Life in the Red Group

"You suck Watson!" a red-clad fan yelled toward the Nebraska locker room after Saturday's game, although offensive coordinator Shawn Watson was nowhere in sight.

Bo Pelini heard the fan's outburst and, after his postgame session with reporters, walked toward the group of Husker fans, apparently looking for the Watson hater. The guy probably should be glad Bo didn't find him.

Well, whatever happens, Cody Green has already entered select company. He became just the second true freshman to start at quarterback for Nebraska. The other is Tommie Frazier.

Green said he felt comfortable in the role, and felt like things were rolling in the first half.

"In the second half ... we kind of went out there and just shot blanks," Green said. "We're lucky enough that our defense came up big enough in the second half for us. But you know those games like that you really can't go out and throw a blank in the second half. We just have to go back and go to work." 

Green said he and Lee had been getting equal reps until the very end of the week. Then Green started taking more snaps with the top unit.

Green said he really appreciated the support from Lee this week and during the game. Such support was needed after a bad throw by Green was picked off and returned 45 yards to close the score to 20-10.

"I got to give it to Zac, I got to give it to the rest of the guys that helped me out with it too," Green said. "They just circled around me and pretty much said, 'Hey, don't be afraid to make mistakes. We got your back. Just go out there and play your game. We're going to play ours.'"

Green said it was a dream come true starting at this level. With his home town being just a three-hour drive away, he said about 50 people close to him wanted tickets.

"It felt good. It felt real good," Green said. "It's every young kid's dream to start for the college team your freshman year. It was one of those moments I'll remember forever."

Here's some of what Baylor coaches and players had to say after their 20-10 loss to Nebraska on Saturday.

"It couldn't have started out any worse than it did," Baylor coach Art Briles said. "I don't think you have to be a football follower for years to understand that isn't how you want to start a football game. ... That in itself set us back and I am just proud that our guys continued to fight."

Said quarterback Nick Florence: "It is frustrating. A play slips through your hands. We had plays at the end and we didn't do it. We fought hard in the second half. It was a valiant effort, but it does hurt when it was so close." 

About the interception he returned 45 yards for a touchdown, Cliton Odom said: "I was just in the right place at the right time. It happened so fast, I was definitely thinking about taking it to the house. I think it was a pretty big play. It got us going."

Baylor players said they didn't make a lot of adjustments on defense at halftime. "More than anything I think it was everyone doing their responsibilities," linebacker Joe Pawelek said.

It wasn't easy. Cody Green looked good for the first three offensive series before finding the going rough. But ultimately, Nebraska leaves Waco with a 20-10 win.

"He had some rough spots," Husker offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said of Cody Green. "I'll tell you what he did, though. He competed and that's what I was really pleased with, the fact that he competed. ... He did some things that freshmen sometimes do first time out. He's got a lot to get better at, but no doubt he competed. ... We didn't ask him to do much. We just asked him to kind of manage us."

Watson said Nebraska went into the game with a very simple offensive game plan for Green's first start. The decision to start Green was made on Thursday.

Is Green the starter now? "We'll see where we're at," Watson said. "I think mine and Bo's approach everyweeks is to let those guys hammer it out in practice. I think Cody's done a really nice job and he's giving us some things in the run game. With our tailback situation that's important right now."

Said Husker coach Bo Pelini: "Anytime you go on the road and win it is an an accomplishment. It was a good win for our guys. It was a win. We won the football game."

About Cody Green's interception, Pelini said: "That guy is trying to make a play and he just made a mistake. He made a bad throw and they took advantage of it. Good for them."

About the dominating done by Jared Crick, Pelini said: "They turned their center to (Ndamukong) Suh and they were trying to double-team Suh and he took advantage of it. He is tood good of a football player if they are going to do that."

About the blocked punt return for a touchdown, he said: "That was really big for us. It got us momentum. WHen you are starting Cody it takes the pressure off of him a bit."

This is for those inquisitive souls who'd like a player or coach to address your topic after the game.

What's on your mind?

Mike Babcock gave us a nice nugget as we pulled into the Floyd Casey Stadium parking lot.

Today matches the only two Gotham Bowl winners.

By the way, anybody know who's starting at quarterback?

Speaking of that, Brian Rosenthal was just hanging out at the North Texans for Nebraska tailgate. Tom Osborne spoke briefly to the group and called today "a watershed game."

Added Osborne: "We've made a few changes and you'll see them on the field today."

Game on.

Usually at this time each week, I give this thread the title "Happy Gameday." But I'll let you decide for yourself by about 3 p.m. today how happy you are about it.

The outcome of today's game should provide interesting conversation no matter what. A loss and I assume there will be a minor meltdown by many back home. Maybe not in the Chernobyl category like 2007, but still....

I think the Huskers will take care of business today. And my prediction (prediction, I say) is Cody Green will start. That's a fascinating element to today's game: How much of a youth movement will there be on offense? How much Green? How much Dontrayevous Robinson? We already were told redshirt freshman Khiry Cooper would start at wide receiver. It's possible (possible, I say) that the Huskers could have three freshmen on the field at skilled positions at the same time.

If Green does start, keep in mind that he would be only the second Husker true freshman to start at quarterback in the modern era -- joining Tommie Frazier in 1992. But we shall see. You know Zac Lee will have a lot to prove if given his chance. Only sure bets: Nebraska won't turn the ball over eight times today and Suh will be Suh.

Greetings from Texas. Sunny and lovely outside.

I say the Huskers win it tomorrow. NU 23, Baylor 14. I'd go bigger but they have to show me something after the last two weeks.

What say you?

My morning agenda: Marvin, then McMuffin, then taking my shoes off at the airport. I wore clean socks just for the occasion.

But before I get going to Waco, here's a little taste of what Marvin Sanders had to say at Friday's Big Red Breakfast in Omaha.

Sanders said the last contest against Iowa State was "the weirdest game as a coach I think I've ever been a part of. I don't think I could script a game like that if I tried." 

But let's move on to speculating, shall we? How about that quarterback thing?

"You can ask about the starting quarterback and I don't know it and it's the truth," Sanders said. "I've seen both guys get reps."

Sanders said it's unfortunate when things don't right and people always put all the blame on the quarterback or safety.

Speaking of safeties, Sanders was very complimentary of senior Matt O'Hanlon. "That young man has been one of the best safeties anywhere. Solid. Consistent. A young man I'll trust with everything. ... People talk about one play (at Virginia Tech). Talk about one play. We'll talk about Clemson one play if we're going to talk about a play, because he's a young man I trust a lot."

Sanders said the team had its best week of practice. The crowd groaned. The past two coaches at these breakfasts said that too. Playing to the crowd Sanders then joked: "We stunk at practice. We absolutely stunk at practice this week."

About how defensive coaches motivate their defense to go out on the field after offensive turnovers, Sanders said: "What we try to preach to our guys is when we're on the football field as a defense, it's another opportunity for us to shine." 

Sanders said sophomore cornerback Alfonzo Dennard is playing at "a very high level." He says Dennard is just 5-foot-9, but has a 41-inch vertical. The coach Sanders has been playing with a bum shoulder.

He also said Eric Hagg "doesn't get enough credit for some of the things he does. Nickel back. Dimebacker. Safety. He even plays a little linebacker. He knows our system so we're able to plug him in."

Looks like you'll have to go to bed the next two nights wondering who will take Nebraska's first snap Saturday. Zac Lee or Cody Green?

"We'll find out on Saturday, won't we?" Husker coach Bo Pelini said. "I don't announce that. We'll evaluate the tape and see how it goes."

He was asked if Lee would have a short leash if he started and the offense sputtered?

"There's no short leashes," he said. "We want guys to go out there and execute."

Husker wide receiver Chris Brooks has been practicing the past couple days, but is still not full strength from a lower back injury. He will not be on the travel roster. "Chris, obviously he's missed about 10 days. He's still a little nicked up. He's going to need a couple more days."

As for how the practice went? Pelini approved. "I thought the competition was good. I saw a lot of guys getting better," Pelini said. "And once again we got back to fundamentals and technique and stressed those things. We got to put it on the field on Saturday. The effort's been there. Now we have to execute."

Roy Helu? He remained in the green no-contact jersey, but Pelini said: "He's better than he's been in a few weeks."

Sometimes getting out of town helps set your mind right.

Sometimes a road game reduces distractions for a team?

Does Nebraska need a road game right now?

"I don't see many distractions here, other than maybe you guys," Ndamukong Suh said during Tuesday's weekly team media luncheon. "You really don't get to me, so I really don't have a problem with it. I don't think you get to my teammates.

"But I like playing on the road. I like going to somebody else's house and disrupting their day."

Suh, by the way, would prefer to face a Baylor team that has Robert Griffin, the 2008 Big 12 newcomer of the year, as the starting quarterback. Griffin, a speedy dual-threat QB, suffered a season-ending knee injury in late September.

"I want to play against the best at all times," Suh said, adding, "They still have everybody else on their team that was there before. They just lost their quarterback, which is unfortunate for them.

"But I think they have another great guy (true freshman Nick Florence) that's taken the position and is running the offense the way they expect it."

Quarterback Cody Green. Running back Dontrayevous Robinson.

Green had some strong praise for Robinson at the Tuesday press conference this week.

"The kid runs hard. Whenever he takes the ball, he has a meaning of what he's going to do and how he's going to do it and he makes himself known."

Green said Robinson was perhaps tentative at times as he learned the offense. But the 6-foot-1, 215-pound back from Euless, Texas, really started to shine leading up to the Iowa State game.

"Now that he's starting to get confidence, he's running like a back that's 240 and just has something to prove to people, and it showed in the game," Green said.

“I wanted 85,000 people to say, ‘That was his last play.’ That was one of the hardest things for me," Lawrence said. "I called my dad and I said, ‘Dad, I didn’t even know it was my last day of football.’ That was the hardest thing for me.”

Lawrence told media members it was hard on Saturday when he had to wear a polo and cut left instead of completing the run out of the tunnel with the team. You can imagine it won't be easy for him, but he definitely made the right call.

BC and I will answer all your pressing questions in our weekly live chat, beginning at 10 a.m. and concluding at 11.

First, I have to go study up on Baylor. Seriously, I study this stuff. No, really, I do. I'm not kidding around here . . . 

Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini's defense obviously is in very good shape, ranked eighth nationally in terms of average yards allowed (266.4) and fifth in points allowed (11.4).

Does that mean he can turn more of his attention to Nebraska's struggling offense?

"I'm trying to," he said Wednesday, pausing a moment. "It's a matter of me trying to figure out that aspect of it. But you know, I have capable guys on offense.

"Like I've said before, where I add my two cents is more in what I see from the opponent's defense, where I think we can attack them -- that type of thing. "

Pelini isn't saying who will start at quarterback for Nebraska on Saturday. But make no mistake about who makes the final decision.

"I'm responsible for everything," Pelini said flatly.

Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said the team has had a "good week so far."

Roy Helu wore a green hands-off jersey. Seems like that might be the deal until this season finishes. Pelini said defensive end Pierre Allen, who has been playing with a bad knee and sat out Monday's practice, is 100 percent now.

Baylor's offensive numbers don't exactly instill fear, but Pelini said "they've got speed all over the place."

"They've got receivers who can fly, a running back who can fly and they're going to take their shots down field," Pelini said. "You've just got to be able to live through those shots and defend them, and at the same time try to handle the inside stuff. ... They stretch the field and they force you into a lot of one-on-one situations. Probably more than any team we've faced this year, they take those deep shots down field."

The biggest injury concerns with the Nebraska men's basketball team currently involve Toney McCray and Quincy Hankins-Cole.

Nothing really new to report since we last talked, though.

McCray is still slow to recover from his elbow injury he suffered in September. As Doc said when McCray was cleared for the start of practice, season-ending surgery is still a possibility. Doc said today that such a decision won't be made until after two exhibition games. McCray said he was going to try practicing without a brace on his elbow. He suffered a torn ligament and a torn tendon in a pickup game.

Hankins-Cole continues to fight a hip injury, although Sadler said it's nothing serious. "He's just got try to figure out how much pain he can play with. But he's not injured, he's sore, as I told him."

Brandon Kinnie arrived to Lincoln from the JUCO ranks with plenty of tools. But he the sophomore wide receiver quickly found out he had plenty to learn to have success at this level.

"There were a lot of things that cornerbacks picked up when I got here that I didn't know that I was doing, that I had habits of doing," Kinnie said. "I talked to some cornerbacks (on the team) to see what I was doing, just like leaving my shoulders down on the first 10 to 15 yards of the route instead of standing straight up. I've been learning a lot of things since making the transition."

Kinnie, or "BK" as teammates call him, is among a group of young players who are getting a serious look now as Nebraska looks for someone to step up at the wide receiver position.

Menelik Holt and Curenski Gilleylen have spent some time on the scout team this week. Meanwhile, guys like Kinnie and redshirt freshmen Steven Osborne and Tim Marlowe have seen some more practice reps. And Shawn Watson said yesterday Khiry Cooper will start at the "X" spot, which had been Holt's place.

Kinnie said receivers coach Ted Gilmore has really challenged his guys after Saturday's rough showing.

"It was something that he couldn't do for us," Kinnie said. "We had to find our way through it. They've made some changes, and now it's time for some young guys to step up and show what we can do."

Yeah, I know, outside of the World Series, baseball isn't on your radar right now.

If it will be after bowl season, you'll be interested to see Nebraska's just-released 2010 schedule here.

In its first 11 games, NU will have played at 2008 national champ Fresno State, Rice and UCLA, along with a neutral-site game against last year's top home-run hitting club Elon. I'd say that young group of pitchers Anderson and Co. hauled in best be ready early.

Any one care to predict how the Huskers bounce back from their last-place Big 12 finish of 2009. . . or how Joba Chamberlain fares in his first World Series?  

There isn't a Husker coach or offensive player who has been interviewed this week who hasn't been asked at least one question with the word "spark" in it.

Mike McNeill ran into the spark locomotive during Tuesday's press conference. Can one person bring the spark or is it bigger than that? (Behold the power of the spark).

“I think overall one play can spark the offense, which can be done by anyone, but obviously we’ve got to execute the offense better," McNeill said. "The turnovers are killing us, but I think a big play here or there obviously can spark the offense at anytime, kind of like against Missouri when Niles (Paul) made that touchdown catch and that kind of got things rolling. I think one player can do it."

Jared Crick says he "talks smack" with Ndamukong Suh before and after games.

For instance, they like to compare their stats.

"We use that competition to keep us going," said the 6-foot-6, 285-pound sophomore Crick, who teams with Suh to form one of the best  interior d-line combinations in college football.

"It's competition that's really pushed us," Crick added.

The fact Crick is pushing Suh stats-wise speaks very well of Crick considering Suh is widely regarded as a sure-fire top-10 NFL Draft selection.

Suh has 44 total tackles and four sacks to Crick's 36 and 3.5. Suh has 12 quarterback hurries to Crick's 10. Suh has two blocked kicks to Crick's one. You get the idea.

Menelik Holt had previously been atop the depth chart there with Curenski Gilleylen just behind. Cooper had a touchdown against Texas Tech but was dinged up and did not play against Iowa State. He has been practicing since Monday.

Husker coaches have talked about looking for a spark on offense. "You send a message about what is acceptable and what isn't acceptable," offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. "You give younger players opportunities and take a good, hard look at them and see if they can bring our game to more detail." 

