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

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

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*Several of Nebraska’s 2010 recruits are shining on the track and in the sand pit. Wide receivers Kenny Bell (a 24-foot, 9-inch long jump) and Quincy Enunwa (a 6-foot-9 high jump) are perhaps skilled enough to compete for the NU track team, which has boasted some of the nation’s best long and high jumpers over the last decade.

We’ve been a little lukewarm on those two receiver recruits, as you may recall, but their spring track work is somewhat promising. Recruitniks insist Enunwa especially is a sleeper. We’ll see.

*Old-school Blackshirts praise the new-school Bo Pelini method. Neil Smith called Ndamukong Suh the next Reggie White. Well, heh, we’ll see. White was, pound for pound, perhaps the strongest player in NFL history. Although he had at least two excellent pass rushing moves, he didn’t need either one of them. Suh is not quite that player. But he could be more versatile.

*SI puts Nebraska at 13th in an utterly useless post-spring poll, while ESPN’s David Ubben tabs NU third in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma and Texas. Ubben argues that OU’s skill-position talent is far better than Nebraska’s. Is it? Ryan Broyles is more polished than Niles Paul perhaps. Are DeMarco Murray and Jermie Calhoun better than Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead? Has the hot and cold Landry Jones completely grown up in one offseason? Seems like Ubben, who knows the Sooners better than any program, has been smelling what Stoops is cooking a little too much.

*Kelsey Griffin scores 11 in her WNBA debut. Her new teammate Tina Charles was more or less unstoppable.

*The media covering Nebraska’s baseball team finally, at long last, examines the hitting woes. And there are some woes. Meanwhile, Tom Shatel files a middling column about Osborne retaining Anderson.

“Nebraska baseball is not one of the elite programs in the country, a CWS regular, nor should it ever be expected to be,” Shatel writes.

Oh? NU certainly was a CWS regular from, you know, 2001-2005.

Don’t kid yourself. It’s not that hard for NU. Hard for Wichita State, perhaps, and Notre Dame and Big Ten teams. Not that hard for Nebraska.

The Big 12 is one of three college baseball conferences that truly prepares a team for the postseason. The key is - and I think this is a constant misunderstanding on the part of some fans/pundits - to peak in May and June. Period. Get 40 wins overall, with 16-18 in the Big 12, and you’ll get your damn home regional. Which is all a team can want or hope for. Win that - and Nebraska plum choked in 2006 and 2008 - and roll the dice in a three-game Super Regional. Maybe it comes up roses, like it did for Arkansas last year. Maybe not. But that’s the formula.

And, each year, NU has the rare opportunity, because of the Big 12, to rack up enough quality wins to reach that basic goal.

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“Everybody is tired this time of year. It’s something you have to deal with. It’s something you have to overcome. It’s more mental than it is physical. Our guys are in good shape. They are ready to go.

“We’re not going to lighten much up. We know how to take care of their legs, but we need to get our work done this time of year.” -- Bo Pelini.


Nebraska Head Coach discussing the condition of the defense. The defense was the key to winning the Big Twelve North Championship against Kansas State. A wonderful senior day finish for Suh. See the complete story at KSU Game: Pelini -- We're Not Going to Lighten Up.

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“We’d better have an edge. We’ve got a helluva football team [Texas Tech] coming in here. They’re playing well. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

-- Bo Pelini.


See the entire story from the October 13 blog: "Pelini Snuffs Blackshirt Chatter."

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The Blackshirts:

“It represents playing to a very, very high standard. Week in, week out. To me, it’s as a unit. It’s not an individual thing. To a certain extent it is, but it’s about your unit. It’s about that first group. It’s about earning the right by how you’re executing the type of football you’re playing. That’s how I see it.”

-- Bo Pelini

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Think, for a moment, of Nebraska football as a giant bulletin board. And everything on that bulletin board is part of what makes NU, well, NU.

What’s on there? Great coaches, of course. Game-changing quarterbacks. A tradition of power football. The walk-on program. Thousands of things.

And one of the centerpieces of that board is a simple black shirt with white numbers on it. Out of a simple choice at the sporting goods store has grown one of the definitive traditions among college football defenses.

The first-team Cornhuskers. The Blackshirts.

