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Husker Power is Back to the Future and Thursday afternoon proved it to the only constituents that truly count – Nebraska's football players. The Huskers, including coaches and staff, cheered enthusiastically for all five teammates in a squat competition that reached a crescendo when redshirt freshman defensive lineman Khalil Davis achieved 10 reps with 485 pounds on his back.

The event, held in the world-class Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory (NAPL) inside East Memorial Stadium, was sheer high-octane energy and team chemistry extraordinaire to celebrate the end of winter conditioning and to rejoice about Saturday morning's first 2016 spring practice.

Davis spurned Oregon and home state Missouri to be a Husker and could not have been prouder or more humbled. That's especially true when the 6-foot-2, 290-pound native of Blue Springs, Mo., thinks about having his name etched in a storied spot in the NAPL after winning the first-ever Husker Power Football Athlete of the Year Award.

The award is a capstone reflective of the top overall performance index score following football's final strength and conditioning tests Wednesday and Thursday. The celebration harkened the Huskers back to the days when Nebraska was winning multiple conference and national championships with Boyd Epley serving as the strength coach.

Khalil Davis Embraces Nebraska's Tradition and Processes It in His Mind Every Day

Davis, the nephew of former Husker cornerback Lorenzo Hicks, can identify with Nebraska's rich tradition and pioneering reputation in strength and conditioning. “I embrace the tradition of this place every day I'm here and enjoy looking at all the pictures and names on the wall,” Davis told me minutes after his incredible achievement, followed by an an explosive response from his teammates. “It's awesome that my picture will be the first one up in this athletic performance lab. I did a lot of exciting things in high school, but nothing like this. It feels good to be part of Nebraska's tradition."

The climax achievement in Thursday's competition moved Davis past the other four Husker finalists – quarterback Zach Darlington, linebacker Brad Simpson, tight end Luke McNitt and offensive guard Tanner Farmer, who finished runner-up.

Davis was extra motivated by his twin brother Carlos Davis, who's also a redshirt freshman defensive lineman. “My brother's as strong as I am,” Khalil said. “Carlos didn't make the finals like I did, but he can do what I just did, so I wanted this for him as much as for myself.”

The same principle applies to Mark Philipp, Nebraska's head strength and conditioning coach. “You have to believe in Mark because he believes in you,” Khalil said. “Mark helps all of us get better every day. He's prepared us for this all season long.”

Mike Riley : Mark Philipp Has a Magnetic Way of Attracting People that Trust Him

Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley would be the first to second that thought. “Mark is passionate about what he does and he has a magnetic way of attracting people that trust him and will work hard for him,” Riley told me Friday. “Mark combines a lot of hard work with fun. He makes the experience of coming into the weight room a great one for the players. When they walk into that room, they love it and they love their work. It's a great sight to see day to day because it's so important to what we do. It lays the foundation for what we expect this spring and in fall camp.”

Riley and his assistant coaches who attended Thursday's finals view the Husker Power competition as an important process for the entire team. “This competition is really a culmination of a lot of hard work for a lot of guys over a long period of time,” Riley said. “They just celebrated in the competition for the leaders, but all those guys played a part in the overall program.”

Philipp: Husker Players Have Been Building Up to Spring Ball's Ultimate Competition

"It's awesome that our coaches were there cheering everyone on," Phillip sad. "They could see the work these guys have been doing and how competitive they all are. They know it's not over. It's just another competitive day to keep getting better, and they were all really dialed in.”

Riley called Thursday afternoon's event "a very good vibe and a very good-looking scene.” Vibe is an equally magic word with Philipp. “There's been a lot of positive vibes every day our players come in,” Philipp told me. “I truly believe you can put anything together for anybody to do, but if you don't buy into it, it doesn't work, no matter how good or how bad it is.

“These guys bought into all of it big-time,” Philipp said. “I'm fairly certain this spring and this summer will be a lot more intense than they were a year ago. This was an awesome experience. It's amazing to have Boyd Epley 's help to set all this up and be a resource for us to do what Nebraska football's done in developing a big tool that can make everyone better.”

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