True freshman quarterback Cody Green said he "had no idea" whether he would play Saturday against Iowa State.

"I went in there with blinders on, pretty much," Green said. "I knew about as much as ya’ll did. That’s about it.”

But Green figured his chances of playing got increasingly smaller as the game kept close.

“Going into the week they said that there was a really good chance I would get playing time," Green said, "but there’s always that sense of ‘what if?’ That game, it was 9-7, close game, and that was that ‘what if?’ sense.

“Of course I wanted to play, but I understand it was a great game that Zac pretty much managed up and down the field. We were on track for a 500-yard game. Going in at halftime we were at 250-something. There’s nothing that we could’ve done differently other than quit the turnovers.”

 As for this week's battle at quarterback?

“There’s giving the indication that every spot is really open," Green said. "We go out there and people are switched around. It’s really out there that if you want spots, go take them.”

Bo Pelini obviously has very high standards for his team, with emphasis on "team."

Offense and defense go hand-in-hand, he said.

Bottom line, "You only play well defensively if you score more points than the other team," he said Tuesday.

That said, it'd be difficult for Pelini to ask all that much more from the surging Big Red defense.

To wit:

* After surrendering 358 yards of total offense to Florida Atlantic in the opener, the Huskers have held each of their past six opponents to fewer than 280 total yards. The six-game streak of holding opponents under 300 total yards is the longest at NU in 13 seasons.

* The last time Nebraska allowed fewer than 300 total yards in more than six straight games occurred in 1996, when Big Red held its final eight regular-season opponents below the 300 mark.

* Nebraska's current average of 266.4 yards allowed per game would be the best by a Blackshirt defense since the 1999 unit allowed 252.3 yards per game to rank fourth nationally.

"I know, myself, I didn't think there'd be that many stations," Green said. "It was tough. ... We were just running around like a chicken with its head cut off." 

About Saturday's game? "I know a lot of guys on the team had never been apart of a game with that many turnovers. You sit back and just think, 'Let's just try to hold onto the ball. Maybe this time we get it into the end zone.'"

Green said he went "in there with blinders pretty much" as to if, or how much he would play against Iowa State. "I knew about as much as y'all did."

Said Green: "Of course, I wanted to play. But I got to understand that it was a great game out there that Zac (Lee) pretty much managed up and down the field. We were on track for a 500-yard game pretty much. Going in at halftime we were at 250-something. So there's nothing that we really could have done differently than just quit the turnovers, that's it."

As for Monday's practice, Green said he and Lee split the reps fairly even. "We'll really figure out later in the week about how things will probably work out," Green said. "It's really up to the coaches. Whatever they say goes."

Green's excited about the trip to Waco, Texas. His older sister, who he is very close with, attended school at Baylor and even worked in the football offices.

We'll hear from Zac Lee after practice today.

Pelini even gave him this quote by Michael Jordan.

Wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore said on Monday there would likely be a shakeup on the depth chart at his position. But the coach said he wants Paul to lead the receivers and said of the junior: "I love his heart." 

Paul said he appreciated the approach Gilmore took during a tough game Saturday.

"He told us during the game that we're in a slump and we just got to find our way out," Paul said. "He said he's not going to yell at us because that's just going to add on pressure and make us feel pressure to do something. I really appreciate it. We made mistakes, but he didn't react to us negatively about it. He basically just wanted to see who was going to be mentally strong to come out of it."

As for blocking out all that criticism on the Internet and wherever else? Paul said he does his best to stay clear of it. After the game Saturday, he stayed home with his roommate and watched movies.

"I stay away from Facebook and MySpace for a while because people take it seriously and they'll write you and are expressing exactly how they feel about you," Paul said. "So I'll stay away from that for a while."

The receiver said there was silence in the Husker locker room after the stunning defeat on Saturday. "I don't remember the locker room ever being like that. It was quiet. Guys were down. ... But we're going to get back on the path. We just fell off for a while."

Just a reminder.

Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini's weekly session with media will be today at about 11:30 a.m. Players also will be interviewed live.

Click here.

Nebraska's struggles on offense this season have been well-documented. People are searching for reasons.

Husker junior running back Roy Helu Jr. points to himself as a major factor in Nebraska's slide to 58th nationally in total offense from 12th a year ago.

"First you have to take a look at yourself," he said after Monday's practice. "It's me not playing the best I can . . . I take all the load on that, why we're not moving the ball and being productive.

"I'm pretty sure the offense would agree -- us as running backs but specifically me. I take the load on why we're not producing."

Why do you take on that load?

"Because the running game sets the tone for everything," he said.

Helu carried only five times (for 24 yards) in Saturday's 9-7 loss against Iowa State. Before that, however, he was averaging 17.8 carries (for 103.3 yards) through the first six games to rank second in the Big 12. 

He gave a simple answer Monday as to why he wasn't called upon more often Saturday.

"I didn't take care of the ball," he said.

Helu didn't make excuses for his two lost fumbles, which were among Nebraska's eight turnovers. He simply wasn't securing the ball properly, he said.

His recent shoulder soreness didn't contribute to his fumbles, he said. He suffered a stinger Oct. 17 against Texas Tech after injuring his right shoulder Oct. 8 at Missouri.

Helu, who was again wearing a green "hands-off" practice jersey Monday,  was asked if he feels pain going into contact.

"I'm pretty sure everyone on the team does, so there's nothing different with me," he said.

Running backs coach Tim Beck said he hasn't considered holding Helu out of a game to help him heal.

"We have to win games," the coach said. "If he can help us win games, we're playing him."

Nebraska (4-3, 1-2 Big 12) began practice Monday with several ball-security drills.

"Every day we're going to be doing that, for obvious reasons," Helu said. Despite his green jersey, Helu went through the drills.

He was asked if there's a certain point at which the turnover bug becomes a mental issue.

"It hasn't set in because it hasn't been a consistent thing throughout the year," he said. "It was a game that just went out of control."

As for Nebraska's myriad problems offensively, Helu was asked if it's difficult to avoid becoming discouraged.

"That's what practice is for," Helu said. "You can be discouraged. There's nothing wrong with that. The wrong we do is when we're discouraged and we allow that to take us mentally out of practice. But we didn't allow that today. We're a mentally tough team and we showed that last year and at times this year."

Paul said he's never gone through anything in football like the past two weeks, "but I'm a fighter I'll find my way out."

A text message from Uncle Ahman helped. Rosenthal will have much more about that in a story in tomorrow's paper.

About the fumble (yeah, that fumble), Paul said: "It was nothing I would have done differently. I was kicking up my legs so I didn't get tackled. I was pumping my arms. I was running as hard as I can. Just lost control of the ball."

The Omaha North grad said ball security was stressed much more than normal during Monday's practice.

"This team's fine," Pelini said. "We talked about what happened. You can look in the past. You can be disappointed and feel sorry for yourself, talk about what-ifs. But (we're) not. We're in a very similar situation than we were a year ago, but you have to fight your way back. That's the attitude we're taking. Go back to work. It's all about hard work at this point and earning what you get the rest of the way."

Chris Brooks continues to with what Pelini said last week was a lower back injury. The coach doesn't know the timetable of the senior's return. He was more optimistic about Pierre Allen, the defensive end who got dinged Saturday and was replaced by Cameron Meredith for the second half.

"Pierre's getting better," Pelini said. "We probably could have practiced but we needed to give him a day or so. He'll probably be back tomorrow."

Asked if Roy Helu could use a week off, Pelini said: "We all wish we could all have a week off, but that's not part of that game. You get to this point of the year, everybody has bumps and bruises, different nicks. It's something you got to work through."

Pelini said the practice was a good start to the week and that his team got a lot done. The team did spend the first part of practice focusing on some ball-security drills after Saturday's game that featured eight turnovers.

"It's nothing different," Pelini said. "We do ball security every week but obviously when something happens like it did the other day ... you can't emphasize it enough. It's something that we talk about all the time. I'm embarrassed by what happened. It's going to continue to be overemphasized."

"There’s going to be some shakeup, there’s no question about it," Nebraska receivers coach Ted Gilmore said after Monday's practice. "In what direction, that hasn’t been decided yet.”

“I just want to see what they can do with no one standing behind them and see how much they know," Gilmore said. “I’ve got a lot of coaching to do. I’m going to be a little bit grayer after this week.”

So who's on scout team?

Here are Mel Kiper's latest Big Board projections for this coming April's NFL Draft:

1. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, DT

2. Eric Berry,  Tennessee, SS

3. Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma, DT

4. Taylor Mays, USC, FS

5. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB

* No word on where Todd McShay ranks Big Suh.

This one comes from Quincy Enunwa, a 6-foot, 200-pounder from Moreno Valley, Calif. Enunwa visited Lincoln the weekend of the Texas Tech game, the same time that Louisiana wide receiver Curtis Carter visited. Carter committed to the Huskers on Thursday.

Enunwa also had an offer from Washington State. He comes from the same Rancho Verde High School that produced true freshman linebacker/special teams ball of energy Eric Martin.

This gives Nebraska 11 commitments in this class.

More coming.

Defense wins championships.

Or so they say.

Bob Stoops doesn't buy it (although his Sooners are playing hellacious defense this season).

Nebraska-Oklahoma stands a strong chance to be televised on ABC, though it could also end up being shown on the Versus network.

ABC will televise Big 12 games at 2:30 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 7. The NU-OU game is one of three contests in consideration for those two windows. The other games being considered are Oklahoma State at Iowa State and Kansas at Kansas State.

Pelini said after the game he thought quarterback Zac Lee played fairly well and was the least of the offense's problems.

On Monday, the coach was asked how Lee graded out after reviewing the film. "He graded out pretty well..." Pelini said. "Overall, I thought he did some good things. He also had some things that he and us would want back." 

Obviously, there has been plenty of talk about Cody Green perhaps providing a spark to this offense. I asked Pelini if he thought this offense needed a spark like Green or if it was just a matter of executing better with the pieces that are in place.

"I do believe the offense needs a spark, and where that spark comes from, that's for us to determine where that comes from," Pelini said. "I think it could come from a lot of different areas. But I can tell you this: We need to light a fire under it and make sure we get somebody ... we feel we've got to step up and make some plays."

Is the quarterback situation the same as it was when we left the stadium Saturday?

"Yeah, right now it is," Pelini said.

*****

Senior center Jacob Hickman got dinged up in the first quarter on Saturday and didn't return. Said Pelini: "Jacob Hickman's getting better everyday and I think he's going to be available for the game Saturday."

The coach said backup sophomore Mike Caputo played "pretty well" in Hickman's place.

Who knew that would have ended up being good strategy?

Nebraska's loss Saturday ended a streak of 126 straight victories by the Huskers when holding the opposition to 10 points or fewer.

There is an equation fans sometimes try to use to put themselves above the madness. It goes like this: If Team A beats Team B by this much, and Team B then beats Team C by this much, Team A is going to blow the doors off of Team C by (insert ridiculous number of points).  

Well, scrap that. You can't put college football games into an equation. Too much emotion. Too many unknowns when dealing with 18- to 22-year-olds.  

Just check out this:

Team A (Texas Tech) beats Team B (Kansas State) 66-14

Team B (Kansas State) beats Team C (Texas A&M) 62-14

So naturally, Team A beats Team C by 100 points (that's what the math would suggest, at least), especially considering Team A is playing the game at home. Right?

So be careful on any bold predictions about how the rest of this Big 12 season will play out. Assume nothing, take some Tylenol and stay away from sharp objects.

I see Alabama senior defensive lineman Terrence Cody (6-5, 365) getting some Heisman mention after he blocked two kicks Saturday against Tennessee.

Check out Cody's stats compared to Ndamukong Suh's:

In seven games, Suh has 44 tackles, including 10 for loss, and four sacks. Suh also has an interception, seven passes broken up, 12 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and two blocked kicks (both of which occurred Saturday).

In eight games, Cody has 17 tackles, including five for loss, and zero sacks. He has one pass broken up, two QB hurries and the two blocked kicks.

Not much of a contest statistically speaking.

Wrapping up a second straight rough loss for Nebraska . . .

* Bo Pelini said it was an easy decision to start Zac Lee over freshman Cody Green. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said the coaches never considered inserting Green into Saturday's game.

Eight turnovers made. None taken. That minus-8 in the turnover category is a new record in Nebraska football history. 

The previous worst showing in the regard was in 1968 when the Huskers were minus-7 against Missouri.

The eight turnovers tied a school record set two other times (Colorado, 1967; Iowa State, 1972). Nebraska's seven fumbles today were the most since the Kansas State game in 2005 (think Jordan Congdon).

The five fumbles lost were the most since a game at Baylor in 2001 (think driving rainstorm).

Coaches say there was never any thought to putting Cody Green in this game in place of Zac Lee.

Bo Pelini said Lee played well. "I think Zac was the least of our problems today."

Lee wouldn't say when he found out he would start, but asked what it meant that coaches kept with him, he said: "It meant a lot. We were moving the ball well. It was't necessarily anything one guy was doing or one guy was't doing. It was just we kept kind of shooting ourselves in the foot."

Most bizarre game I've ever witnessed.

Eight turnovers and seven points for the Huskers.

Most Husker fans will walk away feeling their team beat themselves today, but Bo Pelini's answer to that question was this:

"I give credit to Iowa State. They did what they needed to do to win the football game. I don't don't want to say (we beat ourselves) because that would take discredit against the effort they put forth. They did what was necessary to win the football game. I'm disappoitned in our football team. I'm disapointed in it. It starts with me."

Said Ndamukong Suh: "This is a bad hiccup to take, but it's something we have to deal with. Something we can still move forward from and we're still in the North, Kansas State, Colorado, and Kansas. We can take care of business. We definitely feel that all our goals are still intact, but like I said, it's within."

This blog is for those of you who have serious questions you would like players or coaches to address after the contest.

Fire away.

Can Iowa State gets it running game going against Nebraska's stout Blackshirts?

Can Nebraska awake from its offensive funk?

Lee or Green?

(For what it's worth, Zac was introduced as starter on the big screen 37 minutes before kickoff).

Wipe the sleep from your eyes, bloggers, and don't hold back.

Play hard to the final whistle and keep it clean.

Tommie Frazier is the only true freshman quarterback to have started for Nebraska in the modern age. Frazier made his first start in the sixth game of the 1992 season at Missouri. He replaced Mike Grant. 

The Huskers won Frazier's first start by a score of 34-24, the win clinched when Frazier leaped into the end zone on a fourth-and-goal from the 5 with 2:09 left.

Different time, different scheme, but Frazier was 9-of-20 for 157 yards passing in the game.

You might recall that Nebraska got on a bit of a roll after Frazier took over the job, beating Colorado 52-7 the next week, and then beating Kansas 49-7 the week after.But a bump in the road came soon enough, as the Huskers lost 19-10 at Iowa State. Frazier went 5-2 as Nebraska's starter that year.

I don't bring this up because I think Cody Green is starting tomorrow, but just to put it into perspective the select company he joins if he does.

I have no insight into this decision. And if I were to make a bet on who'd start, I'd probably guess Zac Lee.

The junior obviously hasn't been stellar in the big games, but I can't say I think he's gotten a lot of help from those around him. The line play has been sub-par and he's had no running game to fall back on.

