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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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It's too late to wipe away the eight turnovers that cost Nebraska in a 9-7 loss to Iowa State, but NU took dramatic steps Monday to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The 4-3 Cornhuskers devoted the opening portion of their 90-minute workout to ball-security drills. Position coaches manned four different stations – including one where players dueled one-on-one to recover a fumble – after Saturday's performance, in which NU fumbled five times, and defensive tackle Jared Crick failed to recover a fumble.

“It obviously needs emphasis,” head coach Bo Pelini said. “We can't emphasize it enough. It's something we talk about all the time. I'm embarrassed by what happened.”

Pelini said Nebraska would “over-emphasize” ball security for now.

NU wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore also shook up his depth chart, sending starters Menelik Holt and Curenski Gilleylen down to the scout team – at least for a day – while promoting Steven Osborne and Tim Marlowe to work with the first team. Khiry Cooper and Brandon Kinnie had already been seeing time with the top units - each played significant minutes in recent games – and continued getting repetitions there.

Gilmore said he wanted to get a look at some of his younger receivers with the first unit. Pelini called the wideout race “wide open,” although it would appear the starting job of Niles Paul, whose fumbles vs. Texas Tech and Iowa State cost Nebraska 14 points, is safe for now.

“We're looking for somebody to step up and make plays,” Pelini said. “That's where we are.”

That includes running back Roy Helu, who was in the green jersey Monday, but is still expected to play with a shoulder stinger. Helu had limited carries Saturday and fumbled twice. Running backs coach Tim Beck yanked Helu from the game in favor of true freshman Traye Robinson, who led all rushers with 81 yards.

Helu said he wasn't too hurt to play vs. the Cyclones. Pelini said Helu isn't going to be getting a break to rest his shoulder, either.

“We'd all like to have a week off,” Pelini said. “That's not part of the game. Everybody has bumps and bruises. Little nicks. You gotta work through it.”

Nebraska returns to the practice field Tuesday looking steadfastly forward, Pelini said, in preparation for 3-4 Baylor. The coach, who sardonically asked reporters if they knew a “good psychiatrist” on Saturday after the upset loss, declared the Huskers focused and mentally sound Monday.

“It's easy to have good morale when you win,” Pelini said. “But we lost. You've got to be a man about it, take a hard look at, we as coaches, we as players, and get better because of what happened.”

Wide receiver Chris Brooks remains out, while defensive end Pierre Allen was held out Monday, but should return to practice Tuesday. Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard wore a green jersey, too.

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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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A program-making win for Iowa State. A full, dark shudder for Nebraska, especially its offense, which came unglued with a school-record eight turnovers in every awful way one can imagine.

ISU – without its starting quarterback and running back, with just 239 total yards – stunned NU 9-7 Saturday afternoon in front of crowd of pale, grim faces, who hadn't seen the Cyclones beat the Cornhuskers in Lincoln in 32 years. Who hadn't seen Nebraska commit eight turnovers in 37 years. Who had to settle with themselves, for that particular moment in time, that Nebraska had just suffered one of the more deflating, infuriating losses in its recent history.

“I'm disappointed in our football team,” a subdued head coach Bo Pelini said. “I'm disappointed. We didn't – I'm disappointed. And it starts with me...we were our own worst enemy.”

Said tight end Mike McNeill: "We knew coming in. It's something we talked about before the game. They like to try and take the ball away, they like to try and rip the ball. They did a good job of it."

Ten nightmarish Husker blunders stood out. Some were mental errors, some were excellent plays by the Cyclones, and a few were total flukes. But all of them counted against Nebraska just the same:

*A fumble by Roy Helu on the game's first play that became a 52-yard field goal by ISU's Grant Mahoney.

*An underthrown pass from Zac Lee to Mike McNeill near ISU's goal line turned into a tip drill and a Cyclone interception, snuffing out a probably Alex Henery field goal.

*Iowa State punter Mike Brandtner waited until Nebraska's punt return unit had cleared the left side of the field. Then he took off, ball clutched in his left arm, for 20-yard gain on fourth down. On the next play, Tiller froze the linebackers with a playaction fake to Jeremiah Schwartz and lofted a deep ball to Jake Williams, who beat Eric Hagg on a fly route. Hagg turned the wrong way, and Williams caught the ball in the end zone for a 47-yard touchdown.

*After receiver Niles Paul caught a long pass from Lee and seemed headed for the end zone, he fumbled while trying to stay in bounds, recovered the ball briefly at the three, then fumbled it again into the end zone, where it was recovered by Iowa State's James Smith.

*Jared Crick failed to cover a fumble late in the second half that would have set NU up in Henery field goal range.

*A second Helu fumble inside ISU's five-yard line recovered by the Cyclones in the end zone. Officials originally ruled Helu down, but reversed the call.

*True freshman Traye Robinson accounted for NU's fifth turnover when ISU defensive tackle Nate Frere ripped out the ball, again, at the Cyclones' 5. Robinson was chewed out by left guard Keith Williams as he left the field.

*Menelik Holt fumbled on a inside screen pass for the sixth turnover, marking the first time since 1976 that Nebraska had lost five fumbles in a game.

*The seventh turnover. Lee threw slightly behind Curenski Gilleylen on a post route, Gilleylen tipped it, and the pass was intercepted by Michael O'Connor.

*The final Lee interception, thrown directly to ISU linebacker Jesse Smith, the best player, along with NU's Ndamukong Suh, on the field Saturday.

Lee finished 20-of-37 for 248 yards and three interceptions – two on Nebraska's last two drives. He completed 14 of his first 16 passes, but hit only 6 of 21 thereafter. Pelini said said it was an “easy decision” to start Lee over true freshman Cody Green - “Cody's not quite ready yet” - thought Lee played well despite the interceptions.

“Zac Lee was the least of our problems today,” Pelini said. “We didn't play well around Zac.”

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There are no quick fixes, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini likes to say. There are probably no instant leaders, either.

But after two lackluster performances, NU's offense stand to get a few more..

The consensus, really, is that Huskers' O has one who's up front, center Jacob Hickman, and two supporting players behind him. We'll get to them in a minute.

“Hick's the guy who really captains all of our calls,” offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. “He's a real leader.”

It's not necessarily common for a center to fill that role, although Dom Raiola and John Garrison did that years ago. But Hickman - a senior who's sampled nearly every offensive line position and thus knows the scheme as well as anyone – has been up to it.

A cerebral type, mature, already married, Hickman's a certain kind of leader, a strong, thoughtful hub of the Husker community. Ndamukong Suh happens to be that guy, too. Suh calls himself a “silent killer.” The phrase fits Hickman, to some extent, too, even if he's talking quite a bit during the game, calling out defensive line shifts.

But Hickman is not a red rump. I'd use another choice word, but we're still, you know, read by families and stuff. At any rate, he's not going to crawl down your skin. He's the good cop, the “calm down” guy.

“I get more annoyed when people yell at me than anything else, so I'd feel hypocritical if I got too riled up,” Hickman said.

But sometimes, he said, it's been necessary. Hickman stepped on the emotional gas pedal at Missouri, he said, getting the intended response in the fourth quarter. He did it again vs. Texas Tech, to no particular avail.

“I got a little frustrated,” Hickman said. “I got a little talkative.”

Who else?

“I don't really think we've had anyone stepping up and say “I'm the one taking control of this offense,'” tight end Mike McNeill said. “Hickman's done a good job, but I don't think we've had one guy who just stands out and says 'this is my offense, and I'm running it right now.'”

Said Hickman: “It really helps sometimes to have a guy get riled up like that.”

