Taylor Martinez had just exploded for a 46-yard touchdown in his first career carry as Nebraska’s starting quarterback, igniting into a frenzy the Memorial Stadium crowd - expectant after hearing of Martinez’s talents and exploits for an entire summer.

Martinez, in that moment, was feeling chills. He said as much - in as few words as possible - in his brief post-game interview that easily trumped Bo Pelini in terms of brevity.

“It felt awesome,” he said.

But as he jogged to the sideline he didn’t betray a single emotion after one of the most spectacular opening runs in any Husker career. Another day at the office. His first, mind you.

“It’s so easy to him,” wide receiver Brandon Kinnie said. “It’s like it’s nothing. No facial expressions. No nothing. It’s like - whatever. Are you going to say something? Talk? Jump? Something?”

If not the initial touchdown, then maybe Martinez, a native of Corona, California, had a smile for his final line: 127 yards rushing on 7 carries and 136 yards passing on 9 completions?

“I was all right,” Martinez said. “I can play a lot better.”

He doth protest too much. The debut was auspicious. It had been nearly seven years since a Nebraska quarterback had rushed for 100 yards. And more than a decade since a redshirt freshman had done it. Martinez needed all of five carries to hit triple digits in a 49-10 blowout win over Western Kentucky Saturday night.

Officially named the starter after a month-long, three-man quarterback race, he certainly didn’t disappoint the 85,555 fans packed into Memorial Stadium on a gorgeous night. Head coach Bo Pelini and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson tabbed the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder on Monday and gave him most of the repetitions during the week.

“It’s your call,” Watson said Pelini told him. So the OC picked Martinez, who separated himself, Watson said, because of his “explosive plays.”

And while sophomore backup Cody Green hit 5-of-6 passes for 66 yards and senior Zac Lee looked sharp in mop-up duty, Martinez did indeed have the explosive plays. Runs of 46, 43, 19 and 15 yards, all on zone read plays. Two long passes to running back Rex Burkhead.

“The kid can make some plays,” Watson said. “We all see it. It’s really obvious in practice. If you’re inch wrong, you’re in trouble. He’ll hurt you…I don’t know how fast he is. No one around here really does. We just know he’s football fast.”

NU totaled 536 yards - the most since the 2008 Kansas State - averaged 8.8 yards per carry and 10 yards per pass attempt. Every time Nebraska snapped the ball, it nearly gained a first down.

Pelini said Martinez managed the team OK, too, although NU burned a couple timeouts on Martinez’s watch.

“You saw tonight he could execute any part of the game,” Pelini said.

He wouldn’t say the same for his defense, which gave up 299 total yards and 179 on the ground.

“It was an absolute embarrassment,” Pelini said. “I thought it was coached poorly and that starts with me. I don’t like anything we did defensively.”

The Huskers did have a few standout plays - safety Dejon Gomes saved a touchdown by stripping the ball from WKU’s Bobby Rainey at the goal line, while P.J. Smith recorded an interception - but they often seemed a step behind running plays, using their speed and athleticism to catch up. It didn’t always work.

With two linebackers - Alonzo Whaley and LaVonte David - getting the first starts of their careers, Nebraska struggled to line up correctly or in time for the snap. After holding WKU to 80 total yards in the first half, the Huskers gave up 219 in the second stanza. Rainey rushed for 155 yards.

“I think we got a little too locked in our assignments instead of making the call,” said David, a junior college transfer who nevertheless was all over the field, finishing with 13 tackles.

Nebraska lost linebackers Sean Fisher and Will Compton in fall camp.

The offense carried the night, however, starting in the first quarter.

After WKU (0-1) opened the game with a punt, Martinez converted a third-and-one into a 46-yard touchdown when he faked to Roy Helu, cut left toward the sideline, and sprinted in for the score, holding up the No. 1 as he crossed the goal line. Martinez scored a touchdown on the first carry of his high school career, as well.

“I was hoping I was going to do the same thing,” Martinez said.

On the next drive, Martinez hit running back Rex Burkhead for a 28-yard gain. Two plays later, Burkhead scored on a sweep from 20 yards out. Green, entering the game in the second quarter, also led a 34-yard touchdown drive.

Martinez then opened the second half with runs of 43 and 19 yards, the last of which went for a touchdown. He again scored on a 15-yard scamper later in the third quarter in which he broke three tackles. NU led 35-3.

WKU hit back for a touchdown on its ensuing 80-yard drive. Rainey capped it off with a five-yard plunge into the end zone.

Green reentered the game led a 86-yard drive, finding wide receiver Niles Paul for a 33-yard touchdown on a deep post route.

“Two outings, two touchdowns,” Green said. “Any quarterback would be happy with that. Especially with the efficiency that we had. There were only three drives where we didn’t score a touchdown. You gotta be happy with that.”

Later, third-stringer Lee entered the game and he, too, led a touchdown drive. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 45 yards.

“All three handled it really well,” Watson said.

Martinez got the accolades, though, heading in front of the media for the first time in his Husker career.

“It’s going to change a lot,” he said of life after Saturday night. “I think I’m ready for it.”

See also: Saturday Night Magic and Report Card

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Let’s be honest: It’d take some kind of disaster not to beat Western Kentucky, the first team in Steve Pederson’s parting gift to Nebraska fans. (Just wait until next year! Ha!)
So the first five keys of the 2010 season would be wasted on the Hilltoppers. We’ll take the longer view, and provide five simple goals for the year as a whole. That is - if Nebraska wants to live up to realistic expectations.

And what are those?

In ascending order of difficulty: 11-1 regular season. A BCS Bowl. A Big 12 Championship.

Yep. No kidding. And barring some cataclysmic injuries along the offensive line - no excuses.

This year is the perfect storm of comfortable schedule, Bill Callahan’s best recruits and Bo Pelini’s development.

The defense is stocked with NFL talent coached by one of the game’s best defensive minds. The senior class is young, but big. The lines are deeper. The special teams units are among the nation’s best. And whether he plays nice with the media or he doesn’t, Bo has a team sold on his culture. For them and for him, it works.

It took a couple different guys to build it - but Nebraska, in 2010, is indeed back.

Now - five keys to proving it:

*A quarterback who wins games instead of not losing them: Bo’s a bit stuck here and I think we know it. In Taylor Martinez, he has a potentially explosive playmaker who will - because they all do - make rookie mistakes. Cody Green has the talent, but occasionally seems to distrust it and hesitate. Zac Lee throws the ball with gusto and can generally move the chains, but he’s an imperfect fit for the Bo’s vision. Plus, there were times in 2009 when he made utterly perplexing decisions.