But we'll know soon enough. Remember, morning kickoff.

*****

Texas Tech's Mike Leach -- long considered a quarterbacks guru for the record-setting passers he's coached during a 24-year career -- has made an in-season change at that position only because of injury.

He's now numero uno, just ahead of Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry and Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

Sam Bradford was previously Kiper's No. 1. But after his injury against Texas, he's slipped to fifth.

Can Iowa State get its play-action game going?

Can Nebraska get anything going on offense?

(Sorry, couldn't resist).

Lee or Green?

NL or AL?

Isiah or Magic?

The Huskers will get enough going to win by a score of, oh I don't know, let's say somewhere in the neighborhood of . . . 28-10.

Bring it!

Some reading material as you ponder your prediction for our weekly prediction thread (we'll toss it up later this morning).

* Excellent look at Shawn Watson and Nebraska's struggling offense by Curt McKeever. Click here. 

Writes McKeever:

Watson says his standbys are: fundamentals, attention to detail and relentless effort.

And right now, it’s a lack of the middle item that’s hitting the hardest.

“With young players, that’s what gets you,” Watson said. “It happens out here every day. It happens again (in a game) and you go, ‘Dude, you’ve been doing it all week,’ so consistency (is) what you try to build in your kids.

“That’s why you don’t scrap and go to another offense. You improve what you’re doing. You look at how to accentuate what you can do — streamline and make it a little bit easier for younger players. … But we have to do it. … They’ve got to learn to play confident.”

* For a breakdown of Iowa State (complements of Ol' McKeever), click here.

* And finally, Iowa State has great respect for Big Suh. Check out the article by Randy Peterson of The Des Moines Register. Click here.

Well, I'm told Blake Lawrence really did write his own statement about the end of his football career. And having interviewed Lawrence on probably a dozen occasions, I believe it.

He's one of the smarter, most friendly guys you'll meet.

Anyway, here's his statement in full:

"After suffering my fourth concussion in the past 18 months, I have decided to step away from playing the game of football. After meeting with my family, the athletic trainers, Dr. Albers, and the coaching staff, we determined that I would risk complications later in life if I were to continue playing football. Football has been an integral part of my life since my earliest years, and has helped propel me to great heights. Playing football at the University of Nebraska has been one of my greatest accomplishments, and I will always be proud to say I am a Cornhusker. Coach Pelini has given me the opportunity to continue my dedication to Nebraska football in a different role, acting as a coach and a mentor on the team. I am thankful for this new position, as I will be able to continue to be around the game I love most, and build on the strong relationships I have developed with my teammates.

Playing football for Nebraska has provided me with amazing memories that I will never forget. I have also been able to actively represent Nebraska in the Lincoln community. These are some of my most enjoyable moments as a Husker. I have been able to share my experiences with the greatest fans in college football. My status as a Cornhusker has given me the ability to make an impact in others’ lives, from signing autographs for future Huskers, or talking with the elderly about the experience of Nebraska football, I have been truly humbled by the love Nebraskans have for this sport.

I will continue my role as a student-athlete leader at the University, and will represent Nebraska in all of my future endeavors. I am blessed to have been able to play for the greatest football team in college history. Thank you to all who made it possible, and thank you for your constant support through this process."

Whatever negativity that has been swirling after last week's loss to Texas Tech isn't bothering Bo Pelini, the Husker coach said after Thursday's practice.

"I've been around negativity. I understand how fans are, how people are," he said.  "I understand they turn on you in a second. That's part of the deal. It doesn't bother me one way or the other. I'm going to do my job. I like challenges. I like that aspect of it. This football team, what we have to get done, is beyond that. It's about executing. It's about playing our type of football and I think that's going to happen on Saturday. I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Bo Pelini said it was a good practice with good tempo.

"We had a good week of practice," Pelini said. "Now it's time to put it on the test on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it. I wish it was in about an hour. ... I'm probably a little bit more wired up right now than the team is but it will come when it comes and we got to be ready to play good football against a good football team. We'll be ready."

Hope you weren't expecting any late week quarterback news because you're not going to get it.

"Nothing's changed there," Pelini said. "You guys will find out when the game starts. If we were going to name something different, we wouldn't do it here. Nothing's changed at the quarterback position. I don't know how many times I can say that."

On the injury front, senior wide receiver Chris Brooks is not expected to play Saturday. He hasn't practiced all week.

"We're not counting on Chris right now," Pelini said. "He has something in his lower back. It's nothing long term. We're not counting on him this week."

Pelini is hoping some other receivers can step up to replace Brooks, who is coming off a career game.

"I thought they had a good week," the coach said of his receivers. "I like the physicality they brought to the table. I liked the way we blocked. I felt we made some steps forward in that area. Now we have to put it on the field on Saturday."

About the loss of Blake Lawrence, Pelini said: "It's too bad. I feel bad for Blake. It's the right thing for his future. You start having some concussions and things, he's an intelligent kid with a tremendous future ahead of him, whatever he decides to do after playing here. He's still a big part of this football team. But he, his family, the doctors, everybody involved, it's the right decision for him. It's a no-brainer. We'll still take care of him. He's still one of us. He's still one of our own."

Husker junior LB Blake Lawrence has decided to step away from the game after suffering his fourth concussion in the past 18 months.

Lawrence released his own statement about his departure Thursday.

"I am blessed to have been able to play for the greatest football team in college history," Lawrence said. "Thank you to all who made it possible, and thank you for your support through this process."

Lawrence started the first two games this season at weakside linebacker but didn't play in three of the past four contests.

BC will have more soon.

Gio Bernard, from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, told Scout.com he's coming to Lincoln for the Iowa State game.

The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Bernard rushed for 1,578 yards and 18 touchdowns last year. He was an all-stater in Class 5A.

We've ceased with the laughing. l still don't see that projection coming true, but it looks a lot more possible than it did even a week ago. Kansas State and Colorado play this week. Whichever team wins could be a real player in the North race. Don't believe me? If Kansas State wins, the Wildcats are 3-1 in conference with home games still left against Kansas and Missouri.

If Colorado wins, the Buffs are 2-1 with their take-their-medicine game (Texas) out of the way and home games against Missouri and terrible Texas A&M to follow.

I know it's popular around here to not consider K-State and Colorado in the North chase, but after what we saw in this division last week ... it's worth keeping an eye on that Wildcats-Buffs score this week.

By the way, Phil Steele did pick Nebraska to win the North. So there's that.

You can tell by Doc's hoarse voice we're almost  week into basketball practice.

The Nebraska coach was able to squeak out this tidbit on freshman Brandon Ubel, though.

"If we were to tip it up tonight, he'd probably start for us," Sadler said of Ubel, a Kansas City, Kan., native.

Ubel is listed at 6-10, 220 pounds.

"He's pretty thick and strong. Brandon's a very skilled player who can really shoot the basketball."

Brian C. and I will solve the world's problems in our live chat at 10 a.m. You wouldn't want to miss that, right? Join us by clicking here.

Please, no questions about this situation. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it:

Nebraska running backs coach Tim Beck said the team is sticking to a committee approach when it comes to Roy Helu Jr.'s backup for Saturday's home game against Iowa State.

True freshman Dontrayevous Robinson (6-1, 215) is making progress in that committee, Beck said.

"I like what he's doing," the coach said. "I really like the way he's playing. He's playing big, he's playing physical. He gives us a 'thud' presence that we haven't had yet."

So could Robinson get playing time Saturday?

"Certainly," Beck said. "We pulled his redshirt last week with that reason in mind. But again, a lot will depend on the game -- where we're at in the game and what we need in that game.  Other guys can do things better than him at this point in his career.

"We'll try utilize everybody's strengths."

Although Robinson's redshirt was pulled last week, he played only on special teams against Texas Tech.

As for the running backs as a group, Beck said, "I don't know if anybody's jumped out and taken it and said, 'I'm the No. 2 back right now.' "

Helu (shoulder) remained in a green "no-touch" jersey Wednesday.

Junior linebacker Blake Lawrence hasn't suited up the past couple practices.

More info on his situation is apparently coming soon. Lawrence has had some concussions in the past, though it's not sure if that's the issue here.

Asked if he had another concussion this season, Pelini said: "I don't know, but they'll talk about that tomorrow. In terms of what the medical staff said about it, I'm not aware yet, and I don't know that anybody is."

Lawrence did suit up against Texas Tech. He has 10 tackles on the season, though all those game the first two weeks. He has not played in three of the past four games.

One of the sharper kids you'll meet, Lawrence was an Academic All-Big 12 pick in 2008.

Greene was in town because of scouting duties with the Steelers.

"What a great privilege for our guys to be able to meet him, a Hall of Famer. He had some great words of wisdom for our guys," Husker defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said.

Pelini said Greene's message was on how to be a great teammate, "how to be accountable to your team by preparing every day mentally and physically. He kind of pointed to that as the Steelers success in the 70s."

Pelini laughed when asked if he told Green he'd give him a Coke. "No, we told him we'd have one tomorrow. But I don't think I'm allowed to say that. We're a Pepsi school."

I imagine we'll all be a little confused if Nebraska reels off 48 points in one quarter Saturday against Iowa State.

That's what the Huskers did 26 years ago this week.

Leading 14-12 at halftime, then-No. 1 Nebraska exploded in the third quarter for a Big Eight-record 48 points (the Huskers missed the NCAA one-quarter mark by one point).

The third-quarter scoring summary looked like this:

* Irving Fryar 54 run (Livingston kick), :35

* Mike Rozier 13 run (Livingston kick), 1:53

* Turner Gill 17 run (Livingston kick), 2:24

* Fryar 34 pass from Gill (Livingston kick), 5:20

* Rozier 18 run (Livingston kick failed), 9:02

* Jeff Smith 12 run (Dave Schneider kick), 9:45

* Shane Swanson 1 pass from Nate Mason (Schneider kick), 12:13

Nebraska's seven scoring drives averaged 2.6 plays, 37 yards and 36 seconds.

"It was like someone dropped the Atom Bomb on us," Colorado cornerback Victor Scott said.

 “Just being cautious,” Helu said, noting his injury won’t limit what he can do in a game, and that he’ll be full go by Saturday.

And when did the injury become worse?

Nebraska is without backup Rex Burkhead, who’s out indefinitely with a foot injury. Helu said the five guys vying for the No. 2 job are showing improvement.

"They’re doing great. They’re all doing good,” he said. “All of them are improving in areas where in summer camp they were lacking in, that wouldn’t allow them to play. But they’re well-rounded now.”

Husker offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said nobody got taken to the ground, "but they got knocked around."

"Two things: We've got young quarterbacks and they need a true sense of what it's like in a game all the time. That's reason No. 1 to do it," Watson said. "And it helps evaluate they're ability to play in the pocket and pass.

"We've got a lot of resiliency," Watson said. "They're young, but they got a lot of resiliency. They've done a nice job of responding to the challenges we gave to them. They did a heckuva job. They had a real good practice. It felt like us."

It's not always easy being a quarterback in the Husker fish bowl. Green said he feels sorry for what Lee is going through.

“I do tremendously. Because it’s the type of place where our fans are so into it, they’re so into what we do around here,” Green said. “I’ve seen it when (Quentin Castille) got dismissed from the team. Everybody loved Q, and then once Q left, some people were sympathetic for him, but other people were pretty much dogging him. ... You don't want people to do that, but you know they’re still going to do it.

"With me being close to Zac, I feel sorry for him tremendously. I wish I could take some of the pain off of him because I just don't want that feeling for anybody that a whole state would just jump on somebody's bandwagon one minute and then jump right off the next."

Just some quick offensive numbers to mull:

Nebraska finished 12th nationally in total offense last season (450.8) after ranking ninth in 2007 (468.2).

This season, the Huskers are 57th (384.7 yards per game).

Youth and injuries are a factor, Bo Pelini said Tuesday.

Also, he said, Big Red lost some key leaders, most notably Joe Ganz.

"It's very similar to what we went through on defense a year ago," Pelini said.

Pelini emphasized the need to stay consistent in their approach. No reason to panic, he said.

How many could he mark down now? Green said probably around 260 or 270.

Will Bo Pelini or Shawn Watson make the decision on who starts at quarterback Saturday?

As far as the quarterback conversation, Bo Pelini said Tuesday "nothing has changed.".

Asked if "nothing has changed" means Zac Lee is still the guy right now, Pelini said yes. But both quarterbacks did receive equal reps Monday and the coach said it's a competition every week at every position to see who will play.

As for how Lee is taking all the talk, Pelini said: "Obviously it's going to affect the guy. He feels like the whole state of Nebraska is against him. That will affect anybody ... You fight through it, you persevere. You take an I'll-show-you attitude. It's disappointing when people boo, when people boo, but that's human nature, that's who they are. ... You fight through it. You find out what's deep inside of you. That's disappointing to me that that happens, that people take the attitude, that they want to point the finger. We point the thumb."

I don't know if I've ever heard a football coach's mood discussed as much as Bo Pelini's is in the state of Nebraska. After a tough day against Texas Tech, Pelini's sideline demeanor was the topic of some conversation. Some calls in the second half of Texas Tech's 31-10 win led to a peeved Pelini.

Is he worried about how that is being perceived?

"You know what the interesting thing is, I think this year I've been pretty tame with the officials," Pelini said Tuesday. "I've been making a pretty conscious effort of doing that. Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where there is almost so much you can stand, and I found myself in that situation the other day. You got to continually work at it. But I've been probably the calmest I've ever been in my career this year. But I continually work at that. Believe me, it's something you always got to keep working on things and keep looking yourself in the mirror and getting better at things. I was frustrated the other day. It really didn't happen until the second half when I got really frustrated. I don't want to get into all the reasons why but I got to work on being too animated probably. I'm not trying to be. That's the area I've got to work on."

It's fall break at UNL.

Players on the Nebraska men's basketball teams are celebrating with two, three-hour practices on both of their off days from school.

I dropped by yesterday and saw a spirited, intense practice. I know Doc Sadler's been concerned about the many new guys grasping how hard he wants them to play, and it appeared Monday that most (not all) of those guys have caught on. Pretty impressed overall with the get-after-itness. (We'll see what they're like tonight after four practices in two days).

On the down side, Quincy Hankins-Cole is out this week with a hip problem, Sadler said. He could return Friday. And if you haven't seen walk-on Mitch Albers, well, he's been out since the first day with a bad flu bug. He might return by Wednesday.

Catch Bo Pelini, as well as a few of his players, live right here at 11:30 a.m. (approximately), for the team's weekly media luncheon.

"I don't panic," Pelini said. "I believe in what we're doing. I believe in the direction of this program and what we have going and I'm going to stay the course. I've learned that over time. That's up to you guys to panic. We don't do that. I don't get real high. I don't get real low. Everyone wanted to elevate us to we were the '85 Bears after beating Missouri. And I knew better. I'd watched the film. I knew there were some things that we needed to get addressed and that we needed to keep progressing as a football team. We didn't do that last Saturday. Now we need to do that this Saturday."

(In defense of the LJS staffers, I would note the only time we panic is when the press box buffet line stretches 10 people or longer.)

The coach was asked about what he thought about some of the booing on Saturday, and the chants for Cody Green to come into the game.