You already know Nebraska had that in 2008 with quarterback Joe Ganz.

“Nobody was quite as vocal as Joey,” Hickman said.

But the Huskers had Nate Swift, Todd Peterson and Matt Slauson, too. None of them had Ganz's swagger and personality, but each of them carried authority and experience.

Is the latter of those two traits always necessary for leadership? Not for head coaches, right? There are tons of first-timers, - Pelini included – who just have the “it” factor when it comes to commanding a group of men. They don't need to prove it at every level of football before they arrive in college.

With players, though – that's a leopard with different spots. For every Peyton Manning and Tommie Frazier, who just walks with an air of authority and confidence, there are thousands of guys who haven't properly paid their dues yet.

At a top five program, that's probably how it should be. For Nebraska, which aspires to get there again, a transformative leader wouldn't hurt. No matter what class they're in.

Besides Hickman, two names popped up from several sources for co-leaders: Roy Helu and Niles Paul. Paul does it, Hickman and Watson said, with his work ethic in practice. Helu's leadership skills are evident when you visit practice and talk to his teammates, but the junior, publicly modest, deflects all attention. Nebraska's best offensive player – the best Husker running back in a decade, from this vantage point – is thoughtful, lighthearted and sometimes deadly serious in the span of three minutes.

Is he healthy enough to put the team on his back?

“Roy's been hurt lately, which is tough,” Hickman said. “It's hard to be really in the forefront of leading when you've been hurt.”

Of course, Hickman was sick and a little hurt, too. Maybe not as much as Helu, but this season hasn't been sundaes and rose petals for No. 67.

Zac Lee was also establishing himself, Hickman said, but he's in the midst of a quarterback competition again.

“It's tough when you don't have many seniors out there,” Hickman said. “It's the nature of the game sometimes.”

Tougher still when you don't have many red rumps.

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Our MVPs and Report Card after NU's 31-10 loss to Texas Tech:

OFFENSIVE MVP: Roy Helu, Jr. Playing with a bum shoulder, Helu mostly maximized gains on what few holes there were. His effort on the 27-yard screen pass was easily the best individual offensive play of the game. Should Helu sit vs. Iowa State? Maybe. He needs to be truly healthy for the stretch run.

DEFENSIVE MVP: Phillip Dillard. Arguably his best game. Dillard chased Tech's backs on passing plays, rendering them ineffective after the opening drive, and imposed his physical will on receivers and linemen. He's catching fire at just the right time in his career.

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: D Zac Lee played his worst game – because it was his most hesitant game. He didn't push the ball downfield. He ate two or three drive-killing sacks. And he didn't get deep enough on a couple of his drops. Playing to avoid mistakes is really no way to play quarterback unless you've got a top-grade running game. And Nebraska doesn't. And while Cody Green gave NU a spark, he could've easily thrown two or three more interceptions.

RUNNING BACKS: B Helu played bravely, but he's not 100 percent, and he's not much of a pass-blocking option when he isn't. Marcus Mendoza caught a few passes, and played aggressively. The coaches erred in not playing him before the Texas Tech game. We'll see more of Tray Robinson next week.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: D Drops, drops, drops. NU's receivers might have been open, and Lee should have found them, but who's to say they would have caught the ball? Niles Paul's blunder is elementary stuff. Cover the ball! Chris Brooks and Khiry Cooper at least catch the ball consistently. Cooper needs to block better. Not a good game for Ted Gilmore's unit, and he's running out of motivation tactics. The tight ends were mostly a non-factor.

OFFENSIVE LINE: D Marcel Jones and D.J. Jones get an F, while the rest of the unit gets, oh, a C or so. The Jones duo was awful, getting manhandled play after play, committing penalties, whiffing on blocks. Jacob Hickman and Keith Williams were fair, but not dominant. Ricky Henry played OK until his bonehead personal foul in the fourth quarter.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B+ The front four generated a terrific pass rush throughout the game, especially ends Pierre Allen and Barry Turner. But they got a little gashed late in the fourth quarter by Tech's quick running game.

LINEBACKERS: B Will Compton had a bad first drive and was replaced by Dillard, who played one of his best. At times, Dillard was mismatched against Tech's speedy receivers. In spot duty, Sean Fisher and Compton were fine against Tech's running formations.

SECONDARY: B- More than one of NU's sacks were thanks to the Huskers' coverage, but two pass interference penalties, plus a couple missed tackles by Prince Amukamara, bring the grade down. The good news: Only Kansas has better receivers, and no team has faster receivers.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C Alex Henery had a poor game, missing a 51-yarder and shanking a punt. Nebraska gave up a big kickoff return at wrong time. The punt coverage units were OK, and Alfonzo Dennard had a nice kickoff return of his own. The snaps by PJ Mangieri were much better.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: D Before we even get to Shawn Watson, let's start with Bo Pelini. Stop deferring every won coin toss. Stop calling blitzes on third-and-long on the opponent's first drive of the game. Stop wasting two timeouts per game on the defense. Now Watson, who has a lot of work to do. He wasn't given a lot of options, but he needs to use his tight ends better, and more of them. He needs to have a sense of urgency in the third quarter, down 21 points. He needs to stop giving his quarterback so many options at the line of scrimmage.

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Part of good coaching is knowing when, and how, to push player buttons to get the desired effect.

After Nebraska’s offense laid an egg in the first half of the Missouri game, wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore benched Niles Paul and Menelik Holt. He made them turn in their hand warmers and gloves. He stuck Antonio Bell and Brandon Kinnie out there, to no real avail other than it fired up Paul, who responded with two touchdown catches in the fourth quarter.

“It kind of let me get down on myself,” Paul said. “But then I kind of thought about it and was like ‘he’s doing this for the team.’ And he put us back in there.”

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson told his quarterback, Zac Lee, point blank: We’re thinking about sitting you for a drive, and inserting true freshman Cody Green.

“He said, ‘We’re going to do it for a series,’” Lee said. “‘Keep your eyes open.’”

Watson didn’t bench Lee. One wonders if his mere consideration was a fire he was trying to light under the junior, who came alive and threw his best passes of the game in the fourth quarter. If Green had entered the game, and played remotely well, Watson would have opened a Pandora’s Box in Husker Nation. As it is, he cracked it opened a little bit,

“It is what it is,” Lee said. “I had to deal with it. I know Coach Wats has my back, I know Coach (Bo) Pelini has my back, so it kind of motivated me to have their back. It’s just part of the game.”

How often do those motivational techniques work? Once? Twice? Ideally, you don’t use them much.

But Nebraska’s offense, especially the running game, has been a little slipshod at times since the Arkansas State game, when Lee looked like the best quarterback in the Big 12. Roy Helu’s bailed out the offensive line with some terrific individual efforts – more than half of his yards this year are after early contact - and Lee’s fired up that great arm of his at just the right times.

Can NU really afford to hope the switch flips at the right time? To assume the offensive coordinator alights on just the right passing plays to beat the opposing defense?

Watson took considerable heat for his playcalling in Missouri. By Watson’s own actions and logic, he deserved some of the criticism.

Watson used the awful, rainy conditions to defend Lee, yet shrugged off those same conditions in defense of his playcalling because Missouri was “loading the box” against the run. But Watson didn’t exactly help his own case when he unveiled a quite successful quad-tight set at the end of the game that ground out 68 rushing yards in eight plays. The Tigers had ten guys hovering near the line of scrimmage – but the Huskers still ran the ball.

Now comes Texas Tech, a “vanilla” defense that doesn’t blitz much and relies on its front seven to stop the run. Will Watson impose NU’s size advantage? Or will the game, again, fall on Lee’s right arm?

