You never know what you're gonna get.

The movie line is the reality right now for Husker players as they learn more by the week about their new strength coach Zach Duval and his staff. What they've come to expect, according to Mohamed Barry, is to not be certain what exactly to expect.

"We can't figure out what we're going to do this week, because it always changes up," said the fourth-year junior linebacker. "It's just real good. It's been hard."

The weekly challenges may change, but the M.O. remains steady and is understood by Husker players, who are no doubt more willing to accept it after seeing some of the early results.

"I've noticed that people are moving more weight," Barry said. "For instance, I moved 585, me and Dedrick (Young) moved 585 on squat for five reps the other day. I never thought I could do that. That was my first time doing that."

It's a different approach from what was being done previously, so Barry doesn't get into comparing his numbers to last year.

But combined with Duval's metabolic circuit training methods, the linebacker can already see how closely the various workouts can connect to actual football movements.

"We're going fast but we're still building our power, our speed," he said. "So we're moving a lot of mass at high rates, creating power. What we're doing is creating power."

There's more, points out senior defensive tackle Mick Stoltenberg, and it's probably just as important.

"They're taking a different approach with nutrition as well. Kind of more hands on with that," Stoltenberg said. "So they're just making sure we understand every step of the process, how important nutrition can be. We've brought in the nutrition expert to kind of talk to us about body fat, and getting your body composition better, and building lean muscle mass in the winter, and things to kind of speed those processes up and make it easier for you."

This is the third different weight staff Stoltenberg has worked under while being a Husker. He's enjoyed relationships with all of them, from when James Dobson was in charge with Bo Pelini at the helm, to Mark Philipp with Mike Riley.

The relationship to a team and that strength coach is arguably as important as any there is in a modern football program.

And Duval has connected quickly since workouts began in early January, according to Stoltenberg who has emerged as one of the team leaders in the weight room. One thing he really appreciates about Duval's staff is how they can provide the answer to the reason a lift is being done.

"They're really hands on. They take education with it really seriously too," Stoltenberg said. "They really educate us on why. Why we're doing this, why it relates to football. Why is this lift performed this way mechanically, or why would this help you on the football field? Stuff like that."

So far Stoltenberg has seen some obvious positive results from his teammates. Not everything is different than it was. And it's almost unfair to try to attach any sort of label to what is being done.

Stoltenberg believes the strength coach uses a lot of different tactics from different programs, combining knowledge over the years to put together a plan that helped Central Florida to an undefeated season last year with minimal injuries despite a schedule that didn't have a bye the last two months of the season.

That success brings instant credibility.

"Coach Duval will tell you he doesn't put a specific denomination on his style of weight training or conditioning," Stoltenberg said. "It's just the thing he's compiled over the years that help win football games."

It would go nowhere if there was no buy-in from the players.

But both Barry and Stoltenberg see it. It's a team full of guys open to new ideas knowing that what was being done last year obviously wasn't working. Every day has to be about more than just showing up to get the work done, Barry adds. There has to be a purpose.

"If you're trying to actually gain every time you work out, then the improvements will come," he said. "I think everyone is starting to see that. Every workout needs to be an improvement, instead of just doing it because you have to and you're on scholarship and it's part of the requirements."