commented on the variance of Nebraska’s practices this spring, which has swung between scrimmages and situation-specific workouts over the last three weeks.

“Our philosophy is always to teach football, so we teach situational things as well as scrimmage,” Watson said. “We make them think and play and make it second-nature when it comes to some of those situations during the season.”

Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove also commented on the road to rehabilitation facing Husker cornerback Zack Bowman, stating that he believes it is Bowman’s work ethic and determination that will allow the senior to get back on the field for Nebraska.

“I know Zack’s work ethic and I know how important it is for him to be out there,” Cosgrove said. “...If anybody can make it happen, it’s Zack.”

Nebraska will return to the practice field on Wednesday as it continues to train for the Red-White Spring Game, which takes place on Saturday, April 14, at 12:30 p.m., at Memorial Stadium.