If Bo knew Lee could handle the play-in, play-out pressure, I think, over the long haul of the season, he’d win the job. Initially, Husker fans can expect Martinez and Green to get a shot making a big splash in the dress rehearsals before Seattle.

*An offense that willingly throws on first down and purposefully runs on third and short: Shawn Watson should be creative, yet forcefully simple in certain moments. It’s not easy - but Watson knows how to do it. And if he needs to scheme around some weaknesses at quarterback, he does so with a passing game that zigs when the defense zags, and a running game that picks up tough yards when it must. Yes, you need depth and health on the offensive line to do that. For the first time since 2004, NU truly has it. Now - rebuild that Pipeline.

*Beating Texas: It’s damn important. Nebraska’s season leads up to and falls away from that mid-October game. The boost of confidence and momentum these still-wondering Huskers would get from upending the Longhorns could carry them through the end of year. UT, no matter what its record going into Oct. 16, would be a marquee win. It’s more been more than a decade. It’s time. A loss there, on national TV with the whole RedOut thing, will make for a testy last half of the season.

*A middle that can stop the run: NU’s cornerbacks are too experienced and athletic to consistently burn, and I think the front four, as a group, will rush the passer better in 2010 than it did in 2009. But Nebraska plays enough power football teams - Washington, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Colorado - that the central core of the Huskers’ defense - especially linebacker LaVonte David and safeties Anthony West and Dejon Gomes - will be tested. Nebraska’s D is among the fastest in the country. But it is nowhere near the biggest.

*The season Niles Paul’s been waiting for: And beyond Paul, the NU receivers as a whole. The senior from Omaha is unquestionably one of Nebraska’s leaders. The better he goes, the more effective his leadership is. As a triple threat - receiver/returner/ball carrier - Paul only has one equal in the Big 12 - Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles - but he needs to ratchet up his game one more notch. And Nebraska has to get him the ball. Mike McNeill and Brandon Kinnie need to a solid, smart supporting cast. Kinnie’s time is still to come 2011. In 2010, he needs to exploit defenses that choose to double Paul.

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Got a quarterback?

Wait until Saturday’s kickoff vs. Western Kentucky, said head coach Bo Pelini.

Pressed for details, Pelini said he wouldn’t answer any more quarterback questions.

“I’ll answer any quarterback questions Saturday,” he said.

Quickly dispensing with any more questions, Pelini briskly left the field, A half-hour later, he sent out a statement that linebacker Will Compton had hurt his foot and would be out for “some time.”

On with the report:

Particulars: Nebraska practiced in helmets and shorts Thursday inside and outside the Hawks Center. The workout ended before 6:00 on a gorgeous day

What’s New: Sophomore linebacker Will Compton is sidelined indefinitely with a foot injury. Freshman defensive tackle Chase Rome and sophomore left guard Brandon Thompson will not play in the first game.

Coach Quote: “I don’t think we’re at our best. It’s only going into game one. I expect us to play well, that’s why you play the game. I’ve said it before; we’re not the finished product yet. When you’re going into the first game you have to find out where you are. That is what I expect to do, I expect us to play well.” - Head Coach Bo Pelini

Notes:

***Pelini said no official recruiting visitors will be in town for the game. Right now, players appear to be stocking up for Oct. 16 vs. Texas and Oct. 30 vs. Missouri

Next Practice: A walkthrough Friday.

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Just two days before the season opener vs. Western Kentucky, Nebraska linebacker corps took its second big blow of the fall.

Sophomore Will Compton - the likely starter at one of two linebacker positions - will be sidelined indefinitely with a foot injury, head coach Bo Pelini announced in a statement. Pelini released the statement after notifying Compton’s family.

“Will was injured during practice today,” Pelini said. “After practice we were able to confirm that he will be out for some time. We have informed his family about the injury, and we will know more about Will’s status going forward in the next few days.”

In Compton’s stead, sophomores Eric Martin and Alonzo Whaley, plus junior Mathew May could slide into a potential starting role. Junior college transfer LaVonte David appears to be a favorite to start at the other linebacker position based on his strong camp.

In mid-August, sophomore Sean Fisher was lost for the season with a broken leg.

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*The first two years are brutal: You’ll hear it for, let’s see, two years.

*A lack of geographic continuity: It should have been an east/west split. We’ll go to the grave with that position. It provided a much easier template for future expansion and could have preserved all of the natural rivalries.

*The Michigan State trip: It’s a long way to Lansing, a thoroughly blue collar town that’s not known for being a fan destination. Think of, say, Manhattan. Only colder and many more miles away. Worthy football team, though.

*Northwestern? Nah. Husker fans will probably enjoy flooding Chicago and the Wildcats’ old, often empty stadium, but NW is mostly a trap game in football. Would have preferred Illinois.

*Infrequent trips to the Horseshoe: Yes, it’s good to be in the division opposite the Big Ten juggernaut. But Ohio Stadium defines the league right now, both in iconography and home to most of the league’s important games.

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Almost three months after Nebraska took up residence in the Big Ten, the league Wednesday announced which wing of the house the Huskers would live in.

NU, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Northwestern are on one side in the "O" division.

Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin are on the other in the "X" division.

The divisions are football-only. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said basketball coaches and athletic directors will "chart their own course" on a schedule.

The Huskers' designated cross-divisional game: Penn State

The Huskers' season-ending game: Iowa

Nebraska will play eight conference games until 2015, when the league shifts to nine.

The 2011 and 2012 conference schedules are nothing short of brutal - and exciting for Husker fans - as NU will play arguably the top six teams in the league: UM, OSU, UW, Iowa, PSU and MSU.

"I thought, 'Whoa, what are we doing here?" NU athletic director Tom Osborne joked on the Big Ten Network.

In a statement, Osborne said: “The schedule will be challenging, but also interesting for our players, coaches and fans. Nebraska is not a voting member at this time so we were not able to vote on the schedule, but I was allowed to provide input."

Said Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini: “I know the Big Ten Conference has made a great effort to create divisions that are competitive and fair, while protecting rivalries, and I am confident they have done that. I know it is exciting for our fans to think about, but that is a year away."