"Fans can say anything they want," Pelini said matter-of-factly. "When they earn the title of head coach, they can make the decisions. Until then, I'll make the decisions around here, along with Coach Watson and the rest of the coaching staff. They can boo me, they can say whatever the heck they want. They can choose to boo, they can do what they want. But we're going to do what we feel is necessary to win football games. Period. End of story. I don't get influenced by what the fans or the media or anybody else does. When they want to come in here and watch the film and they earn the title and earn the respect of being a head coach, they can start making the decisions. Until then, the buck stops here." 

Lots of QB chatter after Monday's practice, obviously.

Zac Lee and Cody Green essentially split the number of repetitions at the position, according to senior center Jacob Hickman.

Hickman has a good rapport with both players, he said.

Hickman acknowledged that Nebraska players must be mindful of not picking sides as coaches evaluate which quarterback will start Saturday's home game against Iowa State (4-3, 1-2 Big 12).

"Obviously, you can't have that. You can't have any negativity," Hickman said. "You have to have some constructive criticism, where some guys need to get more fired up.

"But you can't have any negative things or picking sides, because then you'll have a situation like a couple years ago when we had some problems with guys either picking sides or not trusting certain people. Bad talk, that'll kill a team. I think everyone understands, so I don't think we'll have a problem."

Hickman referred to 2007, when Sam Keller and Joe Ganz battled for the starting quarterback job in the preseason, with Keller winning the job and starting nine games before going down with a shoulder injury.

The current quarterback situation was addressed by team leaders in the Unity Council on Sunday, Hickman said.

"We want to make sure nobody's saying the wrong things because we have a lot to accomplish this season," Hickman said. "Everything we set out to do is still there for us."

We're talking about Blackshirts. Not the game, not the game, not the game. We're talking about Blackshirts, man. Blackshirts.....

Yes, the Husker defensive starters did keep their Blackshirts. Twelve players had them on during Monday's practice.

It's everyone you'd expect: Ndamukong Suh, Jared Crick, Pierre Allen, Barry Turner. Will Compton, Sean Fisher, Phillip Dillard. Larry Asante, Matt O'Hanlon, Eric Hagg, Prince Amukamara and Dejon Gomes.

The best guess is Alfonzo Dennard is a 13th Blackshirt, but he was in a green no-contact jersey due to a bruised shoulder.

The team went full pads inside Memorial Stadium and Bo Pelini liked what he saw. "Good practice. Pads were popping," he said.

About going full pads on Monday: "We do that now and again. I thought today was the right day."

The starting defenders did have their Blackshirts on.

Pelini said he is looking for "attention to detail, fundamentals, technique. That's what it's all about. That's how you win football games. Like I said, I thought it was a pretty good start to the week. We just go the very basic parts of the game plan in today. Lot of good on good. It was a good day."

Several players sat out the practice, including Roy Helu, Chris Brooks, Phillip Dillard and Ricky Henry. Alfonzo Dennard was in a green no-contact jersey. Dennard's injury was a bruised shoulder, Pelini said, but nothing serious.

The coach seemed optimistic that everyone would be back soon. About Helu, the coach said: "I would anticipate him being out here tomorrow. Had it not been a Monday and a little bit shorter of practice, he probably would have been out here today."

Zac Lee and Cody Green both took reps with the No. 1 offense. Asked if there was any change in the distribution of quarterback reps, Pelini said: "Nothing's really changed."

More coming.

The native of Euless, Texas, wasn't used in the backfield against Texas Tech, but played on special teams.

Asked Monday if that means we could expect to see him get involved at I-back, Husker coach Bo Pelini said:  "We'll see how that plays out. Not sure how that's going to work. He's definitely in the mix, I can tell you that much."

Other Big 12 games selected for telecast on that day include Missouri at Colorado (12:30 p.m., FSN), Kansas at Texas Tech (2:30 p.m., ABC), Kansas State at Oklahoma (6 p.m., FSN) and Texas at Oklahoma State (7 p.m., ABC or ESPN2).

Asked about his timetable for making a call on that position, Bo Pelini said Monday: "That will be a gametime decision. Right now nothing has changed. When it changes, we'll announce it."

Do coaches now consider it an open race between Zac Lee and Cody Green?

How did Pelini evaluate Green's performance?

"Cody did a couple of good things. He didn't grade out exceptionally well," Pelini said. "He's a young guy who went in there in a tough situation. He made some mistakes. He made a number of mistakes. He's a young guy. He's figuring some things out. He's got a ways to go."

Any chance the quarterbacks rotate?

"We're not real big on a rotating quarterback system," Pelini said. "It's hard to get a guy in rhythm. But we'll see how it goes and how they practice, and we'll go from there. There's a lot of variables. There's a lot of things that could happen. But it would be hard to look in a crystal ball and say this will happen for sure."

The coach said wide receiver Chris Brooks, who limped off the field, and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who got dinged and was replaced by Anthony West, are day-to-day. "It's nothing long-term there," Pelini said. "They're both questionable for today, probable for tomorrow."

As for Roy Helu's shoulder? Pelini said he wouldn't characterize it as a "chronic" shoulder injury. He said it's just a stinger. "You get through it," Pelini said. "It's really unrelated to what happened (at Missouri)."

"They're going to look angry is what they're going to look like after their last game," Rhoads said. "Their strengths are many. Their defensive front seven, I think, is as good as there is in college football. We know about Suh at tackle, but the guys lining up right next to him as well as behind him are great football players too. You struggle to have any success at running the football against them and scoring points aren't easy to come by."

Rhoads passed on further compliments. Typical Monday lines from coaches about the team they're about to play.

An injury to watch this week: ISU I-back Alexander Robinson, who leads the conference in rushing, aggravated his groin this week. "We believe he'll play," Rhoads said.

ISU fans have to be feeling good about Rhoads. The guy's a straight shooter and he's already got two more wins than Gene Chizik had last year. The Cyclones enter Saturday's game with a 4-3 record, coming off an impressive 24-10 win over Baylor.

No surprise, Nebraska dropped from both major national polls.

The Huskers (4-2, 1-1 Big 12) are the equivalent of No. 29 in The Associated Press Top 25. 

Meanwhile, Big Red is the equivalent of No. 28 in the USA Today coaches' poll.

* Nebraska's loss ended a six-game home winning streak.

* Texas Tech has won four straight against Nebraska.

* Ndamukong Suh enjoyed another day of disruptive play. The Husker senior DT had four tackles, including two for loss, as well as four quarterback hurries. He has now had at least one tackle for loss in 16 of NU's past 17 games, including the last 10.

* Suh's two tackles for loss pushed his career total to 42, moving him to fifth on the school's career tackles for loss list.

* Nebraska DE Pierre Allen recorded a career-high two sacks.

* Husker DE Barry Turner added 1.5 sacks, pushing his career total to 13.5. He's 2.5 sacks outside of the school's career top 10.

* Nebraska LB Phillip Dillard recorded a career-high 12 tackles, including a career-best four for loss.

* Nebraska allowed 31 points by Tech, ending the Husker defense's streak of five straight games of allowing 16 or fewer points. Even so, the Huskers have allowed only 11.8 points per game this season.

* Junior PK Alex Henery connected on a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter, marking his 22nd straight made FG from 50 yards  and in. He missed a 51-yard attempt in the third quarter for just his fifth career miss.

* Senior WR Chris Brooks caught a career-high five passes for 66 yards. His previous career best was three catches for 50 yards against Louisiana-Lafayette.

* Junior TE Mike McNeill caught two passes for 14 yards, giving him 16 straight games with at least one reception. He has 47 career receptions, moving him within eight catches of the top 25 on the NU career list.

* Redshirt freshman WR Khiry Cooper caught a 13-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter for his first career score. He finished with three receptions for 23 yards, after entering the game with three career catches for 32 yards.

* Nebraska was only 2-for-5 in the red zone Saturday.

* True freshman RB Dontrayevous Robinson appeared in a game for the first time this season, contributing on special teams.

I ask my fellow bloggers: What should we make of the Big 12 North now?

Colorado 34, Kansas 30. Are the Buffs in the midst of a turnaround? 

Kansas State 62, Texas A&M 14. The Wildcats are 2-1 in league play. Or is that a typo?

Iowa State 24, Baylor 10.

I don't think Nebraska will overlook the Cyclones.

The Huskers had better start cleaning up the general sloppy play that is hurting their progress under Bo Pelini. I'm talking about penalties (12 for 95 yards Saturday). I'm talking about poor clock management. I'm talking about the little things that figure prominently in the big picture.

Bo Pelini has his work cut out for him.

His offense has major issues, starting at quarterback.

Lee or Green? Which one will start against the Cyclones?

"We'll take a look at the film and make our decisions off of that," Shawn Watson said.

Without the benefit of game film, as I sit here in the press box at 10 p.m., my gut feeling is go with Green. I wrote the reasons in my column for Sunday.

Bottom line, the Big 12 North race obviously is going to take a lot of twists and turns. 

No reason for Nebraska to panic.

It was a rough day for the Husker offense, but Husker coach Bo Pelini showed great support for offensive coordinator Shawn Watson.

"Shawn Watson's a good football coach," Pelini said. "He's stood the test of time for a long time. We don't point fingers around here. It's a team loss. Because I can tell you defensively we didn't get it done either. We lost in every phase of the game. Shawn Watson is a good football coach. That hasn't changed and that won't change. He's a helluva coach." 

As for a competition at quarterback, Pelini said: "Absolutely. We're thinking about a lot of changes, every position." 

Roy Helu left the game in the third quarter and didn't return. Marcus Mendoza saw most of the snaps in his place. Trainers were working on Helu's right shoulder. Pelini said the junior I-back has a stinger, but should be fine.

Watson said Helu has a chronic shoulder injury.

Say what you need to say. Just keep the language clean, please.

I can say that it sounds very much like the quarterback job is up in the air at this point.

"We'll sit down and evaluate it," Husker offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. "We'll take a good look at it and see what we need to do."

About falling behind early, Watson said: "We tried to stay committed to trying to get that run game going. We had some good things. It's just when you're behind like that, you have to be smart. You can't sit there and do it all day. We have a lot of things to get better at, a lot of improving to do."

About taking Zac Lee out on the second series of the third quarter, he said: "We just wanted to try to get Zac's feet underneat him a little bit. When we made the decision to go with Cody, we felt like Cody could give us a little spark, see what he did with us."

Credit to Lee for coming out for post-game interviews. Asked if that 82-yard return by Tech on the backwards pass changed the offense's approach, Lee said: "It shouldn't have. But going in feeling like we were going to score there ... was it backwards, I don't even know? It's just one of those things where we got to hop on the ball, be aware of what's going on, and make sure we hop on it before they do."

Does Lee feel like he has to go win the job again? "We're always competing in practice. That's how practice is everyday. That's how it was from Day One."

Apparently there were some chants for Cody Green. Asked about it, Lee said: "That's part of it. You can't let it get to you. You just have to be focused on what's going on on the field."

The sun is out today, although John Cook always talks about how dark it is in the Hearnes Center. It appears like it could be fairly tame in here tonight. No band. Only a few students to pester the Huskers' servers from the front row.

My guess is most folks in Columbia are gearing up for the Mizzou-Oklahoma State football game that kicks off at 8:15 p.m. in Stillwater. The Tigers are right back in the Big 12 North race.

Fire away here. (Click on link to enter.)

This post is for folks who would like questions to be asked of players or coaches after the game.

With NU down 24-3 at halftime, we're sure you already have plenty -- so bring them now and throughout the second half.

Slightly overcast. Temp in 50s. Not much wind. Football weather.

Shake hands at midfield, keep it clean . . .

and blog away.

Just saw Bob Stoops and Mack Brown exchanging pleasantries before their tilt in Dallas. I'm sure they each sent the other Christmas greetings after last season's tiebreaker drama.

The Sooners and Longhorns are about to go at it. Here's a thread to talk about that game and any other contests that feed your fancy on this college football Saturday.

You can also keep the conversation going about that Husker game. We'll have a game thread as kickoff gets closer.

Enjoy the football.

Another gameday is here. Hope you're ready.

Lot of buzz last night that those Blackshirts may have been handed out on Friday. Can't say that'd be a shocker.

After the performance against Missouri and the challenge that awaits today, last night would have been a fitting time to hand them out.

Certainly we'll find out more today after the game from coaches and players confirming if they were given, who got them, and if they think they played like Blackshirts today against the Red Raiders.

Never a dull moment around here.

*****

As Keith Jackson might say, it's good hitting weather in Lincoln today. The temperature should be at about 50 degrees throughout the game, partly cloudly, little chance of precipitation.

Bring your binoculars to the stadium tomorrow. You might want to get a closer view of the battle between Texas Tech's Brandon Carter and Ndamukong Suh.

Tech offensive line coach told RedRaiders.com this week that he expects the senior Carter to go against Suh on most every snap, and that he anticipates he'll mostly go against Nebraska's nose tackle one-on-one.

Moore said last year the Red Raiders sometimes had a center slide over and help Carter, and sometimes it was just Carter alone on Suh, but Tech didn't game plan around Suh at all.

I asked Jared Crick this week how much teams are doubling Suh this year.

"Toward the beginning of the year it was 90 percent (of the time) at least," Crick said. "I've seen it gradually decline ever since ... Right now, the majority goes to Suh just because you got to respect Suh. But I've seen a lot more double teams come my way."

Crick said it was one of his goals before the season to make enough plays that teams would maybe have to take some attention off Suh.

"But that first game, Suh just kind of said, 'Knock it off. Let's just go out and play our game.' Ever since, we've been just working together. ... As long as one of us are making plays, that's all we can ask for."

As for when teams take on Suh one-on-one?

"I haven't seen one guy beat Suh yet," Crick said. "I think it ultimately comes down to you have to put more than one body on Suh top stop him. I still haven't seen anybody stop him yet."

Carter is a good player, a preseason All-American in some circles. This should be a nice collision.

OK, McKeever has the Big Red Breakfast blog up.

Time for some hard decisions . . .

Pick the winner (I'm going with Nebraska).

And the score (31-28).

Bring it!

The Nebraska basketball teams officially begin practice today. Connie Yori's team goes this afternoon, and Doc Sadler's boys follow at 5. (One of these years, they'll be able to go simultaneously with a new practice facility).

Anyway, a few notes from Sadler:

-- Lance Jeter, Brandon Richardson and Sek Henry could all see time at point guard. Notice Ray Gallegos is not in that mix. Doc said the true freshman will play on the wing because "he may be one of my best scorers." Sadler also said Gallegos is "the quickest guy I've ever coached."

-- Toney McCray has been cleared to practice full speed. He tore a ligament in his left (non-shooting) elbow in mid-September. What's interesting is that McCray, who will wear a brace, still can't fully extend his elbow. Sadler didn't seem concerned, though, saying "that should come in a couple of weeks." If for some reason it doesn't, there's a possibility McCray could need season-ending surgery. But Sadler said that seems unlikely at this point.

-- Sadler flat-out said he's been disappointed in juco transfer Quincy Hankins-Cole, "and that's because of his weight," Sadler said. Hankins-Cole, listed at 6-8, 240, "could be maybe one of the most valuable guys we've got, but he's got 15 pounds to lose," Sadler said.

-- Meanwhile, Jeter, who came to Lincoln from Polk Community College along with Hankins-Cole, has done an admirable job of losing weight: 20 pounds, to be exact.  "What I've seen out of Lance is he's going to try to do exactly what the coach wants him to do," Sadler said. "I think he's a big-time competitor. He hates to lose."

