In the summer and fall, Husker Locker created its “50 Huskers to Know” list for the 2009 season. We now review our list by examining production, injuries and depth chart position.

We’ll present these in five-player increments. Here we go!

No. 10 Eric Martin: He leapt up high on our list because of his quick progress in fall camp, but was never needed at the linebacker spot because Phillip Dillard filled it so capably. He was a major factor on special teams, usually for good - forcing a blocked punt for a touchdown in the Baylor game - but occasionally for bad - whiffing on a tackle on Virginia Tech’s opening kickoff return. Martin, in our minds, is the leading candidate to start at middle linebacker for NU in 2010.

No. 9 Larry Asante: Aside from a strange taste for borderline hits - some of which led to personal fouls - Asante had a strong 2009, especially in run support. He gained a reputation as the hardest-hitting safety in the Big 12 - and probably one of the dirtiest, too. But most excellent defenses need a guy playing right on the edge, and that guy is typically a safety. It’s an instinct that will serve Asante well in the NFL.

No. 8 Menelik Holt: A total bust who dropped two touchdowns in the Virginia Tech game, didn’t properly commit himself as a blocker and route-runner, and finally got benched after the Iowa State for a lazy fumble. He never caught another pass all year. A nice kid, Holt probably did too many media interviews, was given too much responsibility as a role model for the younger guys, and just plain wasn’t fast enough to beat good cornerbacks. He should have stayed in the slot, where he was most effective.

No. 7 Alex Henery: The Man on the special teams, made an honorary Blackshirt for his ability to down punts inside the ten-yard line. As a kicker, Henery was just as consistent in 2009 as he was in 2008, hitting 24 of 28 tries. He missed a bunny vs. Oklahoma, but made up for it by nailing some pressure boots vs. Texas and pounding home four in the Holiday Bowl.

No. 6 Jacob Hickman: Battled through more injuries than most fans can appreciate - plus the swine flu! - and managed to stay on the field for most of the action. Kept the offensive line in check and together, and really served as offensive captain for NU. Terrific with the media, which can’t be discounted in Nebraska, where everybody has a question.

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So much for motivation, preparation, hangovers, skeptics, doubts or close games in the Holiday Bowl.

Turns out Bo Pelini had a reason to strut in San Diego. A reason to gift-wrap a six-day break for his team before Christmas. A reason to bust out some lofty talk about 2010 in a handful of interviews.

What did Bo know? Something. That’s for damn sure.

Three plays, one Matt O’Hanlon pick, one quick Zac Lee touchdown, a dash of the Wildcat starring Rex Burkhead, Niles Paul as a triple threat, that magnificent golden foot of Alex Henery and Blackshirts, Blackshirts, Blackshirts.

First round knockout. Boom! Down! Nebraska as Mike Tyson, and Arizona as a weak-kneed Michael Spinks.

“We got whacked,” Arizona head coach Mike Stoops.

Yep. Thumped. Striped. Punished. Seems like the two teams did their share of trash talking during the week at joint functions, and the muddy blood carried over to Wednesday night. Like so many fights that start with a couple of loose jaws, it ended with one party - the Wildcats - on the floor - a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone.

Savor this Big Red ribeye of a win, Cornhusker fans. It tasted so good, sizzling from the start - and mostly because NU cooked it just so. In all three phases, I can’t recall a more complete bowl win since the 2000 Alamo Bowl. And even there, Nebraska had a few leaks. You might have to go back to the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. Or the 1969 Sun Bowl, when NU beat Georgia 45-6. Or maybe never. I’m leaning toward never.

At some point, Stoops stopped with his Jimmy Cagney/George C. Scott facial grimaces and submitted to total defeat. His willingness to forego an easy field goal at the end of the game and try for a touchdown - knowing full well his quarterback would face a seven-man blitz - was not merely a nod to his old friend Bo. It was a tip of the cap to the Husker defense as a whole. You’ve earned the right to shut us out. Good for Stoops. Intense guy. Class move.

Yes, the Blackshirts evoked memories of those days of heaven, the mid-1990s, when opposing quarterbacks gazed wistfully into the defense in the mere hope of completing a pass. Foles had that “blow-the-whistle!” look all night, his impressive arm - yes, I’ve seen it in other games - reduced to a bad parody of the Balloon Boy saga. Just 21 snaps in the first half. For 32 yards. And the Huskers didn’t even have to commit a blitzer on the pass rush. TV can’t do justice to how well NU’s cornerbacks challenge and blanket opposing receivers, so Foles, with the relative mobility of Pooh Bear, had no choice but to dance around, fruitlessly searching for downfield targets.

Once again, we saw irrefutable evidence that the best way to great defense is through a quarterback’s rattled cage. How many signal-callers have answered the bell vs. NU this year? In retrospect, just one: Texas Tech’s Sticks Sheffield.

“It’s nothing fancy,” Pelini said. In a sense, he’s right. Challenging receivers at the line of scrimmage, and taking away those easy throws spread teams thrive on isn’t fancy. Doesn’t mean it’s easy, either, but it’s not fancy. And the recipe works.

The secondary was nothing short of brilliant. I doubt Arizona had ever seen such aggressive coverage. A healthy Alfonzo Dennard, coupled with a healthy Prince Amukamara, might be as good a cornerback tandem as there is in college football.

And color me pleased by the offense, and impressed with offensive coordinator Shawn Watson from this perspective: He said NU would travel back in time with its offense, and that’s precisely what we saw Wednesday night.

Nebraska spread it out and mixed pass and run. Zac Lee throws much better out of the shotgun, and runs a competent zone read, even if he takes the ball too often. The big wrinkle - the Wildcat - was more of a no-brainer, considering how good Rex Burkhead was at running it, but it was good to see Watson actually put it on film and put it to good use.

Burkhead is a keeper. He runs hard, headlong, with the occasional surprising flourish - a spin move, a hard cut. A little Correll Buckhalter. A little Derek Brown. A little Josh Davis. Watson has a weapon there, whether or not Burkhead stays at the Wildcat QB, or hands the reins to Taylor Martinez.

Does Watson have a quarterback? Lee took a step forward Wednesday night, but I still think he is inconsistent and a little robotic as a runner. Cody Green, who burned a timeout and nearly threw a bad interception, again looked adrift and ill-prepared on the field. But it’s hard to get a grip in a couple drives when Lee gets the whole game.

Unfortunately, you don’t get the offensive sequel for nine months. You won’t even get a sneak peek trailer for four months. And don’t presume that Nebraska solved its problems in one bowl game. Arizona seemed struck by the stage and the stakes. Stoops’ team needs to grow up some. I suspect that he knew that earlier in the week, and hoped it wouldn’t matter too much in the game. But it did.

Arizona’s at now where Nebraska resided in early 2008. What a journey since then for the Big Red. Despite the kind of losses that make you want to starve for a week, Pelini pulled his troops through, and has them positioned for a national title run in 2010.

I don’t know about the Huskers being “five times better” next year. For one thing, a lot of pro-style offenses roll onto the schedule, and you can’t just trot Dejon Gomes out there at linebacker to stop the inside counter. The Huskers absolutely must find two or three serviceable linebackers.

But, provided Nebraska does that, a trip to Phoenix - for one of two BCS games held there - should be the early expectation. The Big 12 will be ripe for the plucking. The best of NU’s recruiting classes - the 2007 bunch rotates fully into upperclassmen mode. That solid class of 2008 - that included all of the red shirt freshmen, finally begins to contribute more, as well.

Hope springs eternal. Football championships are autumnal. I think we have 33 reasons to put those two sentiments together for next year.

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The five plays that thousands of Nebraska fans missed at the outset of the 2009 Holiday Bowl turned out to be the only ones No. 22 NU really needed to secure victory over No. 20 Arizona.

What followed the Cornhuskers’ touchdown in the first 75 seconds of the game - which went untelevised on ESPN because of the end of Idaho’s 43-42 win in the Humanitarian Bowl - was gravy, and arguably the most dominant performance in Nebraska bowl history, as NU crushed the Wildcats 33-0 at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium Wednesday night.

"It was a complete win," said a relatively subdued head coach Bo Pelini, who badly beat his friend, Arizona head coach Mike Stoops. "...It was nothing fancy."

Indeed, Stoops said Pelini "had mercy" on Arizona, which in turn prompted Stoops to forego a chip-shot field goal late in fourth quarter and try for a touchdown on the Wildcats lone successful drive of the game. Reserve safety P.J. Smith knocked down a fourth down pass from Arizona quarterback Nick Foles, preserving the shutout and touching off a wild, out-of-character celebration on NU's sidelines.

"Nothing was right all night," Stoops said. "Give Nebraska credit...I don't know if we were just content getting here, but we certainly didn't show up."

Nebraska certainly did - in all three phases.

Building off a brilliant defensive performance in the Big 12 Championship game, the Blackshirts managed to better themselves, notching the first shutout in the Huskers’ 46 bowl appearances, and the first in the history of the high-scoring Holiday Bowl, too. Nebraska held Arizona - an offense averaging more than 400 yards per game - to just 109 yards, more than half of its coming on the game’s final drive.

Nebraska, 10-4, felt disrespected by Arizona prior to the game, all-everything defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. Suh and his mates wasted little time in earning it, as safety Matt O'Hanlon intercepted Foles on the third play of the game, returning the ball to the Zona 6-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Zac Lee scored on a naked bootleg around the right end, diving over the pylon.

Anxious, frustrated Husker fans only saw a replay of that touchdown. ESPN joined the Holiday Bowl feed just as kicker Alex Henery made the extra point.

"It was huge," Pelini said. "We got momentum right away."

The next 58 minutes of the game weren't much different. The NU secondary blanketed Arizona's wide receivers. Foles, confused and frustrated, overthrew several targets, completing just 6 of 20 passes for 28 yards. Passes Foles threw well were dropped. The Wildcats (8-5) didn't bother trying to run the ball until their final drive of the game, when Keola Antonin ripped off 36 of the team's 63 rushing yards on a single play.

"I didn't have a good throw all night," Foles said. "I've got to get my butt back to work."

Henery nailed four field goals - a Holiday Bowl record - of 22, 41, 48 and 50 yards. Niles Paul set up the Huskers with excellent field position with a punt return of 28 yards and a kickoff return of 44 yards.

The surprise was NU's offense, which produced 396 total yards and a number of big plays, highlighted by Zac Lee's 74-yard touchdown pass to Paul in the third quarter.

"It was a little bit of redemption," said Lee, who added that Nebraska had won enough ugly games during the regular season to endure a repeat of that in San Diego.

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson - back in the booth for the Holiday Bowl, instead of down on the field - unveiled a series of wrinkles, including a shorter shotgun formation for Lee to run the zone read with Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu and the Wildcat formation with Burkhead playing quarterback. That formation accounted for most of the yards on a seven-play, 82-yard touchdown drive that padded Nebraska's lead to 17-0.

"It's something we had in our hip pocket," Pelini said. "It's a good wrinkle - something that Rex does well."

Said Stoops: "They kept us off balance all night. They had a good plan. Our defense struggled for some reason."

Nebraska churned out 226 yards, executed almost exclusively out of the shotgun, which mirrored the offense from earlier in the season.

"This was more 'us,'" said Lee, whose arm helped NU convert 9 of 18 third down attempts.

Lee tossed for 173 yards - 123 of them went on four passes to Paul. He played most of the meaningful snaps in the game. Freshman backup Cody Green got a series in the second quarter with NU leading 17-0, but nearly threw an interception. A series in the fourth quarter led to another three-and-out.

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And so, the final turn of a strange horse race for Nebraska football in 2009, ending in a place where folks still flock watch horses run: Southern California. It’s Nebraska’s second, and potentially last, trip to the Holiday Bowl, seeing that the game swaps places with the Alamo Bowl following this year, and NU has zero intent ever falling back down to fifth or sixth in the Big 12 bowl slots again.

Arizona, the Cornhuskers’ opponent, probably won’t be making the trip again, either. The Pac 10 is hopping to San Antonio, too. Weird that the Holiday Bowl actually wants an also-ran bunch from the Great Lakes in its game, as opposed to the Mountain West champion or runner-up, which hearkens back to the game’s impressive roots. But that’s that nature of bowls today. Remember - they’re about the kids!

Kudos to Qualcomm Stadium getting a full house, though. It’s an atmosphere every bowl game deserves and Husker fans typically deliver. If there’s one gift the best fans in college football give to their team each year, it’s the guarantee of the best possible bowl destination. If only more fan bases poured out their support like the Big Red. Sellouts at home. Clans of cornheads on the road. Can’t beat it.

