OT Mike Smith 6-6, 295, Sr.

A superior athlete who nevertheless leaves something to be desired as Nebraska’s left tackle. His false start penalties are certainly part of the problem. He only generates so-so pile movement in the run game, too. NU’s right tackle situation was so porous last year that opposing teams often moved their best defensive end to line up over there, so Smith got a break, at times, in the pass-blocking game.

Of course, heading into his third season as a starter, Smith will hold on to his job. But he’s low on the list because he has more to prove in his senior campaign. Well-liked on the offense, does he finally become a leader? Does it translate into fewer penalties?

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KOS Adi Kunalic 6-0, 190, Sr.

We’ve yet to hear whether Kunalic intends to red shirt this year in order to have a season to kick field goals - and thus improve his chances in the NFL. Either way, his kickoff skills, among the best in college football, will be coveted by one pro league or another. If only Kunalic could take back his worst kickoff of the year, which came at the worst time.

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

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

No. 45 Cameron Meredith - Exceeded expectations in 2009, figuring heavily in a six-man platoon along the defensive line. Meredith didn’t skip a beat when he entered games for Barry Turner or Pierre Allen, and flashed considerable potential for years to come. A great initial push, good closing speed and a willing, nasty attitude at the point of attack make Meredith a force to be reckoned with in 2010. He’ll enter our spring list in the top 20.

No. 44 Taylor Martinez - We didn’t think T Magic would play in 2009, but we wanted to keep an eye on his development. And, apparently, coaches and teammates like the athleticism and sheer speed that Martinez showed off during his time on the scout team. He’ll get his crack at quarterback this spring - we said he deserved as much last summer - and if he doesn’t win the starting or backup role there, he’ll play some Wildcat or receiver.

No. 43 Adi Kunalic - Changed his number to 1, and did one thing exceedingly well - boot kickoffs. That is, until his kick in the Big 12 Championship. The question in 2010: Does he red shirt so he can kick field goals for a season? It may depend on Kunalic’s aspirations - and whether Nebraska wants to use the scholarship in 2011 for someone else.

No. 42 P.J. Smith - Larry Asante capable backup at strong safety, Smith was inserted with confidence by the Husker coaches whenever Asante got hurt - or needed a message sent because he blew an assignment. Smith is smart, confident and more instinctive than Asante. He’s the starter at strong next year - for three years to come.

No. 41 Mike Caputo - Filled in capably for starting center Jacob Hickman throughout 2009, and will take the job in 2010 without a second’s hesitation. In some ways, we prefer Caputo - a squat, burly strongman - to Hickman, and predict he’ll be in the running for all-conference honors by next year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's the highlights and lowlights of 2009:

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

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

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

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

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

BIGGEST PLUS IN 2010: Henery and Paul both return.

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

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

You already know the question, don't you?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah, thought so.

Until then - seriously – which are you?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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It’s a force of habit, around these parts, to look ahead to the biggest games in Nebraska’s football season and view lesser opponents in advance of those contests as preparatory fodder. If effort, sacrifice and massive walk-on classes are integral to the “Nebraska Way” so, too, is the mild arrogance that goes along with shucking fools like Arkansas State.

And so, NU’s 38-9 win over the Red Wolves is viewed through the prism of what it means heading into Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech. Since ASU’s multiple, run-oriented offense is quite similar to Tech’s, the looking glass isn’t quite as distorted as it usually would be.

But, still, you have to try to sever connections between the two. The NU team that travels to Blacksburg will be one week smarter and more focused. The Virginia Tech team that awaits has, unfortunately for Nebraska, learned lessons from a 34-24 loss to Alabama, which runs enough of the same plays that the Cornhuskers do to provide a valuable teaching tool.

So in the review, we chart NU’s growth from game No. 1 to No. 2, ask the difficult questions still in search for answers, and look, ever briefly, at the larger picture beyond Virginia Tech to the Big 12 Conference – which suddenly seems more wide open than it did two weeks ago.

Five Players We Loved

Quarterback Zac Lee: It wasn’t just Lee’s efficiency, yardage and touchdowns that were impressive, although they were. It was how he arrived at those numbers. The variety of passes he threw, to 11 different targets, was a kind of dream scenario for the West Coast Offense. While Lee isn’t the tallest guy, his arm strength – coupled with smarts and mobility – allows offensive coordinator Shawn Watson to change the geometry of the field. The WCO often gets the knock – and it’s often earned – of returning to the same handful of pass plays, most of which are controlled dinks and dunks. Sam Keller, and to some degree Zac Taylor, fell into that rut at times. With Lee, Watson has few limits. Maybe inside screen passes, which are hard to run with Lee’s lack of height. Otherwise – not much.

Kickoff specialist Adi Kunalic: Talk about a secret weapon. Kunalic had five touchbacks on Saturday, consistently forcing Arkansas State to march the long field. And, against the wind, he showed off a nasty little stinger kick that ASU’s return men struggled to handle. Kunalic appears, at most, ten times per game. But he’s worth the scholarship.