The 2011 slate:

10/1 at Wisconsin

10/8 Ohio State

10/15 Bye

10/22 at Minnesota

10/29 Michigan State

11/5 Northwestern

11/12 at Penn State

11/19 at Michigan

11/26 Iowa

And 2012:

9/29 Wisconsin

10/6 at Ohio State

10/13 Bye

10/20 at Northwestern

10/27 Michigan

11/3 at Michigan State

11/10 Penn State

11/17 Minnesota

11/24 at Iowa

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Here are offensive coordinator Shawn Watson's comments following Tuesday practice.

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Here's Jared Crick's comments from the Nebraska press conference Tuesday afternoon.

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Call it Steve Pederson’s parting gift, Nebraska’s 2010 season opener against a Western Kentucky team that hasn’t won since 2008 and is currently gnawing on a 20-game losing streak.

The former athletic director attended the Bill Snyder school of non-conference scheduling, larding September with no-names and also-rans in an effort to build annual momentum for his hand-picked head coach Bill Callahan.

The upshot now is a game tailor-made for NU’s quarterback experiment.

Even if WKU is sporting a new coaching staff that leaves Husker assistants guessing, just a little, how the Hilltoppers will line up.

“The pressure is on the coaches to prepare the guys for any contingency,” defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. “I feel that pressure. I’m sure every coach on our staff does. There’s going to be a lot of adjustments required early…you just can’t be surprised if nothing you’ve worked on is what you see.”

Obviously Pelini was talking about WKU’s offense, which returns nine starters from a spread scheme that averaged 20 points and 321 yards in 2009. First-year head coach Willie Taggart assisted Jim Harbaugh at Stanford - and quarterbacked for Harbaugh’s dad at Western Kentucky - so his background is in the West Coast Offense.

“Western Kentucky’s personnel is as different from night and day as what was at Stanford,” Pelini said.

He presumes NU will see a mix of the two, but his staff has cast as wide a net as possible in preparing the Blackshirts.

“What you don’t ever want to do is guess and say: ‘This is what they’re going to be,’” he said.

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has it easier. WKU’s new defensive coordinator is Clint Bowen, whom Watson torched while Bowen coached at Kansas in 2008 and 2009. Nebraska racked up more total yards against KU’s defense - 410 - than against any other Big 12 opponent. Bowen is switching WKU’s 3-4 attack to a 4-3 with the help of nine returning starters.

“I’ve faced him for a long time,” Watson said. “I know him fairly well. I know what he likes to do.”

Watson pointed to WKU free safety Mark Santoro - who finished 2009 with 91 tackles - and middle linebacker Thomas Majors - who finished with 101 - as the Hilltoppers’ standouts on defense.

On offense, Western Kentucky’s most dynamic weapon is inconsistent quarterback Kawaun Jakes, who threw for 1,516 yards and rushed for 366 in 2009. He threw for 276 yards in a 38-22 loss to Navy.

“They have a very agile quarterback,” defensive tackle Jared Crick said. “He can hurt you if he gets out.”

On with the report:

Particulars: Nebraska practiced in full pads for a little more than two hours on the fields east of the Hawks Championship Center in hot and muggy weather. Players filed slowly past media reps Tuesday while several stayed behind to work on drills.

What’s New: Nebraska held its first official press conference of the season, and threw Carl Pelini into the rotation. Shawn Watson will come next week. It’s a great addition to the Tuesday roster.

Coach Quote: “It’s always the same. It’s a nerve-wracking time setting up for the first game. Wouldn’t matter if we brought all 11 guys back. The emotions would be the same. You’d feel untested.” - Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini on first-game jitters

Player Quote: “It's a big statement game, I guess you could say. Come out and just prove to everybody, like Coach Pelini said, we are back and we're here to stay. Just to make plays and be that hardcore, hardnosed football team.” - Wide receiver Brandon Kinnie

Player Quote II: “Honestly, every day out there was a fight. And that’s not a fistfight. That’s us out there competing. Our intensity level was so high.” - Wide receiver Niles Paul on fall camp

Notes:

***Ready for those Big Ten Divisions? NU director of football operations Jeff Jamrog said on Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesday night the divisions will be announced Wednesday.

***Head coach Bo Pelini said Brandon Thompson is likely out for Saturday with a sprained ankle. He reported no other specific injuries.

***Pelini expressed confidence in new left tackles Jeremiah Sirles and Yoshi Hardrick, but he tossed in a contingency plan at his presser: Moving over one of the right tackles, D.J. Jones or Marcel Jones - currently locked in a battle for the starting job - if necessary. Look for that to be Marcel Jones if it happens.

“We have two right tackles that have experience and one of those guys can always move over to left,” Pelini said. “We have some movable parts there. We feel like our depth at tackle is pretty good.”

***It’s hard to rank the “best” special teams in the country when it’s hard to boil it down into a simple digestible statistic. Phil Steele, using 13 different variables, ranked NU’s 2009 unit No. 16 in the nation. Boise State was No. 1.

But in his 2010 preseason magazine, Steele indicated that NU could top his charts this year. With a returning kicker/punter in Alex Henery, kick/punt returner in Niles Paul, and most of the players on the coverage units, it makes sense.

“I think we've put a lot of work into our special teams - a lot,” Pelini said. “I think we're further ahead. I think we have a lot of returning players in that aspect of the game. I feel real good about where we are and where we're headed in that phase of the game. We've put a lot of emphasis into it in spring ball and through camps.”

***Media emphasis on the quarterback position has left the running game a bit off in the corner, ignored although it’s a bigger part of the offense than in years past. Then again, Nebraska hasn’t exceeded 200 rushing yards per game since 2003 - when Frank Solich was head coach. Its highest total since then: 176 in 2004. NU averaged 147 yards last year.

Pelini has repeatedly said Nebraska rededicated itself to being physical in the offseason, streamlining the schemes to make it easier for linemen to block and running backs to find holes.

“If anybody is overlooking the running game I promise you it is not the offices downstairs,” Pelini said. “That is something that is always going to be an emphasis with us.”

Next Practice: Wednesday, likely the last “heavy” practice of the week.

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Bo Pelini finally dished the dirt on his tenth-string quarterback.

“It’s a lefty who’s the head coach,” Bo joked, in one of his rare moments of levity this August.

And he explained why he hasn’t announced a starter between Zac Lee, Cody Green and Taylor Martinez yet, too.

“I don’t want it to become a circus,” he said.

Three rings. Clever, Bo.

More: “I don’t want them to deal with the scrutiny and all the other things that are going to go on. . If and when the announcement is made we handle that so we do the right thing by the kids. Not only the kid who’s going to be the starter but the kids who aren’t going to walk out there the first time. Because the competition’s ongoing.”