On with the keys:

Preparation: I won’t say Nebraska has taken it easy during its bowl workouts. That would be inaccurate. The Huskers’ practices are plenty tough. But Pelini invoked no less than an NFL-style prep schedule for this game: Six days of install back in Lincoln, a five-day break, and three more practices in San Diego, all in the morning, with an eye toward letting the players enjoy their afternoons. I don’t much count Tuesday’s walk-through as a practice.

Arizona’s pursued a slightly busier schedule, arriving two days earlier.

What difference might that make? We’ll see. Nebraska’s defense, at this point, doesn’t need a lot of fine-tuning, while the offense needs so much that modesty is probably the best course of action anyhow.

Foiling Foles: Arizona quarterback has the stature, arm strength and feathered hair to make it as an NFL quarterback. He doesn’t jump off the page, but he puts some zip on the ball, and isn’t afraid to stick the ball into a tight window of defenders.

The question for the Holiday Bowl, of course, is whether he can do it against a highly aggressive nickel/dime’dollar defense. Against the nation’s best four-man pass rush.

Arizona will try to scheme success, I suspect. Watch for clearout slants like Kansas State used, and back-shoulder throws against man-to-man coverage, with the intent of drawing pass interference penalties. Any offense must already know how hard it will be to consistently hit passes in the 5-10 yard range. Nebraska doesn’t allow it. Texas tried for two drives, then gave it up. Missouri kept trying, and paid the price.

Only Texas Tech really figured it out. And I still think NU’s safeties are vulnerable against the deep out and throwback plays. Will Foles get the time to make those throws and reads?

Physical speed vs. mental speed: Arizona’s not your typical Pac 10 football team. Built on principles borrowing heavily from Oklahoma (defense) and Texas Tech (offense), the Wildcats are about as quick off the paw as any team NU’s faced, including OU, Virginia Tech and Texas. Because Zona blitzes more than most Pac 10 teams, it’s incumbent on the quarterback - in this case, Zac Lee - to make the right checks before the snap, have his hot reads ready, and fire under pressure.

Color me surprised if the Huskers are able to get in super-heavy formations and pound away at Arizona, although, most assuredly, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson will try. Rather, NU’s offensive success - at least when Lee is in the game - boils down to a short, smart playaction passing game balanced with inside runs.

Green Light? The mini-audition of freshman quarterback Cody Green intrigues me. Is it a half-hearted stab at putting the kid on the field as a gold watch, of sorts, for burning his redshirt? Or is it a full-bodied attempt to exploit his talents and create mismatches on the edge of the defense with zone read plays and moving pockets?

I suppose it depends on how Watson sees a kid like Green. Does he envision a Terrelle Pryor type, who struggles to throw the ball consistently, yet makes dynamic, exciting plays with his feet? Or does he envision somebody like Texas A&M’s Jerrod Johnson, who only scrambles when flushed and play an above-average West Coast quarterback?

Yes, I know I just asked four questions without giving you an answer. Mea culpa.

I’m just skeptical of Watson and Pelini’s plans for the kid, is all. Since his let-it-all-hang-out performance vs. Texas Tech - in which he flashed promising spirit and playmaking skills - Green has been asked to perform the bare minimum in terms of offense, rarely getting the chance to operate the versatile shotgun attack he ran in high school. If Nebraska ties Green to the proverbial tree in San Diego, there’s a better chance he makes a more costly error than if NU turns him loose. Hence, the skepticism. If you place an athlete - used to making decisions on the fly - inside a system that programs those decisions and asks for precision within a window the size of Mike Leach’s dark, cool closet, aren’t you trying to pound a round peg into a smaller square hole.

I’ll let you answer that one.

The Specials: Nebraska will meet its match in the Arizona, which sports excellent returners, a decent kickoff unit (11 touchbacks) and kicker Alex Zendejas, who made 17-of-22 field goal attempts this year. The Wildcats are a bit weak in punt coverage, but, otherwise, they comprise the best special teams test NU’s faced since, well, Virginia Tech. All those little details - snap, placement, lane integrity, creating space to catch the ball, protection on the punt team - will add up to one big play Wednesday. The question is: Who gets the play?

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Special teams is undoubtedly a crucial phase of football. It is also the one most left up to chance. To luck – both good and bad.

How many times had Adi Kunalic booted a perfect kickoff deep into the end zone this year? How many times had he pinned teams at the 20-yard line, or worse. And yet, on the biggest kickoff the season, after Nebraska had taken a 12-10 lead over Texas in the Big 12 Championship game, Kunalic hooked the ball slightly left, it took an awful bounce, and it hopped out of bounds. Excellent field position for UT quarterback Colt McCoy, whose brain was so fried by the night's events, as it turned out, than he nearly blew the game anyway.

It probably seems unfair to be negative, at the outset, toward a unit – and a player - that performed so well for NU during the year. But that's the thing with special teams: You expect them to go smoothly – until something goes wrong.

Outside of that moment, and a few others, the Huskers had a stellar year in the “third phase.” The punt and kickoff (13th nationally) coverage units were infused with young, aggressive talent – like freshman linebacker Eric Martin. Kunalic was third nationally in touchbacks.

Alex Henery was 20 of 24 on field goals, kept NU in the Virginia Tech and Texas games with his right leg, and developed a penchant for downing punts inside the 10-yard line despite changing his style early in the season.

Niles Paul not only became a dependable punt and kickoff returner – he became a pretty good one. NU was a respectable 34th national in both return categories, thanks mostly to Paul making solid, individual plays.

Freshman punter Brett Maher doubled as a very good holder. And after a wobbly start, and a tongue lashing from head coach Bo Pelini in the Missouri game, freshman long snapper P.J. Mangieri rounded into shape. Mangieri and Maher ought to make a fine tandem over the next several seasons.

Nebraska uses a team approach to coach these guys. John Papuchis oversees some elements. Ron Brown works with returners. Barney Cotton watches the extra point and field goal attempts intently. Some teams prefer to give the jobs to one guys. NU seems to be getting it done in the more traditional, all-hands-on-deck fashion that many college teams use.

Here's the highlights and lowlights of 2009:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kicker/Punter Alex Henery. No finer dual man in the nation. Proved his worth as a kicker in the Texas game, hitting one bomb after another. As a punter, Henery tended to “spray” punts sometimes, but he never allowed big returns.

NEWCOMER and FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Eric Martin. Now this is how you use freshmen on special teams. A spark plug in every sense of the world, Martin brought energy, emotion and tenacity to his job. The kid loves football. And special teams needs a guy like that.

BEST GAME: Colorado. Between Henery's excellent punting, Nebraska's terrific kickoff coverage and Paul's punt return for a touchdown special teams was the difference in a 28-20 win.

WORST GAME: Missouri. P.J. Mangieri had a poor night long snapping, which led to a safety for the Tigers, while Paul and Rex Burkhead struggled to catch punts in the pouring rain.

BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE: Martin's blocked punt – followed by Justin Blatchford's return of that punt for a touchdown – in the Baylor game. Two guys – one great play.

BIGGEST PLUS IN 2010: Henery and Paul both return.

BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: Does Kunalic redshirt in 2010 to give himself a chance at kicking field goals in 2011. Would Nebraska allow him to redshirt?

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Players of the Game and report card grades after Nebraska's 13-12 loss to Texas.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kicker Alex Henery. Who else? Certainly not anyone on the actual offense.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. What a treat, in Suh's final conference game. It was Herculean performance that might actually earn him some Heisman votes. Texas' offensive line played soft all night, and Suh happily took advantage.

GRADES:

QUARTERBACK: F Zac Lee threw three bad interceptions, didn't run the ball until the game's final drive and, ultimately, took points off the NU board with his so-so decisions. It was his worst game, and although he made two clutch plays on Nebraska's final drive, they weren't enough to make up for the ones he didn't come close to making.

RUNNING BACK: D Roy Helu didn't run well; his center of gravity was too low and uncertain for much of the night, and he completely whiffed on a pass block that led to UT's only sack. Rex Burkhead looked fresher, but he didn't get anything done vs the Longhorns. Traye Robinson caught a pass. Tyler Legate played some. Nothing to write home about.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F Got its rear end handed to it, frankly. Although the Longhorns did indeed stack the line of scrimmage, Nebraska has to forge running plays against it anyway. The Huskers looked hurt and slow. It's no way to win a football game.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: D Nebraska had its moments, but Niles Paul had two crucial drops – albeit on tough catches - downfield. The tight ends were useless in the running game, the passing game, and they accounted for three false starts.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A+ Suh, Jared Crick, Barry Turner and Pierre Allen couldn't do any more than they did. Magnificent. Their best game on the biggest stage.

LINEBACKER: B+ It was only Phillip Dillard, and he generally played well, even if he lost a sense of where crossing receivers were at times.

SECONDARY: A As we look back at this game in following weeks, the three defensive pass interference penalties will be costly. Texas failed to connect on a sure touchdown after Alfonzo Dennard bit on a double move. But the bulk of the work, especially by Dejon Gomes and Prince Amukamara, was excellent. Gomes had the game of his young career.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A Just one mistake – Adi Kunalic's kickoff out of bounds. Otherwise – Nebraska owned this phase of the game. Henery nailed four field goals. Paul had two clutch kick returns. Eric Martin blocked a punt.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: C Nebraska's defensive coaches called and planned a terrific game – aside from a single blitz call on 3rd-and-16 in the fourth quarter, when McCoy hit Malcolm Williams for a huge first down. Shawn Watson's offensive playcalling was dismal to say the least. Not creative. No trick plays. Forget which other team Nebraska's offense resembles. How about we start
with “competent.”

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Not surprisingly, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was showered with awards from the Big 12 Tuesday, as league coaches named him the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. Last year, Suh was properly snubbed, not even being named first-team All Big 12.

Along with Colt McCoy, Suh was the only unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 team.

Three more Huskers joined Suh on the first-team defense: Defensive lineman Jared Crick, cornerback Prince Amukamara and safety Larry Asante.

Kicker/punter Alex Henery, running back Roy Helu and linebacker Phillip Dillard are on the second team.

Huskers named to the honorable mention squad are: Defensive back Dejon Gomes, nickel back Eric Hagg, center Jacob Hickman, tight end Mike McNeill, safety Matt O'Hanlon, wide receiver Niles Paul and defensive end Barry Turner. Henery was named to this team, as well, as a punter.

Other awards given out by the Big 12:

Offensive Player of the Year: Colt McCoy

Coach of the Year: Mack Brown

Offensive Lineman: Russell Okung, Oklahoma State

Defensive Freshman: Aldon Smith, Missouri

Special Teams: Brandon Banks, Kansas State

Defensive Newcomer: David Sims, Iowa State

Offensive Newcomer: Daniel Thomas, Kansas State

Here is the whole team

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It starts somewhere around Denton. It doesn't end, really, until you hit Waco.

It's the endless strip mall that soon becomes the Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth metro area – the Metroplex, as its known just about everywhere. Exit after exit after exit of shopping centers, big-box stores, cell-phone service marts, cheap book outlets, donut stops, Waffle Houses, Grandy's, Tex-Mex joints, roadside churches, car dealerships, western stores, billboards, crammed-in office parks, live oaks tucked onto an inch of landscaped grass, steakhouses, high-line boutiques, low-end pawn shops, and the lingering scent of traffic jams and the Dallas Cowboys in the air.

From the hard-scrabble, bloody roots of the state's rather amazing history, arises a temple to the transient, the gleam of a new truck's chrome. A symbol of the new American dream: You can have it all, buy it all, eat it all, drive it all. No checks please. Credit cards welcome. Cash, in wads of $100 bills, preferable. The Metroplex is more than 9,200 square miles, with 6.3 million shoppers as its clientele. The U.S. Census tabs it as the fastest growing area by population in America. A cultural beehive made of glass, country music, hairspray, oil money, beef brisket, southern politics and daddy's girls.

Loathe it some, but love it a little, too – there's some “Texas” in just about every Nebraskan. The independent spirit. The self-determination. The hard-won state pride, and the love for football.

The game was born in the Ivy League. Took its roots in the Rust Belt. Earned a living in and around the Great Lakes. Did a tour of duty with the military academies. But it currently resides, full-time, in the Lone Star State. It rents a duplex in Nebraska, but football finds Texas most to its liking.

High school stadiums are the size of small cities. The game there bubbles with innovation, competition and maniacal attention to detail. The state boasts ten Division I programs. The Cowboys are a second religion.

At the roadside barbecue stands, you can actually get your brisket with a side sauce of football. It's a little thick and leathery, but you can acquire a taste for it. Try it with burnt ends.

So it only made sense that the Citizen Kane of this giant pigskin menagerie, Jerry Jones, built a Xanadu: Cowboys Stadium. We'd presume, from all of the press coverage of this white whale, that you're aware of its existence.

It's a tribute, quite frankly, to everything Texas. Its hubris. Its excellence. Its taste for the needlessly ornate and expensive. Its love of large gatherings. And its love of football. Especially the glory part of it.