The Huskers could, but should not, use the absence of Rex Burkhead as a built-in excuse for throwing the ball 40 times a game. Burkhead was valuable – he made several crucial plays in the Missouri game – but he was only averaging roughly 6-8 touches per game. If Helu has to carry it 30 times, so be it. He’s a great back, Nebraska’s best in a decade. If Helu’s shoulder is too banged up for the heavy load, Watson and Tim Beck need to trust their own coaching skills, and insert Burkhead’s replacement. It’s football, after all, not a North Korean nuclear treaty negotiation.

And defenses are going to start getting wise to Nebraska’s strategy. If it’s that easy to move NU away from the running game, they’ll take the chances with a quarterback and receivers who have been uneven at best over the last month.

Missouri was a handful of plays away from a shutout, frankly. If Burkhead doesn’t make a nifty move to gain four yards on a third-down play, Lee never gets to make that throw to Paul, and the Tigers shift into the “eating game clock” mode. And the bulk of this week is a real bear for Nebraska and its coaching staff, instead of a celebration of Ndamukong Suh’s many defensive talents.

“Bottom line is, we need to score points,” head coach Bo Pelini said. “You’re not going to shut (Texas Tech) out. You’d like to, but they’re a pretty good offensive football team and we need to match them. We need to put some points on the board.”

You wonder if Bo will have to push some his coaches’ buttons to make it happen.

See also: 50 Husker Fans, 50 States: Pittsburgh

See also: Defending Tech's...Running Game?

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No preamble. Let’s just head to the disco.

Mystery Ingredients: Namely, the weather, and a little flu bug that may hamper some members of Nebraska’s offense.

The forecast calls for heavy rain – truly looking forward to driving in it – chilly temperatures and a north breeze, if not a wind. The conditions aren’t what you’d call “throwing weather” and it puts Nebraska in the position of having to test the Faurot FieldTurf on the fly, essentially, especially if there’s a tarp on it before the game.

That rainy weather will also make for a long day of cabin fever cooped up in a hotel. It’ll get boring. Maybe Bo Pelini can dial up some baseball buddies, learn some new card games.
The flu is a different, slightly more manageable distraction. A full day in a hotel bed might actually be good for some of the players, including running back Roy Helu, who was held out of the last two practices. Plus, the flu can, but does not necessarily, keep a player from being effective.

Zac Lee On the Road - Again: Nebraska’s quarterback doesn’t have beat to Missouri so much as make the throws allowed by Mizzou’s relatively conservative Cover 2. We’ve seen Zac Lee throw the deep ball, and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson will certainly dial up some shots – regardless of the coverage. What Lee has to do is hit the short stuff on rhythm – slants and bubble screens and shotgun playaction passes – that keeps NU in third-and-manageable. Then, he’ll have to convert some of those key third down plays.

We’ve got a hunch that, at some point, the Tigers will get aggressive, try to pressure Lee, and force throws against one-on-one coverage. And Lee has to answer that bell. In 2007, Sam Keller left 10-14 points on the field by failing to make quick reads under pressure. As bad as Nebraska’s defense played in that game, Keller played worse, and didn’t recover from it for weeks.

The First Impression: Nebraska’s defense may give up a field goal on Missouri’s opening drive. It may even give up a touchdown. But NU has to send the Tigers a message that 2009 won’t be a repeat of 2008 and 2007. If Mizzou busts another easy score to open the game, it’ll be precisely the emotional juice the Tigers need.

Bo Pelini tends to put his defense out on the field first in games by deferring when he wins the coin toss, which almost automatically means the opponent will choose offense. Let’s see if he changes it up, and gives his offense a crack at drawing first blood.

Stick or Quit: If Missouri’s running game gets shut down early, offensive coordinator David Yost will have a choice to make: Keep plugging away, or put the game on Blaine Gabbert’s shoulders. We think Gabbert’s good enough to do it on his own, but the Mizzou braintrust remains pretty adamant about getting Derrick Washington his carries, especially in the red zone. While the Tigers don’t want to be Texas Tech, can they afford to keep running the ball if it doesn’t work?

Pinkel vs. Pelini: Games like this, blowouts or not, often come down individual plays…and individual decisions made by the head coaches. Pinkel often uses a more tactical, clinical approach. Pelini is aggressive and impulsive. They are pretty apt representatives of the offensive superego vs. the defensive id. Analysis vs. feel.

Pelini is a tactician, don’t get us wrong. Sometimes he overschemes the opponent, in fact. But his basic defensive mindset remains “attack” and he often brings unpredictable blitzes based on a preternatural hunch of what the offense is going to do.

Pinkel’s offense dissects. When a defense bull rushes an offense that prefers to go as much horizontal as it does vertical, the defense loses. That was the main culprit for 52-17 last year.

So Pelini’s plan needs to smarter, but also simpler. Pinkel, meanwhile, may be forced to trust elements of his team - the offensive line, the secondary – that haven’t earned it yet. Can he and his assistants push the aggressive button at the right moment? Or do they bend so much they break?

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Two years ago, Mike McNeill’s parents thought they might get a hometown discount in the bleachers of Faurot Field.

Sure, McNeill was a Nebraska tight end traveling into a hostile Missouri den. But he was also a native son, a friend and former teammate of Mizzou receiver Jeremy Maclin. McNeill even hosted current Mizzou quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

“My parents got a rude awakening,” McNeill said. They were called names and heckled.

They called it the “Zou” for a reason. It certainly played a role in the Tigers’ 41-6 victory in 2007, when NU quarterback Sam Keller seemed rattled from the opening snap, and the Cornhuskers’ defense walked around in a fog, casting a net so wide that Missouri frequently – and happily – attacked the middle of the field.

“They were jacked up,” McNeill recalled. “They had their special uniforms for our game. And extra seats. I’m sure the fans will be pretty rowdy.”

A record crowd is expected for Thursday night’s ESPN-televised game. The Tigers are 32-7 at home since 2003 - 17-6 vs. the Big 12 - and has won nine straight games over Big 12 North opponent, including three straight over Nebraska. Because of the 8:00 p.m. start – tip your cap to the start of the baseball playoffs for that – Mizzou partisans will have the bulk of the day to, ahem, prepare, while NU bangs around their hotel.

“We’ll probably play a lot of Playstation,” senior wide receiver Chris Brooks said. “A lot of Nebraska vs. Missouri.”

Brooks is arguably most excited Husker for the trip. He’ll get to see his 5-year-old son, Chris Brooks, Jr., who lives in St. Louis, where Brooks starred in high school. It’ll be a late bedtime for Junior that night.

He’s also trying to wrangle up enough tickets for family members. Missouri is enjoying a rare sellout for Thursday.

“Cousins that I didn’t know I had,” Brooks joked, “and uncles. But it’ll all get worked out.”

Brooks’ prediction for the atmosphere of gold-clad Tiger fans?

“Real crazy,” he said. “I think we need to answer the bell, compete and match their intensity from the opening kickoff. I think if we do that, we’ll be in good shape.”

Head coach Bo Pelini pointed to NU’s experience at Virginia Tech as useful prep for Missouri. Though Nebraska’s offense pulled a grilled-cheese meltdown late in the third quarter, the Huskers generally kept their pose in Blacksburg, and snuffed out the Hokies’ early momentum after a long kickoff return.

“All your experiences help you,” Pelini said. “Both good and bad.”

Running back Roy Helu said the Tech game – plus Pelini’s love-it-on-the-road approach – converted him into a guy who wouldn’t mind playing “12 games on the road.”