And I guess we all have our takes on what those practice jerseys mean. Here’s head coach Bo Pelini’s opinion:

“It represents playing to a very, very high standard,” Pelini said at his weekly press conference. “Week in, week out. To me, it’s as a unit. It’s not an individual thing. To a certain extent it is, but it’s about your unit. It’s about that first group. It’s about earning the right by how you’re executing the type of football you’re playing. That’s how I see it.”

My take: That jersey is about creating an expectation of greatness, and holding the men who wear it up to that standard. The jersey, in other words, transforms the player wearing it.

It’s not reflective of what the player’s already achieved. It is reflective of who he is supposed to become while bearing the responsibility of being a Blackshirt.

The positions are subtly different. Like putting the emphasis on a different syllable of a word.

Does that subtle difference matter?

It’s a topic of discussion because NU is No. 1 nationally in scoring defense. Yes, this includes games against the Sun Belt Three, and maybe those games shouldn’t really count. But they do, and you can be sure Pelini and Co. aren’t going to be handing back the first shutout since 2006.

And yet the shutout and the ranking aren’t enough for Pelini. In fact, until he was taking a call from a fan last week during a radio appearance, “I really hadn’t thought much about” the Blackshirts.

“I’m not disrespecting the tradition or anything else,” Pelini said. “But I think it’ll become obvious to me,” when the Husker defense has earned the honor.

Maybe Pelini was being casually dismissive of the topic. He can be that way sometimes, and it’s a trait he’d be wise to eliminate as time goes on. Because he probably doesn’t mean he hadn’t thought about a tradition important enough to Husker fans that the words “Blackshirts” is flashed all over the HuskerVision screens on game day.

But if it hadn’t crossed his mind, handing out the jerseys after a dominating shutout that included two sacks and defensive touchdown, well, it points to something, doesn’t it? Indifference? A lack of awareness? Something?

Maybe the opponent, Louisiana-Lafayette, wasn’t good enough. Maybe it comes after a significant win. Last year, Pelini handed them out after a 45-35 win over Kansas, not exactly a stellar defensive showing, but a big victory. By that point in the 2008 season, reporters figured they wouldn’t show up at all.

When they did, one of them went to reserve defensive end Clayton Sievers. Safety Matt O’Hanlon, who had started all season, didn’t get one. And the look on his face that day spoke volumes. Before the Gator Bowl, Eric Hagg had his taken away and given to another reserve defensive end, Shukree Barfield.

Pelini calls the timing and selection of players “a feel thing.” Fair enough. But such a vague process certainly invites scrutiny and arguably diminishes the tradition.


Is that OK? Sure it is. It’s Pelini’s team, and I’ve stayed firm on this idea: When he was hired, he was given a mandate, essentially, by the state of Nebraska, whose collective anger helped sack Steve Pederson, bring back Tom Osborne, fire Bill Callahan and draw Pelini back into the fold. Pelini should run the team as he sees fit, and sink or swim on the merits of his ideas, talent and effort.

The bulletin board of Nebraska football, after all, is made of a cork laced with the state’s fiercely independent spirit. That freedom, really, the foundation of the Nebraska Way. Pelini’s not Bob Devaney, or Monte Kiffin, or Charlie McBride. He’s not bound to this thing. He’s bound to winning within the rules. If he does that, the first-team defense can wear Hypercolor jerseys, for all the fans would care.

But Pelini’s taken a half-measure here. And it puts him in an odd spot. What if he awards them too soon? What if NU holds Missouri to ten points, gets the shirts, then get fleeced by Texas Tech? Does he snatch them back? The way Pelini’s set it up, inevitably that day will come. As will the questions.

And the simple, inspirational band of Blackshirts may become more complicated and convoluted than it already is. Ditching a tradition is often easier than trying to redefine it.

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Ten times Nebraska has held an opponent to 0 passing yards for an entire game. What was the last team that failed to pass for any yards vs. NU?

A. Troy State
B. Nicholls State
C. Iowa State
D. Oklahoma
E. UAB

The answer is B, Nicholls State

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College football fantasy enthusiasts are starting to crop up all over America. While smaller conferences with awful defenses, such as WAC and the Sun Belt, are often loaded with players picked (along with the three Heisman Trophy contenders, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow) for picks, we decided to look at some potential value of Nebraska players.