Into that spotlight walks a man who'd rather never see one: Bo Pelini, who'd just as soon play this thing in Cousin Joey's backyard. He'll be flanked by a single Goliath – Ndamukong Suh – and a collection of Davids looking to pop a burnt orange balloon.

Some challenge! The Big 12, no doubt, will enjoy its "tradition" week, but don't kid yourself: By late Saturday night, it fully intends to send triumphant Texas to the BCS National Championship game, preferably riding the coattails of a perfectly comfortable win over NU.

The league has been shamed, as you know, coming into this game. Sam Bradford's season never really climbed off the turf. Oklahoma State's showpony was an utter flop. The most exciting player, Robert Griffin, went down in week four. While Nebraska finally did emerge from the Big 12 North, Kansas stunk like a pair of old socks, while Colorado regressed mightily on national television.

The Big 12 is putting all its eggs in the basket of Texas and its quarterback, Colt McCoy. A loss, and the door opens for - TCU?

You see what's at stake. The gap between UT and everyone else. Recruits for 2010, 2011 and beyond. The very tidiness of the BCS. There are television executives everywhere, the de facto kings of the world at this point, with millions riding on this one game. What Nebraska can potentially do? How about: Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.

The Huskers as Battleship Potemkin. The people's champion. With the people's coach - in a sweatshirt and slacks, furiously chomping gum.

Ain't it somethin?

Are you ready? We are. But first – a review of Colorado, along with some key questions for the Big 12 Championship.

Five Players We Loved

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: Forget Missouri's new uniforms – it was Suh who morphed into “Beast Mode” in the second half vs. the Buffaloes. Had Colorado been rightly flagged for a few penalties, his performance would have been even more dominant.

Wide receiver Niles Paul: He's only scored one touchdown – the 59-yard punt return vs. CU – since the Iowa State game. But Paul's made a lot of big plays – see his long catches at Kansas and timely returns at KU and CU – and crucial small ones, like his two catches to extend touchdown drives on Friday.

Punter Alex Henery: Three more gems inside the 20 on Friday.

Running back Rex Burkhead: I especially liked how Burkhead picked a hole and slid through it without changing his forward lean. Roy Helu makes terrific cuts of his own, of course, but Burkhead is a canny runner for his young age. You could see where Burkhead puts a lot of stress on his feet, though, as hard as he plants.

Offensive guard Ricky Henry: The junior is poised to make “the leap” next year to an all-conference caliber player, provided he stays healthy. Be thankful NU coaches redshirted him in 2008. Henry played his nasty best in Boulder.

Three Concerns We Have

Neo-conservatism: There's nothing wrong with a power offense; it can be as dynamic and dangerous as any spread. Look at Stanford. But Shawn Watson almost seems to be embracing his new role too well. The third-down passes – where Zac Lee almost exclusively locked in on and waited for Niles Paul to break loose on a short crossing pattern – were particularly predictable. For Texas, Watson has to get a little more creative. It's pretty hard to milk the clock on Colt McCoy.

More dumb penalties: Cool it, Larry Asante. No need to give Colorado free points with an unnecessary (albeit borderline) hit out of bounds. Texas, the Big 12's Tiffany team, will be protected to the hilt on Saturday night, so every hit not only has to be clean, it has to look like Bevo's mother gave it approval beforehand.

Pursuit angles and poor tackling: This isn't the time – nor the opponent – to start getting sloppy from a tackling standpoint, but Nebraska has struggled in recent weeks against mobile quarterbacks and slippery receivers. Texas has both. Sean Fisher could use a crash course in playing the zone read, if NU has any intention of playing a base defense in Dallas.

Reviewing the Five Keys

Win One for the Hawk: Colorado indeed played hard on Saturday for embattled coach Dan Hawkins, who retained his job for another year. Smart? Not so much. In other words – Nebraska's still Nebraska, and the Buffaloes are still, well, the Buffaloes.

The Specials: Did we call it or what? NU owned CU on special teams. And it was the difference.

Inside-Out: Nebraska's offense rarely tested the deep middle of Colorado's defense, even though it was ripe for the testing. Shawn Watson did, however, dial up a nifty playaction pass for a touchdown.

Tyler, Cody and Zac: Cody Hawkins did not play, so he's out. Of the remained, CU's Tyler Hansen made several more big plays than Lee did – but he also threw three costly interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Lee managed the offense, like he has for a month, and converted a few third down passes. His offensive line didn't protect him too well.

Play the Odds: Colorado did indeed self-destruct, a hallmark of a Hawkins-coached team. Hey – the Buffaloes are the ones choosing to keep him around.

Three Questions We Still Have

Does NU outsmart itself in preparing for Texas? The Brothers Pelini built this Nebraska defense on the strength of a dime look with Eric Hagg and Dejon Gomes in the game. Will they stick with that dance card, play nickel, or try a base look with Will Compton and Fisher flanking Phillip Dillard? UT's running game stunk for two-thirds of the season, but the Longhorns seem to have found their running back in freshman Tre Newton.

Can Nebraska just line up and run the ball? UT's defense, like Nebraska's, seems very comfortable stopping the horizontal-then-vertical spread running game. But Texas A&M lined up and punched the Longhorns right in the snout with power zone plays, counters and fullback isolation runs. The Huskers will line up in even heavier sets. Will Texas, which has a slight reputation for being soft, flinch, or bow its back?

Does the giant stage affect the young Huskers? This is a gritty team, sure. But it's not that experienced, and with some many native Texans on the NU roster, a game in the JerryDome is rife with expectation and pressure. Because ESPN wants viewers, its talking heads are bound to talk up Nebraska's defense throughout the week. When Texas hits a few big plays – and it will – how does NU respond in a cavernous dome where some fans are a quarter-mile away?

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Without further delay, here are our All-Big 12 squads, best players and best moments.

BIG 12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Colt McCoy. McCoy edges out his teammate, Jordan Shipley, through the excellence of his play over the last seven games. Here's the line during that time: 154-209, 1,791 yards, 16 TDs, 2 INTs, 277 rushing yards. That's your winner.

Runners up: Shipley, KSU's Daniel Thomas, Missouri's Danario Alexander

ALL BIG 12 OFFENSE

QB: McCoy
RB: Thomas
WR: Alexander
WR: Shipley
WR: Dez Briscoe, KU
TE: Riar Geer, CU
T: Russel Okung, OSU
T: Adam Ulatoski, UT
G: Brandon Carter, Tech
G: Reggie Stephens, ISU
C: Chris Hall, UT

BIG 12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ndamukong Suh. The league's best player, period. Had an impact on opponents' running, passing and special teams games. Plus – to account for him, teams had to devote two offensive linemen to block. Nobody else – not even Von Miller, who had gaudy stats for an awful defense – could consistently claim that.

Runners up: Miller, UT's Earl Thomas

ALL BIG 12 DEFENSE

DE: Aldon Smith, Mizzou
DT: Suh
DT: Gerald McCoy, OU
DE: Brandon Sharpe, Tech
LB: Miller
LB: Joe Pawelek, BU
CB: Prince Amukamara, NU
CB: Dominique Franks, OU
CB: Perrish Cox, OSU
S: Thomas
Nickel/DB: Brian Jackson, OU

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Alex Henery and Brandon Banks. Too hard to select here. Henery had another excellent year kicking field goals, but he added a bonus gift for downing punts inside the 10-yard line to his repertoire. He arguably was the difference in wins over Oklahoma and Colorado. Banks, meanwhile, returned four kickoffs for touchdowns.

ALL BIG 12 SPECIAL TEAMS:

K: Grant Ressel, Mizzou
P: Henery
KR: Banks
PR: Shipley

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Aldon Smith, Mizzou. A dominant defensive end with a funky number (No. 85) Smith has a great first move and better speed.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Paul Rhoads, ISU. The Cyclones have the worst talent in the Big 12, and still managed to get to a bowl. Yeah, Iowa State was lucky vs. Nebraska – but equally unlucky vs. Kansas State and Kansas. Rhoads' positive attitude gives him the edge for this year.

GAME OF THE YEAR (Non-Conference): Texas Tech's last-second, heart-stopper of a loss to Houston - 29-28 Cougars - will be best remembered for Mike Leach suspending his players' Twitter accounts after the game.

GAME OF THE YEAR (Conference): Missouri 41 Kansas 39. Two rich and arrogant schools playing for bragging rights in the Big 12 North's cultural hub (KC) to the tune of more than 1,100 total yards? We'll take it. Call it the “Bo Beat Us” Bowl from this point forward.

WORST GAME OF THE YEAR (Non-Conference): Oklahoma's 64-0 pasting of Idaho State. Never again, OU.

WORST GAME OF THE YEAR (Conference): Kansas State's 62-14 pounding of Texas A&M was utterly inexplicable, given the talent level of the two teams. A&M had five turnovers, of course, but still.

UPSET OF THE YEAR: Iowa State's improbable 9-7 win over Nebraska, thanks to eight turnovers (including five fumbles).

BEST SINGLE OFFENSIVE PLAY: Has to be Missouri's Alexander's 80-yard catch-and-run vs. Kansas State. Speed, moves and toughness, all in one play.

BEST SINGLE DEFENSIVE PLAY: Suh's sack and strip of Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who hurt his ankle on the play and wasn't the same for weeks.

BEST UNIFORMS: Still the good stuff - Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Although we're not opposed to Baylor's all-white look. The Missouri "Beast Mode" Nike outfit is sure to split new and old school folks - but we really liked it.

WORST UNIFORMS: The Arena League look Kansas sported for the Missouri game. Colorado's uniforms have become tacky and overdone, as well. Oklahoma should retired the all-orange look and go back to black.

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Since we're still in Thanksgiving mode, go fetch that leftover gravy from the fridge, grab a juice glass, and pour the gravy to the halfway point.

You already know the question, don't you?

Do you view Nebraska's 9-3 season as a story of warts and imperfections on offense, amidst a Big 12 North bereft of consistency?

Do you view it for its defensive triumphs, timely big plays on special teams, and the sudden emergence of Niles Paul as a clutch player?

In other words: Should Nebraska be 7-5? Or 11-1?

Or are you waiting to decide until after NU play Texas in the Big 12 Championship?

I have a hunch that, during Nebraska's 28-20 win over Colorado, the first view prevailed. After all, that was Bo Pelini's point of view.

“I thought we took a step back today,” he said.

Bo's prone to fits of displeasure, though. (After all, NU played worse – and Bo coached a lemon – against CU last year.)

But sometime Saturday afternoon, when you see ABC/ESPN pimping the Big 12 title game to death and you've seen the NU score scroll across the screen for the 100th time, the second emotion will kick in.

And right about the time Mack Brown starts flapping his gums in a kindly-but-slightly-patronizing way toward NU, and Jordan Shipley's strumming his guitar, that third instinct will kick in.

That's the life of a Nebraska fan. Frustration. Optimism. Motivation. Followed by visualization; that is, of NU somehow hoisting that trophy next Saturday night, right next to the lovely mug of TCU coach Gary Patterson, lobbying for a spot in the BCS National Championship game.

Cornhusker fans typically find themselves above playing the spoiler. But, considering all the pain Texas has inflicted on this fan base since 1996, and considering the stranglehold the Longhorns hold on the league – wouldn't it be sweet rum?

Yeah, thought so.

Until then - seriously – which are you?

The CU game – which never fails to irritatingly drag on into the night, often with the Buffaloes scrambling points – served as an excellent microcosm of the whole season. Sweet, sour, sweet and an ohjustgetitoverwith as a topper.

Sweet: When it comes to field position, Nebraska has the best kicking duo in the country. Kicker/punter Alex Henery lives down the road in Moneyville. Kickoff specialist Adi Kunalic has shut down one good kickoff returner after another during the Big 12 season.

Sour: Great teams don't typically count “kicker” as one of the team's MVPs. Henery is a terrific weapon; you simply wish Nebraska didn't have to use him so much.

Sweet: NU's coverage schemes and techniques genuinely frustrate opposing quarterbacks. The Brothers Pelini force them to make excellent decisions on the fly. Most of them can't do it consistently.

Sour: Colt McCoy, of course can. And he's mobile. And there's still too many penalties by the back seven. Larry Asante needs to watch it.

Sweet: Ndamukong Suh battled double teams all day, played hard, and made several nice stops in the run game. Also had a sack. Can't argue with the play of the whole front four on Friday, really. A couple holding calls were missed.

Sour: As run defenders, the Huskers pursue too aggressively, getting gashed as a result. In back-to-back weeks. Nebraska's linebackers, especially Sean Fisher, need to break down better when tackling.

Sweet: When Nebraska needed a scoring drive, the offense delivered. NU put away Missouri, Kansas, KSU and CU in just this fashion.