Well, OK.

Except that Lee is a senior who started 12 games last year. This isn’t his first, you know, circus.

And Green’s so chatty he could run for head antler down at the Elks Club. Even if Green uneasily wears the quarterback crown - his jittery play last suggested it - he doesn’t show it with the press.

That leaves, fittingly, the elephant in the room. The SoCal mystery magician.

I’m not calling Bo’s shot here. But you can damn well bet there’d be some message board clowns and bearded ladies chatting up the ascension of Taylor Martinez until the wee hours of morning, if that, indeed, is the direction Bo wants to head.

What to make of Martinez? Well, he wasn’t shot Tuesday, as some fans mistakenly believed after some genius editor at ESPN.com ran a Web headline that read “Taylor Martinez’s shot in Lincoln.” (You want evidence of the decline in education? Apparently some have forgotten the art of the apostrophe.) He can’t talk to the media, so we hacks can’t roll our bones or pass our tea leaves over his answers. He had a handful of nice plays in the Red/White Game, but that was at least two Texas ultimatums and three Missouri moans ago.

Is he that much more than a wild card? He must be to keep Bo from tabbing Lee, an eminently safe, solid pick, as Saturday’s starter. But what has he proven, really?

Maybe that’s why you start him Saturday.

Make Martinez produce right away, in a game that’s theoretically still in doubt. Put the pressure on. If Lee starts and stakes NU to a 14-point lead, Martinez has a built-in comfort level. Scoring the opening touchdown of the season, in front of 85,000 expectant fans, is different from scoring the third one.

That’s a risk of course. More for Martinez. But for Bo, too.

Green is now the wild card. He was last year’s version of Martinez as he dazzled reporters early last year with big runs and great quotes. Then Pick Six at Baylor and a shaky start vs. Oklahoma soured us on his prospects. Green needs time - more than Lee, and perhaps more than Martinez - to settle in and run the offense consistently.

He’s not a “quick twitch” guy. Give Green a six games to learn from his mistakes and he may be more the complete package than either one of them. But how much time does a national title contender have?

This we know: Bo is the Big 12 outlier when it comes to picking a starting quarterback. Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech all had competitions during fall camp. All of them picked a starter last week. Tech’s Tommy Tuberville - selecting Taylor Potts over fan and team favorite Sticks Sheffield - took a ton of heat for basing his decision off of what amounted to one scrimmage. And yet, he pulled the trigger.

Bo will wait, the better to delay the circus. That may still, I suspect, come to town.

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The clocks ticks for the Nebraska football team toward a game nobody suspects the Huskers will sweat, much less lose, and the questions accompanying NU’s preparation for Western Kentucky are appropriately few and threadbare.

It’s suited Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini just fine, thank you, as he pleasantly met the press after Monday’s workout on the fields east of the Hawks Championship Center. Pelini, who faced even fewer queries during the Big 12 coaches teleconference, said the Huskers needed “better attention to detail” and a full week of practice before kicking off vs. the Hilltoppers.

“There were some mental errors that weren’t up to our standard,” Pelini said. “I saw a lot of good things, too.”

Players interviewed Monday focused on the process of improving - not a WKU team that’s lost 20 straight games dating back to September 2008, and is breaking new offensive and defensive schemes unseen by Nebraska.

“We’re repping stuff over and over and over so it becomes reaction when we get out there,” linebacker Eric Martin. “So we can do it without thinking…I’m not thinking about the game. Just about practice.”

Pelini’s tango with the media on the three-man quarterback race continued in its leaden manner, as reporters posed questions to which, at this point, they can nearly recite the answers.

Are Zac Lee, Cody Green and Taylor Martinez still splitting reps three ways at quarterback?

Bo: “We manage the reps at the quarterback position in a way that we think will enable us to play the best.”

Will the competition extend into the season?

Bo: “That’s how the culture of this program is built - ongoing competition. It’s a constant evaluation.”

Do the quarterbacks know who’s starting?

Bo: “No…I wouldn’t tell you if I did.”

For you behavioral psych majors out there - Pelini was smiling during that last bit.

On with the report:

Particulars: Nebraska practiced Monday in full pads on the fields outside the Hawks Championship center in unseasonably hot weather. You could feel the storms a-comin in the humidity of the air.

What’s New: Austin Cassidy received NU’s 85th scholarship. On the injury front, unknown. Reporters did not ask Monday and appear to be on a need-to-know basis.

Coach Quote: “I know there are some other deserving guys and I think we’ll be able to reward some other guys down the line.” - Head coach Bo Pelini on awarding Austin Cassidy a scholarship

Player Quote: “It’s possible. We’re more comfortable with the scheme this year. That’s a plus. We got a lot more depth. It’s not going to be a letdown if I have to go out of the game. - Senior defensive end Pierre Allen, on whether Nebraska’s defensive line can improve on 2009 without Ndamukong Suh

Notes:

***Pelini announced that backup quarterback LaTravis Washington would play special teams this year. Washington, who moved from linebacker to quarterback in spring 2009, has played sparingly in mop-up duty.

“He’s as good a guy in the locker room as you’re ever going to have,” Pelini said. “We love having him around. Great attitude. He’a a winner.”

***Pelini supported a potential college “exhibition game” or scrimmage during fall camp that helps teams work out kinks on some other team.

“It’d break up the monotony of camp,” Pelini said. “I don’t think that will ever happen with the NCAA. I think that’s an advantage. It gives you a chance to get out there. Even if they let you practice against somebody else it would be good…I’d welcome it.”

***Center Mike Caputo has to work a little extra on snaps each day because he’s dealing with three different quarterbacks of three different sizes and three different styles, shall we say, of taking a snap from under center.

“Everyone’s a little different underneath, but I kind of look at it as their job to adjust,” Caputo joked. “I just snap the ball. Just to be blunt.”

Next Practice: Tuesday. Full pads again. Heavy install days. Coaches and players are typically very tired afterward.

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Tim and Nancy Cassidy were tucking into a meal at Outback Steakhouse when they got “the call” from their son Austin. The call that a couple Husker parents seem to get around this time of year.

Cassidy, a junior safety, told them he was no longer a walk-on in Nebraska’s football program. In front of the entire team, head coach Bo Pelini Friday night had awarded him the team’s lone open scholarship.

“They couldn’t stop crying,” Cassidy said. “They were pretty excited.”

