*NU's player of the game in an ugly 76-57 loss to Kansas State is, not surprisingly, the Husker who'd best fit in with the Wildcats: Ryan Anderson. There are times when, on defense, he appears to be the only guy on the floor certain of his role.

*Effort wasn't the issue Tuesday night and it almost never is. Remember the words, in this case, of football head coach Bo Pelini: Effort is just the first part of the equation. Execution is the other. Mental toughness and focus. Effort without execution doesn't win a lot of games. It just gets you tired.

*In 18 minutes combined, Christian Standhardinger and Quincy Hankins-Cole scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds. In 19 minutes of play, Brandon Ubel scored two points and grabbed one rebound. He committed five turnovers. Is Ubel that much better than either of them on defense that he could post such an anemic line in 19 minutes?

*That said, Lance Jeter's costly second foul was a result of fighting for a loose ball that Hankins-Cole should have grabbed.

*Toney McCray was sorely missed in a game like this. At the very least, he can make some recovery plays on defense.

*Eshaunte Jones has played an average of nine minutes in the last five games. He took one shot Tuesday, a 3-pointer, and made it. Is he a little banged up, or just too much of a defensive liability?

*The education of Brian Diaz continues. He scored 13 Tuesday, made his share of mistakes, and made his share of great plays, too. How about that feed to Anderson for a 3-pointer? When Diaz reaches his full potential in two years time - look out.

*Doc's a blunt guy. You have to like that he's honest enough to admit NU's frontcourt probably isn't strong enough to compete with Kansas State.

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Nebraska will be playing a Thursday night road game on ESPN for the second straight season.

NU will travel to Kansas State Oct. 7. The game had originally been scheduled for Oct. 2. Kickoff time will be determined later.

The schedule change will reduce the amount of time NU has to prepare for the Oct. 16 Texas game, but may allow the Huskers to switch out the Sept. 25 opponent, South Dakota State.

ESPN wanted Nebraska and Texas for Oct. 14. The Huskers were on board; the Longhorns were not.

Last year, Nebraska beat Missouri 27-12 in a driving rainstorm on ESPN.

The Huskers also announced season ticket prices would not go up in 2010. Season ticket holders will pay $54 per ticket. Students will pay $21.

“Our fans have been the most loyal college football fans in the country for several decades,” Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said. “We certainly appreciate their continued support and expect that they will continue to enjoy the experience of coming to Memorial Stadium in 2010.”

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Click for In-Game Chat Here!

There’s never a good time to play Kansas in basketball. Just isn’t. Not these days, as head coach Bill Self rolls out a pick-of-the-litter roster of size, quicks and shooting strokes.

Sherron Collins. Cole Aldrich. The Morris Twins. Xavier Henry. Tyshawn Taylor. Brady Morningstar. You know the names. Or maybe you don’t. I dunno. I know guys who still have Suhgar plums dancing in their heads from the Holiday Bowl.

Anyway, the Jayhawks are kinda cool, the way they carry themselves, and shuffle the ball around. There’s a vanity to college basketball that football, in it cavernous stadiums with tough-guy origins, lacks. It’s one of the best things about basketball, actually, when that collection McDonald’s All-Americans comes zipping onto the court in button-down warm-ups, running the weave for casual dunks. When Self’s boys roll into town with those throwback jerseys and their monastic, chanting fans dotting the upper reaches of Bob Devaney Sports Center like elders in the Roman Senate, get ready to play darn near perfect. Or get ready - as Nebraska has ever since the short-lived Nate Johnson era in 2004 - to lose.

Under Doc Sadler, NU hasn’t been particularly competitive; in seven games, the Jayhawks have outscored the Huskers by an average 76-53. That includes a couple nightmares you wouldn’t wish on your enemy’s kids. While two of the last three contests have been within 10 points, Kansas is still the only Big 12 team Sadler hasn’t beaten.