Sour: Watson has become stubbornly uncreative. The guy will not run a trick play. No reverses. No halfback passes. No wide receiver sweeps. He's stopped splitting out Roy Helu on pass patterns. He's stopped throwing screens to Helu or Rex Burkhead. No waggles. No rolling the pocket. No Wildcat. Zip. Bubkis. And no – it is not creative to line up in a “toss” look and then pull Ben Cotton toward the backside defensive tackle for a trap block.

Hey - if you want Ron Brown to call the offense, then hand him the headset. At the very least, he'll dust off a few of TO's gadgets. Otherwise, design an offensive attack for the Texas game that does more than take up time. NU will need it. Texas is not Oklahoma.

Ohgetitoverwith: Nebraska's defense, excellent as it is, tends to lose a little focus with a double-digit lead. To the Blackshirts' credit, they generally regain it around the goal line, but Colorado benefited from too many busts, too many easy yards, and poor discipline on blitzes and quarterback containment. The second half was a mess of mistakes.

So – should Nebraska fans be satisfied with suitable progress? Or should they be like Pelini, grim and unhappy with anything less than perfection?

Just be careful putting too many eggs in the Texas basket.

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Two days before Nebraska was to play at Colorado, head coach Bo Pelini was blunt about his hopes for a result.

“Get out of there with a win,” he said.

And that's just about all the Cornhuskers did in a 28-20 victory over the Buffaloes that remained in doubt until the game's final four minutes, when NU cornerback Prince Amukamara picked off CU quarterback Tyler Hansen at the Huskers' goal line on fourth-and-20.

Nebraska now heads to the Dec. 5 Big 12 Championship game to get its shot at undefeated Texas, which looked equally troubled in a 49-39 win over Texas A&M – a team, it's worth remembering, that Colorado beat 35-34.

“A win is a win,” safety Larry Asante said. “We're not happy with how we won the game, but a win is a win. We just look forward to Sunday and getting the corrections in.”

Yes 9-3 Nebraska gave 3-9 Colorado plenty of chances to overcome a 21-7 halftime deficit. CU sliced the lead to seven with a third-quarter touchdown, then politely declined the rest of NU's offers, missing two second-half field goals,succumbing to several penalties on the offensive line. The second miss from kicker Aric Goodman came with just over 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, as the Buffaloes trailed 21-14.

The Huskers' early cushion – earned through Niles Paul's 59-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 20-yard interception return from Matt O'Hanlon – held up thanks to the ensuing drive, the Huskers' best of the day, a 13-play, 80-yard march that finished with a seven-yard touchdown from freshman Rex Burkhead, who carried the ball nine times for 55 yards on the drive, in relief of starter Roy Helu.

Burkhead, who returned from a foot fracture last week, had the best game of his young career – 100 yards on 18 carries.

Before that, Nebraska's offense was anemic, failing to punch much of a hole in Colorado's mediocre defense despite enjoying terrific field position throughout. It did score one first-half touchdown – a 24-yard toss from Zac Lee to tight end Ben Cotton – but offensive coordinator Shawn Watson stayed in ultra-conservative mode, running of out three and four-tight end sets, often the same plays, especially after Lee tweaked his ankle on an aborted option run. While NU chewed a good chunk of clock with that strategy, Alex Henery also had to punt six times.

Fortunately, three of Henery's first four were beauties, and helped set up two of the Huskers' scores. He downed three punts at CU's 2, 7 and 13-yard line. On those three possessions, the Buffs punted twice – Paul returned one of them for the touchdown - and Hansen threw the pick to O'Hanlon.

Hansen - who completed 21-of-44 passes for 269 yards, including a 56-yard hail mary to Scotty McKnight for a touchdown on the game's final play – frustrated NU's pass rush with his mobility and quick reflexes. He also threw the Pick Six, two more interceptions, and took an 18-yard intentional grounding penalty. Two of his 21 completions – the bomb to McKnight and a throwback to Markques Simas for 58 yards – accounted for nearly half of all Hansen's yards. For the game, CU outgained Nebraska 403-217.

“It was attention to detail,” said Asante, who was flagged for another personal foul Friday. “We lost focus as a defense.”

The success of CU's running game was an even greater concern. Running back Rodney Stewart (110 yards) gashed the Huskers' front seven several times, while Hansen got loose a few scrambles and zone read plays. NU played more base personnel – three linebackers, four defensive backs - than it had during the Big 12 season. CU's ability to run the zone read portends well for Texas, whose rarely-used rushing attack is almost solely comprised of that play.

Oh yes – the Longhorns, who now stand at 12-0 after their narrow, sloppy win over the Aggies Thanksgiving night, when UT's normally excellent defense gave up more than 500 yards to a team that lost by 55 points to Oklahoma and 48 to Kansas State.

Based on Friday night's performance, Nebraska isn't ready. But, then, NU and Texas aren't playing for a week.

“We have to our best football we've played all year,” Asante said. “We have to play perfect defense, we have to play perfect offense. There can't be any mental lapses. We have to play our best football all year.”

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You're busy with turkey, stuffing, yams and the blowout game on the TV in the background. No preamble. Just on to NU-CU, and those five keys.

Win one for the Hawk: Even when Dan Hawkins sticks as Colorado's coach, the Buffaloes are perfectly aware of his embattled situation, and now that he's said about every mea culpa possible for this debacle of a season – just watch how hard CU plays on Friday. That doesn't mean Colorado doesn't get beaten. But I think you'll see the CU defense, inconsistent for much of the year, hone in on their talent for at least one game. Nebraska's offense is still learning how to move with power treads on its wheels, so our hunch is Colorado thinks it can win against NU's running game, and sell out everywhere else.

Expect, as a result, the kitchen sink approach on offense. Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini even knows it's coming.

“We're prepared for a lot of different things we could see,” Pelini said after Wednesday's practice. “I'm sure they'll do some things we haven't seen. We've been dealing with that for a couple weeks now. A lot of teams throw things at us. We make adjustments and move past it. Our kids are pretty resilient that way. They don't get all caught up and flustered.”

Bo's right. But CU will have an extra dose of – something – for the Big Red.

The Specials: Colorado is among the nation's five worst teams in punting and punt returns, and kicker Aric Goodman remains one of the Big 12's spottiest performers. Nebraska, meanwhile, has two Mr. Reliables: Kicker/punter Alex Henery and kickoff specialist Adi Kunalic. Throw in much-better-than-average punt and kickoff return units, and Nebraska should have a whopping edge in an area where CU typically excels. Henery, meanwhile, has to be considered one of the MVPs of the entire Big 12, as huge punting performances helped turn around the Oklahoma and Kansas State games, while his reliable field goal kicking makes NU a threat anywhere around the opponents' 35-yard line.

Inside-Out: If you peruse the offenses that have had the most success against CU's defense – Toledo, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Texas A&M – all but the Mountaineers exploited the middle of the Buffaloes' secondary for big plays at touchdowns. While Colorado has fair corners, and its linebackers run downhill pretty well, the deep middle has been vulnerable from the opening-season kickoff, and CU's interior line has been susceptible to inside zone, iso and counter plays between the hash marks. Nebraska can – and will – challenge the core of Buffaloes' defense.

Tyler, Cody and Zac: That's Cody Hawkins, for those of you keeping track at home, not Cody Green. Expect to see all three on Friday, warts, talents and all, and if Zac Lee's one game can outplay the combined efforts of CU's two, then Nebraska should win by ten points or more. Lee is a hybrid, of sorts, of Hawkins and the slightly taller, more mobile Tyler Hansen. Like them, Lee still makes head-scratching mistakes now and again. Like them, Lee is capable of some big passing plays – seemingly out of thin air. And Lee's becoming - almost against his instincts - a better runner.

Play the odds: Hawkins' shoddy handling of the quarterback situation, coupled with errors upon errors, has put a mask on a fairly talented team in each spot but defensive line. Certainly Nebraska wouldn't mind some of CU's receivers and tight ends, that's for sure. The Buffaloes are one or two recruiting cycles away from having the talent to win the Big 12 North, but there's enough on hand for an upset at home over a rival.

But the Buffaloes always manage to do something dumb. They're 118th out of 120 in penalties, and 117th in penalty yards. They're 82nd in turnover margin. They're 117th in sacks allowed.

Translation: CU pretty much leads in America in self-inflicted, big-yardage wounds. How an athletic director could look at those numbers and conclude Hawkins should stay is beyond us. Just hope that it benefits Nebraska on Saturday.

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Not surprisingly, my column in the wake of Nebraska's 17-3 win over Kansas State – which clinched the Big 12's North division - caused a little dust-up among Cornhusker fans, who were feeling good and not willing – for one second – to even think about that name. Bill Callahan.

The point was to be in a gracious mood. A five-course prix fixe at a three-star Michelin joint doesn't come to the table by the head chef's talents alone, does it? There's the sous chef, the sommelier, the front of the house and, crucially, the buyer of the produce. He or she has to import the best ingredients, and know whom to tap for those items.

We're simply saying this: Everything else being even, Callahan gave Bo Pelini a much better product than Ron Prince gave Snyder. NU beat KSU by 14 points, and those two touchdowns were reflective of talent, not coaching.

Sometimes, just the opposite is the case. The Brothers Pelini thoroughly outcoached Oklahoma's offensive staff two weeks ago – you remember our hosannas then, right? - and did the same to Clemson in the Gator Bowl. Other weeks, the coaching battle was a wash.

Variables change from week to week.

All of it belongs in the narrative, folks. Fewer hacks were harsher critics of Callahan than I, but let's keep a little perspective here. Whatever his and Kevin Cosgrove's faults were, they didn't bilk the university for millions with some secret deal like Prince, they didn't run the program into scholarship limitations and institutional control issues like Gary Barnett, and they didn't leave the program reeling like Mark Mangino will. They left a messy house, but it wasn't condemned.

Pelini, to his distinct credit, kept continuity on offense, and went to work whittling away at the unpolished gems on defense. What you're seeing now is nearly two years of Bo's labor bearing fruit.

Now, as I've written before, Pelini will have to make hard choices about the offense – the staff, the personnel, the identity, the scheme – in the offseason.

But, with the advance counsel of Tom Osborne, Pelini didn't screw up like Callahan did in 2004. He gave himself the best chance to succeed.

So – you put the ingredients together with a good chef who learned at some of the best culinary schools, and you get a North division title – and a shot at Texas, which is, let's see, the biggest game Nebraska's played in nearly a decade.

OK, now I'm done. Thwack me.

On with the review!

Five Players We Loved

Safety Larry Asante: He's always been a good hitter and sufficient in run support. But Asante, minus a few mistakes, has become a good coverage artist, too. Part of his growth is Pelini's willingness to plug P.J. Smith into the game whenever Asante isn't up to snuff.

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: No. 93 has been curiously unemotional over the last two months. We're fine with that – the man has work to do. We bet that, in December, when the awards shows roll around – his achievements and success at NU will hit him all at once. With time, Suh will appreciate what's he done as much as the fans do. Some hardware will help, of course.

Wide receiver Niles Paul: He's made some nice adjustments and catches over the last two weeks. He's averaging nearly 20 yards per grab for the season. That's pretty sweet.

Cornerback Anthony West: Prince Amukamara is the better player, but West has been clutch in relief of Alfonzo Dennard for the better part of a month now. He stayed stride-for-stride with KSU's Brandon Banks on a couple deep throws.

Punter/kicker Alex Henery: Part of it's skill, and part of it's just plain good fortune, but Henery downed two punts inside KSU's 2-yard line. We'll take that and a side of hash browns any day.

Three Concerns We Have

Backside blocking: If you're going to run an option game, you have to account for blitzes and defensive ends trailing behind the play. The Wildcats blew up several plays – including an open option pass – because NU's offensive line couldn't execute on the backside.

Shoddy tackling: It's creeping up at the wrong time. KSU quarterback Grant Gregory and running back Daniel Thomas both notched their share of yards after contact because the first defender couldn't pen them in. The preeminent key to beating Texas: Tackling.

Iffy decision-making: Zac Lee was cruising along until the middle second quarter, when he again turned into “that guy,” who holds the ball too long and waits for the last receiver to pop open. To his credit, he copped to his mistakes after the game, but the kid has to learn: Tuck and run and live to get points on the board.

Reviewing the Five Keys

To the Banks: NU's special teams unit had little trouble with KSU's Brandon Banks, thanks to kickers Henery and Adi Kunalic. Nebraska's defense let him get loose for 66 total yards, but the Blackshirts marked him pretty well inside the red zone.

Power Play: Kansas State successfully ran the ball with Daniel Thomas in the first half. In the second half, KSU was forced to alter its gameplan after falling behind two touchdowns, which meant a lot of four-wide receiver sets and gadget plays. Nebraska certainly tried to run power, but executed inconsistently. We're still not seeing the option plays working, other than to set up a single pass.