After an initial bout of disbelief, so was their son.

As Nebraska gathered for its meeting after Friday’s practice, Cassidy had no clue he was about to get NU’s 85th scholarship. Neither did his teammates. Pelini made a short speech about the value of walk-ons, then said “scholarship,” then said “Cassidy.”

This is your life, Austin.

“I was in shock,” Cassidy said. “I didn’t know what to do. I just sat there.”

NU team chaplain Matt Penland, nearby, snuck a peek at Cassidy’s expression.

“He said my face didn’t even change,” Cassidy remembered.

Penland glanced back a few seconds later.

“I had a big ol smile on my face,” Cassidy said.

Said Pelini: “We really only had one slot. It’s hard to pick a guy. Austin has done a great job. He’s come a long way. He’s helped this team in a lot of different ways. He’s busted his butt.”

For a program that, after his redshirt freshman season, no longer employed his father, Tim, who worked as director of operations under Bill Callahan for four seasons before taking the same job at Texas A&M, reuniting with close friend and head coach Mike Sherman.

Austin easily could have followed his father to College Station. He knew plenty about the Aggies, which have a walk-on tradition of their own, the 12th Man.

He chose to stay in Lincoln.

“I felt a sense of loyalty and commitment to the guys on the team,” Cassidy said. “I also thought it’d be an opportunity to do some things on my own. Obviously I didn’t go away to college. My parents kind of went away to college. So it was an opportunity to step out on my own and do my own thing.

“That made it that much more worth it. I know I did it on my own.”

Cassidy is a jack-of-all-trades on special teams - he’s in the running to the be team’s holder in 2010, and he hopes to serve on all of the coverage units - while splitting time at Peso and free safety.

“Just depending on what the coaches want to see,” he said.

Because of his position and story, he’s drawn some comparisons to former Husker Matt O’Hanlon, a free safety who also received his scholarship just before his junior season. Cassidy, close friends with NU’s 2009 interception leader, texted O’Hanlon Saturday night to wish him good luck in a NFL preseason game.

Cassidy didn’t mention a word about the scholarship.

“He’s kinda busy right now,” Cassidy said of O’Hanlon, who’s working to make the New York Giants roster.

But O’Hanlon’s wife sent back a congratulations message.

“It’s kind of a cool club to be in,” Cassidy said. “A lot of people will try to make that comparison. He’s a pretty good guy to be compared to…if you want to put me in the same category with Matt O’Hanlon, I’d be a pretty proud guy.”

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Nebraska’s football team is down to a week before its season opener vs. Western Kentucky, and head coach Bo Pelini has budged as much on a three-man quarterback race as a turkey dinner lost to the permafrost of your garage freezer.

But -

“We have our plan,” Pelini said Saturday in his comments to end NU’s three-week training camp. “You’ll just have to wait and see what it is.”

Get out your tea leaves and roll the bones on those two sentences.

Anyway, don’t expect a depth chart - “I don’t really see any need to do that,” Pelini said - or a conventional answer to NU’s quarterback question. The coach offered up the “ten guy” solution to reporters Saturday. It only takes five to make a overpriced cheeseburger, while ten wouldn’t leave much in the way of offensive linemen on the field.

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Pelini said.

Until next Saturday…

That hot-button issue aside, Pelini declared the 2010 camp a success. Physical. Full of development and growth. NU players confirmed throughout camp that the Huskers’ workouts were more intense than in years past.

“Guys are sick of hitting each other,” Pelini said. “They’re ready to play some football.”

That means Western Kentucky, which Pelini called an “unusual opener” because of a brand-new coaching staff. WKU hasn’t won a game in almost two years.

“It’s not the most ideal situation, but that doesn’t affect our players very much,” he said.

The coach praised senior defensive end Pierre Allen, poised for a breakout year after fighting through a nasty and nagging turf toe injury in 2009.

“He’s had a big-time camp,” Pelini said. “He’s playing really well…healthier, bigger, faster, stronger than he has been. He played at a pretty high level last year. But I think he’s pretty focused on taking it to another level this year.”

On with the report:

Particulars: Nebraska conducted a situational walkthrough Saturday morning instead of a fully-padded practice.

What’s New: NU begins preparation for Western Kentucky. Fall camp ends. What’s been settled? At some positions - not much. The battles for playing time continue.

Coach Quote: “I don’t think you can ever let yourself become comfortable. You’ve got to be on edge. There are certain ways you have to prepare and do things to put a quality product out on the field. That’s where my focus is.” - Head coach Bo Pelini

Coach Quote II: My expectations are a lot higher than anybody else out here. I don’t worry about that. - Pelini, on preseason rankings

Notes:

***Much remains to be seen, but here appear to the true freshman most likely to play in 2010:

Left guard Andrew Rodriguez: Working with the two-deep after a season-ending injury to Mike Smith and some nagging injuries to Brandon Thompson. Rodriguez is raw, coaches and teammates, but possessing a lot of natural ability and talent.

Wide receiver Quincy Enunwa: In the mix at wideout; where, exactly, is unclear. Likely behind the top three of Niles Paul, Brandon Kinnie and Mike McNeill. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said Enunwa is good at catching balls in traffic while Pelini called him “mature.”

Defensive tackle Chase Rome: No surprise that the highly-touted freshman who enrolled early might see the field, even with the defensive tackle spot relatively well-stocked. He’s not exactly a lock to play because he necessarily have to. Carl Pelini said Rome needs to continue to “earn” that time.

Other newcomers, juniors LaVonte David and Yoshi Hardrick, should play as well. Wide receiver Stanley Jean-Baptiste, a sophomore, appears slightly out of the mix for now.

Next Practice: Monday. Game week. Finally.

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Welcome to Husker Heartbeat - a sampling of links and quick wit to start your morning! Keep checking each morning, Monday-Friday, for new links! We look for the offbeat as well as the straightforward - so don’t just think of us as a typical link farm!

A quick abbreviation key FYI: OWH=Omaha World-Herald, LJS=Lincoln Journal-Star, CN=Corn Nation, BRN=Big Red Network, HI=Huskers Illustrated, BRR=Big Red Report. If we need to add more - we will. Others, like ESPN, are self-explanatory.

*Barry Alvarez says Wisconsin and Iowa are in Big Ten different divisions. So scrap the geographic element. The only question now is: Which team will be Nebraska's cross-divsional rival?

*The mercurial Roy Helu talks about taking one for the team.

