Wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph called out the receivers earlier this week for their lack of leadership.

Joseph said the receivers “got our butts whooped” by the defensive backs during Monday’s practice, and “nobody stepped up and said anything.”

Asked about Joseph’s comments, coach Scott Frost said Friday that sophomore Alante Brown has done a “good job” leading the receivers.

“He gets along with everybody,” Frost said of Brown. “There's not anybody on the team with a better work ethic than him. And he sets the example for everybody else right now."

Frost also mentioned that Nebraska has a lot of “strong personalities” at wide receiver that are new to the program. Players gravitate toward them because of that, but “it’s hard to come into a new program and immediately be the leader,” Frost said.

Mathis has 'elite talent'

Frost says TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis has “elite talent” as a pass rusher, and it looks like Mathis is raising the bar for his fellow position mates.

In Frost’s view, edge rushers Garrett Nelson, Caleb Tannor, Jimari Butler and Blaise Gunnerson have all stepped their games up since Mathis arrived.

“I don't know if (Mathis) getting added to the equation motivated them or not,” Frost said. “Maybe they'd have been doing the same thing. But it's great to watch those guys work. That's a position I feel great about because of the depth and the talent that we have.”

Fierce RB battle

The running back competition remains fierce.

One day after running backs coach Bryan Applewhite compared the race for "RB1" to a horse race filled with Triple Crown winners, Frost echoed those sentiments.

The leaderboard changes “day to day” Frost said. And the Husker coach hasn’t seen a running back have a bad practice yet.

“So I imagine that fight will keep on going until the end of camp,” Frost said.

Quick hits

* Texas Tech transfer Devin Drew is not on campus yet. Frost said the interior defensive lineman “should be here soon.”

* Frost asked several players to name the hardest period of practice on Friday. The overwhelming response? Special teams.

“That means we're putting in the work,” Frost said. “That means the guys are buying in and making sure they get good effort there."