That's me, not Barney Cotton, the featured speaker at the just-concluded Big Red Breakfast here in beautiful and misty Big O.

This blogger's money says the Huskers' associate head/offensive line coach spent a lot more time getting 'fixed up' for the event than most who work in the trenches, Truly a sharp-dresssed man (maybe because his parents were on hand).

Any way, that's probably not what you're here to read, so let's get down to the good stuff (or at least what was on the coach's mind at what he called "one of the best-speaking deals we get to go to.").

Though proud they had overcome a lot of mistakes to beat a Missouri team that had had their number recently, Cotton labeled the Huskers' mood as subdued when they met to review the game. That attitude has led to what he called one of the best weeks of practice this season.

"We seem to have a bunch of players that are very willing to hold themselves to an extremely high standard," Cotton said . "It was a fun week to coach. These guy were very focused and very concentrated.

"It's nice to have a bunch of guys that want to atone after a victory rather than after a loss. I'm sure that's going to translate to very-hard play (for Saturday's game against Texas Tech)."

Cotton also showed a sense of humor, poking fun at how Nebraska was able to run the ball "over and over and over" on it's last, game-sealing drive at Missouri. The Huskers' lack of a ground attack (or unwillingness to try to generate one) has been a sore coffee-shop topic this week.

More Cotton. . .

On recruiting offensive linemen: NU plans to take three or four every year and wants four in this year's class.

On freshman Jeremiah Sirles:  He's come along far  enough at left tackle that a planned redshirt could come off.

On the running back situation with top backup Rex Burkhead now out with a broken bone: "I can't really tell you who 2-3-4 are. . . . There's a chance we could play four running backs this week. They've all gotten a significant amoung of reps."

On whether he's concerned about the national attention defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is receiving: "No. I think most nights our coaches say a little think-you prayer that Suh is on our team. . . . I don't see him as being a guy that gets complacent. And it's not bad for your program to have a little notariety.

"I heard on the sideline (at Missouri) one time Suh went up to Zac (Lee), 'Hey, we've got your back.'  Our players are very unified, and that' the message we preach every week. We're a team."

Something I found interesting was that right guard Ricky Henry leads the Huskers in knockdown blocks. Henry had 18 against Virginia Tech. Just to give you something to compare that to, Cotton said NU had 22 AS A TEAM last week, after being in the 60s the previous two games.

Can't wait for lunch.

Here's a quick breakdown of Bo Pelini's post-practice session with reporters Thursday:

* The health of the team is fine, he said.

* Talk about the pack vying for the No. 2 running back spot ... Has anybody emerged?

"You'll see a committee of guys," he said. "You'll see a number of different guys. We'll see how it goes. We got a lot of guys reps this week and we feel good about that group. It's a good group of guys.

"It's not as big an issue as you guys are making it out to be," he added.

With No. 2 running back Rex Burkhead sidelined indefinitely by a foot injury, five running backs are competing for snaps in his place: sophomores Austin Jones and Marcus Mendoza, redshirt freshmen Lester Ward and Collins Okafor, and true freshman Dontrayevous Robinson.

* Do you have any idea how many official recruiting visitors you'll have this weekend? "Yeah we'll have a few," Pelini said.

* Do you plan to break in any new guys in the secondary this week?

"We've played a lot of guys in the secondary. I don't know how many more you guys want us to play. I mean, we're playing a lot of guys. You're seeing a lot of guys out there. You're basically going to see more of the same."

* What's your impression of how your secondary matches up with Texas Tech's wide receivers?

"Last year we matched up OK, right? We'll find out Saturday. That's why you play the game. We like our group."

* What does Tech do well on defense?

"They play hard. They're not real fancy. I mean, they have a lot of guys back from last year, a number of guys -- especially in the front. They play hard. They play fast. They're aggressive and they play with a good attitude. I like the way they play on defense."

* The Tech defense seems to be comparable to its offense in that the Red Raiders keep it simple?

"Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment of what they do, what their plan is. It kind of comes from the head coach, I guess."

Who knew Ndamukong Suh's name and helmet are emblazoned on the Kenworth semi that carries the Huskers' gear to road games?

Some more from Tom Dienhart of The Sporting News -- Click here.

I know the Broncos beat Oregon when the Ducks were a mess to start the season. But the bottom line is I can name at least 15 teams I'd pick in a game over Boise State on a neutral field.

When it comes to a team like Boise State, in a conference that doesn't present top-notch competition every week, I'm sorry but it is a beauty contest. And a 28-21 win over a Tulsa team Oklahoma beat by 45 doesn't help your cause. You've got to do better than a 34-16 win against UC-Davis. To make your case, you have to blow the doors off of people.

Your turn. Where would you rank a team like Boise State?

BC and I will bring the heat starting at 10 a.m. -- assuming you bring the questions.

Live chats rule! Just click on the link and start asking questions.

Nebraska looks to improve to 5-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12. It's obviously crucial to hold serve at home. Here are three keys to doing so:

1. Open-field tackling. Like a lot of spread offenses, Texas Tech often gets the ball to its receivers in wide-open spaces. "They're going to make their catches. They're going to make their plays,"  Nebraska secondary coach Marvin Sanders said. "You just have to hold that 6-yard catch to a 6-yard catch. We have to tackle.

"Tackling's always important. Except there's a difference trying to make a tackle in a phone booth compared to making a tackle in the open field."

2. Be more physical on offense.  Nebraska rushed for 207 yards against a stout Virginia Tech defense back on Sept. 19.  The Huskers were held to 105 rushing yards at Missouri last week, and that total was bolstered by a late flurry. There since has been a lot of discussion about Big Red's lack of commitment to the run last week. But Ron Brown takes a broader view. "The bottom line is, we were not as physical offensively as we have been in the other games this year, as a whole unit," he said. If NU wants to control the clock -- as it did last year against Tech -- the Huskers will need to bring their hard hats offensively.

3. All right, broken record here, but the penalties are annoying. The Huskers were flagged 12 times (for 108 yards) last week. Cutting that in half would be a good start. NU is averaging 7.8 penalties per game for 69.6 yards to rank 95th nationally. It ranked 98th in the category last year.

Lots of talk this week about Texas Tech's offense, for good reason.

But the Red Raiders can be pretty salty on defense, according to Ron Brown.

"Saturday's game is going to be about collisions," the Nebraska tight ends coach said Wednesday. "I'll tell you what, Texas Tech plays fast and hard on defense -- like Virginia Tech.

"Tech gets to the football. They fly around."

Texas Tech (4-2, 1-1 Big 12) ranks 55th nationally in total defense, allowing 349.7 yards per game, and 42nd in scoring defense (21.3). The Red Raiders are led by linebackers Marlon Williams and Brian Duncan, who share the team lead with 43 tackles apiece. The defense returned all three starting linebackers from last year's 11-2 squad.

Tech keeps it pretty simple defensively (and offensively, for that matter).

"They rely on physicality and getting places with speed," Brown said of Ruffin McNeill's defense. "They pretty much rely on flying to the football and gang-tackling."

It's pretty clear to me that Tech has Nebraska's attention.

The true freshman running back evidently didn’t shirk his responsibilities in learning and remembering Nebraska’s offense, though.

I figured with him doing some scout team work for us that he might have been further behind than he was,” running backs coach Tim Beck said. “He’s been surprising. He knows it better than I thought he did.”

Or any one back, for that matter.

He is one of 12 players still in the running for the award. Four of those are from the Big 12. Here's the list:

• Terrence Cody, Alabama, NG, #62, Sr., 6-5, 365, Ft. Myers, FL
• Rennie Curran, Georgia, LB, #35, Jr., 5-11, 228, Snellville, GA
• Carlos Dunlap, Florida, DE, #8, Jr., 6-6, 290, North Charleston, SC
• Jerry Hughes, TCU, DE, #98, Sr., 6-3, 257, Sugar Land, TX
• Rolando McClain, Alabama, LB, #25, Jr., 6-4, 258, Decatur, AL
• Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma, #93, DT, Jr., 6-4, 297, Oklahoma City, OK
• Eric Norwood, South Carolina, LB, #40, Sr., 6-1, 252, Acworth, GA
• Russell Okung, Oklahoma State, LT, #76, Sr., 6-5, 300, Houston, TX
• George Selvie, South Florida, DE, #95, Sr., 6-4, 250, Pensacola, FL
• Brandon Spikes, Florida, LB, #51, Sr., 6-3, 258, Shelby, NC
• Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, DT, #93, Sr., 6-4, 300, Portland, OR
• Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri, LB, #12, Sr., 6-2, 245, Jasper, TX

No one is loving the strong play of Nebraska's front four more than senior linebacker Phillip Dillard. When the guys up front are mauling people, how much easier does it make his life?

Lot of Ndamukong Suh hype this week, perhaps too much for Bo Pelini's liking during a game week. But Dillard said Suh is worthy of any praise.

"He's playing like a Heisman candidate," Dillard said. "It's crazy how good he's playing as a D-tackle. It seems like he's a big linebacker when he's out there moving. He's playing at a high level and he deserves it, he's earned it."

Witt, who transferred from Nebraska prior to spring ball, learned he had lost the job last week and then found out he was suspended from the Dartmouth game by his head coach, Tom Williams, for a "violation of team rules."

The violation, Witt told the Yale Daily News, was that he accidentally slept through the team’s weekly Friday night meeting after studying for a midterm.

“I was doing some reading and I fell asleep on the couch, so I missed the meeting; and if that’s a violation of team rules then that’s pretty absurd,” Witt told the school newspaper. “I understand that we are all required to be at meetings, but it was a simple accident and it’s unfortunate that it happened, but don’t try to make it out to be that I was using illegal substances or something ridiculous like that. It was something that all Yale students can understand."

Witt began the season as Yale's starting quarterback, going 43-of-81 for two touchdowns and three interceptions. He was pulled late in the fourth game in favor of Brock Hart, who led the team on some scoring drives and was then named the starter in the days that followed.

No Ivy League education here, but my guess is calling out the head coach's decision as "pretty absurd" won't help Witt's cause.

Well, here's the map.

Nebraska-Texas Tech will be available to 20 percent of the country on ABC and another 44 percent of the country on ESPN.

The Huskers were picked ahead of Colorado and behind No. 10 Baylor.

Another not-so-shocking report: Kansas was picked to win the league title.

Practice officially begins Friday. Players will make a public appearance at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Husker Nation Pavilion before the NU-Tech football game. Players will be introduced and will be available for autographs.

Just a bit more rehash of the Missouri game (Shawn Watson was available for media interviews Tuesday for the first time since the game).

The Nebraska offensive coordinator defended Zac Lee's performance on a very rainy night in Columbia, Mo. (14-for-33, 158 yards, three TDs).

"I don't care if Joe Namath's playing," Watson said. "I don't care if Joe Montana's playing, or John Elway. It's the same thing. They're going to have a tough time."

Meanwhile, Watson is resolute in his belief in his offense, which is predicated on taking what the defense gives. More on that here.

"You can bounce your head against the wall and run up against an unblocked player if you want, but I don't think that's good football," Watson said. "Then you do what? You throw the ball. If they're playing to defend the throw, if you're even with hats, then you run the ball.

"Everybody does that. That's just the nature of the spread offense."

Redshirt freshman I-back Lester Ward, one of the candidates for playing time, said all the backs have been practicing like they're going to play from season's beginning. Rex Burkhead's injury doesn't change their approach.

"We practice as if the situation was already going to come up," Ward said. "That's part of being an athlete and staying prepared. I, myself, I've been preparing, so it's just kind of one of those things you don't have to address because everybody in there is ready to perform at any time."

Shawn Watson was matter-of-fact about how the Huskers would handle the injury.

"The next guy gets ready,” Watson said. “It’s called life, you just move forward. We don’t panic about stuff like that around here, we have the next guy. We have more than two guys on scholarship; that is why we don’t worry about it."

Rosenthal will have a lot more information on the I-back situation in a story soon coming.

I don't know if we'll ever see a time-of-possession difference quite like last season's Nebraska-Texas Tech game.

The Huskers held the ball for an astounding 40:12, compared to the Red Raiders' 19:48.

Nebraska ran 80 plays, Tech 48. Bizarre.

We may not see such an extreme situation Saturday, but the principle still applies.

"You've got to control the clock, you've got to run the ball," Nebraska senior center Jacob Hickman said Tuesday.

Actually, the Huskers rushed 35 times and passed 45 last year against the Red Raiders. There obviously are different ways to control clock.

Generally speaking, Nebraska needs to have a good day offensively Saturday.

"We've got to come out fast and, as an offense, get our confidence back," Hickman said.

Nissan has a vote for the Heisman, and since cars aren't usually very good at voting, they're having an online vote that allows fans to pick who should win the award.

Ndamukong Suh is now on the list of candidates.

Husker I-back Rex Burkhead injured his foot at practice on Monday and is out "for a while" according to Bo Pelini.

Pelini did not give a specific timetable, but it seemed evident Burkhead isn't returning any time soon.

"I feel worse for the kid," Pelini said. "Our team will be fine. I feel worse for the kid."

Who's the backup behind Roy Helu? Pelini listed off the names of Marcus Mendoza, Austin Jones, Lester Ward and Collins Okafor as candidates and said the job will go to whoever earns it.

Watch Bo and a few of his players live from Nebraska's weekly media luncheon.

It all starts at about 11:30 a.m.

Click here.

No interior lineman on either side of the ball has won the Heisman.

But there have been years when linemen have received plenty of votes.

Four ex-Husker linemen have been in past Heisman chases:

* 1967 -- Wayne Meylan, middle guard, finished ninth in voting.

* 1972 -- Rich Glover, middle guard, finished third (behind winner Johnny Rodgers).

* 1982 -- Dave Rimington, center, finished fifth.

* 1994 -- Zach Wiegert, offensive tackle, finished ninth.

If this keeps up, we might need to start a "Life of the Suh" blog or something. Hey, I don't know how serious the talk will get about the big man and the Heisman chase.    

But I do know this: It can't hurt that ESPN's "College GameDay" is working on a feature on Husker senior nose tackle Ndamukong Suh. I'm under the impression that will air Saturday, though that couldn't be confirmed. Also joining the Suh fanfare is "Sports Illustrated," which is sending a writer to Lincoln for an apparent article on the big man.  

Lots of talk Monday about special teams, especially Nebraska's struggles in that area against Missouri.

Can the Huskers just chalk up their errors to the driving rain throughout the game?

"To a certain extent, yeah, the physical errors -- we can learn from those and deal with them," said John Papuchis, who coaches special teams. "The mental errors are unacceptable under any condition. They can't be tolerated."

He points to a punt that ricochets off a Husker as an example of a mental error.

"Our job is to field punts," Papuchis said. "A mental error is not communicating the fact we're going to let the ball hit, and not having awareness of where the ball was if you're on the return team. That shouldn't happen regardless of the weather."

After getting blanked in the first half on a cold and soggy night in Columbia, Husker wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore told his guys to put away their gloves and hand-warmers for the second half. 

"He just wanted us to go out and make plays, so he made sure he got rid of all the distractions before we went out for the second half," said Husker receiver Curenski Gilleylen.