*Former Nebraska players are helping the fledging UFL Omaha Nighthawks create a buzz.

*There are a lot of cute coaches' wives in the Pac-10.

*Should college football leave the NCAA? AOL Fanhouse thinks so.

*USC's Dillon Baxter lied about teams contacting him after the Trojans' sanctions were announced.

*Jenn Brown replaces Erin Andrews on ESPN's Thursday Night Football. We approved.

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For the first time in this fall camp, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini took on a clipped, irritated tone after his football team’s practice, seemingly unsatisfied with NU’s focus during the two-hour workout outside Hawks Championship Center.

“It was OK,” Pelini said. “Not to my liking. But it was OK. Got a long way to go, though.”

When asked if he was edgy, he replied: “Call it as you may.”

Over four minutes, Pelini didn’t precisely elaborate on Nebraska’s struggles Tuesday.

Sophomore linebacker Will Compton did.

“The mental part what was not there today,” Compton said. “We’ve got to do a better job than that. That was not up to our standard…we’re competing for a national title. The national champion doesn’t just go along each and every day and not put pressure on themselves and work hard. You’ve got to hold yourself up to a national championship standard if you want to compete for it.

“If he says we have a bad day - we’ve got to get it fixed.”

Said senior safety Dejon Gomes: “You’re trying to go out and get better. If you stay the same, in theory you’re losing a practice.”

Pelini shut down questions about the Huskers’ three-man quarterback.

“There’s a chance we could play ten guys,” Pelini quipped. “Anything can happen.”

Asked when he’d decide on a starter, Pelini indicated Sept. 4 - the day of the Western Kentucky game.

“So I’m not answering quarterback questions,” Pelini said.

Ditto for the rest of the depth chart.

“Guys that trot out there for the first play - guys we put out there - are the starters,” Pelini said. “Until then it’s a competition to see who steps up.”

It remains to be seen whether NU will release a depth chart prior to the first game.

Pelini said there were scholarships available to be given to walk-ons, but no decisions had yet been made. The coach reported no injuries.

With the start of fall classes on Monday, Nebraska welcomed the rest of its roster - mostly walk-ons with a handful of scholarship players - but Pelini said practice wouldn’t change much until the end of the week when the Huskers begin preparation for WKU.

On with the report:

Particulars: Nebraska practiced for two hours outside the Hawks Championship Center on one most of the pleasant weather days of August.

What’s New: Several players appeared held out of practice Tuesday, but Pelini reported no serious or significant injuries

Coach Quote: “If people have time to follow twittering and tweeting, then they need to get a job.” - Head coach Bo Pelini, on players’ Twitter accounts. Nebraska apparently has a policy on players having these accounts, but Pelini said it’s handled internally.

Player Quote: “We’re going to have a huge target on our back. Everybody’s going to be out there trying to prove a point on Nebraska as a whole, but especially on our secondary because of how we performed last year.” - Free safety Dejon Gomes on NU’s defensive backs.

Notes:

***Bo Pelini’s sole praise of the evening was reserved for left guard Keith Williams.

“He’s doing really well,” Pelini said. “He has practiced well. He hasn’t missed a rep.”

***Few of Nebraska’s offensive players were tipping their hands in the slightest about the NU quarterback race. Most of them stuck to the “it’s a competition” line.

“They’re all playing well,” receiver Brandon Kinnie said. “We’ll see.”

Said sophomore tight end Kyler Reed: “They’re all great leaders. They’re all out there leading the team with a great huddle presence.”

***To a player, this fall camp in 2010 is more intense than the previous two under Pelini. Part of it is higher stakes. And part of it is a resurgent pride on the part of the offense after struggling for much of 2009.

“We’re being a lot more physical,” Reed said. “We’re proving we can be a lot more physical with our defense. We have a great defense. If we can be physical with them, we feel we can be physical with most people in the country.”

And part of it is the leadership and chattering from receivers Kinnie and Niles Paul.

“It’s intense every day,” Kinnie said. “If it’s not, we make it intense.”

Next Practice: Wednesday. There is no post-practice media access.

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Former Washington tight end Kavario Middleton told HuskersIllustrated.com that he won't be attending Nebraska because of academic conflicts with the NU admissions office.

Over the weekend, head coach Bo Pelini termed Middleton's imminent arrival "premature speculation." Entirely so - as it turned out.

Middleton was dismissed from the Huskies for a violation of team rules. He was one of the top-rated tight ends in the 2008 recruiting class.

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Is the heat ever going to stop? Ugh! OK, six takes:

*My view on the now-ended Nebraska media ban: I held off on commenting until Bo Pelini publicly offered his side Saturday, in part to see if he addressed the basic incongruity of having media availability at practices when he didn’t speak.

Pelini did resolve it by reducing access to those days when only he planned on chatting with the media in the first place. I think it’s better that he’s around after each practice, however briefly, to discuss injuries - if there are any. When game week rolls around, perhaps that will be the plan.

I was more surprised by the crush of media who surrounded Bo on Saturday and then rattled off a bunch of roster questions when even Bo himself, I suspect, figured he’d kick off the post-practice presser by explaining the ban. I dunno. Maybe he didn’t expect it. He certainly had an answer for the query when it came nearly ten minutes into the conversation.

To the point: Nebraska football is a massive operation that pays for nearly everything that is NU’s athletic department, and it is the key reason why the Huskers had a chance at joining the Big Ten and tapping into its massive academic resources.

More than that, it’s a cultural icon. As an expert fly fisherman finds a perfect rhythm to his cast, so too does college football move among us in mid-August. In the midst of a state budget crunch, the Gulf oil spill, boring summer movies, politics as usual and battles over abortion and immigration bills, by God, Nebraska football is one of the few pleasurable things around.

So it’s kind of a big deal. Bo is the program’s chief steward. So he’s kind of a big deal, too. Whether he fully appreciates his value to the state or not yet, the line “How did Bo think practice went yesterday?” is probably the breakfast routine of many Nebraskans, along with their danish and coffee. Whether they thumb to the sports page of their newspaper, turn on talk radio or log on to their favorite Husker Web site, mild-mannered folks in these parts live a little vicariously through the no-nonsense Pelini persona.

Bo should try to see Nebraska football as a regional phenomenon - not merely one bound by state borders. Like the Boston Red Sox or Atlanta Braves or Utah Jazz. The absence of competition for fans’ time and money generates cultural intensity worth preserving and nurturing.