We examine presuming that a fantasy league starts one quarterback, two running backs, two-three wide receivers, a tight end, a kicker and a defense.

QB Zac Lee: Hard to say at this point. Lee is unlikely to produce the same number of yards as predecessor Joe Ganz, especially with a tougher schedule in the Big 12 North. But, given Lee’s running ability, he might match the touchdown count.

Fantasy Verdict: It’s no shot to Lee, really, but there are better stat options out there. He might be a guy you pick up on a flyer vs. Iowa State or something.

Best QB (overall): Tebow. Gotta be. Yeah, Bradford threw for a truckload of TDs last year, but Tebow is a threat to score 10-15 rushing touchdowns. You know, week in and week out, he’ll get the scores.

Sleeper QB: Case Keenum, Houston. Threw for 5,011 yards and 44 touchdowns in 2008.

RB Roy Helu: Because he’ll split carries with Quentin Castille, Helu isn’t going to gain as many yards and score as many touchdowns as, say, Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter. But he’s not a bad choice if your fantasy league has two or three slots for running back, or if it awards points for yards per carry.

Fantasy Verdict: Roll the dice and spend a late pick on Helu.

RB Quentin Castille: See Helu, although Castille may get more carries in the red zone, and thus may have a better shot at scoring touchdowns. Castille tends to get more carries in short yardage situations, where the goal is three or four yards, so his yardage count is bound to be a little lower than Helu’s.

Fantasy Verdict: You may get touchdowns, but not as many yards. Castille is a gamble.

Best RB (overall): Hunter. He rushed for 1,555 yards and 16 TDs last year.

Sleeper RB: Charles Scott, LSU. Gained 1,174 yards but, more importantly the big man (5-11, 235) scored 18 TDs. He’s the Tigers’ short-yardage man.

WR Niles Paul: We anticipate Paul having more total receptions than any other receiver on NU’s team, plus he gets the added value of kickoff and possibly punt returns. He could be a keeper as a No. 3 receiver, but nothing more.

Fantasy Verdict: Not enough production at this time to take the plunge. Ditto for any other NU receivers.

Best WR (overall): Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State. Yards and TD machine. He may be the first non-QB taken in most leagues.

Sleeper WR: DeAndre Brown, Southern Mississippi. The spectacular freshman WR (1,117 yards, 12 TDs) who broke his leg late last season will not probably be drafted before the season. But what a midseason pick-me-up he could be.

TE Mike McNeill: Excellent value pick here if the top Big 12 guy, Jermaine Gresham, isn’t available. There is good potential that McNeill will lead the team in yards, receptions and touchdowns. If your league has a tight end slot, McNeill is a great pick.

Fantasy verdict: A top ten TE. Somebody in your league will get him; if the timing is right, go for it.

Best TE (overall): Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma. He won’t catch the most passes as a tight end - that’ll be BYU’s Dennis Pitta – but we’re guessing he catches the most touchdowns.

Sleeper TE: Rob Gronkowski, Arizona. Caught 10 TDs last year. Nice player.

K Alex Henery: As good of a pick as there may be at this position. Not only because of his accuracy, but, if your league offers extra points for field goals over 50 yards (and it should) then Henery is your man.

Fantasy verdict: The top returning pick, statistically, whenever you want to draft a kicker.

Best K (overall): Henery

Sleeper K: Oklahoma State’s Dan Bailey made 15 of 19 field goals, and you know he’ll kick a lot of extra points on that team.

Defense: Nebraska has a potential for sacks, which most leagues tend to track. The turnover situation wasn’t so pretty. The Huskers failed to come through in a number of circumstances to cause fumbles and get interceptions. But NU did OK with the defensive touchdowns – thanks to Ndamukong Suh. Your call here.

Fantasy verdict: Not in our top 20, but that may change after a few games.

Best defense (overall): For sheer points, it has to be Oklahoma, which was +23 in turnover margin last year and recorded 42 sacks. Both numbers may go up in 2009.

Sleeper defense: Virginia Tech. Three returner starters in the secondary and along the line for a bunch that was pretty darn good in 2008 with a +14 TO margin and 35 sacks.