It hasn't rained a whole lot in Lincoln this fall and when it has the Huskers have practiced indoors. Fans and media can say what they want about whether a team should occasionally practice in the rain or not, but Gilmore makes the point about why a team would be wise to stay inside.

"If you’re asking me if it’s raining outside on a practice field, am I going to risk slipping and getting someone hurt? No," Gilmore said. "But when you’re in those conditions you have to play. It’s just like if you get a snow game. What if it’s not snowing the week before? You got to deal with it. You can second-guess, you can hindsight, but in the end just focus on what you got to do."

Nebraska defenders generally wear white jerseys with red numerals in practice.

So, when will those black jerseys be handed out?

"That's a good question," Husker senior safety  Larry Asante said Monday with a smile. "I think that's the question everybody wants to know. We want to know.

"I don't know."

Nebraska held Missouri to 225 total yards and just three second-half points Thursday night. The Huskers rank second nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 8.0 points per game.

"Going back and watching film of the Missouri game, I feel we played good on defense, but we still haven't played a complete football game yet," Asante said. "I still think coach (Bo Pelini) is waiting for us to play our best football."

Against Mizzou, for instance, Nebraska defenders on two occasions stayed in coverage when they were supposed to blitz.

"It's just little things like that that irk coach Bo," Asante said.

Perhaps Pelini wants to wait to see how Nebraska responds to the challenge of facing Texas Tech, which ranks second nationally in total offense (521.5), scoring offense (43.2) and passing offense (443.5).

"I think as far as the secondary goes, this will be our greatest challenge yet," Asante said.

A couple asides from Asante:

-- Regarding Ndamukong Suh: "He's the first person in the film room watching film, always encouraging us to get in there and watch film with him." Good leadership there, obviously.

-- Regarding the left ankle he injured with his long interception return Sept. 26 against Louisiana-Lafayette: "It's probably about 95 percent. It feels a lot better (today) than it felt last game week, so I'm thinking by game day I should be 100 percent." 

Mike Leach says it'll be a game-time decision as to who will quarterback his team Saturday, but the smart money is on junior Steven Sheffield over classmate Taylor Potts.

Leach has a Leach-like take on the matter.

"I've been criticized for not doing what 'big-time' programs do, so I've decided to accomodate the wishes of the media," the Texas Tech coach said Monday. "And 'big-time' programs like to have game-time decisions, so we've got us a game-time decision on our hands, and I think that'll be not just 'big-time' for everyone but exciting for everyone. So there's 'big-time' for you.

"How do you like that?"

The Huskers are working inside the Hawks Championship Center. I-back Roy Helu was suited up and going through the beginning practice drills.

We'll have a practice report in a couple of hours when it finishes.

It will mark NU's first appearance on FSN this season.

As for Bo Pelini's appearance?

He was asked at one point if the performance of the offense against Missouri -- a performance that drew its share of criticism -- should be evaluated differently than it normally would given the weather conditions.

"No," Pelini said. "You have to look at everything and learn from what happened. We might play in those conditions on Saturday. You don't know that. We've got to get better and we've got to fix the things that got to get fixed regardless of what the conditions are. And there's a lot there that we can get better from. So we're not going to just ignore the things that went wrong because of the bad conditions. You can't do that. We're going to work to get them fixed and play better and execute better from start to finish."

Would the offense have likely been better if not for the downpour? "Yeah, and I'm sure Missouri would have to," Pelini said. "So it goes both ways. Both teams are playing on the same field. You need to execute better. Obviously it lends for better defense and a harder time offensively when you play in such conditions."

A few stats on which to chew:

* Nebraska (4-1) now ranks second nationally in scoring defense, allowing 8.0 points per game. Florida leads the nation at 6.4.

* Nebraska ranks third in pass-efficiency defense and 13th in total defense (273.40).

* The Huskers rank 40th in total offense (404.6), 43rd in rushing offense (168.0) and 44th in passing offense (236.6).

* Texas Tech (4-2) ranks second in total offense (521.5) and scoring (43.17). The Red Raiders rank only 114th in rushing offense (78.0).

* Texas Tech ranks 55th in total defense (349.7) and 42nd in scoring defense (21.3). The Raiders are holding up well against the run, allong 107.2 yards to rank 28th.

* Tech racked up 739 yards Saturday against Kansas State while allowing only 284. The Raiders averaged 9.9 yards per play. Criminy.

* Tech has nine receivers with at least 15 catches.

The senior nose tackle was also selected as the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Player of the Week.

There's been a lot of concern from the Husker fan base about the condition of Roy Helu. The Husker junior I-back left the field holding his right shoulder after his game-clinching touchdown on Thursday night.

But Pelini said Sunday night there are "no issues" with Helu.

"He'll be practicing tomorrow." 

Redshirt freshman Jase Dean isn't as fortunate. The reserve cornerback went down trying to cover a punt in the first half of the game.

Pelin said it's a knee injury that will have Dean out for the season.

*****

As for Blackshirts?

"I haven't thought about it much," Pelini said. "Not yet."

*****

Does Pelini think Ndamukong Suh should be in the Heisman conversation?

"I think there are a lot of guys in that conversation," Pelini said. "We're only five games in. Talk to me at the end of the year and then people can make that assessment. I always think that winning cures a lot of things. Winning takes care of a lot of things. If we win and he has success, I think he'll get recognized that much more."

Nebraska (4-1) jumped six spots to No. 15 in The Associated Press released Sunday.

It is the Huskers' highest ranking since September of 2007, when they entered their game against USC ranked No. 14. Big Red lost that night and haven't been in the top 15 since.

Texas (5-0) dropped a spot to No. 3 in The AP poll, while Oklahoma State (4-1) is No. 16, Kansas (5-0) No. 17 and Oklahoma (3-2) No. 20.

Nebraska obviously gained respect with its win Thursday night at Missouri, because the Huskers jumped past OSU, KU and OU in the poll despite the fact that each won Saturday. In addition, NU jumped another Saturday winner, Brigham Young.

 In the USA TODAY coaches' rankings, Nebraska jumped five spots to No. 17. Texas remained No. 2 in the coaches' poll, while Oklahoma State is No. 14, Kansas No. 15, Oklahoma No. 18, and Missouri (4-1) No. 24.

Virginia Tech (5-1) is No. 4 in both polls.

Here's the coaches' poll.

We should also mention that Nebraska jumped two spots to No. 19 in the Harris poll. The Huskers trail No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Kansas and No. 18 Oklahoma.

Jason Whitlock, veteran columnist for The Kansas City Star, writes in Sunday's editions that there is no favorite in the Big 12 North Race.

(I have to admit I was surprised Friday when I heard people saying that Nebraska, after one Big 12 contest, is the team to beat in the North).

At any rate, Whitlock apparently wasn't all that impressed with Big Red. He writes:

"The national media are overreacting to Nebraska’s victory over the Tigers.

"Beyond Suh, the Huskers showed me nothing on Thursday. If Bo Pelini insists on letting offensive coordinator Shawn Watson implement the Bill Callahan, pass-first offense, Nebraska is going to get smacked twice — against Tech and Oklahoma — before it ever gets to Lawrence.

"The Huskers, 4-1, got lucky in Columbia. They were bailed out by the weather, Blaine Gabbert’s injured right ankle and Mizzou’s horizontal running game. Nebraska has yet to prove it is better than the Tigers or the Jayhawks.

"Again, I can’t see a Big 12 North favorite. I say don’t bury the Tigers."

It many not have been pretty at all times, but Tyler Moore liked what he saw Thursday night.

The offensive lineman who committed Friday to be part of the 2011 Husker class said Nebraska's 27-12 win over Missouri helped cement his decision. 

"My main reason was this last Thursday game against Missouri, watching them make a great comeback and showing that they're ready to get back to the top where they were," Moore said.

It was some kind of recruiting weekend for Nebraska. Moore is considered one of the best O-line prospects in the 2011 recruiting class. Moore had all the heavy-hitters offering him, including Florida.

And then there was the commitment of defensive end Chase Rome, who becomes the ninth Husker in the 2010 class. Rome is a four-star player who originally had committed to Oklahoma State.

Asked about the decision on Saturday, Rome said: “It’s obviously a difficult situation any way you go about it, but I have to do what’s right for me."

Nebraska has added its second commitment to the 2011 class. Offensive lineman Tyler Moore (Clearwater, Fla.) says he's coming to Lincoln, picking the Huskers over the Florida Gators, according to Scout.com.

Moore is 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, and gave his commitment to Barney Cotton, who met with Moore on Friday after Nebraska's win over Missouri.

Moore knows plenty of the Nebraska tradition. His father, Brian Moore, lettered at NU as a tight end in 1985. His uncle is Vince Ferragamo. His cousin is former defensive end Jay Moore.

Both of Nebraska's recruits in the 2011 class are offensive linemen and rated as four-star players by Scout.com. Moore is joined on the list by Ryne Reeves of Crete.

Meanwhile, life goes on.

Specifically, Auburn and Arkansas go on the tube at 11 a.m. (ESPN).

If you need a nap, Purdue and Minnesota also play at 11 a.m. (ESPN2).

Few things are as effective at inducing sleep as watching Big Ten football or golf  on TV.

No fewer than five Big 12 games are available on some form of TV, according to the local daily TV listings.

Scout away, Big Red fans.

Chase Rome, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive end from Columbia, Mo., has switched his commitment from Oklahoma State to Nebraska. 

“There were a multitude of reasons (for the switch),” Chase’s father , Wade Rome, told The Columbia Missourian newspaper. “Nebraska is strong academically, and they’ve been sending linemen to the NFL for a long time. They’ve built a steady relationship with him. Oklahoma State is a hell of a program, but he just felt that was a better place. It's about the next four years and the next 40."

Rome is rated a four-star talent by Rivals.com and Scout.com. If the stars don't impress you, the names of the schools that have offered him might.

Rome had other offers from Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Tennesse, UCLA, Wisconsin .....

The recruit visited Lincoln during the weekend of the Louisiana-Lafayette game. It probably  also didn't hurt matters that the Husker defense looked so dominant last night in his hometown of Columbia. 

Rome was an all-state player in Missouri as a junior, claiming 77 tackles, four sacks and four recovered fumbles. He can bench 380, squat 535 and has a 32-inch vertical.

His commitment gives Nebraska nine in this class.

As noted in our paper today, Nebraska's 27-12 win over Missouri had a lot of similarities to a Husker football game 19 years ago.

In 1990, Nebraska and Colorado played on a miserably wet day in Lincoln. Colorado's offense could mount nothing for three quarters and the Huskers led 12-0 going into the final frame. And then ... the Buffs scored 27 straight to win it 27-12. Surely you remember Eric Bienemy and his four touchdowns.

And just as surely you enjoyed last night's version of that score better.

As it turns out, Nebraska’s 27 points in the fourth quarter were the team's most points in any quarter since scoring 28 points in the second quarter of the 2004 season opener against Western Illinois.

Among the interesting moves last night was sophomore Alfonzo Dennard starting at corner instead of Anthony West. As far as I know, Dennard played the entire game.

"I felt pretty good," Dennard said. "I guess it came down to last minute on who was going to start because both of us did pretty good. When they told me I was starting, I was like, 'All right, let's go.'"

Dennard had two tackles and pass breakup. His fellow corner Prince Amukamara had a great game -- save for one slip on a wet field -- and racked up a game-high nine tackles and two pass breakups.

Most enjoyable to the Huskers was picking off Blaine Gabbert two times. The Tiger quarterback hadn't thrown an interception in 164 passes.

"I had seen the stats. I was like, 'No interceptions. This guy's throwing the ball. He's doing pretty good,'" Dennard said. "We just came in and did our techniques and there go the ball in our hands." 

Lee responded well to what Watson said was a wake-up call, and Watson was impressed with Lee's perseverance in Thursday night's come-from-behind win at Missouri.

Watson said coaches were going to remove Lee only because they wanted him to see the game from the sideline for a series.

“We would’ve put him back in. We would’ve. Basically that (move) would’ve probably been for a series. I had considered that only because I wanted him to step back and see it. Bo and I both talked about it. Sometimes when things aren’t working you need to sit back and see what it looks like. You start chasing ghosts a little bit.”

Some Husker hoops news amid the excitement of the football victory.

Andre Almeida, a 6-foot-10, 320-pound center from Arizona Western College, has given an oral commitment to Nebraska. You'll remember he officially visited Lincoln the weekend of the Louisiana-Lafayette football game.

Almeida told the Yuma Sun he's done searching for a school and he's firmly committed to Nebraska.

"It's about your character," he said. "They know I want to be there, and I already told them I'll be there, so there's nothing to change."

Almeida is from Brazil and was recruited by assistant Walter Roese, who coached Almeida on the Brazilian Junior National Team.

Almeida averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds last season and was the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference player of the year.

He can sign in November, the beginning of the early signing period.

Bo Pelini said was "Roy was fine" when asked about Roy Helu and his bout with the flu.

Helu did come on a separate plane from the team to Columbia. Jacob Hickman and Ben Cotton also were among those Huskers on that plane.

Pelini was not asked about Helu's late-game injury. Watching the TV broadcast, it was obvious the junior I-back landed awkwardly on his right shoulder. He was holding it and having it checked as he went to the sideline. Got to admit I was on my way down to the field and didn't know that injury happened. But we'll get whatever we can on as soon as we can. It's unclear at this point what access is to Pelini, players and coaches after this Thursday game.

Helu ended the game with 18 carries for 88 yards. Forty-one of those yards came on his run to the 5 where he landed on his shoulder.

*****

Obviously, snapping the ball was an issue for the Huskers last night -- especially on punts. Freshman P.J. Mangieri had four snaps that were off target, the third one sailing high and causing Alex Henery to throw the ball over the end line for a safety.

Asked if he just chalked it up to the wet conditions and atmosphere, assistant John Papuchis said: "I think it was a probably combination of all those things. Being a true freshman on the road, I knew going into the year that there was going to be some growing pains. I think the more experiences he gets, the better he'll be. But we got to get more consistent in that spot for sure."

As for the defensive line, Papuchis said: "Unbelievable effort by the entire defense. I felt our defensive line played extremely well and I couldn't be more proud of the way they played."

About Suh's interception, Papuhcis said: "It was huge. We knew and we kept saying it over and over again on the headset, 'If we get a score offensively, we'll make a play defensively.' We were so close on a few other interception opportunities and finally it worked out for Suh and that just kind of changed the momentum."

Yes, I really am posting this around 4 a.m. Didn't get out of the press box until 1:30. Then Rosenthal and I thought we'd live on the edge and eat a litle Steak & Shake. An hour later, the food came. The tip was minimal.

Anyway, while I watch the end of the replay of the Husker-Missouri game on ESPN, here are some interesting numbers from NU's 27-12 win:

Blaine Gabbert hadn't thrown an interception in 164 passes until he was intercepted by Ndamukong Suh. Then Dejon Gomes claimed an interception on the next play.

This is the first time since 2003 that Nebraska has held its first five opponents to 20 points or less.

Nebraska did not allow a point after its two turnovers tonight despite the fact that both came in Husker territory. Nebraska has not allowed a point after any of its six turnovers this year.

It was a career day for Niles Paul, who had six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

Suh had a pass breakup on Thursday, giving him 12 for his career. He now holds the position record for pass breakups, moving him out of a tie with Steve Warren.