“Never really bought into that ‘road mentality’ stuff until we went to Virginia Tech,” said Helu, who gained 169 yards in Blacksburg. “The best football experience of my life. The environment. They were loud, they were jingling their keys. We were loving it on offense. The louder they got, the more focused they got.”

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When Gary Pinkel became head coach of Missouri’s football team in 2001, he recalled Sunday, he was pretty much reminded every day how long it had been since Mizzou had beaten Nebraska. How long that thorn had been stuck in the Tiger toe.

“It was hugely important to knock that down,” Pinkel said. “But we’ve had obstacles since we got here. ‘Can’t win at Nebraska. Can’t beat Nebraska.’ We inherited all those.”

And Missouri’s long put that that barrier in the rearview window with wins in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. The last two wins were by a combined score of 93-23.

“I think we’ve played some good games against Nebraska,” Pinkel said during his weekly press conference. “But if you look at the win-loss record, they’ve beaten us a lot more times than we’ve beaten them. They’ve certainly got a huge edge on us.”

Thus, Pinkel said, a respect for the Cornhusker brand – in a series that hasn’t had a lot of warm feelings lately.

“A lot goes with that name in terms of history and tradition, he said.

The architect of Missouri’s resurrection isn’t skimping on his praise of the current Nebraska squad, either.

Pinkel said he’s “very impressed” with the 3-1 Cornhuskers, who visit the 4-0 Tigers Thursday night in Columbia.

“Very well-coached, very disciplined,” Pinkel said. “I think they’re playing very, very well…you look for weaknesses, and I don’t see any. I think they’re sound in every area.”

He particularly singled out NU running back Roy Helu and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Of Helu: “The more he runs, the better he gets. I think that’s a
sign of great running back.”

Of Suh: “He’s a big athlete. He can run. Very explosive. He’s
very, very competitive…he’s a very dominating player. Very impressive. It’s kind of fun to watch him play and compete.”

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It’s after Nebraska’s football practice Wednesday, and running back Roy Helu stands in the south end zone of the Hawks Center, cracking jokes with a bunch of middle-schoolers who came to greet the Cornhuskers as they left the building.

They laugh and then huddle up, while one of the kids leading a chant. Helu, easily the biggest guy in the bunch, is right there saying it, too. And he’s practically the only NU player left in the practice facility.

The 6-foot, 215-pounder is the last guy you imagine will cop to an “inner struggle.” But, then, that’s Helu, a Christian who consistently deflects attention away from him successes and toward his weaknesses – or the strengths of his teammates.

“An inner struggle? Yeah,” Helu said. “Every morning when I wake up, I want to be selfish. I can’t though. And I do sometimes.”

Helu talks about “losing focus” and “mental toughness.” He talks about a vision he has for Nebraska’s offense, and how “we’re nowhere near it.” He is by turns funny and cryptic.

He is also – for this week, anyway – the leading rusher in the Big 12, with 464 yards for a 116-yard-per-game average.
Couple that with his 169-yard breakthrough game at Virginia Tech, and pundits are beginning to catch on to what defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, whose unit often faces Helu in practice, already believes.

“The best back in college football,” Pelini said at the Big Red Breakfast Friday. “…Roy will make you look like a bad tackler."

Naturally, Helu isn’t satisfied with his work so far. He labels it “average at best.”

“That’s Roy,” offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “He’s a perfectionist.”

Pass blocking has always one of his bugaboos, although running backs coach Tim Beck said recently Helu has improved (in part by necessity) in that area.

But Helu would also like to be more productive in the first quarter. And the junior from The Bay Area has a point there: In 22 first-quarter carries this year, Helu is only averaging 4.27 yards. Take away a 39-yard backwards swing pass from Zac Lee, and that number dwindles down to 2.6 yards per carry.

“The biggest part of my game I need to improve on is starting faster,” Helu said. “Finishing strong is great and everything, and because we have such a great offensive line, it’s easier as the game goes on.

“But I’d like to attack tackles and all that sort of stuff in the beginning of the game and take some of the load off the offensive line.”

Physically, he’s fine with the extra workload. After Quentin Castille was thrown off the team in August, Helu knew that was coming anyway. And he’s OK with the pressure of an eight-man box, too. He’ll likely see it through the Big 12 season, as defenses dare Zac Lee to beat them.

“I got that after the second game when (tight end) Mike McNeill told me their goal was to hold me under 100 yards,” Helu said. “That got me fired up.”

Now, Helu said, he’s focusing on mental aspect of his game. Being sharp on every play, every carry, for several drives in a row. For guy who was part of a committed three-man rotation last year –who hardly played against Mizzou in 2008 – it takes some getting used to.

“The kind of intensity we’re called to have for attention to detail on offense is constant,” Helu said. “It’s a progression, but it’s something I have to keep throughout the whole season.”

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Our offensive report card through the non-conference season, broken down by position and player:

OFFENSIVE MVP: Roy Helu
Helu’s been the steady force on the offense, and a playmaker to boot. One could argue he wasn’t used quite enough in the Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette games, but his fresh legs will be better served in the Big 12 season.
Special Mention: Zac Lee, Curenski Gilleylen, Jacob Hickman, Marcel Jones

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: B Zac Lee aced three out of four tests. He struggled at Virginia Tech, the only non-conference where he faced a big-league pass rush. Lee’s got a big-time arm. That we can see. It creates opportunities where Zac Taylor, Sam Keller and Joe Ganz could not. And Lee throws a better deep ball than any NU quarterback in recent memory. But his tendency to scramble forward and fire passes into the middle of the field will burn him in the Big 12 race if he isn’t more careful. Lee also has to manage the huddle a little better, and not waste timeouts or audible opportunies because he’s run out of time…in his brief mop-up appearances, Cody Green has flashed a lot of speed and a long stride that makes him particularly good as runner. His passing has been just fair. Green brings a fun, emotional component to the field. He looks, acts and talks like a quarterback, even at 19. LaTravis Washington has served mostly to hand off and take a knee.

Best game: Arkansas State. An array of dazzling passes.
Worst game: Virginia Tech. Lee “chased ghosts"

RUNNING BACK: B+ Very good things, thus far, out of Roy Helu, who’s running better – and tougher - than ever before. Helu’s not about to be the kind of guy who lets his level of play slip. He could polish up his pass blocking, but he’s been a credible receiver and tough runner. His back-up, Rex Burkhead, is shifty and elusive, similar to Helu, but possibly with better hands. Nebraska needs a hammer back, though, and apparently none is forthcoming to replace the departed Quentin Castille. Austin Jones and Lester Ward have been used sparingly, and Collins Okafor, who may possess the most natural talent, is fighting to learn the offense. Marcus Mendoza is back in the mix after an ill-advised move to wide receiver. Traye Robinson is a redshirt guy, and should be an interesting option next year.

Best Game: Virginia Tech. Helu = warrior. Burkhead had a nifty catch
Worst Game: Arkansas State. Helu missed some holes, blocks.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B Barney’s Cotton’s unit has battled injuries for a month and managed pretty well despite those problems. Aside from a couple breakdowns by D.J. Jones against excellent defensive ends, the pass blocking has been relatively solid, and Lee’s enjoyed plenty of time to throw. The run blocking has been better on first and second down than it has in short yardage. The Huskers pull and move with speed and aggression. They don’t maul as well as they could. Another weakness are dumb penalties – as evidenced by the Virginia Tech game – at bad times.