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"I'll not budge an inch." -- William Shakespeare

From the Taming of the Shrew, I.1.14

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“I think that Nebraskans have grown somewhat accustomed to a fairly physical style of football and are fairly into it, and (want teams that) would really play hard, that would be well-organized. Teams that will represent, that we can be proud. Doesn’t mean we’ll win every game, but at least be a very competitive football team that people don’t look forward to playing very much.” -Tom Osborne

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And just in the nick of time for senior defensive end Shukree Barfield, who became the latest NU player to get a Blackshirt practice jersey, which denotes the best defensive players on Nebraska's team.

Barfield got his jersey for NU's first practice at the Gator Bowl site in Jacksonville.

During the middle of the season, Barfield moved to defensive end, where he often backs up Pierre Allen. He started his Husker career as an interior defensive lineman. Barfield also plays on goal line situations.

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The trap game turned into a cakewalk. Then it turned into a showcase for Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz.

Ganz threw for two touchdowns, rushed for two, broke the season record for total yards and ran the zone read option like a magician as Nebraska beat reeling Kansas State Saturday afternoon. NU jumped out to a 35-14 halftime lead and coasted – maybe a little too much - to a 56-28 win.

Aside from a rash of penalties and two mistakes that directly led to KSU touchdowns, the Cornhuskers‘ efficient offense (603 total yards) and smothering defense dominated the Wildcats and delighted the patches of NU fans spread throughout the 48,444 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Much of the Cat contingency, meanwhile, headed for the exits before the sun set behind the press box. They missed an exciting second half, in which KSU cut the lead to 14 twice. Ganz engineered two touchdown drives – finished both with touchdown runs – to answer as NU improved to 4-3 in Big 12 Conference, and 7-4 overall.

After an early interception of his was returned for a touchdown, Ganz was terrific, throwing for 270 yards, running for 95 more and doing it all against an aggressive, pressure KSU defense.

The newly-minted Blackshirts certainly lived up to the honor, bottling up Kansas State’s potent offense and thoroughly harassing quarterback Josh Freeman, who spent much of the game trying escape a relentless pass rush. He didn’t have much success, completing just 7-of-18 passes for 101 yards before leaving the game midway through the third quarter. Nebraska sacked him four times for a loss of more than 40 yards.

Using a variety of toss plays and option runs, Nebraska’s running game controlled KSU’s small defense. Roy Helu, Jr., Quentin Castille and Marlon Lucky all had their moments, although Castille’s 37-yard touchdown romp on fourth down and Helu’s Rozieresque 24-yard score were the most memorable. Another was a 14-yard gain in which Castille knocked two Wildcats out of the game – because he ran over them.

Still, the Wildcats stayed within striking range in the second half, thanks to a 95-yard touchdown drive midway through the third quarter and a 97-yard kickoff return by speedy receiver Brandon Banks at the beginning of the fourth. Ganz squelched all thoughts of a comeback, however, with two touchdown drives that largely featured his running skills on the zone read play. He scored one touchdown from 25 yards, and the second from 14 yards. Marcus Mendoza added a late touchdown for the final margin.

Kansas State scored first on Courtney Herndon’s 57-yard interception return for a touchdown, as he caught a wild pass from Ganz, sprinted down the left sideline and carried Lucky into the end zone.

The Huskers answered, quickly. Ganz found tight end Mike McNeill for 29 yards, Helu gained 17 on a toss play and Ganz gained eight yards on a zone read play to set up NU at KSU’s 1-yard line. Helu finished off the drive one play later to tie the game 7-7. After forcing a Wildcat three-and-out, Nebraska put together an 81-yard touchdown drive, culminating in Castille’s 37-yard touchdown run on fourth down and inches. Castille broke two tackles at the line of scrimmage, stiff-armed a third defender and galloped down the sideline toward NU fans. The Huskers led 14-7.

KSU then hit its second big play, a 63-yard touchdown pass from Freeman to Ernie Pierce who beat NU cornerback Anthony West on the play. Kansas State tied the game at 14, and promptly went into a shell for the rest of the first half.