Nebraska won its conference opener for the 33rd time in 35 seasons.

The Huskers tied the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in Husker history, rallying from a 12-0 deficit. In 1966, Nebraska came back from a 19-7 score to Colorado to win 21-19.

It was Bo Pelini's first win against a ranked opponent. He is 1-4 against ranked teams.

The penalty numbers for this game were something. Missouri had 8 penalties for 100 yards. Nebraska had 12 for 108 yards. 

Stat of the night: Nebraska had 109 yards of offense through three quarters. The Huskers had 154 yards in the final quarter. Total yardage ended up in favor of the Huskers by a count of 263-225.

Ndamukong Suh for Heisman?

I think voters should start considering him. Seriously. I don't think it's necessarily a crazy notion. The award is supposed to go to the nation's best player, right?

How many defenders do you see who are as disruptive as Suh week in and week out?

Plus, he's extremely athletic for a man his size. Carl Pelini told me recently Suh could be an All-American guard or center on offense. He's that talented.

Wonder if Suh can long-snap?

He's just one heck of a football player. He was easily the best player on the field Thursday night on ESPN.

The nation no doubt took note.

Wonder if Heisman voters did?

A few other things . . .

I'm still trying to come to grips with the fact freshman Cody Green was warming up on the sideline right before Zac Lee gunned a 56-yard touchdown pass to Niles Paul with 13:56 left in the game. Probably a good thing he didn't overthrow Paul. 

Well, now what?

It's hard to ignore how mightily Lee struggled most of the night, the elements notwithstanding.

But you also have to give the kid a lot of credit for rallying late. 

Suuuuuuuuuuuuh. That guy is pretty good, isn't he?

"It feels great, it's a great start to Big 12 play," Ndamukong Suh said after the win. ""It's one of those that means a little more to us. We want to dominate the Big 12 North and start off the right way. It was not exactly the way we wanted to win but I'll take it."

Husker head coach Bo Pelini said his team showed a lot of character.

"We talked about it at halftime and we said before we walked out there for the second half, 'We will not walk out of here without a win,'" Pelini said. "We just kept fighting. You can get down in situations like that when things aren't going your way. It's pretty easy to feel sorry for yourselves and let the game get away from us. We never let the game get away from us."

*****

Running backs coach Tim Beck did confirm that Roy Helu was at least one Husker player who arrived on a different airplane than the rest of the team. Helu had the flu this week. But this flu isn't why Helu had just five carries in the first half, Beck said.

I know Husker fans were frustrated by how much Nebraska was running the ball. Here's Beck's explanation: "They blitzed every down. Every time we lined up they were blitzing,' Beck said. "Every single play knowing it's pouring down rain, take away the run game. Nine guys blitzing everybody so we had to throw it. We were off. We were off. You could just see when we made the plays, we had big gains on them. We just didn't make the play."

Telling stat: Zac Lee was 9 of 27 through three quarters. He was five of six in the fourth with three touchdowns.

*****

Because of the pre-game power outage, there was no light in Nebraska's locker room. John Papuchis said coaches and players managed fine despite the darkness. Some flashlights were put to use.

Wow! Tough way to end the half. The way Nebraska's offense is looking, though, 2-0 might have held up.

Questions? I'm sure you have plenty, so fire away.

We're about ready to get it on here in Columbia. The lights went out in the stadium about 70 minutes before kickoff. But they're on now and the Missouri band is on the field. (It should be noted that the 40-second clock isn't yet working.)

Roy Helu is here. Jacob Hickman is here. We'll see if they're ready to rock. 

And the rain, perhaps you've heard about it. It's coming down in buckets. Only more fun, right?

Our live chat is beginning. You can join us by clicking here.

We'll be answering questions from Faurot Field's press box starting at 6. But start firing away comments and questions.

We have no medical school background but we do have eyes. So join Sipple, Rosenthal, McKeever and I at 6 for our live chat. We'll be conducting it live from the press box at Faurot Field, and we'll let you know if anyone important is not out there warming up.

I know there's a lot of talk about the flu bug bothering some Huskers. Bo Pelini said Tuesday it was not an issue and had a lighthearted Twitter post about the subject yesterday. We'll know soon enough. Join us on the chat for the latest, including plenty of conversation not dealing with flu shots.  

Those driving to Columbia today traversed through a downpour basically the entire trip. It's soggy here in Missouri, and the forecast projects it's not going to halt when the game begins tonight.

A steady heavy rain is forecasted throughout the night. This game is going to be played in some inclement conditions.

Who does it favor?

We may be doing the chat from a canoe.

After last week's close call at Oklahoma -- followed by a weekend off -- the Huskers hope to show that they have cleaned up some of their mistakes.

Tonight's match is on NET statewide. If you have questions, fire away.

Well, now the Cowboys' wide receiver Dez Bryant has been ruled ineligible for violating an NCAA bylaw.

The ruling came down because Bryant failed to fully disclose his interaction with a former NFL player to the NCAA.

Here are five of the memorable moments from the Nebraska-Mizzou series that I mentioned in the weekly Cram Session:

1. Matt Davison’s miraculous catch in 1997, which preserved NU’s national title hopes, obviously tops the list. “Whether I wanted it to or not, everything in my life kind of changed that day,” Davison says.

2. The Bummeroosky in 1975 — a fake punt on which the Husker upback John O’Leary sped to his left while virtually everyone else headed right — helped give Tom Osborne his first victory over Missouri after two losses.

3. Nebraska I-back Rick Berns rushed for 255 yards in the 1978 game in Lincoln, but the Huskers suffered a crushing defeat one game after a stirring upset of Oklahoma.

4. Late hit or legit? That was the burning question in 1982 after Missouri’s Randy Jostes knocked Turner Gill from the game late in the first half, leaving Bruce Mathison to save the day for Big Red.

5. Mizzou QB Peter Woods in 1976 lofted a desperation heave in the final two minutes that resulted in a 98-yard touchdown to Joe Stewart, handing Nebraska its first loss after five wins and a tie.

Lose this game and... well ... they're 3-2 overall, probably out of the rankings and playing from behind in the Big 12 North race.

I think Nebraska wins this game. I think this team is much better than I thought before the season started. But I'm not ready to declare that with much bravado until I see what they do Thursday. The Virginia Tech game was a solid showing, but still a loss. This is a hurdle game for this program. Nebraska is just 2-17 against Top 25 teams in true road games since Tom Osborne coached. Nebraska needs to show it can close the deal on the road. I think they do this time.

I'll say Huskers 31, Tigers 23.

Rain might add some more drama to the occasion. Also, how ready is Roy Helu after a bout with the flu? Some things to consider.

What say you?

Here's Bo Pelini's latest Twitter message, from mid-morning Wednesday:

"Got the flu so I am gonna sit this one out along with a bunch of other guys!!!!!"

Appears Bo's having some fun with the media and fans. Not a bad idea to lighten the mood with such an intense game coming up.

It's obviously in reference to Tuesday's rumors about the flu sweeping through the Husker locker room.

OK, we all know about Missouri's victories over Nebraska the last two years.

The statistic in those two years that really jumps out at me: Missouri averaged 198.0 rushing yards in those two wins, while Nebraska averaged only 76.5 yards on the ground.

However, the Tigers' ground production this season has dipped compared to last season, according to this article by Mike DeArmond of The Kansas City Star.

Some speculate tailback Derrick Washington has maybe lost a step in the wake of off-season knee surgery. Whatever the case, Washington will face a stout Nebraska front four.

“They’re big, but they’re also lean,” Mizzou center Tim Barnes told DeArmond of the Huskers' d-line. “They move well. They’re going to be strong inside. They’re going to be a handful.”

It's easy to imagine Nebraska-Missouri coming down to a field goal to win it.

I'll take Alex Henery in that situation every time.

But Missouri also has an excellent place-kicker in Grant Ressel. I really enjoyed Vahe Gregorian's story about Ressel in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It's a story about perseverance and determination. Those type of stories never get old.

Click here.

Just heard ESPN radio report that former Husker Brian Duensing will be on the hill for Minnesota Wednesday night, facing C.C. Sabathia and the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.

Duensing was 5-1 as a starter after joining the Twins' rotation in August. A graduate of Millard South, he last pitched at Nebraska in 2005.

Roy Helu didn't practice Tuesday, but Bo Pelini was quick to nip rumors of a flu bug spreading through the team.

“There are no issues like that," Pelini said. "That’s news to me.”

 As for Helu?

"Roy wasn’t feeling well today but he’s fine. He could’ve practiced.”

Pelini said Helu wasn't going to practice regardless because he "and a couple of other guys" had to miss practice for academic priorities.

This just in from The Daily Oklahoman:

Sam Bradford stopped short of guaranteeing he would return this season, but said the decision would be based on his physical status, not his draft status.

Nothing definite came out of the discussion.

"I do feel like right now, yes, I will be back at some point,” Bradford said, speaking to reporters for the first time in nearly a month. “It’s still a process of seeing how it will react to a full game week, preparation and the amount it throws it takes to prepare for a game.”

Bradford sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder in Oklahoma's opening-game loss to BYU on Sept. 5. Doctors initially said he would be out two to four weeks, according to the article.

While playing Saturday against Baylor remains an option, so does surgery.

“Yes, that is still a possibility,” Bradford said of surgery. “It’s just all a matter of how my arm reacts to the amount of throws that I have and to the stress that going through a season puts on it.”

Here's the full text of the article.

OK, it's not exactly Nebraska-Oklahoma in terms of nostalgia, but Nebraska-Missouri has given us some interesting moments, including the Bummeroosky in 1975.

NU led 10-7 with 1:46 left in the second quarter. With the Huskers in punt formation, the ball was snapped to blocker Tony Davis, who pushed the ball from behind through the legs of upback John O'Leary. Davis then turned and faked to Monte Anthony coming around toward the right. All of the Huskers, in fact, tore off to the right as if it were a fake kick reverse. Meanwhile, O'Leary remained stationary with the ball hidden.

Then, when 11 Missouri players took off with the Nebraska flow toward the right, O'Leary zipped to his left and rambled 40 yards for the touchdown. 

"We were laughing our asses off in the end zone," Davis recalled Tuesday.

Two questions: Why did they call it the Bummeroosky? 

And what are your most vivid memories from the NU-Mizzou series? 

Looks like temperatures might be in the 50s by nighttime with it currently listed as a 60 percent chance of precipitation.

Been a while since Nebraska played a big game in the rain.

"Definitely we still walk out with the same swagger, but we've got a long ways to go," Crick said. "There's no limit for us. You can say we're doing great right now. But in our minds, there is no bar. So we're just going to go as high as we can."

Prediction from the peanut gallery: This defense will have its Blackshirts next week if it puts up its 'A game' on Thursday night.

Will Nebraska make a bold statement to the nation in ESPN's bright Thursday night spotlight?

The Huskers will have a good chance to do so if they do well in these three areas:

1. Put consistent pressure on Blaine Gabbert. Yes, he's big and strong (6-5 and 240 pounds). Yes, he's fast. Yes, he possesses an exceptionally strong arm. Yes, he leads the Big 12 in passing efficiency, sporting a 168.57 rating that ranks No. 4 nationally. But the sophomore is making only his fifth career start. He's built his numbers against generally porous defenses. To be sure, he hasn't seen any defenders the caliber of Ndamukong Suh this season. Suh and company need to keep Gabbert out of his comfort zone on a regular basis.

2. Give Mizzou (4-0) a heavy dose of Helu. Missouri is a program that focuses on offense. The Tigers definitely aren't known as a strong tackling outfit. A fast and physical runner like Roy Helu likely will give the Tigers problems. The 6-foot, 215-pound Helu had 32 touches against Virginia Tech, including 28 rushes for 169 yards. Will he be used in a similar manner against Mizzou? He obviously could help keep the potent Tiger offense off the field.

3. Be efficient in the red zone. Missouri ranks 59th nationally in total defense, allowing 351.75 yards per game, but ranks 21st in scoring defense, allowing only 15.5 points per game. "They're kind of a bend-don't-break," Nebraska tight end Mike McNeill told Brian Rosenthal. "They do give up the yards but they keep you from scoring and try to hold you to field goals." A batch of FGs probably won't cut it for NU in this one.

Enjoyed an outstanding Monday morning at the St. Peter's School Literary Festival, talking to the school's eighth-graders about an area where I obviously struggle greatly -- writing.

They're great kids, seriously.

The kids are pumped for Thursday night, obviously.

And they were extremely pumped when current Huskers Anthony Blue, Prince Amukamara, Jared Crick, Blake Lawrence and Cody Green ran into the St. Peter's gymnasium to highlight a kickoff event for the festival.

Green was the lone Husker to step to the podium in the middle of the basketball floor. He addressed the students. They loved it. Yes, the kid has big-time presence.

But Zac Lee's the man.

Brian Rosenthal writes about Lee in Tuesday's editions.

"All we ever ask Zac to do is manage our offense," Husker offensive coordinator Shawn Watson says in the article. "Be efficient like he was this last game. I just want to see him continue to grow."

I think Zac may have to do more than "manage the offense" Thursday night for NU to prevail  -- I think he'll have to make some plays on his own. We'll see . . .

More here.

Excellent job as usual by our Curt McKeever in breaking down Missouri.

Click on McKeever's weekly "Insider" package here.

Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson obviously was impressed with Blaine Gabbert.

"I think one of the changes we expected going from Chase Daniel to Gabbert is they would not use him in the running game as much as they did (with Daniel)," Clawson said. "And one of the very first plays in the game they run a little bit of a zone read and he outruns the Illinois safety. It's scary."

"They've got a quarterback who's a great athlete and has an absolute rifle of an arm," Clawson added.

So, I'm confused. Which team is the underdog going into Thursday night's ESPN game?

Nebraska (3-1) could make a strong case for the underdog role, having lost four of the last six meetings against Missouri, including the last two by lopsided scores.

Not so fast.

Writes Dave Matter of The Columbia Tribune:

Oddsmakers have made Nebraska an early 2½-point favorite — a setup that falls in line with Missouri’s approach this week.

“We’re going in as underdogs this year,” MU tailback Derrick Washington said. “A lot of people didn’t think we’d be 4-0 coming into this game. Everybody’s doubting us.”

Hey, everybody loves an underdog.

Here's the rest of the Matter story.

The Missouri fight song blared loudly indoors as the offense readied itself for the noise it will hear on Thursday night.

Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini liked the team's effort. "Good week of preparation so far," he said.

The coach was very complimentary of Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

“He's got all the tools," Pelini said. "For a guy who doesn’t have a lot of experience a lot of times you see mistakes, but he doesn’t make mistakes. He’s very well-coached. They always do a great job with their quarterbacks.”

“Gabbert doesn’t get flushed a lot,” Pelini added. “He sets deep. Their offensive line does a great job at protecting. He doesn’t feel a whole lot of pressure back there. That’s something that they’ve been able to do over the years. That’s part of their scheme, I think."

Talked with Larry Asante. He had a lot of tape on his left ankle, but he said he felt like he was running at 100 percent. He said he just started to feel that good today.

Another key figure who might not immediately come to mind for the Husker defense is defensive back Lance Thorell. The Huskers will likely play a lot of Dime against the Tigers. Thorell is the sixth DB on the field, joining nickelback Eric Hagg.