Individually, Jacob Hickman has been a steady force at center, aside from a few wayward snaps. Tackle Marcel Jones might well be MVP, swinging from left to right and winning more than his share of battles in the passing game. Guard Ricky Henry, aside from one costly holding penalty, has been surprisingly consistent and physical. Tackle Mike Smith had been a little dinged up, but solid. D.J. Jones still needs work on his pass blocking, but he could be NU’s best perimeter run blocker. Guard Derek Meyer filled in capably for an injured Keith Williams, who is now returning to form as Big 12 play begins. Andy Christensen and Mike Caputo offer useful depth.

Best Game: Lafayette. The big boys showed off all of their talents.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Several drive-killing penalties.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: B+ We expected this grade of the tight ends, but the receivers are a surprise unit, as Curenski Gilleylen and Chris Brooks had sidled up alongside Niles Paul, Menelik Holt and Mike McNeill to provide Lee five dependable receiving options. Gilleylen has been one of the MVPs of the offense thus far, consistently get open in zones and providing Lee a deep threat out of the slot. Brooks has also been sure-handed out of slot, raising questions as to why he wasn’t played earlier. Paul’s been dynamic, if a little underused, while Holt is Lee’s possession guy on quick slants and out patterns. At tight end, McNeill’s made a few highlight grabs, missed on a few others, and been so-so with his blocking. Defenses are paying more attention to him; he’ll work through it. Dreu Young and Ben Cotton are solid blockers, while Kyler Reed has been targeted quite a bit without quite cashing in yet. Khiry Cooper, Antonio Bell and Brandon Kinnie have flashed some talent in reserve roles. They’ll be the guys next year.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Everybody got some love.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Holt needed to make those two catches.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PENALTIES: C Nebraska continues to struggle with its huddle at times, even vs. Lafayette, when NU had to burn a timeout right after taking one. Lee’s a new quarterback, but this has to clean up going into Big 12 season. As for penalties, the third-quarter meltdown at Virginia Tech stands out right now, and one has to wonder whether Lee could make good on a two-minute drill – first half or second half – it he was forced to do it. This is still an offense that seems, just like the beginning of last year, a little unsure of itself.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Easily the cleanest in that area.
Worst Game: Florida Atlantic First-game jitters.

PLAYCALLING: A- We could quibble just a little with Shawn Watson’s red zone gameplan at Virginia Tech – but not that much, considering NU’s offensive line is struggling to open running holes near the goal line. Overall, Watson’s been terrific, even better than last year. He’s tailored the offense to Lee’s ability to throw the deep ball, he hasn’t been afraid to mix and match receiving personnel, and the running game has been more varied and efficient. We applaud the new shotgun running schemes that mirror some spread offenses, and like how Watson uses the toss play in a variety of formations and situations. Instead of screens, which are hard for Lee to throw given his height, Watson has incorporated more shovel passes. No wildcat yet, and not too many trick plays, but Watson, wisely, knows not to overdo them.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Especially the first quarter.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Trust the run game a little more.

See also: Non-Conference Report Card Defense

CHALK TALK: Mizzou’s Run Game Pt. 1 and 2

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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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Amidst the hoopla, hype and good cheer of NU’s 300th-consecutive-sellout celebration, complete with throwback uniforms, a return of the 1962 team and some swank new additions to the Osborne Complex, there is a game to be played and won and some Ragin Cajuns’ to be sent packing back to Lafayette, Louisiana.

“Our job is to play our football and celebrate that thing by us playing Nebraska football, and that’s with passion, great effort and executing to our standard,” head coach Bo Pelini said.

There are recruits to impress, too. At least seven out-of-state guys, possibly more, will be in the stands. It’s the biggest visitor weekend, probably, until a home tilt with Oklahoma.

If NU struggles – or football heavens forbid – loses to Louisiana-Lafayette, it’ll be one big party, completely pooped. Geraldo opening Al Capone’s empty tomb. Any of the Super Bowls in the 1980s. Tang. The final episode of “Dallas.” Tyson vs. Spinks. Tyson vs. anyone in the last ten years.

You get the picture. On to the keys.

Drop Dead Red: Nebraska suddenly can’t run the ball in the red zone. Twenty carries this year for all of 39 yards, and one-third of that was on the first red-zone run of the season, vs. Florida Atlantic. What gives? And what gives with the 7/13 touchdown/trip ratio, which is hardly the hallmark of an efficient offense?

Here’s what: Defenses don’t respect Zac Lee yet. Not enough. ULL won’t either. It’ll stuff that box as soon as NU gets in scoring territory, hoping to force Nebraska into first-and-second-down passes. Arkansas State got burned by it. Virginia Tech did not. A lot of it is up to Lee and his receivers.

Conversely, ULL’s red zone attack isn’t too overpowering either. When a team is 69th in total offense but only 97th in scoring offense, the gap indicates troubles near the goal line.

Field Position: A fact you shouldn’t let escape your attention: The Cajuns are only averaging 55.5 yards on their kickoffs. Folks, just so you know – that’s awful. Adi Kunalic averages 69.2 yards. That’s a lot of potential return opportunities for Niles Paul and Rex Burkhead, who should be catching the ball around the 10-yard line for most kickoff returns. That’s at least 10-15 yards of field position each drive that swings in NU’s direction – and more, if Paul and Burkhead can bust a big return. Kunalic’s a serious weapon in 2009, more than he’s been in recent years.

Heavy Dose of Helu: After Roy Helu’s career-defining performance at Virginia Tech, muted because of a sudden loss, does NU keep going with the hot hand, or save Helu’s legs for the Big 12 season? The former option gives Nebraska the luxury of making sure Helu’s confidence is sky high heading into the bye week, while the latter option reduces wear and tear.

Does Helu always run like he knows how good he is? Not necessarily. He hasn’t turned in his masterpiece quite yet. His humility is a credit to his character, but it doesn’t mean the junior from the Bay Area should second-guess himself.

It’s Blitz!: The name of a terrific album by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, it’s also an apt description for the attacking defense of the Ragin’ Cajuns, who frequently send zero blitzes – that’s man-to-man coverage, everywhere on the field – at quarterbacks with the intent of rattling them into mistakes. ULL doesn’t get a lot of sacks or tackles for loss; indeed, the blitz trademark is so well-known that teams scheme around it.

But it can work on lesser-experienced quarterbacks who don’t like the image of seven guys wanting to tear their heads off. Just like last week, Zac Lee’s going to have to be tough in the face of adversity and deliver throws with ice water in his veins. Easier to do at home than it is on the road.

The 300 effect: Expect the Memorial Stadium crowd to be loud and vibrant as the game begins. Nebraska needs to put ULL in the corner and exploit that emotion from opening kickoff. Memorial Stadium isn’t the toughest place in America to play. Until you’re down 14. Once those Huskers sniff blood, they bring it.

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Nebraska’s football team rebounded from a 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech with one of its best practices of the year, Cornhusker coaches and players agreed Monday.

Head coach Bo Pelini described the two-hour workout on the grass fields north of Memorial Stadium as “real fast” with “good tempo.” NU worked out in helmets and shoulder pads.

“We were just in shells, but I thought it was pretty physical,” Pelini said. “I thought it was really good. I liked the way they came out and their attitude.”

More talkative than usual, Pelini talked to the media for seven minutes after practice , or three times longer than he did after the Tech game itself. His final comments were nearly an impromptu pep talk, echoing the general theme of the day.

“We need to make this a fuel to make this a better football team, rather than a distraction that can make us divide,” Pelini said. “We won’t let it happen. We know how address that. That’s the challenge that lies ahead. I love those challenges. Our football team loves those challenges. We’re going rise up.

“It’s only way I know. It’s the only way this football team knows. It’s what that ‘N’ on the side of the football helmet represents.”

The emotion carried over to the players.

Said strong safety Larry Asante: “We’re not moping from it. We’re a more experienced team now. In the past, guys would come in moping around, but it’s football.”