The Huskers’ Prince Amukamara forced a fumble on Deon Murphy’s punt return, Niles Paul recovered it, and Helu scored two plays later on a dynamic 24-yard run, in which he made a cut seconds after getting the handoff, jutting hard to the outside, and accelerating as he hugged the sidelines. Nebraska scored on its next drive, as well, as Ganz hit Peterson for a five-yard touchdown. The Huskers tacked on a fifth touchdown just before halftime when Ganz, executing the two-minute drill, found McNeill for an 18-yard score.

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Tuesday’s practice had just ended for Nebraska’s football team, and 11 Cornhuskers walked off the Hawks Center field sporting the most prestigious threads any NU defender can hope to have.




They were the Blackshirts, the men who wear the so-named practice jerseys as a sign of being the toughest, hardest-working, most-respected defensive players in the program. Some of them, like middle linebacker Tyler Wortman, were still in a little shock. Others, like sophomore nickel back Eric Hagg, were a little rusty on the history of it, but just as happy. Many of them were surrounded by reporters and cameras. How does it feel? When did it happen? What does it mean to you?




In the midst of that scene was junior Matt O’Hanlon. Despite starting nine games and being fourth on the team in tackles, O’Hanlon wore his red No. 33. He’s locked in a late-season battle with now-healthy junior Rickey Thenarse for the starting free safety spot, and that battle, according to O’Hanlon and secondary coach Marvin Sanders, is what keeps either player from earning a Blackshirt.




“I’ve worked hard and to not get one, it’s tough,” O’Hanlon said. “I guess it’s for a good reason. Me and Rick still have to compete. I’m sure eventually one of us will get one. They’re trying to motivate us.




“It’s still a competition, and nothing’s clear cut, so we don’t really deserve them.”




It’s been some ride for O’Hanlon, a walk-on who played high school ball at Bellevue East. Made the squad in the Bill Callahan era by acing a February tryout. Banged around on the scout team. Found himself at the top of the free safety heap – before Thenarse got hurt – because he picked up Bo Pelini’s defense quicker. Earned a scholarship and gained an extra year of eligibility to boot.




When the New York Times – Callahan’s favorite newspaper, you might recall - came to Lincoln one day before the Missouri game to report on the revamped walk-on program at NU, O’Hanlon was the focus of the story, reliving his struggle and rise.




He could have changed his name to Matt O’Feel-Good Story




Except that Thenarse’s injury, and Nebraska’s lack of depth at safety, put O’Hanlon in the position of having to play nearly every snap against progressively better offenses. He learned right there, with live bullets, as Pelini likes to say.




And the Big 12 is not the easiest spot for on-the-job training.




He got burned on some playaction passes. He took bad tackling angles. He missed a key tackle of Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin on Mizzou’s third play from scrimmage. Because of it, Maclin darted to the house for a dramatic touchdown. So much for the New York Times.




Maybe it’s moments like that drive fans to message boards where they hurl unfair insults at O’Hanlon. He’s heard about a few, of course, aware that he’s one of the unofficial scapegoats for NU’s struggles on defense.




“A lot of the fans don’t know what schemes we’re doing,” O’Hanlon said. “Sometimes it looks like my fault when it’s not. That’s how it is. You can’t really do anything about it. You just got to buckle up your helmet and just keep playing.




“I try not to read too much of that stuff, but I’ve heard rumblings. It’s gonna bother anyone who hears their performance isn’t up to par.”




Oddly, being a former walk-on probably doesn’t help. It’s new age in Nebraska football, a post-Callahan age, where walk-ons, even smart, talented ones like O’Hanlon, are eyed suspiciously, or used as a symbol for what’s wrong with a given unit.




“Some fans, they see the guys getting recruited and they want to see those guys on the field. Guys like me who don’t get recruited and don’t have the big stars, if we screw up they automatically think ‘Oh, why aren’t we playing the guys we recruited to get here?’”




Funny, isn’t it? What helped build NU football is now an object of scorn in some – not all – fan circles. Recruiting services are wrong to blame, they’re just the messenger, and they don’t claim to be infallible or completely exhaustive. On paper, Thenarse really is the better safety. If he stays healthy and ever figures out how to play the position the way Pelini and Sanders want him to, he’s probably better on the field, too. Thenarse is a dynamic, risk-taking player. He creates turnovers. He gives NU a jolt of energy.