Injury report concerns are duly noted. Breathless reports or camera shots of kids being loaded into an ambulance? Not the way I’d play it. We get a little bogged down in the details and sometimes miss the forest to examine a blemish on one tree. That’s a flaw of the press, nurtured by this belief that toil and trouble fundamentally tells an equanimous, objective truth. It can but only in context - which we can lack or fail to apply because that would violate the brevity cause.

And we’re walking here…we’re walking…

*Accepting former Washington tight end Kavario Middleton onto the team - it’s not a done deal as of last Saturday, but it’s expected to happen soon - is the right kind of risk. Nebraska gets a proven pass-catcher at tight end; Middleton gets a second chance.

Now, can he block? Ron Brown - the red courtesy phone.

*Based on what I’m hearing, the quarterback race will head into the season, potentially through several games, with the timetable being when one QB clearly identifies himself as the consistent, dependable guy, drive after drive. I’d give Zac Lee the edge, but he has to prove it in a game, on the road, with the pocket collapsing around him. See you in Seattle.

One notion worth repeating: Lee has the best arm on the team. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson raved about Lee’s “arm talent” early last season, and he threw deep passes in the Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State games that Joe Ganz, Zac Taylor and Sam Keller couldn’t throw. After his elbow injury got worse, however, the zip he could put on the deep out or that lovely fade pattern wasn’t there.

“There were times I’d watch the tape last year and I’d just know: That wasn’t me,” Lee said. Lee insists he’s all the way “him” now.

I think what became “clearer” in the QB race was the separation between No. 2 and No. 3. Which, in practical terms, has to happen. It’d be terribly hard, for game prep, to keep splitting repetitions between three guys.

*Teams that try to throw the ball on Nebraska will do so at their own peril. The Brothers Pelini have assembled one mean unit. With Anthony West and Dejon Gomes potentially starting at both safety spots, NU’s base defense will have five natural cornerbacks on the field. And while the front four is down a Ndamukong Suh, the pass rush - from a pure attacking standpoint - could improve.

This does not bode well for Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas, which, by the time it plays the Huskers, is likely to have abandoned its quest for a power offense.

But running teams - and Nebraska faces more than a few - will test the middle of NU’s defense pretty well. West and Gomes aren’t big guys. They’re not likely to support the run as well as Larry Asante and Matt O’Hanlon did by the end of their senior years. And while junior college transfer LaVonte David may be the goods at linebacker, he’ll still get tested.

*Boise State surging for a national title may make the best case imaginable for a playoff. If that seems backward, just remember: What makes a good case to members of BCS-autobid conferences isn’t the same as what makes a good case to us.

The third-ranked Broncos are, by all accounts, a pretty darn good team. But few seriously think that Boise could withstand the week-in, week-out pounding of, say, the Pac-10. In a one-game vacuum, sure. A whole conference slate? Doutbful.

So if BSU waltzes its way into the BCS national title game having been tested exactly once - in its season-opener vs. Virginia Tech - taking a big wad of cash and media attention with it, rest assured: The powers that be won’t like it. That is, after all, their money, not Boise’s money. And now that ESPN has reclaimed the BCS contract, it will wage a war on two opposites fronts: Pumping up the BCS because it has to, while showing journalistic “integrity” by undercutting it with the views of its on-air talent. Goldman Sachs comes to college football.

There is, by the way, a distinct possibility that Boise State and TCU could square off for the national crown. The Horned Frogs have by and large humiliated the Mountain West over the last two years, and its season-opener, vs. Oregon State, is the precisely the kind of game the Beavers - sporting a new quarterback - tend to throw away.

*Five Heisman favorites (and a sleeper) not named Mark Ingram, who will not repeat as the winner because, well, only one guy ever has.

Adrian Clayborn, Iowa: If Ndamukong Suh cracked the door open a bit for defensive players, Clayborn - an absolute beast of a defensive end for the Hawkeyes - could crack it open a little more. It’ll help that Iowa’s defense as a whole is one of the nation’s best.

Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh: He’s a throwback, able to carry the ball 40-50 times per game in the Panthers’ run-heavy attack. If he goes north of 2,000 yards, he’ll get a hard look. Especially if Pitt wins the Big East. It’s been 35 years since Tony Dorsett won the Heisman.

Kellen Moore, Boise State: Presuming the Broncos get by Virginia Tech, Moore will spend the rest of the season chalking up big numbers in low-pressure environments, often on Friday night national TV. That’s a perfect recipe for a Heisman campaign.

Christian Ponder, Florida State: An early game at Oklahoma is key. The best quarterback prospect for the 2011 NFL Draft - just watch, he will be - Ponder is mobile, armed with a cannon, surrounding by an experienced offensive line and three of his top four receivers from last year. He’ll have a huge year. If he stays healthy.

Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State: All eyes are on college football’s chosen one, who’s been so since Tim Tebow’s final pass in the Sugar Bowl. Pryor’s wonky throwing motion is less of a big deal because of his height, and he’s just a notch below Vince Young in terms of mobility. Moreover: This is OSU’s year.

Sleeper: DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma: You’ll notice that Murray is not my Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year - that’s Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert - but he shows up here because of OU’s apparent willingness to let Murray return kickoffs. He’s a real threat to go over 2,000 total yards in that case.

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Crammed a in tight, rugby-like scrum far too cramped for their middle-aged physiques, reporters circled around Bo Pelini early Saturday afternoon as the head coach opened practice to the media for the first time in three days.

“We missed you - if you couldn‘t tell,” one camera operator quipped. Another, unable to squeeze in, lifted his camera above the fray to capture what must have been the top of Pelini’s cap.

And then Pelini answered media questions for more than nine minutes on a variety of topics - starting with the injuries of linebacker Sean Fisher and cornerback Anthony Blue - without being pressed to address the elephant in the room.

When a reporter finally asked for his rationale behind the ban - which was accompanied by a shorter prohibition of practice guests - Pelini, ready for it, delivered an answer without a hint of irritation.

I wasn’t real happy with the way a couple situations were handled,” Pelini said, alluding to news reports of player injuries - including Fisher’s - before he could address them specifically. “One situation in particular. I understand you guys got a job to do - I’ve got a job to do, too.

“So I just thought it was at the right time - really not one single thing, a culmination of things - that I thought it was time to eliminate some distractions for this football team. Get back to focusing on what we need to focus on. I thought it was the right time to do that.”

Pelini then announced an adjusted practice availability schedule to the media, which is invited Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of next week. Pelini will speak at each gathering. Players can field interviews Tuesday, assistants on Thursday, and Pelini alone on Saturday.