Asante said the coaching staff “got out minds right” before Monday’s workout. The team watched film of the gut-wrencher, with the instruction that when it was over, it wouldn’t be spoken about among the team again.

Junior running back Roy Helu took the message to heart. Even though he rushed for a career-high 169 yards and forcefully put himself on the national stage, his only response was “it’s in the past, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Pushed to assess his performance, Helu used only one word: “decent.”

But -

“It was the ‘funnest’ practice of the year,” Helu said. “It was just fun. We went back to having fun, but we executed at the same time. That’s the attitude we took on out there.”

That’s the Pelini way, Asante said, a change he’s noticed in the last couple seasons. That bounce-back factor should help Nebraska prepare for Louisiana-Lafayette, which lacks Virginia Tech’s pedigree, although the Ragin’ Cajuns did beat Kansas State 17-15 earlier this year.

“I don’t think Coach Bo, Coach Carl (Pelini), Coach (Marvin) Sanders or any of them will let us play down to the level our opponent,” Asante said.

Pelini also assuaged concerns that quarterback Zac Lee was significantly hurt in the second half vs. the Hokies. Lee wore a splint on his left thumb Monday and didn’t practice. But that wasn’t because of his thumb, Pelini said. Rather, Lee “took some medication, and he shouldn’t exert himself” when on it.

“He’ll be back tomorrow,” said Pelini, who added that Lee will definitely start against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Asante wore a green, no-contact jersey throughout practice, but said he’d be fine for Saturday’s 6 p.m. game.

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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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Burn the film. Erase the listing in your DVR. Go have a slice of apple and forget all about this nightmare.

These are the worst ones to lose. The hardest from which to learn and grow, for players and for fans. Bo Pelini just had to throw his headset at the end. Pitched it like it was a dirty toad, and Huskers’ bench was a pond. Don’t blame him, frankly. You probably trashed a lot worse in your living room.

It’s a “Bill Buckner” loss. Don’t deny it. You’ll sit in a daze for the rest of the weekend. Folks, right now, will be walking aimlessly through the streets of Nebraska. Danny-Coale-behind-the-defense is our “behind the bag!” Be honest – are you ever going to forget that kid’s name for the rest of your life? It’ll be a punchline at a black humor party. They’ll show the game on scary movie night.

How in the hell did Coale get back there? Pelini didn’t want “belabor” the point. Well, of course he didn’t.

So, uh, how in the hell did Coale get back there?

His catch was, truly, one of the most inexplicable defensive plays in Nebraska history. Of course there is an explanation for it, but it’s a little like the one where the guy forgets to bring the ring to his own wedding.

It ruined a perfectly wonderful defensive effort from the Huskers. They had a strategy to contain and frustrate Tyrod Taylor, and they did it. Aside from one long run by Ryan Williams, NU gummed up the Hokies’ ground game. Roy Helu, by himself, had more total yards heading into the fourth quarter than Virginia Tech.

It was a remake, frankly, of NU’s game vs. Clemson, when the Tigers looked helpless and outcoached and beaten. Tech’s offensive coordinator, Bryan Stinespring, had retreated deep into his Hokie shell by the game’s final drive. Taylor, awful for 59 minutes, didn’t have a chance. He couldn’t hit the barn, much less the broadside of one.

And then – Coale behind the defense! And then – Taylor, with his Joe Montana moment, on the 11-yard touchdown pass.

It was the only decent play Taylor made all day. He played like a bust. He pouted. He fussed. Nebraska’s defense made a campfire in his brain. But he had that one, brilliant throw in him, and he made it.

And the Huskers ran out of lives. They had nine. They didn’t have a tenth.

You want to blame NU’s offense for not putting the game away sooner. But color me surprised that it ran the ball that well. Helu did a lot of that damage on his own – he’s a big-league running back, folks, one of the best in America – but the offensive line scrapped pretty good, too. It wavered some in pass protection, but quarterback Zac Lee had enough time. You’d love to have that third-quarter drive back if you’re Ricky Henry and Marcel Jones. But they were under more stress than Husker fans may appreciate.

Lee? He’s a gamer. It was a tough, long day, but he kept his head in it and only made a few bad mistakes. You were expecting last week? No. He was inaccurate, but his receivers didn’t help him much. Menelik Holt dropped a touchdown. Niles Paul was mostly a non-factor. Chris Brooks made a few tough grabs – he’s made them all year - but apparently he doesn’t block well enough to start. Or something.

Quibble if you wish with Shawn Watson’s playcalling. It wasn’t as conservative as it seemed, and the conservative stuff worked better anyway. Burning so many timeouts is a pain, but natural in an environment like Lane Stadium. Maybe he called too many passes. Or maybe he called ones that took too long to develop.

What of Bo’s coaching effort? Mostly outstanding. He had his defensive ends, Barry Turner and Pierre Allen coached up, didn’t he? They kept Taylor penned in most of the day. And the Phillip Dillard move worked.

We’ll argue strategy on “The Play,” though. Was Cover 2 the right call there, 84 yards from the end zone, when a Cover 3 or Cover 4 would have kept such a play from occurring? Say what you want about ol’ No. 33 back there – well, you’ve probably already said it – but what value is there, really, in Anthony West covering an empty patch of grass 80 yards from the goal line with a minute left? So what if Taylor completes a couple 20-yarders? That puts Tech, at best, at midfield, with no timeouts and 30 seconds left.

Again – there’s no good explanation for the bust. But there’s a good argument for something other than Cover 2. And that’s Pelini’s call.

But give Pelini this much credit: NU rebounded from a rocky start, wrested control of the game by halftime and dominated the line of scrimmage. They played Tech to a draw in special teams: One good return per side.

Yeah, Nebraska’s pretty tough. It’s not fast enough yet, it doesn’t convert in key situations and it still blows up with penalties. But it’s tough. The Huskers have to believe – the fans, too - there isn’t another game on their current schedule that they can’t win.

Except, of course, the one they just lost.

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Bo Pelini took off his headset, turned away from the field, and pitched it over the heads of his own players. It was 59 minutes and 39 seconds of tough, gritty football – down the drain.

Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor had just thrown an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts to give the Hokies the improbable lead on a most improbable drive. After gaining just 37 yards in the entire second half, Tech went 88 yards in five plays, fueled by an 81-yard pass from Taylor to receiver Danny Coale that is destined to haunt the dreams of Husker fans everywhere.

Another home win for the Hokies against a non-conference opponent. Another Husker loss to a ranked foe on the road. And this 16-15 setback might sting more than any other.

“We had plenty of opportunities to put the game away and we didn’t do it,” a despondent Pelini said.

He had no interest in talking about the 81-yard pass, as cornerback Anthony West simply allowed Coale to run free while safety Matt O’Hanlon’s eyes were stuck on Taylor, who hit a streaking Coale near midfield. O’Hanlon caught Coale at the 3-yard line with 1:11 remaining.

“You watched the game,” Pelini said.

O’Hanlon then sacked Taylor on a blitz back to the 11-yard line. After an incomplete pass on second down, Taylor rolled to his left on third down, sensed pressure, and drifted back toward his own sideline. In the end zone he spotted Roberts, who had shaken free of NU cornerback Prince Amukamara. Just before defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh slammed down on his shoulder, Taylor fired his best pass of the day. Roberts cradled it. Lane Stadium erupted.

“That situation is tough - I personally had a great shot,” said Suh, who otherwise played magnificently, batting down four passes – which tied a school record - and notching a sack. “But I didn’t get there in time. I fell off the back of him. I can only hope the next time I’m in that situation, I make the play.”