That doesn’t mean that O’Hanlon is worthy of derision. Fair criticism, sure. Every Nebraska player is open to that. But phony “please, please, please” prayers that O’Hanlon never again see the field?




Remember, he arguably saved a touchdown in a tight game against Baylor when he snuffed out a reverse. He’s been decent in run support. Because of injuries and strange spread offenses, he and strong safety Larry Asante have had to work with a revolving door of linebackers, many of whom were learning on the job, too.




Now that he’s likely in a rotation with Thenarse, O’Hanlon’s game might actually improve. Competition helps. An occasional view from the sideline can, too.




Not that O’Hanlon will be stuck there. He’s a cog in the Husker wheel now, and will be in 2009, too.




“I don’t understand some of it,” O’Hanlon said. “I mean, we’re all on the same team.”




It’s a thought.


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It was the “right time” for 11 Nebraska defenders to start wearing the Blackshirts, NU head coach Bo Pelini said Wednesday in his first comments about his decision.



“You go for a feel for how they’ve been preparing,” Pelini said. “Thought it was time.”



Pelini said the Blackshirt honor is a “day-to-day” thing and that there “might not be ten next week.”



“You earn it,” he said. “You gotta earn to keep it.”



Pelini said only ten had been handed out thus far, not the 11 defensive coordinator Carl Pelini mentioned Tuesday night. Bo Pelini may have been not counting middle linebacker Phillip Dillard, who has not played in two weeks.



Dillard will again not play Saturday at Kansas State. Because weakside linebacker Cody Glenn has been idefinitely suspended, Pelini was asked whether NU would have to shift to a dime package to compensate for their losses.



“Depends on what they come out in,” Pelini said. “We feel OK. We’re really similar to the packages we carried (against Kansas) except that we’re not going to see as much four wides.”



When asked whether Glenn could return to the team this year, Pelini said “I issued my statement on Cody. I’m done talking about that.”



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He’s arguably the most dominant Nebraska defensive lineman in nearly a decade, and here’s junior Ndamukong Suh, getting stuck with a goofy nickname, courtesy of third-string quarterback Zac Lee.



“Ducky,” the team calls him. After that dinosaur in the “Land Before Time” cartoon. Apparently Suh and the green reptile resemble one another. If you’re wondering how in the world Lee dreamed up that comparison, well, use your imagination. Obviously Lee did.




When Suh enters the game on for goal line offense, it’s called “the Ducky formation.” When Suh celebrated after his two-yard touchdown reception against Kansas, he performed the “Ducky dance.”




“Suh’s gonna kill me,” starting quarterback Joe Ganz says, relaying the story behind the name.




Only if Ganz were on the opposing team. Suh might lead the Huskers with 60 tackles 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks – almost an unthinkable trio for an interior defensive lineman - but off the field, the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder speaks softly and smiles easily. He hangs around for interview request – every interview request – tackling each question with sincerity.




Last Monday, when most of the Husker players had walked to the locker room during the scout team scrimmage, it was Suh who returned from the bowels of Memorial Stadium to talk about the Oklahoma game. He was one of two starters, along with Armando Murillo, to do that.




So he’s a good guy. A smart guy. An introspective guy. At times he dials his voice down to almost a whisper as he explains, in depth, why he bought into Bo and Carl Pelini’s new defense.




“I was on the sideline in the spring and watching and seeing how the defense was coming together in a mental aspect,” Suh said Tuesday. “That’s when I really thought, ‘I’m going to be in love with this defense.’ Because it’s not predicated to one individual person, one individual group, whether that be the secondary, linebackers or defensive line. It’s a collective thing. Everybody has their opportunities to make their plays and take their shots. Collective.”




This is the thoughtful, friendly Suh. There’s a different side, as there must be with every good football player. A violent, physical, relentless side. The side that’s picked up a couple personal fouls this season. The side that got caught in the middle of Chase Daniel’s ridiculous spitting accusations. The side that stoned KU’s center so hard on one play that the Jayhawk shivered and stood as if the edge of a giant coin was being dragged up his spine. The side that would, in the heat of moment, plant a facemask in some guy’s earhole at the very mention of name “Ducky.”




Suh doesn’t crawl into that persona until he boards the team bus on gameday. On the bus, he doesn’t talk to his teammates. They don’t talk to him.