Wide receiver Niles Paul: The junior from Omaha needed a game like this to shake off the expectations, to shake off the eyes of his hometown – don’t kid yourself, the Omaha media was all over the kid after the game – and to show off that explosiveness everyone’s been talking about. Once Paul has as much confidence in himself as his coaches do, watch out. With less to prove, he’ll explode even more.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara: He did the little stuff on Saturday. He blitzed aggressively. He stoned a couple ASU receivers right after they made a catch. He stuck his nose in the pile on two running plays. When I watch defensive backs on Sunday, I like the Vikings’ Cedric Griffin and Antoine Winfield, the baddest, most physical corners in the NFL. They’re not elite cover men, but they make up for it in sheer attitude at the line of scrimmage. Amukamara has the size and speed to be that kind of player. If he wants it.

Strong safety Larry Asante: His coverage skills won’t be fully tested until the Missouri game, but Asante is a legitimate physical force against the run. He’s grown skilled at the punch-out tackle, apparently, causing one fumble on Saturday. But Asante’s put together two pretty good games of hits thus far. Now if he can just catch an interception.

Three Concerns We Still Have

Leaky Line, Walking Wounded: It’s conceivable that NU could start two backups – Derek Meyer and Mike Caputo – at Virginia Tech. Nothing against either, but it’ll be nice if center Jacob Hickman and left guard Keith Williams are close to 100 percent next Saturday. And even then, you have to wonder about NU’s short-yardage run blocking. At the point of attack, both Arkansas State and Florida Atlantic have won some of the trench wars. A little disconcerting.

Defensive confusion: We’re still seeing Nebraska’s defense unsettled just before the opponent’s snap. While Bo and Carl Pelini want to match up personnel as much as possible in a lightning round of chess, we’ve seen the Huskers’ front four practically standing at the snap, awaiting instructions. MIKE linebacker Will Compton is young, but he’s got to be more urgent toward the sidelines when the call is slow to come in. Maybe such assertiveness comes with experience.

Dumb penalties: Not every personal foul is a borderline judgment call by the referee. Nebraska has five through two games. How much longer can NU afford to give up precious field position in a fit of aggression, frustration or just plain foolishness?

Reviewing the Five Keys

The Buzz Word, Tempo: Nebraska zipped in and out of its huddle, rarely got close to the end of the play clock, and seemed especially sharp in the first quarter. Mission accomplished.

Lead Wolf: ASU quarterback Corey Leonard never strayed too far from the watchful eye of NU’s defense, which sacked him four time. The Red Wolves took few to zero chances in the passing game, and Leonard didn’t break any long runs.

Lanes: For the most part, Nebraska stayed disciplined in getting after Leonard. It helped that the Brothers Pelini dialed up smart corner blitzes that kept Leonard guessing. The best of them, with junior Eric Hagg screaming like a missile on a delayed blitz, left Leonard in the possum position – lying down on the turf, before Hagg ever got there.

The Edges: NU’s receivers dominated ASU’s defensive backs, frankly. The Huskers got open, stayed open, and fought for yards after contact. They block well, caught well, and generally made Ted Gilmore look like a pretty smart guy. Through two games.

Mix tape: Nebraska didn’t run much, but Watson effectively mixed in a variety of ground plays. A little option, a nifty reverse, two quarterback counters for Lee; he put a few things on tape for Virginia Tech to think about. This is a better-designed offense right now than it was a year ago.

Three Questions We Still Have

How do NU’s receivers hold up against a first-class secondary? They’re pretty good against the Sun Belt, but can they get open against the best defensive backs in the ACC? Alabama managed it, but remember: The Tide has freak Julio Jones, whom the Hokies chose to bracket in double coverage most of the night. What kind of problems, if any, can the Huskers pose?

Can a downhill running game crunch the Big Red? We’ve seen FAU and Arkansas State look right at NU’s seven-man front and shove a couple isolation plays right down the Huskers’ gullet. Defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick make their share of plays, but they’re pushed out of others. Can Virginia Tech, and Missouri, and Kansas, and Oklahoma, gash Nebraska right in the kisser? We haven’t seen very compelling evidence to the contrary thus far. NU linebackers, especially Compton, have to step aggressively into the hole.

How emotionally mature are the Huskers? We’re about to find out. Maybe. The strength of the 2008 team – and a weakness of the 2007 squad – was internal fortitude, the willingness to wipe the slate clean after bad plays, and work for those good plays. But, last year, Nebraska didn’t truly grow up until embarrassing itself at Oklahoma. The personal fouls are not a good sign. Pelini’s motor runs hot. So does his team’s. But it can’t run in the red. Not on the road. Not in the Big 12.

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

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

Now – let’s get to it.

What can Alex Henery do for an encore?

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

Snapper? Holder? Anyone?

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

On punt returns - Niles Paul or the pups?

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

True freshmen on the coverage teams?

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

Can Adi Kunalic continue the magic?

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

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