That Suh even had to make that play was a failure of Nebraska’s offense to capitalize on numerous scoring chances.

The Huskers consistently ran the ball against Tech’s stingy front. Junior Roy Helu had the best game of his career, rushing 28 times for a career-high 169 yards, many of them after contact. Overall, NU gained 207 ground yards and quarterback Zac Lee was never sacked.

But NU was never able to score a touchdown. Junior Alex Henery was forced to kick five field goals. A combination of untimely play calling, poor execution and penalties sunk NU’s scoring efforts.

The most glaring failure was in the third quarter, while NU held a 12-10 lead and had driven to Tech’s 6-yard line. Lee seemingly threw a touchdown pass to Mike McNeill, but Ricky Henry was flagged for holding. Then the Huskers accumulated three more penalties in the series, including another holding flag, to push itself out of field goal range. Menelik Holt also dropped a surefire touchdown in the corner of Tech’s end zone.

By the time the series had ended, NU had lost 30 yards.

“Obviously that was a key point,” Pelini said. “We thought if we had scored there, we’re in pretty good shape.”

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It was a quick vocabulary lesson in the difference between offensive and defensive coaches.

When Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini critiqued, at length, his defense in Tuesday’s press conference, he used the word “soft” to describe its physical effort in a 49-3 win over Florida Atlantic.

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s word of the day? Tempo. As in the speed with which quarterback Zac Lee received the play from the sideline, communicated it to the offense, and actually ran it.

In a 21-point first half, it wasn’t so good, despite touchdown passes of 28 and 51 yards.

But when Nebraska sped up in the second half, FAU “couldn’t stop us,” Watson said after Tuesday’s two-hour practice on the grass fields north of Memorial Stadium. “We went right down the field on them.”

The difference? Lee himself. The junior from San Francisco was “a little nervous in the service,” Watson said, in the first half, and kept heading to the sidelines to receive the play. That’s not uncommon in some offenses; however, Watson and Co. are making a concerted effort to speed up without ditching the huddle altogether.

At halftime, Watson told Lee to stand by the rest of his teammates on the field.

“That’s step one,” Watson smiled. “Pretty logical.”

Then, NU coaches held Lee “more accountable” for making sure the line hustled to their spots.

“If guys aren’t getting their hand in the dirt, he’s got to get them to get their hand in the dirt so we can play,” Watson said.

Watson called Lee’s second-half tempo “beautiful.” Nebraska needed only four plays on each its first two drives in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on runs by junior Roy Helu.

“It could have been a little better,” Lee said. “But it’s kind of a first game thing.”

Other than the tempo problems, Watson said Lee “graded out really high” in his initial start. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

“We didn’t ask him to do a whole lot of stuff, but we asked him to do enough to win the football game,” Watson said. “And as the game wore on I gave him more responsibility. And he really handled it well.”

Concerns about Lee vacating the pocket to run seemed answered by Saturday’s performance. Lee only scrambled once, and that was for a 12-yard gain. Mostly, Lee said, he tried to buy time for receivers to get open downfield by stepping into the pocket and moving away from pressure.

“I’ll run if I have to,” Lee said. “But I’d rather somebody got open downfield and hit them for a big gain…you want to get out and run around and make plays yourself, but I think the best thing, in the big picture, is to let guys get open.”

Notes:

*Both left guard Keith Williams and tight end Dreu Young practiced in full pads Tuesday. Young missed most of fall camp and the first game recovering from back surgery.

“It’s good to have (Dreu) back,” Watson said. “He’ll be in the gameplan. He has a lot of thump on the line of scrimmage and he’s a good pass receiver.”

*Watson seemed pretty set on using just Helu and true freshman Rex Burkhead at running back.

“We would ride those two horses, to be honest with you, forever,” Watson said. “That’s the way we’d do it. And we need a third guy, it’d be Lester (Ward).”

Expect more of Ward in the Big 12 season, when Nebraska routinely used three running backs in 2008.

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Driving home Saturday night from Nebraska’s blowout 49-3 win over Florida Atlantic, I couldn’t help but think of another blowout win to kick off a season: NU’s 52-7 romp over Nevada in 2007.

In both, the opponents’ reputations far exceeded their actual gameplans and execution. And both teams wilted in the second half against bigger, stronger NU.

Nevada just stunk on offense, and admitted as much after the game. Florida Atlantic was more of a quandary.

The Owls were supposed to be athletic and exciting; instead, their quarterbacks, Rusty Smith and Jeff VanCamp, played hot potato with the football, firing wild darts before their receivers even had time to look for the ball. Nary a trick play, or even a trick formation, from FAU. Smith looked jittery, nervous and slow. His backup was mysteriously inserted in the second quarter and just as mysteriously removed. Apparently FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger likes Smith to see a drive from the sidelines.

At any rate, it was hard to get a read on Nebraska Saturday night. That’s part of the trouble with “directional” – or in the case of FAU, “oceanic” – opponents. Expect a better, stiffer test from FAU’s Sun Belt counterpart, Arkansas State.

On with the review:

Five Players We Loved

Junior running back Roy Helu: A big back who still knows how to pick his way through holes and burst out the other end pulling away from defenders. If he can stay healthy, Helu’s big ride in 2009 is just beginning.

Senior left guard Derek Meyer: The native Husker with a great story just moved to left guard a few weeks ago after working at right guard and right tackle for spring ball. Meyer wasn’t perfect, but he held up well, especially in pass protection. NU lacks great depth along the line, but Meyer was blue collar as advertised.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Will Compton: He played nearly every defensive snap in the first three quarters, and fit right in. Compton had a busy night around the ball. He’ll only get smarter and better.

Sophomore wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen: Two of his three catches were adventures, frankly – but he caught them. Gilleylen’s best play of the night, though, was a bone-crushing block to help spring Menelik Holt on his 28-yard touchdown catch-and-gallop.

Senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: Quick tackle for loss on the first drive, and he later saved a first down by peeling back on a screen pass and taking down FAU fullback Willie Rose one yard short.

Special Mention - true freshman linebacker Eric Martin: His energy and enthusiasm on the game’s opening kickoff is precisely what that unit needs.

Three Concerns We Still Have

Again With The Penalties: Nine more to open the season, for 86 yards. Two personal fouls, two holding calls, a couple false starts. Sloppy.

Not Enough Niles: Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore spent fall camp talking up the junior from Omaha. Well, fine: If he made plays in the practice, give him a chance to make them in the games. A reverse. A go route. Something. Gilleylen and Holt got most of the choice looks.

Blocked Punt: Not the best thing to see two weeks before Virginia Tech.

Reviewing the Five Keys

KIDS: Watson tried to go right at FAU, but Helu found the corners of the defense an easier go. And if Roy can make it work, so be it.

Truthfully, NU nicely blended some running staples of the West Coast Offense with some new counters, sweeps and even a veer play. The Huskers ran two options near the goal line. Neither worked very well, but Cody Green did score a 1-yard touchdown on his effort.

36 inches: FAU’s quarterbacks spent the entire night avoiding Suh and the rest of NU’s front four, and got nothing in return for their cowardice. You get out what you put in, and the Owls didn’t physically or strategically challenge Nebraska’s defense.

Attack Zac, Zac Attack: Once again, FAU was pretty tame in its blitzing of Lee. When the Owls did take a chance, Lee burned them with the touchdown pass to Gilleylen and a nice scramble for a first down. Lee wasn’t counted upon to win the game, but he held up nicely anyway.