“No cell phones, no nothing,” he said. “It’s all focus. Listen to your headphones. If you wanna look at your playbook, look at your playbook. It’s total focus. No joking around.”




And the switch stays on, he said, “until 00:00 of the fourth quarter.”




Then, he’s that guy who wore a giant grin and a goofily perched stocking cap to the KU post-game press conference.



He’s the guy who expresses surprise at his own play this year – “Sixty tackles? That’s linebacker numbers to me.” - even though he’s had the physical tools from the day he stepped on campus.




What he lacked was the kind of coaching in fundamentals he’s now getting with Carl Pelini. Each day, the NU defensive line works on technique and footwork. If the line botches a play in the practice script, they’ll return to it at the end.




“Day in, day out, getting underneath the cage and hitting our sled - that continually imprints it on your brain,” Suh said. “It makes it second nature.”




Suh could always blow up a lineman or two and make a dramatic tackle against the run; what he’s added is a second rush move to go along with his bull technique, and a knack for separating from his blocker and pursuing a runner down the field. Those skills, coupled with a natural on-field nastiness make the kid a NFL prospect right now.




Will he test the waters this year, the last in which rookies can expect super-lucrative contracts?




“Obviously (the NFL) is one of my goals,” Suh said. “I’ve thought about it. Am I thinking about leaving? No. I have another year to play. I’m going to take my options and play another year.”




Would there be an exception to that plan? Sure –if Suh’s draft stock skyrockets to a position where the money would be hard to ignore, it might change. He’s healthy and his body is NFL-ready. And there’s no guarantee that, with Zach Potter and Ty Steinkuhler gone, Suh would have a better year in 2009 than he has in 2008.




Bo Pelini’s been here before with Glenn Dorsey at LSU. For his part, Pelini was pragmatic when asked about it Tuesday. It’s a premium position, he said, and most of the great teams in NFL have a interior stud eating up blockers and ball carriers. But NFL guys might be a little wary since Suh’s only produced big numbers for one season. Plus, he said, scouts tend to focus on seniors at that position more than underclassmen.




Dorsey, for example, was a projected first-round pick when he was graded after his junior year. After his senior year, he was a top-five pick. That’s a wad of prestige and money Dorsey gained by returning to LSU.




“We’ll do what’s best,” is Pelini’s summary. For Suh, he meant.




As for Nebraska? Enjoy Suh now, Husker fans. A “Ducky” like this doesn’t come around often.

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Tyler Wortman called it “the best thing that’s ever happened in my life.”




The senior Nebraska middle linebacker was one of 11 NU defenders to receive Blackshirts Tuesday before practice as the Cornhuskers prepare for Kansas State Saturday. Yes, 10 games into the season head coach Bo Pelini actually handed out the practice jerseys meant to honor Nebraska’s best defenders.




“I’m shocked,” Wortman said. “I don’t even how to describe it. It’s such an honor to be part of something like this. All the coaches were walking up to us and congratulating us.”




The current Blackshirts are: Wortman, middle linebacker Phillip Dillard, defensive ends Zach Potter, Pierre Allen and Clayton Sievers, defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Ty Steinkuhler, and defensive backs Armando Murillo, Anthony West, Eric Hagg and Larry Asante.




Just 11, and it’s not solely based on starters, as backup Sievers and Hagg, who’ s not officially No. 1 on the depth chart, both got them, while safeties Matt O’Hanlon and/or Rickey Thenarse did not. Weakside linebacker Cody Glenn was indefinitely suspended Tuesday by head coach Bo Pelini.




“The coaches told us the number is 11,” Allen said.




Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said the staff decided in a Sunday meeting following NU’s 45-35 win over Kansas to hand out the Blackshirts on Tuesday.




“We thought the physical nature of the play on Saturday, the great effort our guys made running sideline to sideline, we felt like that was a performance where they earned the Blackshirts,” Pelini said. “So we put them in their lockers today and when they came out of meetings, they were waiting for them.”




Carl Pelini called NU’s following practice “the best of the year.”




“There was a certain level of excitement there and a certain level of our guys feeling a sense of achievement.”




Bo Pelini doesn’t talk after Tuesday practices, and he did not mention the Blackshirts in his Tuesday press conference.


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