Front Four: Nebraska's defensive line lost a few battles but won the war, drawing timely holding penalties – KSU's line gripped and grabbed all night – and eventually overwhelming the Wildcats in the fourth quarter. It's not a very deep unit – just six guys, really – but hopefully Terrence Moore can step into a starting role next at nose tackle.

Zac Attack: Lee's not a permanent solution at quarterback, but he takes a hit pretty well. Aside from an bad five-minute stretch, he was a strength of the Huskers' offense, not a weakness.

The Snyder Factor: Bill brought his boys perfectly prepared, and Kansas State exploited some intriguing weaknesses – namely, NU's tendency to vacate the short middle when stretched vertically – to move the ball. Snyder has zero good options at quarterback. Not this year. And really not next. Plus, he needs to keep Daniel Thomas around for another year. There's no guarantee of that. He's a first-day NFL pick right now, in my estimation.

Three Questions We Still Have

How hard does NU have to work to beat Colorado? We like Nebraska by a couple scores in Boulder. But, of course, the Huskers' depth and health would be better served by the Buffaloes surrendering their pelts at halftime. It's hard to say just how hard CU will play for Dan Hawkins.

What can Rex Burkhead's return add to the offense? Other than being a breather for Roy Helu – which I'm not sure Helu always needs. Burkhead, to us, is perfect for third down situations, and needs to be given the touches during the two-minute drill – instead of Helu, who is more of a gifted runner.

Can Nebraska's secondary really keep this up? They've been tested every which way, benefited from some crucial drops in the Baylor and Kansas games, and just keep making plays near the goal line. Does the luck run out in Boulder? In Dallas?

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Right after Bo Pelini was hired to coach Nebraska in 2007, a good helping of Cornhusker fans, well-versed in both modern and historical college football, pointed to this upcoming week as an early mid-term, if you will, on NU's progress under Pelini.

A home game vs. Oklahoma, the standard-bearer of the Big 12 in the 21st Century, coached by Pelini's old buddy, Bob Stoops. If Pelini had a grace period of, say, 20 games – he's coached 21 thus far – OU, with its balance, talent, speed and reputation, would be an apt measuring stick for how far the Huskers had come – and how far, still, they had to go.

As we stand here now, with both fighters bruised and frustrated, it's harder to see that stick in the mist of injuries, offensive woes and close, painful losses.

But it's still there. And all of Nebraska's goals are still there, too. The Huskers control their destiny. Win out and punch a ticket to Dallas and the Big 12 Championship vs. Texas. Win out, and NU, with its fan base and classy reputation, is guaranteed no worse than the Holiday Bowl to tangle with another of Pelini's mentors, Pete Carroll and his USC Trojans.

Yes – win out, and a fairly cool prize awaits at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box.

NU's 20-10 victory over Baylor isn't the kind you love to relive, aside from one particular performance. We'll do it anyway, with an eye on the big stick that Nebraska would very much like to carry into the final quarter of its season – after measuring up to it, of course.

Five Players We Loved

Defensive tackle Jared Crick: Opponents pay so much attention to Ndamukong Suh that Crick feasts on the single-blocker approach. But Saturday, he tossed those blockers aside and chased Baylor quarterback Nick Florence like a wolfman. Thirteen tackles? Absurd. Crick's small-town persona only adds to the appeal.

Linebacker Eric Martin: He's been threatening to make a big special teams play all year; Saturday, he finally made it by setting up a blocked punt that was returned by Justin Blatchford for the Huskers' first touchdown. If Martin is able to make the leap defensive back Alfonzo Dennard made from his freshman to sophomore season, watch out.

Quarterback Cody Green: Warts and all, Green ran hard, competed bravely and generally seemed in command. He's got some work to do, particularly on timing routes, but he's finally a position to do something about it on the field.

Punter/kicker Alex Henery: Nailed two important field goals – Baylor's Ben Parks missed a chip shot of his own – and made a touchdown-saving tackle on a wild BU punt return right at the end of the game. Athlete first. Kicker second.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara: One terrific interceptions with three more pass breakups to boot. Amukamara rebounded from a so-so game vs. Texas Tech with a strong performance here.

Three Concerns We Have

No Daylight: Nebraska ran the ball 19 times in the second half for 61 yards. How many teams is that going to beat? The beefy offensive line has to earn its keep.

Going Horizontal: Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson laid off the sideways passes for the first half. Then, with a seemingly comfy 20-0 lead, he started getting cute again, trying to burn Baylor for loading the box by throwing 20 yards sideways, in the hopes of creating one-on-one situations on the perimeter. You all know what eventually happened. If Watson wants to go horizontal, here's a thought: Run wide receiver sweeps.

Shaky coverage: Baylor was close on a couple kick and punt returns to busting one open for a touchdown. The Huskers have to keep lane discipline and learn to break down and tackle better, instead of searching for the killshot.

Reviewing The Five Keys

Play to win, not to dominate: Nebraska did just that with a modest offensive gameplan and a defensive strategy that called for maximum coverage and zero blitzes. The result? Seven sacks and three turnovers on defense. Safe to say the plan worked.

Match up and move it: Dejon Gomes, Lance Thorell and Sean Fisher probably were exhausted by game's end, running in and out of the game as NU mixed and matched nickel, dime and dollar coverages, but the Huskers were rarely out of position, and almost always had double coverage on the deep receiver, which led to Gomes' interception. The Huskers were lucky that Florence wasn't more accurate on that skinny slant pattern to Kendall Wright, though.

Neutralize the earth-movers: Baylor couldn't do anything against Crick and Suh, while Nebraska had initial success against the Bears' front four, with that success waning by the second half.

Traye and Jay: Dontrayevous Robinson looked like Nebraska's best running option until he got hurt in the fourth quarter; Robinson, like Green, competes hard on every play. BU's Jay Finley was not a factor.

Bo vs. Briles: Baylor head coach Art Briles threw the kitchen sink at Nebraska, and the Brothers Pelini dodged nearly every bullet and landed some haymakers of their own. NU won this coaching chess match with a big dose of help from Crick and Suh.

Three Questions We Still Have

Is Roy Helu anywhere near getting healthy? Why did he play Saturday? Repeat: Why? If Nebraska couldn't beat Baylor without Helu – and, just for the record, the Huskers pretty much did – then Nebraska had no business winning, period. Helu should have stayed home and nursed his injured shoulder.

Where in the world is Mike McNeill, and how does Watson get him involved in the offense again? McNeill's too good to be wasted on well-covered tight end routes. Give the kid a chance to work on the edge and use his size advantage. He's a mismatch waiting to happen. Isn't Watson all about that?

Can the Nebraska crowd find some inner resolve? And create a nightmarish atmosphere for Oklahoma this week? Memorial Stadium needs to be the toughest environment that OU quarterback Landry Jones has ever played in.

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WACO, Texas - A special teams touchdown. A home crowd on the road. A day without rain, boos or clouds. Plenty of sacks and turnovers. And the starting debut of a Nebraska freshman quarterback who seems to have the skills and poise to go as far as his long, powerful running strides can take him.

His arm may be another question.

But after two stunning home losses in a row, Nebraska's football team captured a needed rebound victory, beating Baylor 20-10 Saturday afternoon.

Bo Pelini's bunch, now 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12 Conference, inserted themselves back into the Big 12 North race in front 31,702 at Floyd Casey Stadium that included a reporter-estimated 15,000 Cornhusker fans.

“It was real important,” Pelini said. “We needed a win. We got a win. We got a lot of work to do yet. A win's a win. It's No. 5.”

Many of those raucous fans – silenced for whole portions of the second half - were from Texas, and took the opportunity to watch true freshman Cody Green – a native of Dayton, Texas – make his first start at quarterback. The decision was made on Thursday, Pelini said, because “you gotta go with your gut.”

Initally, Green didn't disappoint. His first-half performance – 6-of-9 passing for 85 yards, 25 yards rushing – was a portrait of efficiency. With offensive coordinator Shawn Watson calling plays on the sidelines and simplifying the attack, Green operated mostly out of multiple tight end, power formations. He ran only four times, but two of them were scrambles of ten and six yards on a drive that led to Alex Henery's 45-yard field goal.

All but one of his completions were of the short, controlled variety, but he did hit wide receiver Niles Paul on a 45-yard fade route, Green placing the ball perfectly on Paul's outside shoulder. Two plays later, true freshman Traye Robinson skied into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown. That gave NU a 20-0 halftime lead.

“In the first half, things were rolling pretty good,” Green said.

But the freshman made a giant mistake midway through the third quarter, locking in on receiver Khiry Cooper, only to see Baylor safety Cliff Odom step in front of the pass at NU”s 45-yard line, pick it off and return it for an easy touchdown. Later, Green fumbled right after the Nebraska defense had forced BU to turn it over.

“It was just a late throw on my part,” Green said. “If I had thrown it a second earlier it would have been a completion, but I threw it a second later...one thing you have to do is go back on the next drive and just forget about it. You have to have a memory like a goldfish.”

For the game, Green completed 12 of 21 passes for 128 yards and rushed for 43 yards.

“He had some rough spots,” Watson said. “He did some things freshmen sometimes do first time out. He's got a lot to get better at, but, no doubt – he competed. He gave us some nice runs and did some good things. We didn't ask him to do much. We just asked him to kind of manage us. He had the one pick. Gotta get that fixed.”

Fortunately, Green had plenty of help.

NU got on the board quickly, as another true freshman – linebacker Eric Martin – bulled his way through Baylor's punt protection and partially blocked Derek Epperson's punt. The ball floated sideways and was caught by backup defensive back Justin Blatchford, who darted hard to his left, tip-toed down the sideline, and leaped into the end zone just before he fumbled.

“I just hit (the blocker),” Martin said. “I didn't even know it was blocked until I hear the crowd yelling and I look around, and Blatchford is taking the ball back.”

Just 90 seconds into the game, the Huskers had a bigger lead – 7-0 – than they had enjoyed since the waning moments of the Missouri game.

NU's Blackshirts – particularly defensive tackle Jared Crick, who had a record-breaking game – made sure the lead held up. Tested again and again, the Huskers' defense held up. Cornerbacks Dejon Gomes and Prince Amukamara both notched interceptions of Baylor quarterback Nick Florence in Husker territory. Nebraska chased Baylor's fast receivers and running backs sideline-to-sideline, throwing them down for short or no gain.

And then there was Crick, who benefited from the Bears choosing to double-team All-American Ndamukong Suh. Crick, just a sophomore out of Cozad, had a school-record five sacks.

“It could have been anyone today with all of those stats,” Crick said. “It is just a group effort.”

The final one of the first half, in which Crick bulled through two blockers and engulfed Florence in a massive bear hug, was as impressive as any play Suh's made this season. NU had seven sacks overall.

“Is that a monster game by him, or what?” defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. “He just plays his tail off. He's strong, he's fast. Offenses? I don't know – they've just got to deal with him, because they started the game putting the center toward Suh, and it just makes them look foolish.”

Said Bo Pelini: “Jared's too good of a player if they're gonna do that.”

For the game, Baylor amassed 270 total yards, but ran 11 more plays than the Huskers did. The Bears (3-5 overall, 0-4 in the Big 12) thrice invaded NU territory after cutting the lead to ten. Once, kicker Ben Parks missed a field goal. On the second foray, Baylor turned the ball over on downs. The game clock ran out on their final charge, which occurred after a bizarre punt return that included three laterals and a touchdown-saving tackle by punter Alex Henery.

“We had plays at the end and we didn't do it,” BU quarterback Nick Florence said. “We fought hard in the second half, it was valiant effort, but it does hurt when it is so close.”

NU was left concerned with its running game, which produced just 145 yards and failed to deliver on several third down situations in the second half.

“Absolutely,” Pelini said when asked if he was concerned. “It's a huge concern. We've got to be able to run the football better. We didn't run the ball to my liking today.”

Said Husker center Jacob Hickman: “It was just missed communications that caused that. The effort was there.”

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And so we've ranted, raved and roared, shook down the house, nailed the Big Red in our personal report cards, and ate dinner in a gloomy silence.

Not even fantasy football – or your favorite NFL team – could rock you away from that long, cold sliver of disbelief that accompanied the morning rain or snow.

Well, that's some of you, anyway.

And so now, after we've tried to frame this season properly, as a litmus test for coaches and players – but most specifically for head coach Bo Pelini - we pour in the cream of common sense, to offset the acid of our pens, keystrokes, gestures and tongues.

Calm down, Husker nation. It's a blue, low mood today, but opportunity, yet again, awaits.

Nobody has run away with the Big 12 North title. And nobody is going to run away with it. But Nebraska can still get it, rescuing itself from a midseason slump. The Huskers' defense can play any offense, anywhere, anytime and hold its own. NU's offensive line does have some muscle, when given the chance to show it.