"I'd like to play in Columbia every year if I could and play in front of everybody that I know and talk to," Compton said. "I definitely have higher emotions for this game I believe. But I'm going to go about it like every other week of practice and prepare like I do every week."

One interesting note: Compton said he is working as the lone linebacker in Nebraska's dime defense. Sean Fisher and Phillip Dillard are also seeing some reps, but it sounds like Compton will be on the field a whole lot on Thursday.

And, yes, he does have a friendship with Mizzou quarterback Blaine Gabbert, a bond formed as high school recruits when they both seemed like they'd both be headed to Nebraska. They still text each other on occasion.

"We became pretty good friends," Compton said. "I'd go to his place for a weekend and he'd come to mine. We'd hang out and spend time with each other's families and at the time talk about Husker football. But it ended up being different, so no hard feelings."

Husker I-back Roy Helu likes road trips. It should be a hostile environment on Thursday when the Huskers roll into Columbia. That's fine with Helu, who shined on the road against Virginia Tech, rolling up 202 yards of offense.

"It was amazing," Helu said of going to Blackburg. "I'd rather play on the road 12 games then play at home all 12 games. I love going on the road. I never really bought into that road mentality stuff until we went (to Virginia Tech). Great experience. The best football experience of my life so far. The environment was great. They were loud. They were jingling their keys. We were loving it on offense. The louder they got, the more focused we got. I don't know if that translates into Zac (Lee) and how he communicates to the O-line going into this game."

Nebraska, of course, struggled to put the ball in the end zone in that game, drawing some key penalties deep in Tech territory. Did the Huskers become rattled because of the crowd noise? No, Helu said. "Just focus. It was us."

Husker coach Bo Pelini said Larry Asante is "getting there" when asked if the senior safety was 100 percent after suffering an ankle injury against Louisiana-Lafayette.

About this year's Tigers compared with last year's, Pelini said: "I don't think they've really missed a beat. They still do a lot of good things. Just a very, very similar challenge to what we had a year ago."

Pelini said he's not caught up in the fact the Huskers have the No. 1 scoring defense in the country. "We have a long way to go as a defense yet," he said. "I don't really get caught up in the statistics and all those things. I go off of what I see on the film and the execution we have. I'm not satisfied with where we are as a defense. We have a long way to go yet."

About Blackshirts, Pelini said: "You have to do things when you feel the right time is. I don't really get caught up in all that. Our football team doesn't either."

Pelini said he thinks it places more value on the Blackshirts that guys have to earn them during the season instead of getting them before the games start. "You got to earn things over time," he said. "When that times comes, it's a feel thing."

Bo Pelini will be in front of the media at this week's press conference, likely starting somewhere around 11:15 p.m.

To watch Pelini and players, click this link.

The game will also be shown on ESPN in some markets that do not receive the contest on their local ABC affiliate. A coverage map for the ABC/ESPN games of Oct. 17 will be available by the middle of next week.

The Nebraska contest will follow the Oklahoma-Texas game that starts at 11 on ABC.

In the night window, Kansas will play Colorado at 6 on FSN. The Missouri-Oklahoma State game will be on ESPN2 at 8:15.

That's a pretty good day of Big 12 football viewing.

And SI's Stewart Mandel writes that Nebraska is  underrated in the polls. 

Writes Mandel:

Overrated: Iowa (AP: No. 12. Coaches: No. 14)

The Hawkeyes moved up one spot in the AP poll and three spots in the coaches poll despite letting 1-3 Arkansas State take them to the wire. The Red Wolves drove 68 yards on 17 plays to cut the score to 24-21 with 2:01 left before running out of time. For whatever reason, Iowa has looked more dominant when facing teams like Penn State and Arizona than Northern Iowa and Arkansas State.

Underrated: Nebraska (AP: No. 21. Coaches: No. 22).

The 3-1 Huskers' resume is admittedly light: All they have are three lopsided wins over Sun Belt foes. But I know this much: On Sept. 19, I watched Nebraska play Virginia Tech toe-to-toe in Blacksburg before falling at the last second. The Hokies are currently ranked fifth. Miami -- whom Virginia Tech walloped last week -- is 11th. Something tells me the Huskers are closer to their class.

Here's an interesting piece by ESPN's "Outside The Lines" about Turner Gill and challenges he might face as a black head football coach.

At least that was the angle of the story taken by the reporter, but Gill was his typical classy self and wouldn't say race played a factor in why he didn't get the Auburn job.

About not getting the Nebraska job, Gill said: "It hurt a little. I don't want to say it didn't hurt. But I understand how life works. There's no guarantees in anything."

You can view it by clicking here.

Sometimes it pays to be idle.

Nebraska (3-1) skipped ahead two spots to No. 21 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday.

The Huskers rose two spots to No. 22 in the USA TODAY coaches' poll.

Missouri is Nos. 24 and 18 in the polls, respectively.

Here are both major national polls.

Interesting stuff from Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch regarding Nebraska quarterback recruit Tyler Gabbert.

Gabbert could be having second thoughts about his verbal commitment to Nebraska.

Gregorian writes in a Sunday story:

. . . But while reaffirming that he remains committed to Nebraska, he clearly is conscious of the dismissal from MU of freshman quarterback Blaine Dalton — to which he referred as a changing numbers situation there.

And for the second time this week he used the term "for now" as he discussed his commitment to Nebraska. In a phone interview Wednesday, he said he wasn't sure how to answer when asked if the commitment was a certainty.

More here.

Blair Kerkhoff, longtime Big 12 columnist for The Kansas City Star newspaper, puts into perspective in a Sunday column where Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska currently stack up as programs.

Missouri, in the past five years, has surpassed Nebraska in several key areas, Kerkhoff writes.

The Cornhuskers might even be on the North Division bronze medal stand behind Kansas, Kerkhoff writes.

Of course, Nebraska can take a big step toward changing that perception come Thursday.

My Twins. We need to get to Greinke. I don't know why I care so much about winning a bad AL Central division since the Twins prove every other night that their bullpen is about as reliable as a politician's promise. But I do. Am I wearing a throwback Harmon Killebrew T-shirt jersey as I type this? Maybe.

Of course, I'm also going to partake heavily in this day of football. I'm probably most interested in Georgia-LSU, followed by Oklahoma-Miami. Other somewhat interesting games: USC-Cal, A&M-Hogs, Cosgrove against his old Wisconsin team.

Whatever your game of choice, here's a blog to say whatever you want to say about the day in college football.

Still, it was good to see for Brooks, one of those guys you can't help but like. He came to Lincoln with a lot of hype -- hype that he did not generate, he'll kindly remind you -- and stuck with it even when he wasn't seeing much playing time.

Going into this year, the St. Louis native had three career receptions. So that's why those three catches last week look pretty good in comparison.

Lot more on Brooks in tomorrow's paper. 

But I thought you should be in on the fun. Make your picks. Call your upsets. It will also provide you with a blog to take you through the night and into another Saturday of football. How excited are Sipple, Rosenthal, McKeever and I that we actually get to sit at home and watch a day of football? Somewhere between very excited and very, very excited. 

Actually, correction. I should note Rosenthal is in West Lafayatte this weekend watching Northwestern-Purdue. My only prediction for that game is that it will be played under a blanket of clouds. I've never seen a Purdue home game where it's not overcast. Kind of like Ames, Iowa.

Anywho, here's the games (my winner is in bold):

Wisconsin at Minnesota

Kansas State vs. Iowa State (Kansas City)

LSU at Georgia

Washington at Notre Dame

Florida State at Boston College 

Air Force at Navy 

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (Dallas) 

Auburn at Tennessee  

USC at California 

OK. Tell me why I'm wrong. 

Make it 208 straight sellouts for Notre Dame.

But it went to the wire this week.

Of course, the question is how easy is it to keep guys focused during an off week? Apparently no problem.

"Monday was the most physical, I don't have any other word for it but fun, practice that we've had," Pelini said. "It was unbelievable how our guys came out Monday and got after each other, 1s versus 1s, 2s versus 2s, full-scrimmage situations. ... We just flat hit each other for an hour and 20 minutes. Fast, fast, fast-paced practice. It was awesome."

The Huskers took Tuesday off before getting back at it Wednesday and Thursday. The team is taking today off, but will workout tomorrow in what is the equivalent of a normal "Monday practice" prior to a game.

Off weeks are nice. More time to watch Jim Rome's show on ESPN, which on Thursday featured former Nebraska first-team All-American center Dominic Raiola.

Excellent interview.

"I couldn't describe the feeling when the clock hit zero," Raiola said of Detroit's 19-14 victory over Washington Sunday, which snapped the Lions' 19-game losing streak.

Raiola, a second-round pick by the Lions in the 2001 NFL Draft, is the team's starting center. He's spent his entire pro career with the franchise.

He said all the losing began to impact him personally.

"You're just drained," he said.

He said he noticed late last season that some of his teammates quit caring. They figured that they would soon leave Detroit and start over with some other team, he said.

"I have eight years here," Raiola said. "I want to be here when we turn this thing around, because it's going to be a good thing."

Rome asked Raiola about the job he thinks Bo Pelini is doing at Nebraska. Raiola said right away that Pelini should've been hired as head coach after the 2003 season.

"I think Bo's going to get that thing turned around sooner than later, if not this year," Raiola said.

"I'm 43 years old and as a coach, in my 20 years of coaching, I've never experienced a defeat like that," Pelini said. "It was so devastating to me, and I'm thinking to myself, 'How am I going to get over this? How am I going to get over it?' Guess who got me over it? The players. 

"We talk to them about being competitors every day, every single day and here I am feeling sorry for myself? And they walked in Monday and said, "Let's get to work.' And we had the best practice of the year that Monday following Virginia Tech. 

"What a great learning experience for me. And to see, not just their resiliency, not that it didn't bother them, but the fact that we talk and talk and talk to these guys about moving forward, the next challenge, the next challenge. And they were living it right in front of my eyes and ready to compete again."

As for that 16-15 loss, Pelini said it was a great learning experience but not a moral victory.

"There's no such things as moral victories anymore," he said. "We've been here a year-and-a-half. Those days are gone."

Pelini said he knew by the way the team practiced last week that it was going to be bad news for Louisiana-Lafayette.

"It was a good performance on both sides of the ball," Pelini said. " In no ways was it perfect, but how satisfying as a coach and to me it was so indicative about how bright our future is as a football program. We've got something special going on right now. We've got a chemistry, and we've got a work ethic and this blue-collar, let's-get-after-it attitude going on that is rare these days in any sport at any level. And we can take advantage of that. We've just got to keep them focused and moving in the right direction." 

As expected, speedy West Virginia running back Noel Devine ran wild (220 yards on 22 carries) against Colorado's defense, which lacks speed in too many spots.

"He's just so quick and so fast that he is going to take the ball wherever he wants it," CU linebacker and tri-captain Jeff Smart told Kyle Ringo of the Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera.  "We did a good job of reading the plays they were running, but it could be a play that is going to the left and he will stop and take it back to the right."

Ringo spells it all out in his gamer.

There was some good news for the Buffs (1-3).

Writes Daily Camera columnist Neill Woelk: 

Certainly, the 35-24 loss did not elevate the disaster scale to the same level as the Buffs' embarrassing loss in Toledo. This was at least a respectable showing, and there were some positives:

A running game that showed promise, but still nothing that resembled consistency. Rodney Stewart put up 105 yards and a touchdown on the board, but CU still finished with just 100 net yards on the ground.

A defense that played better against the pass, yielding just 148 yards in the air while also recording three sacks. The defense also forced three turnovers in the first half -- but saw the offense produce just one field goal from all three chances.

Maybe most importantly, the mental resolution to stay in the game. Despite giving up a 77-yard touchdown on WVU's second play of the game, and despite giving up a long touchdown drive to open the second half, the Buffs never folded. They were within four heading into the fourth quarter and had a chance to win.

No game tomorrow, but the Big Red Breakfast goes on. Today's speaker is defensive coordinator Carl Pelini. 

The coach said he feels something special brewing with this team but noted the Missouri game would be a different sort of challenge this year.

"I don't know if what we faced at Virginia Tech how applicable it is to what we face at Missouri," Pelini said. "As a coach I can say I'm excited about where we are. I think we're physical, playing faster in the right place most of the time ... but it's still a different kind of challenge. I'm very excited and actually a little bit curious as to how we respond to the challenge of the spread offense and a team that executes that offense probably as good as anyone on our schedule."

Asked if he thought Rickey Thenarse would get another year of eligibility, Pelini said: "Usually when an injury happens at that point of the season, you can usually get one. But who knows with the NCAA."

Pelini gave some strong praise to Baker Steinkuhler. "Honestly Baker's to the point now where there's really not a drop-off when he goes in so I have to force myself to get Suh off the field sometimes and Crick off the field sometimes."

You can't please everyone, even with a 55-0 win. One lady told Pelini he felt the backups didn't get in the game soon enough on Saturday. "I disagree with you, politely," Pelini said, gaining laughs. 

"I was very pleased with our 2s," he said of those backups. "As I left the field I was thinking about our backups and how efficient they were on both sides of the ball. And I'll go back to what I said in the summer: That's what competition does for you."

Pelini said moving Phillip Dillard to WILL linebacker was a good move, "probably something we should have done a little bit sooner."

The coach said it's still not certain if they'll play true freshman defensive end Jason Ankrah this year or redshirt him.

Pelini said they call Eric Martin "Caveman." Said the coach: "You watch him running around practice at full-speed and you know someone is going to get clocked. And you just kind of wait." 

The coach said true freshman linebacker Chris Williams is having "a very methodical rehab" from a knee injury. "Believe me, he's chomping at the bit. He wants to be out there," Pelini said. 

Pelini was a bit baffled when he heard an "expert" on the radio last week saying Miami would beat Virginia Tech by four touchdowns based on the fact the Hokies looked like such bad tacklers against Nebraska.  The coach said Roy Helu deserves plenty of credit for that.

"I'm driving in my car, scratching my head," Pelini said. "It's Roy. They played the best back in college football. That's why they looked like bad tacklers. Roy will make you look like a bad tackler."

As Pelini noted, Virginia Tech didn't look like bad tacklers against Miami.

Landry Jones will be Oklahoma's quarterback Saturday at Miami, and Sam Bradford won't dress for the game, according to The Oklahoman newspaper.

Click here for the story.

Bradford has a sprained shoulder on his throwing arm. The Sooners come to Lincoln on Nov. 7.

A shameless plug for some cool LJS items:

You can commemorate Nebraska's 300th sellout with glossy keepsake poster pages from the Journal Star. Two posters are available to purchase, either separately or in a package deal:

* Sunday's Journal Star front page, showing a packed stadium on the night of No. 300.

* Saturday's Husker Extra mosaic illustration with photos from every game in the 300-sellout streak.

 Here's the link with purchasing info.

Never mind my random summer vidcast musings about Colorado being a Big 12 North darkhorse.

Never mind a summer haze in which I predicted Colorado's running game would be one of the best in the Big 12.

The Buffs enter tonight's ESPN game at West Virginia ranked 111th in rushing offense and lack a "calling hard" on offense, writes Neill Woelk of the Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera.

Colorado evidently lacks an offensive identity.

"It`s a phrase that`s tossed around all too often when a team is struggling, but in this case, it fits," Woelk writes.

Click the column here.