“In hindsight, I wish that’s the way we would have handled it,” he said. “With all the things that happen in fall camp and the busy schedule, I wish we would in hindsight that’s the way we would have done it in the first place. But you live and learn, right?”

And Nebraska football marches on, as Pelini answered a variety of questions after Saturday’s two-hour scrimmage on the fields east of the Hawks Championship Center, a workout marked by “good tempo,” Pelini said.

Pelini had just one significant injury to report: Tight end Dreu Young, nagged by a bad back for more than a year, will again undergo surgery. He won’t be back until midseason “if at all.”

“It’s going to take some time for that to play our medically,” Pelini said. “He wants to be out there.”

Young was, along with sophomore Ben Cotton, one of the best blocking tight ends on the team, but Pelini said he’s comfortable with the depth at the position and wouldn’t initially think to recall slot adjuster Mike McNeill back to the position.

“That’s always an option,” Pelini said. “We have a lot of options.”

The quarterback race, meanwhile, got “clearer,” Pelini said. He wouldn’t elaborate.

Under the adjusted media schedule, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson won’t be talking until next Thursday.

“No timetable,” Pelini said. “There’s great competition. I see all three guys getting better. The picture’s become a little bit clearer for us, but nothing’s been decided.”

At linebacker, Fisher should miss the entire season, Pelini said, but junior college transfer LaVonte David - even before Fisher’s injury - was making a move at the position.

“He’s showing he’s a really good football player,” Pelini said. “He’s showing he can be a factor for us. We’re excited about him and what he’s shown up to this point. He’s come in and made some quick strides.”

On with the report:

Particulars: Nebraska scrimmaged and practiced for two hours on Saturday - likely its final major scrimmage of fall camp

What’s New: Media access. But you knew that. Dreu Young’s out until midseason and possibly all year. He was one of NU’s best blocking tight ends; look for a walk-on to slide in there and take over some of the blocking duties.

Coach Quote: When you’re in camp and it’s hot and you’re working hard, that’s part of the deal. You just look across the country. That’s why it’s football. - Head coach Bo Pelini on tempers flaring in practice.

Notes:

***Pelini said there’s a small chance that kicker Adi Kunalic will get a chance to kick some field goals in games season. Alex Henery is among the nation’s best kickers, and has been from the second Kunalic stepped on campus.

“We’re not afraid to put him in the game, I’ll tell you that much,” Pelini said.

***Aside from David, four linebackers appear to be most in the mix for playing time: Sophomores Will Compton, Eric Martin, and Alonzo Whaley and junior Mathew May. Pelini said Whaley’s struggled through some “consistency issues” during camp.

***Pelini doesn’t pay attention to polls too much - Nebraska is No. 8 in the Associated Press poll - but he does appreciate how a high ranking early helps anchor a team in the top 25.

“It’s pretty easy to move down if you screw up, but it’s pretty hard to start way out of there to move up if you have aspirations of doing something special,” Pelini said. “That’s always a positive. People recognized we played pretty good football at the end of last year.”

Next Practice: Monday. The practice is closed to the media.

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If you're a Nebraska fan and didn't spend the last 24 hours in a meat locker, you probably know that head coach Bo Pelini banned the press from post-practice interviews until Saturday. Ex-players, parents and friends of the programs aren't allowed indefinitiely.

The practices guests still aren't allowed. But the Associated Press reached Pelini Wednesday, and the coach appears willing to adjust his position on the media ban.

There has been, predictably, a lot said and written on the matter.

Here's a quick catalogue of the views on the matter. We'll have our own Thursday. Check back for more views.

Tom Shatel
Steve Sipple
LJS Video chat
AP
1620 Schick and Nick
1620 Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Huskers Illustrated: Mike Babcock

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As Shawn Watson walked out of the Hawks Championship Center Tuesday, Nebraska’s offensive coordinator paused at the entrance and looked back at a scruffy, scraggily-haired kid who one day hopes to be a fifth-grade teacher.

“Too many interviews for a fullback,” Watson joked to junior Tyler Legate, who held court with a few reporters.

Legate, at 5-10, 235 pounds, can take it.

“Legate’s a tough sucker, man,” running backs coach Tim Beck says with a smile and a hint of admiration. “He just does everything right. He’s a fierce competitor and tough kid. He’s a typical Nebraska fullback, I can tell you that.”

Even Beck, just a third-year coach, knows the template. A stud runner in high school. A blocker in college. Occasionally a pass reception or a carry. But a fullback lives for the isolation play or the kickout block, down after down.

The Neligh native is in a good position battle with junior Ryan Hill, a converted tight end with good hands and deceptive speed. Redshirt freshman C.J. Zimmerer, an Omaha Gross product, is still learning the ropes, although he broke a few runs in the Red/White Spring Game.

"No job is safe," Legate said.

He’s the frontrunner, though. His stature allows him to get under a defender’s pad. He’s redistributed a little weight to the right spots. He’s a little faster. And Nebraska’s emphasis on a power running game may lead to an expanded role.

Plus - the pedigree.

“It’s always been a Nebraska kid,” Legate said. “Doesn’t have the greatest speed, not the most athletic kid in the world, but tries to just find his way on the team.”

Tyler’s cousin, Billy, was one of those guys. And Tyler remembers most of the big names, too. Or, at least the ones you can count on a 21-year-old to remember: Cory Schlesinger. The Makovicka brothers. Dane Todd. Steve Kreiwald. Judd Davies.

Like most of those fullbacks, Legate is a bit of a raconteur, too. He can chat up a media guy, even if the Neligh native looks like he turned in a 12-hour shift at the mill. Not a kid with aspirations of teaching grade school. He worked his practicum last year at Lincoln’s Huntington Elementary. Fifth grade.

“I liked that age group,” Legate said. He relates to them well. And he remembers his own fifth-grade experience. He never got in too much trouble, either.

“Fun times,” he said.

He tried not to tell his students he played football at Nebraska. Practicums are hard enough without playing ask-a Husker.

They found out anyway.

“They get pretty excited,” he said. “The ones that like football. Kinda like me growing up. If I had somebody come into the classroom who played football, I’d have been the same way.”

The future profession is a sharp contrast to his current day job. Legate doesn’t mind indulging a little in that, either.

“It’s the manly part of everybody,” he said. “Nobody wants to get pushed around. Nobody wants to get beat on something.”

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