There should be no calls for Bo Pelini to make midseason staff changes. Wrong play, wrong level of football. Personnel and schematic changes? Absolutely. But the fatalistic stuff – come on, people.

No – the point is this: Bo's the head coach. He's not the “defensive expert,” while offensive coordinator Watson is the “offensive expert.” Colloquially, yeah, maybe they are, but Pelini – not Watson – is responsible for the entire product. Watson coaches quarterbacks and calls plays. But if it's fourth-and-one inside enemy territory – Pelini makes the executive decision. He's earned the right to make it.

A good head coach doesn't micromanage every little aspect of practices and games. That's a recipe for disaster, mistrust and player revolt. Not even the biggest control freaks pull that off with any kind of success. Bo's too smart to do that. Guys who have tried – fail. You can't just “change” everything.

But if he's got a hunch about the offense, he should play it. Maybe the Huskers really are just a few good practices away from hitting on all cylinders. Maybe not.

Five Players We Loved

Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle: He blocked a field goal, an extra point, ran down a receiver 15 yards upfield and generally imposed his physical will on the Iowa State interior offensive line. Afterward, he called his play “average.” That's accountability.

Barry Turner, defensive end: The quiet man of Nebraska's defense – he hasn't done an interview since fall camp – is quietly having a pretty good season. Turner's work doesn't always show up in the stat sheet, but he's consistently collapsed the pocket toward Suh and Jared Crick. He did so again Saturday.

Alfonzo Dennard, cornerback: The man can jump! A very late addition to the 2008 recruiting class, Dennard is well on his way to becoming one of the gems of that bunch. Tough-minded, quick to the ball, and a competitor.

Phillip Dillard, linebacker: Never allowed ISU quarterback Jerome Tiller – who's a pretty good runner – to get loose for a 20-yard gain on the zone read. Dillard's making a late case for the NFL Draft. Good for him.

Alex Henery, punter: A return to form for the junior – at least in the punting department, where he downed two boots inside ISU's 6-yard line.

Three Concerns We Have

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers: Try a -10 margin in the last two games. Nebraska's mistakes handling the ball are bad enough, but the Huskers haven't forced any turnovers, either. Jared Crick had a fumble all to himself, but slightly overshot his recovery attempt. Dennard had his hands on a potential pick. Those are plays that have to be made.

An offensive system that doesn't fit the quarterback: Zac Lee does have some throwing skills,especially downfield. But he's not a natural runner. He just isn't. And that's OK. So stop trying to run a zone read play that doesn't command the respect of the defensive end, who crashes down, forcing Lee to the corner, where he isn't comfortable.

Roy Helu's health: Yes, we know Helu played with a bum shoulder last week and didn't fumble. That doesn't mean he wouldn't fumble this week. Helu's not the type of guy who will beg out of a game. NU coaches have to tread carefully with their best offensive commodity.

Reviewing the Five Keys

Playing Harder and Smarter: Iowa State won this category with a gameplan that didn't ask too much of Tiller and a defensive tenacity that forced the Huskers into eight turnovers. ISU hustled just a little more than Nebraska did.

Steep Incline: Nebraska's defense was indeed tougher on ISU in every area but one: Turnovers. Of course, the Cyclones were playing without Austen Arnaud and Alexander Robinson, which brings us to...

Wounded Clones: They'll tell stories in Ames about this game for generations, you know. How ISU went into to Lincoln missing 80 percent of its offense and Paul Rhoads coached em up? If Rhoads becomes a legend at Iowa State, this the game that spawns it.

Where's Mike? Nebraska tight end Mike McNeill made two catches for 22 yards, was the intended receiver on Zac Lee's first interception, and was overthrown by Lee on another third down play. NU tried locating him more often, but only connected twice.

The Specials: Iowa State ran a key fake punt to perfection as Nebraska showed its hand too quickly on a return play and vacated the area.

Three Questions We Still Have

Can Bo rally the boys from such a mind-boggling loss? All is not lost for Nebraska. NU has to win out from here, and hope Iowa State gets clipped one more time by someone, anyone. Missouri and Kansas are laying out a red carpet for the Big 12 North. The Huskers would be wise to remember that.

Is Traye Robinson ready for 15-20 carries per game? Talk about going 0-60 in one game, huh? Robinson may have fumbled and ran into the backs of some of his blockers, but he looked healthy – and tough. Nebraska has to use him, and hope he holds up.

Does a road trip do this team some good? We say yes. Not only can Nebraska beat Baylor in Waco, it can get out of town for a couple days. The Husker fans in and around Waco don't get to see the team that often; they'll be more appreciative of the product – whatever it looks like.

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Quarterbacks and boos and media and questions and turnovers and rankings and sound bytes and fans and -

Oh, yeah. Breakfast with Iowa State.

The Cyclones are playing with house money. Free as the bird that serves as their mascot. At 4-3, ISU doesn't have much to lose other than the health of its two best offensive skill players, quarterback Austen Arnaud and running back Alexander Robinson.

Iowa State can pull out the stops, or play it cool to keep it reasonably close.

Nebraska, meanwhile, needs to win, and look good doing it.

Head coach Bo Pelini preaches high standards. That's good. He's not satisfied with nine-win seasons. He asks for perfection because, in his words, “you get what you ask for.” He coaches a tenacious, active game in search of execution and mental toughness. And he's good after a loss - better, maybe, than after a win.

The man was in his element this week. He's got his team buying into an us-against-the-world mentality. Bo served as point guard on Monday with his “buck stops here” comments, and as bookend on Thursday with a similar statement. Fans may perceive Pelini as angry. Not precisely. He's trying to use a difficult loss – a stunning loss, really – as a rallying point to quickly reverse course.

Pelini doesn't believe in a panic button. It doesn't mean he isn't pushing some other buttons.

On to the keys.

Playing Harder and Smarter: Nebraska's offense has been a little too cute over the last two weeks. Power football out of a shotgun spread, four-wide set? Oh, sure, you can do it. But defenses have to respect the quarterback and the receivers. And, right now, that's not happening. Both Texas Tech and Missouri left linebackers on the field to cover NU's wideouts, confident that quarterback Zac Lee either couldn't or wouldn't find open guys.

That hunch was right. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson often talks about taking what a defense gives. But what Tech gave wasn't a schematic advantage. It was an athletic challenge. And the Huskers weren't up to it.

Watson's gameplan was in the right place. But the troops couldn't execute it. Which means – find something they can.

Maybe that's straight power stuff. Maybe that's the zone read with Cody Green. Nebraska can't stray too far from its original design, but it may need to shed a few play pounds to get to the core of its success.

And the offensive line? Well, you already know – don't you? So do they.

Steep incline: If Big 12 defenses were a treadmill, ISU is about to hit a massive elevation change. The Cyclones have not faced a defense as complete as Nebraska's since the Iowa game, and the Hawkeyes' front four is a notch below the Huskers. Throw in a motivated Memorial Stadium crowd – they'll be back Saturday, with a vengeance – and this is toughest game that Iowa State has had this year. If NU can pounce early, ISU won't put up too much of a fight.

Wounded Clones: Arnaud and Robinson won't be 100 percent on Saturday, and how the game progresses may determine the length of time they're in the game. Again – that's why the quick start is so important. ISU coach Paul Rhoads isn't going to worsen Robinson's groin injury by running him while down 21 points.

Arnaud will test that throwing hand early. He's not a great passer to begin with, and his backup, Jerome Tiller, is more of a big-play runner than he is passer.

Where's Mike? Nebraska tight end Mike McNeill has played roughly 50 percent of the snaps in each of the two previous games, and most of those were in the second half. McNeill wants to win more than anything – but he'll never turn down the ball.

“I've ran pretty good routes this year and I'm moving pretty well,” McNeill said. “I think I'm open sometimes. But I'm not always in the quarterback's progression, or maybe he's got another throw he's got to make. It's not like I'm running down the field and no one sees me.”

It's just that Lee hasn't been throwing him the ball very much.

Ditto for the rest of the tight ends. What's happened here over the last several weeks? NU tries to throw the ball to Kyler Reed two times a game, and calls it good. Ben Cotton, Dreu Young and Ryan Hill – all pretty capable receiving options – rarely get their names called. McNeill catches just about everything in the vicinity, but it's like he's one of the fallow parks on the edge of the Lincoln city limits. What gives?

The Specials: Iowa State has some return and kicking weapons that could account for field position and/or a touchdown. Nebraska has to find the vibe it had going before the Missouri game. Even punter/kicker Alex Henery's been a little off.

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Before the review, we offer Nebraska’s football program a public service announcement. Imagine the following words as spoken by Yul Brynner.

Don’t schedule Sun Belt Conference teams. Whatever you do. Just don’t.

We know Western Kentucky is on the 2010 schedule. After that, close the vault, Bo Pelini and Jeff Jamrog. Go back to the MAC. Invite the Fighting Frankies. Dabble in Conference USA. Sniff around the WAC and Mountain West, as you’ve already done with Wyoming and Fresno State.

No more Sun Belt.

We saw enough penny-wise, pound-foolish football in the last month to last our lifetime. Not only were Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette inadequate opponents, only the Red Wolves had a winning gameplan. FAU and ULL were content to move pawns around the board, tick off a ten-yard gain here or there, punt dutifully and get out of Lincoln with a paycheck and relatively few injuries.

We hear that distant refrain: But Louisiana-Lafayette beat Kansas State. True. On its home field. In KSU’s second game of a transition back to power football. By two points.

And while these Sun Belt teams might have wonderful fan bases in their hometowns, they were virtually non-existent in Lincoln. At least with Wyoming, some Cowboys will make the drive. Heck, South Dakota State will have five times the following than Florida Atlantic did. Jackrabbits all over the joint next year.

If you’re going to buy wins – and that’s what Steve Pederson was doing when he signed these contracts – at least buy local, where a Nebraska kid or two might sneak on to the roster. (Although SDSU is a threat to NU’s walk-on program, and should not be rewarded with trips to Memorial Stadium.)

What did we learn Saturday night? Less than we have after any other game since Nicholls State in 2006. Lafayette was tired and beaten up, facing its third major-conference opponent in as many weeks. The Ragin Cajuns visibly seemed to deflate after NU’s first touchdown, when tight end Ben Cotton recovered a Roy Helu fumble in the end zone. The secondary covered the Huskers’ receivers like it was optional. ULL shied away from nearly every physical showdown, as well.

So instead of offering a game-specific review – there were 15 players to love, frankly, the Huskers won all the keys, and there were few questions or concerns based on that three-hour window – we instead review the non-conference season as a whole. Later this week, look for an in-depth report card of the first four games, as well.

Five Players We Loved

Running Back Roy Helu: He’s been durable, dependable, productive (555 all-purpose yards)and capable of the home run play, too. Helu still needs to polish up his pass protection, but he’s been the Big 12’s best, most consistent running back through a month. And his performance at Virginia Tech – 169 tough yards, tons of broken tackles – goes on the NFL Draft audition tape.

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: Don’t let his sack and tackle statistics let you think he hasn’t been dominant. Three offensive lines have schemed specifically to stop Suh, and it hasn’t worked. He shoots into the backfield with such alarming speed, at times, that he’s almost there too soon, and overruns the play. But he’ll be tested by Missouri and Texas Tech, which frustrate great defensive linemen – especially those who like to fly upfield.

Punter/kicker Alex Henery: The nation’s best in a dual role, and certainly in the top three nationally as a place-kicker. Throw in kickoff specialist Adi Kunalic and Nebraska, hands down, has the best kicking unit in the country.

Wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen: The kid just gets open, and he gets open for big plays. He’s been the beneficiary of some of Zac Lee’s best passes, but eight grabs for 255 yards? That’s one-quarter of the football team every time he touches it. We’ll take that.

Strong safety Larry Asante: He’s forced a fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown. Most importantly, no breakdowns on his side of the defense. Through four games, Asante’s been NU’s quarterback in the secondary. Still plenty tough in run support. Getting better in coverage. Now – is he healthy?

Special Mention: Center Jacob Hickman for keeping an ever-changing offensive line grounded with his work ethic and smarts (work a little on the snaps, though, Jake), quarterback Zac Lee for his arm and confidence, nickel back Eric Hagg for being a consistently explosive wild card all over the field.

Four Concerns We Have

The Huskers haven’t faced a real offense yet: Only Florida Atlantic is in the NCAA’s top 50 of total offense, and the Owls are 115th in scoring offense. Missouri and Texas Tech? Both securely in the nation’s top 20 of offenses. NU’s defense has indeed been good – 23rd nationally in total defense, 3rd in scoring defense, 31st in sacks against teams that dearly tried to prevent them. But it hasn’t really been tested. Not yet.