Young Guns: The youngsters on offense and defense were terrific. Big thumbs up to Compton and Sean Fisher, plus redshirt freshman Cameron Meredith, who played a lot at defensive end, and recovered a fumble. On offense, Cody Green and Rex Burkhead both had their moments.

The Specials: Net wash here. Even with the blocked punt, NU’s net punting average was only one yard worse than FAU’s The Huskers did well on kickoff returns and kickoff coverage. Adi Kunalic booted two touchbacks, and a couple more bombs into the end zone were unwisely returned.

Three Questions We Still Have

Can NU get its goal-line package honed for game two? The Huskers used a couple fourth-down plays for touchdowns, but it shouldn’t have taken that long. Was Watson holding off on his pass packages to pound the ball on the ground? Probably.

How much better is Nebraska’s defense against the spread? We’ll find out when Arky State rolls into Lincoln. FAU’s pro-style attack wasn’t much of a problem.

Does Keith Williams return soon? Nebraska’s most skilled offensive lineman helps especially in the running game.

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Offensive Player of the Game: Roy Helu. A dazzling third quarter performance. Helu makes for a challenging interview – eccentric and mercurial are two words that come to mind – but he’s quicksilver on the field. He gained more than 100 of 152 yards pretty much on his own.

Defensive Player of the Game: Will Compton. No Husker had more stacked on his shoulders for Saturday’s game than Compton, who essentially played every snap for the first three quarters. He responded effectively and instinctively, and spent much of the night prowling around the ball.

GRADES:

Quarterback B+ Zac Lee managed the Huskers well after a shaky first-quarter start; he made several excellent throws downfield...and also one he’d like to take back. Let’s see what he does against a real pass rush. He didn’t look as composed or calm as Joe Ganz last night. But he did look more athletic. Cody Green's 49-yard run on a zone read was the best quarterback run we’ve seen around here since Jammal Lord.

Running back B+ Helu and Rex Burkhead got the bulk of the carries, and while they missed a hole here or there, you can’t argue with the overall body of work. Tyler Legate logged significant snaps at fullback, but didn’t blow us away with his blocking at the goal line.

Wide receiver B A couple drops by Meno Holt and Mike McNeill (who is essentially functioning as a wide receiver) but a nice breakout night Curenski Gilleylen. Where was Niles Paul? If he's making plays all over in practice, you have to actually throw him one or two deep balls in the game. That's how good wide receivers earn their bacon.

Offensive Line/Tight Ends C+ Not having Keith Williams available hurt, and Derek Meyer filled in with effort and toughness. But the Huskers, frankly, missed some blocks, had some false start penalties and loafed a little to the line of scrimmage. Their pilot light needs to go on at opening kickoff, and stay lit.

Defensive Line B+ Better than the numbers might indicate. FAU wanted no part of that front four, and its quarterbacks spent most of the night running away, or throwing off their back foot. Ndamukong Suh made a lot of little plays, including a downfield tackle on a screen play that saved a first down – and possibly a touchdown.

Linebackers A Given their inexperience, what an excellent night for Compton, Sean Fisher and Blake Lawrence. They covered well, pursued well and tackled well. A proper, effective debut.

Defensive backs B A pretty fair night on the back end, with two interceptions and a glut of tackles. The Huskers didn’t let much get behind them. It was the best the secondary has looked since the Iowa State game in 2008.

Special teams C A partially blocked punt was a disappointment, and Paul took a pretty big injury risk on a punt return, drawing a penalty for his courage. We still don’t think much of Paul as a kickoff returner. Nebraska needs to get a little more daring with its return choices.

Coaching/Game Management B Some sloppiness in getting to the line of scrimmage and getting set on defense is to be expected, we suppose. The offense got a little cute at times with the shifts and audibles. Bo Pelini wisely kept the defense vanilla and let a cautious, conservative Florida Atlantic play itself out of contention. Which it did in the third quarter.

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For one game, at least, the kids are all right. And Roy Helu, Jr. is nothing short of electrifying.

Nebraska’s young, relatively untested football team took its occasional lumps in the first half of its season-opener vs. Florida Atlantic. But the 1-0 Cornhuskers delivered twice as many early blows in forging a 21-3 halftime lead over the Owls.

And then they turned it over to Helu, the junior running back who thrilled the 85,719 fans at Memorial Stadium Saturday night with a five-carry, 95-yard, two-touchdown flurry early in the third quarter.

The result was a 49-3 win that left the Nebraska fans fat and happy, the youngest pups flush with a full quarter of experience and head coach Bo Pelini with a list of improvements before playing Arkansas State next Saturday.

“We got to play a lot of guys, but I also found that out we have a lot of work to do,” Pelini said. “We were sloppy at times and not real crisp, but that’s to be expected in the opener.”

FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger called the game “a trip to the woodshed.” He intimated that his team would be taking its day off on the plane ride home.

“(Nebraska) put it into overdrive, and I asked our guys to put it into overdrive, and we didn't have enough juice in the tank,” he said. “So it's a very bitter loss for us. It's the first one that I've had with this program that is tougher to handle than others, because I expected more out of this football team at this juncture.”

Junior quarterback Zac Lee held up nicely in his first start, throwing for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Helu finished with 152 yards and three touchdowns on just 16 carries. Both of them warmed up in the second quarter, as the Huskers’ offensive line – missing starting left guard Keith Williams - found more rhythm. Nebraska also struggled, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said, with “breaking huddle,” a problem that was resolved at halftime.

Although NU only outgained FAU by 41 yards in the first half, it capitalized on good field position, hit one big play – a 51-yard touchdown pass from Lee to sophomore Curenski Gilleylen - and executed one old-school, back-breaking drive late in the second quarter to ice the game. Lee engineered the 15-play, 82-yard, seven-minute touchdown match, which Helu finished off with a one-yard dive on fourth-and-goal.

“Roy was saying ‘We got them, we got them,’” Lee said of the touchdown. “It was good to pound the ball in. “Our line did a great job there blowing them out.”

Helu was the star of the second half diving for one seven-yard score, then cracking off runs of 14, 28 and 44 yards, almost out of thin air, the last of which was a dazzling touchdown to put the Huskers up 35-3. Helu started on a counter to his left, jab-stepped back to his right, ran back around Lee, darted upfield and outran every FAU defender the goal line.

“I misread the block,” joked Helu, decked in a post-game Panama hat and three giant candy leis of taffy and Tootsie Rolls. “…then Zac Lee was in the way, so I ran past him. And just ran, I guess.”

NU tacked on two more touchdowns, an eight-yard run from Rex Burkhead and one-yard run from Cody Green. In total, the Huskers amassed 490 yards and went 4-for-4 inside the red zone. The offense also converted two fourth-and-goal situations. Lee threw an interception midway through the third quarter.

“The type of offense we’re trying to become, you saw in the third quarter,” Helu said.

Nebraska’s defense got a spirited, if uneven, performance from its linebackers and secondary, which caused three turnovers and allowed only a field goal despite giving up 358 yards and 22 first downs.

The linebackers, led by junior Blake Lawrence and redshirt freshmen Will Compton and Sean Fisher, spent much of the warm evening around FAU ball carriers.

“That linebacking corps, it’s like they were veterans,” said defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who finished with seven tackles.

The preseason All-American didn’t sniff a sack, and the secondary got plenty of work, as Florida Atlantic quarterbacks Rusty Smith and Jeff VanCamp threw the ball so quickly – and often errantly – that NU’s front four had little chance to get pressure. But senior Matt O’Hanlon and junior Prince Amukamara both scored picks off of Smith, who completed just 15 of 31 passes for 164 yards. O’Hanlon had another nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty, and the Huskers dropped at least two more.

“I’d give myself an F,” Smith said.

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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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