Depth: NU can’t afford any more injuries at quarterback, running back, tackle or safety without moving into some uncharted waters. Every time Lee runs, you hear Husker nation cringe a little for his safety.

Penalties of all variety: There’s false starts, holding calls, pass interference penalties and way too many 15-yard personal fouls for my liking. Pelini keeps talking about cleaning it up. The Big 12 referees are flag-happy. Just look at the national rankings, where Texas Tech and Texas A&M occupy the last two spots nationally in penalty yards. Flags will have a clear impact on the outcome of games. Pelini should make a goal to win that battle every game, if he hasn’t already.

Wasted timeouts: No stat tracks this, but I’m willing to bet NU takes more defensive timeouts than any team in the Big 12. That’s not bad, but you’d like to see Pelini save a couple for a rainy two-minute drive.

Three Questions We Still Have

Who is the real Zac Lee? The calm stud we saw in games one, two and four, or the frazzled, inaccurate one who, by his coordinator’s own admission, “chased ghosts” at Virginia Tech and misread coverages. We’ll soon find out in upcoming weeks.

To be fair to Lee: The Hokies made a fool out of Jacory Harris, and smacked around Alabama’s quarterback for three quarters, too.

But his performance, thus far, isn’t all that surprising. Lee had the best arm on NU’s team in 2007, he has it now, he’ll have it five years from now. He opens up the field to all kinds of possibilities. But he has to produce for an entire year in tougher road games, frankly, than Joe Ganz had to face in 2008. Lee’s a good kid, and up the challenge.

Can NU generate QB heat with a four-man pass rush? Against pure spread teams like Mizzou, Tech and others, a four-man rush is the simplest, most surefire way to make sure you’re covering all the angles and pass routes. When Nebraska chose to blitz against both teams, they responded by burning the Huskers with quick screens for long touchdowns. The onus is on defensive ends Barry Turner, Pierre Allen and Cameron Meredith. How they play may determine how NU’s defense fares.

When the Huskers absolutely need a yard, will the offensive line deliver? Ever since the Callahan conversion to a slow, plodding zone stretch power game, this has been a consistent bugaboo. Oh, for the days when a quick fullback plunge for two yards happened faster than you blinked your eyes. At any rate, NU first has to get healthy. Then they have to start getting lower off the ball. The Huskers are a great pulling team. They need maul better, though.

See also: ULL Fan Photos

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And so. The road from here, after a sudden head-on collision in the final moments of Nebraska’s 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech.

First, a week of warmth and good tidings, as the Cornhuskers welcome a Sun Belt also-ran (Louisiana-Lafayette) to Lincoln for the 300th consecutive sellout. Hangover or not, NU’s walking out of Memorial Stadium on Saturday night a winner.

Then, a bye week.

Then, what I’d call the biggest game of the season for Nebraska’s psyche: A night war in Columbia, on ESPN, for Big 12 North supremacy and a couple of recruits that both Missouri and the Huskers are after for their 2010 class.

That’s 16 days, between now and then. Enough time to heal, physically and mentally. Enough time to forge an identity that wins conferences games on the road.

Know this: Tech was only a small part of this season’s test. It could have been a springboard. But it won’t be. Now, Nebraska has to avoid it becoming a stumbling block.

Head coach Bo Pelini has experience here. As interim coach in 2003, he dusted off the Huskers after Frank Solich’s firing and won the Alamo Bowl. As defensive coordinator at LSU, he rebounded from a crushing 50-48 loss to rival Arkansas to craft an excellent plan for the SEC Championship game, beating Tennessee 17-10. And as head coach last year, he sifted through the rubble of 52-17 and 62-28 and built a stronger, smarter team after both games.

In Bo we trust – to adjust.

On with the review.

Five Players We Loved

Kicker Alex Henery: Better known as “A Money” inside of 50 yards. Pretty sweet rugby-style punter, too.

Running back Roy Helu: Nebraska put the load on his shoulders and he bore it with toughness and agility. Good on-field attitude, too.

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: Of course he’d like to Tech’s last offensive play back. He’ll probably wonder himself what he was doing, NU’s best pass rusher, just standing there, watching VT quarterback Tyrod Taylor buy time. Otherwise, Suh was awesome on Saturday. His only weakness, really, is sometimes trying to do too much on one play.

Defensive ends Barry Turner and Pierre Allen: Well-prepared, they were, to corral Tyrod Taylor. Allen and Turner refused to be turned by blocking tackles, were rarely pinned on outside plays, and consistently remained stout on inside runs. Good effort.

Three Concerns We Still Have

Meltdown penalties: When it rains, it pours with NU’s offensive line and tight ends. They played a mostly clean game – until that disaster in the third quarter, which was one of the subtle turning points.

Not Enough Niles: if he’s a playmaker in practice, then you have to give him designed touches in the game. One poorly-thrown screen pass is not enough. Why is Zac Lee looking for Mike McNeill in double coverage 30 yards down the field and not Paul? Why is Menelik Holt the guy running corner routes in the end zone, and not Paul?

Look: Jeremy Maclin wasn’t 6-foot-4 either. But Missouri moved him around, got him snaps, cleared out the middle of the field and let him catch a short slant, that kind of stuff. And if Paul’s just another receiver at NU, then put him where belongs, in the slot, and stick Chris Brooks on the outside in four-wide situations. Shawn Watson has to do something to direct Lee’s attention in Paul’s direction, or isolate Paul in the open field.

Straight coverage: If Taylor had been any kind of passer, Saturday’s game might have been much different. Tech’s receivers routinely had a step on NU’s defensive backs; Taylor just couldn’t hit them. Nebraska’s corners were fairly aggressive, it seemed; they were lucky they didn’t get burned more.

Reviewing the Five Keys

Violent Dance: Nebraska didn’t handle Jason Worilds very well. He had five QB hurries, flushed Lee several more times, and drew a holding penalty on that botched third-quarter drive. He’s a player. Marcel Jones and D.J. Jones are, too, but they’re not of Worilds’ caliber yet.

The Specials: Nebraska played Tech to a draw, or maybe even had a small edge. Tech’s big kickoff returned was offset by Paul’s punt return. Adi Kunalic consistently pounded the ball for touchbacks. Henery was money on punts.

Hustle and Flow: The linebackers held up. Frankly, they seemed better when they know the opponent is going to run the ball. Will Compton, Phillip Dillard and Sean Fisher consistently pursued well, lined up correctly and wrapped when tackling.

Lane and Lee: NU’s quarterback didn’t look rattled in the first half, and indeed made a few savvy scrambles and throws. But after that penalty debacle in the third quarter, Lee wasn’t the same guy. What happened? We’ll have to ask Tuesday. Lee wasn’t available after the game. (Note to coaches: Isn’t part of growing up as a QB facing the music right afterward?)

Big-Game Coaching: In our estimation, Pelini and Watson were up to the challenge. We could argue the Cover 2 call, or a few of Watson’s play selections. You could analyze it until you’re blue in the face, frankly, but the coaching staff was up to the moment. You couldn’t necessarily say that about last year’s game in Lincoln.

Three Questions We Still Have

Who is this team in the red zone? Right now, Nebraska seems like a bunch that’s not sure how to score a touchdown. The Huskers nibbled around the edges but never pushed over that one score they really needed.

Can Nebraska close when it counts? The Huskers spit the bit a little. Oh, they played hard, but they didn’t seize victory. Virginia Tech was tired and ready to fall. NU kept the Hokies in the game with mental mistakes, dropped passes and penalties.

How soon is that Missouri game again? Soon enough.

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Here come the Hooters.

(And if you didn’t think that was coming, you don’t know our Five Keys very well).

In roughly the last 20 years, Nebraska has chosen to make its season opening opponent, with a few exceptions (1994, 1996, 2002 and 2003 among them) soft, fruit-filled pastries to enjoy on a late summer day. The names – San Jose State, Western Illinois, Maine, Florida Atlantic – change, but the games they inspire do not.

Oh, there is this nugget of fear right until kickoff. Is this the year the Cornhuskers come out flat? Then the Memorial Stadium crowd leans in, the opponent makes a bonehead play, and it’s time to look for the kid selling Runzas. Even the Fallen Team of 2007 knew how to cut a pound of flesh from Nevada.

Take last year. First quarter. Western Michigan sets up a perfect trick play, WMU quarterback Tim Hiller steps to throw the easiest touchdown pass he’ll ever toss, and he forgets the ball. Just plum slips out of his hand. You couldn’t dream it up.

But this is what happens to non-major conference programs at the beginning of the year. By midseason 2008, when Illinois had already been beaten down a little by injuries and losses, and Western Michigan had some confidence, the Broncos rolled into Champaign and scored an upset.

Six weeks from now, FAU would be a more dangerous team than it is today. As it stands, we call the Owls a funny name. Beyond that, we preach respect. And, as such, a full, in-depth five keys to kick off 2009.

KIDS: That’s short for: Keep It Downhill, Shawn. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson is much smarter than we are at this playcalling gig, so we figure he can already tell that Florida Atlantic’s defense will eventually crack under the weight and strength of Nebraska’s physical offensive line. Maybe not on the first drive. Maybe not even in the first quarter. But eventually. FAU can only stunt and guess its way into the right defense so many times, right?

Quentin Castille would have been a perfect fit for a game like this, because smaller defenses loathe tackling a load like Q. In Castille’s permanent absence, might NU use some heavier sets, some double tight end packages? Can Nebraska so easily vacillate between power and shotgun spread? We’ll see.

Our long-term concern is the durability of Roy Helu. He’s never been in better shape, and he’s not the kind to beg out of a game. But he has been the kind who’s had to miss a practice or two the following week because of a pull, strain or tweak. There hasn’t been a running back alive who didn’t play with little hurts after the first game, for the rest of a given season. But Nebraska’s coaches need to give their prized junior just enough of a break to keep him away from nagging problems.

If that means a little more Rex Burkhead in weeks one and two, so be it. Burkhead could use the work. Know this: Helu’s money time is in October and November. September is the rehearsal.

36 inches: That’s about the distance separating the facemask of FAU quarterback Rusty Smith from the helmet of Nebraska nose tackle Ndamukong Suh. At least when Smith is under center.

If Florida Atlantic has any chance Saturday, Smith must win the battle between those two players. Yes, between them.

Good quarterbacks don’t hide behind an offensive line all night. Smith can’t and won’t expect his center to stuff Suh every time; it won’t happen. He can’t expect double teams all night, either. Smith and his coaches have to develop a quick rhythm passing game that stares right into the face of the Big 12’s baddest man and throws right over his head. If the Owls spend all night trying to scheme away from Suh, or run around him, the plan will fall to pieces.

As for Suh – if he makes a blowup tackle or a big sack on the opening series or two, the Memorial Stadium crowd will lose its collective head and suck much of the energy out of the Owls. One memorable quality about Grant Wistrom, the last NU defensive lineman of this magnitude: He knew how to say hello on the first drive.

Attack Zac, Zac Attack: When a defense is overmatched, as FAU’s most certainly is, the coordinator is wise to narrow down the number of players who can beat his crew.

If the Owls’ strength is coverage, for example, and NU has relatively inexperienced wide receivers catching passes from a very inexperienced quarterback, the logic flows like this: Put eight guys in the box, dare NU quarterback Zac Lee to throw deep balls into one-on-one coverage, and dare the Huskers’ receivers to do something about it.

"He's new and we want to test him, but to do that we have to make them put it in the air," FAU cornerback Torvoris Hill said.

Western Michigan tried that last year, and Joe Ganz smoked the Broncos with a 61-yard touchdown bomb to Nate Swift that put away WMU for good. Baylor tried the same strategy to nullify Nebraska’s quick WR screen game. Once again, Ganz found Swift behind the coverage for a 60-yard backbreaker of a touchdown.

Just because it burned Western Michigan and BU, doesn’t mean FAU shouldn’t try it. After all, Lee could crumble under the pressure. We doubt it – he’s got more physical skills than Ganz - but he could. Or Nebraska’s receivers, unaccustomed to running deep routes, might not be up for the challenge.

Either way, Nebraska should expect an eight-man box. An option game can loosen it up. A properly timed zone read can, too. Or perhaps, when FAU picks its poison, Lee turns out to be more toxic than the Owls expected.

Young Guns: Great movies, weren’t they? No, they weren’t, but Lou Diamond Phillips was in both of them. Lou also made a movie called “Sioux City,” set in, you guessed it – Nebraska? Apparently “South Sioux City” didn’t make the cut as a title.

We digress.

Nebraska’s roster is stuffed with freshmen, redshirt freshmen and sophomores, many of whom are “Bo guys” he either recruited, or found toiling as walk-ons (Lance Thorell and Mathew May fit this bill).

The youngest of these will make mistakes Saturday. That’s not a specific indictment on them. That’s the nature of football. New guys screw up in their first handful of games, and hopefully they’re athletic enough to adjust on the fly. There probably hasn’t been a more dominant true freshman in NU’s history than Ahman Green, but the prevailing opinion upon his arrival was “Well, he’s no Lawrence Phillips.” Even though, two years later, he was most certainly was.

The Specials: We tend to harp on special teams quite a bit around here, and it’s for reason: It’s a hidden, often misunderstood component of the game that should be won, game in and game out, by the bigger, deeper program.
In the NFL, of course, mandatory roster sizes balance it out. But in college, home teams – especially home teams in major conferences – have the distinct advantage of using athletic specialists (talented redshirt freshmen like Alonzo Whaley and P.J. Smith, useful walk-ons like Wes Cammack, gunners like Rickey Thenarse) where Sun Belt teams are forced to use starters.

So, fatigue, execution and field position becomes an issue. Throw in Nebraska punter/kicker Alex Henery, and NU should be able to create 7-10 points (directly or indirectly) off of this advantage alone.

See also: Guess The Score!

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It’s one of the odder transitions you’ll ever find Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini make.

Literally seconds after saying he’d kicked junior running back Quentin Castille off the team, Pelini pulled out a white index card and announced the dreams of six in-state Husker walk-ons had come true: They were put scholarship for the 2009 season.

Senior linebacker Colton Koehler, senior wide receiver Wes Cammack, senior offensive linemen Derek Meyer, junior kicker Alex Henery, junior tight end Dreu Young and sophomore center Mike Caputo will be scholarship players this year. All six should play one role or another on this current squad. Henery is considered one of the best kickers in the nation, while Young, Koehler and Caputo played often in 2008. Cammack is one of NU’s best tacklers on special teams.

“This is a great group of guys and it is great to be able to have the ability to recognize their contributions by placing them on scholarship,” Pelini said. “Each of those guys has shown a great commitment to our football program, and they do things the right way on and off the field.”

Pelini said there were more walk-ons who were deserving of scholarships, and he continues to strive toward rewarding them eventually, as well. Sophomore WILL linebacker Mathew May and sophomore nickel back Lance Thorell would have to be, presumably, high on that list.

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Bo Pelini called the Nebraska football team’s Saturday practice/scrimmage a “good long go,” and indeed it was, a three-hour workout inside the empty Memorial Stadium, where workers are busy putting the finishing touches on the old ship before the 2009 season kicks off.

“We got a lot accomplished,” said the NU head coach. “It was obvious to me that, after watching it, we have a long way to go as a football team, but we’re seeing some good things, too. We’re coming along, we’re well on our way, but we have a long journey ahead of us.”

Pelini said the “effort was good” during the hour-long scrimmage but, “we were sloppy at times, especially with penalties.” NU ran around “50-60 plays.” It ended just before a warm, afternoon rain began to fall.

Said offensive line coach Barney Cotton: “They came to work today. There were certain things we wanted to look at; it wasn’t a continuity kind of scrimmage as far as calling the exact same stuff you’d normally call. But they brought their lunch buckets to work today.”

Quarterback Zac Lee, Pelini said is beginning to develop strong chemistry with the rest of the offense.

“His confidence is growing every day, and as soon as that happens, you see the confidence growing around him,” Pelini said. “The offensive guys feel a sense that he’s ready to step in and lead this team. I think everyone would agree they’re seeing the right things from Zac.”

Pelini also praised the special teams units, which expects to be better than they were last year, especially in kick and punt coverage.

“Our steps are better,” Pelini said. “Our protection is better.”

Preseason All-Big 12 kicker Alex Henery and Brett Maher are in “ongoing competition” for the starting punter job, and Pelini said new snappers trying to replace T.J. O’Leary have “done well.”

“Alex has looked good,” Pelini said. “He’s really confident back there. He wants the job. I think it’s going to be a good battle as we go through camp.”

Nebraska also has “a lot of options” at punt returner, as well.

The Huskers now get a day off Sunday, their first of fall camp.

“We’ll give them some rest,” Pelini said. “We have a lot to accomplish in the next week.”

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It’s one of the three phases, right? And it literally saved Nebraska’s hide in a 40-31 win over Colorado.

So of course we’ve got five fall camp questions for NU’s special teams units. Click here for the offensive questions and here for the defensive questions.

Now – let’s get to it.

What can Alex Henery do for an encore?

He can punt, that’s what, and Nebraska needs a good one. Field position is a defense’s best friend, and too often in 2008, previous punter Dan Titchener wasn’t up to the task. We’ve seen Henery thump some real bombs in practice, but that’s just practice. NU will be better off if Henery wins the job over walk-on Brett Maher, but not if it distracts him from what he does well – which is boot game-winning, mind-boggling field goals.

Snapper? Holder? Anyone?

T.J. O’Leary and Jake Wesch have left the building, so these two jobs are as wide open as the Nebraska prairie. NU would like to see true freshman walk-on P.J. Mangieri – one of the nation’s best pure high school snappers – assume that role for four years for the Huskers, and maybe take that skill to the NFL. As for holder…well, if Henery’s the punter, too, then it can’t be him. We’d prefer a backup quarterback, but we won’t pitch a Joe Thiesmann fit if it doesn’t happen. Just know that, when you least want it to happen, these two little roles can botch a perfectly simple punt or field goal try.

On punt returns - Niles Paul or the pups?

Paul wasn’t exactly inspiring in the role early last year before Nate Swift took it over (again) and did a fine job. There would be seem to be plenty of candidates for this role – Antonio Bell, Tim Marlowe, Rex Burkhead, Khiry Cooper – but, of course, they’ll have to earn it. NU chose the conservative route with Swift in 2008, and it actually paid off.

True freshmen on the coverage teams?

Last year, Bo Pelini’s massive redshirting campaign probably kept some excellent candidates from helping out in the special teams department, although Alfonzo Dennard and Mason Wald (since departed) lent their hands to the cause. How does Pelini, and special teams guy John Papuchis, revamp that plan in 2009? Business as usual, use the redshirts from last year, or populate those units with true freshmen, presuming they’re ready? We wouldn’t be shocked if a guy like Dijon Washington takes on the Dennard/Rickey Thenarse role on this year’s squad.

Can Adi Kunalic continue the magic?

He’s the best kickoff specialist in the nation – when he kicks a touchback. When Kunalic doesn’t boot it beyond the end zone, his low, driving boots tend to be quite returnable. Supposedly he’s worked on angled kicks, pop-up kicks, and the like. Hopefully Nebraska fans see the fruits of his labor in 2009.

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Every so often, you glance at the great history of college football, and you probably wonder, as I do: How did a flyover state full of sandy hills, prairie grass and homesteads ever fight its way into the royalty of the game? And, more than that, how did it do so a full decade after World War II?

We don’t ask that question, I find, because we don’t know. In fact, we know the answer by heart. And, sometimes, it’s simply too long and rich to tell at a dinner party, right? We ask ourselves just as a reminder how extraordinary an achievement it really is. And how that achievement defined this state, spoke to its work ethic and pride and faith. It is not a small thing, what’s been done at NU. That’s why it’s so important. And that’s why, rhetorically, we ask.

Unquestionably, a part of that answer is the walk-on program. As depicted in the newest NET documentary “Walk On: Huskers Edge,” you get a terrific sense of how and why those young, sacrificial men - often from dusty farm towns that hug our state’s two-lane highways - volunteered to serve the Cornhuskers with little reward and no guarantees. They took that famous admonition from President Kennedy and made it their own: Ask not what Nebraska can do for you, but what you can do for Nebraska.

And as scholarship limits got tighter, the need for the walk-ons went up. You know the scores of guys who came through here, on their own dime, and won games, awards, jobs in the NFL. We won’t list them again.

Now, in this era of 85 scholarships, and an era when technology allows high school players to reach out and touch their dream of college football, every team – not just Nebraska – has to use its walk-on program wisely.

It’s an excellent place to develop kickers, punters, long snappers, coverage gunners and holders. It’s helpful for overall depth when injuries strike. Occasionally the walk-on pool will produce a dynamic athlete like Matthew May, an Imperial kid who played for a great football program out near Panhandle, and didn’t get the attention he deserved.

Some would argue walk-ons provide a character boost, that “Rudy” quality that wills the more talented scholarship players to excel. That can be true, and has been true, often, at Nebraska. And that can be false. After all, walk-ons are 18-22-year-old kids, just like the rest of the players.

The best possible scenario is that the walk-on pool is a combination of all those things. A launching pad for late bloomers. A training ground for future coaches. An inspiration to the fans. A way to keep NU connected to the high school programs, and the state in general. You get excellent stories, like that of Derek Meyer, who left Kansas State, and turned down transfer offers to Western Michigan and San Diego State, for a shot at one year with the Big Red.

But the walk-on industry, like anything else, has changed. The economy has changed, recruiting has changed, the world has changed. The romance is largely gone.

Let’s be clear: Head coach Bo Pelini, undoubtedly with the guidance of athletic director Tom Osborne, has improved the perception of walk-ons at NU. Pelini produces a list of committed walk-ons on Signing Day. Then, he refuses to talk about any one player – scholarship or walk-on - individually. He integrates preferred walk-ons into summer conditioning. There’s a Walk-On Club designed to support the funding of walk-on program. To his credit, Pelini neither patronizes walk-ons nor pretends to merely tolerate them. They’re just part of the group. As it should be.

But it’s getting harder to draw walk-ons to Nebraska – or anywhere, for that matter. Division I FCS and Division II programs are getting more sophisticated, more savvy, with their recruiting tools. Especially schools in the Dakotas. South Dakota State can offer a talented Nebraska kid a chance to play Division I competition on scholarship, rather than the kid footing the bill at NU. (This is one of the reasons Nebraska shouldn’t play SDSU). And UNO, with new AD Trev Alberts, will make some waves with its future recruiting classes. Just watch.

Why? With the rising cost of college, kids, and their parents, are going to listen. They have to listen. Their 401k has been raided by the stock market. Half of their investments have vanished. And God didn’t make every kid to be a classroom whiz who can cobble together a bunch of academic scholarships.

Walk-ons have always been about sacrifice. But, for some of them, the off-the-field price may be too high.

Another issue: I’m not sure, with the present state of high school football in Nebraska, that NU actually can draw as many players as it would like. Pelini and Co. wants speed. Track guys. Shawn Watson’s offense requires gifted tight ends and receivers, and that’s still not something the state provides in great supply. Nebraska’s gone to recruiting absolutely giant offensive linemen – almost all of them taller than 6-5 – and the state’s just not going to provide many of those. NU’s lone in-state recruit, 6-6 tackle, Andrew Rodriguez, is originally from New York City.

Finally, there’s this: High school programs are no longer tied at the hip to NU. They’ll send their kids where they can play. Pelini can’t just waltz into Omaha and have his pick or scholarship or walk-on players. Iowa has a relationship at a few schools, including Millard North. Kansas has connections within the city, and at the most consistent program in Western Nebraska, McCook. Now Oregon, after offering a scholarship to Daryle Hawkins, has an in at Omaha Central.

So we’ll see. Nebraska’s done well, so far, with its rhetoric about reviving the program. Bill Callahan didn’t exactly kill it, mind you – after all, Matt O’Hanlon and Colton Koehler, both potential starters on the 2009 NU defense, began as Callahan-era walk-ons – but he…well, you know the story.

Point is – even if Nebraska wants a return to the halcyon days of the walk-on program, it may not be possible. And utopia shouldn’t be the goal, anyway.

Rather, NU should use its walk-on program wisely and efficiently. Now that Callahan is gone, Husker fans don’t have to argue its importance anymore. Pelini, Osborne and director of football operations Jeff Jamrog all appreciate its worth.

It doesn’t matter how small or large the walk-on program at Nebraska is. It doesn’t need to be our version of the Peace Corps. It just needs to be strong. And if it’s that – then it’s the right size.

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One day after the media selected Nebraska to win the Big 12 North, it tabbed NU defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh its Preseeason Player of the Year in the league. Suh finished 76 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss and two defensive touchdowns.

No Blackshirt has won the award since Grant Wistrom in 1996 and 1997.

Suh is also on the Big 12's preseason first team.

He's joined there by kicker Alex Henery. Henery made 18-21 field goals last year, including a 57-yarder - The Kick Heard Round Nebraska - to help beat Colorado 40-31. Henery has a shot to be NU's punter in 2009, as well.

Sam Bradford beat out Colt McCoy for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor - featured in our BU breakdown - won Newcomer of the Year.

On the entire first-team itself, there are only four players from the entire Big 12 North: Henery, Suh, Kansas receiver Dez Briscoe and KU defensive back Darrell Stuckey. Texas, surprisingly, only has four players. Oklahoma has twice as many, with eight. Oklahoma State boasts five.

Read the entire list here.

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