Of course, No. 3 KU rolls into Lincoln Wednesday - ESPN, 8:05 p.m. - properly ticked after a 76-68 loss Sunday at Tennessee, which booted its best player, Tyler Smith, for allegedly smoking pot and scraping a serial number off a handgun. Three other players were suspended. The Jayhawks (14-1) lost to a team tying one hand behind its own back by taking a whopping number of 3-pointers and ignoring their inside threats, particularly center Aldrich.

This - after struggling to beat Cornell last Wednesday.

“Bill’s going to have those guys so ready Wednesday night,” Sadler said, chuckling. “Not that they wouldn’t have been.”

Unlike some in the Big 12 - Oklahoma and Texas preeminently come to mind - Kansas tends to shake off NU’s peculiar, reinvent-the-wheel style of defensive play. Self, like Sadler, cut their teeth on the teachings of Eddie Sutton. KU and Nebraska run similar offensive sets - the difference being, of course, the execution of them. The Jayhawks don’t have to match NU’s intensity night in, night out, but they can when necessary.

After the Huskers (12-4 overall, 0-1 in the Big 12 Conference) had thoroughly frustrated the league with its itty-bitty bunch during the half of Big 12 play last year, it was Self and Kansas that pointed toward a strategy - pound the boards with impunity, and without concern to the Huskers’ transition game.

Jorge Brian Diaz and Christian Standhardinger may sport a little height to combat the wave of KU forward and Aldrich, but it won’t stem the tide. That’s not a prediction. That’s reality.

Which isn’t to say Nebraska can’t beat Kansas Wednesday night. The Jayhawks, although led by seniors, seem paper-thin in substance and ready for a midseason unraveling at the hands of some underrated foe on the road. KU thrives on an ongoing soap opera - just look at the offseason arrests, melees, recruiting tales and, well, this from, well, today - so NU could be a proper one-episode villain.

It just never seems to work out that way.

Kansas rarely seems to bring less than its B+ Game to Lincoln. I think Self is wise to how hard Nebraska plays. I think he wants to beat a friend

Burn the nets. Lights out. That’s the Huskers’ best chance.

It just never seems to work out that way. Not against Kansas.

The vogue commentary this month seems to be taking Doc’s temperature in his fourth year at Nebraska.

We’ve been steadfast here - the Huskers are on a two-year plan. By then, we’ll know if Sadler can commit to putting real size on the floor, rather than defaulting to four guards and the Conklinesque Brandon Ubel. We’ll know if Ray Gallegos and Quincy Hankins-Cole were diamonds in the rough or sleepers who never woke up. We’ll know if Lance Jeter was the right point guard to recruit. We’ll know, too, whom Sadler recruited to replace Jeter, since Kenyon McNeaill decommitted last week, and is now looking elsewhere. We’ll know if NU is to be in a new arena downtown, or headed for a Devaney reavamp.

If the Huskers pull a minor miracle Wednesday night, all the better. If they don’t, business as usual. For now.

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“I thought Coach Osborne was very genuine. I knew he really cared about me as a person, even more than he did as a football player. Yes, he recognized me initially because of my football talents and all that, but I knew he cared about me deeply as a person. That means a lot to me.”

-- Turner Gill. Former Head Coach at Buffalo, and now the newest of the Big Twelve Head Coaches. Gill took the position of Head Coach at Kansas on Monday.

From “Beyond the Final Score” by Tom Osborne, 2009 published by Regal

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Looks like Turner Gill-to-Kansas is a done deal.

Classy hire for Jayhawks' athletic director Lew Perkins. One he won't regret, unlike coaxing Jim Harbaugh to Lawrence, which would have been a ill-fitting match for an egomaniac looking to climb the status ladder. Gill won't cost as much, either. Plus, he has a built-in knowledge of the Big 12, and recruiting in Texas.

Let's look at three repercussions of Gill's hiring. For the Big 12 North – and Nebraska.

*Recruiting. Gill should retain most – and potentially all – of Kansas' 15 verbal commitments. His offense - which blends power and spread principles together for a brew that's not entirely different from Mark Mangino's scheme – can retain the offensive commits, and Gill will be able to convince the defensive guys to stick, too. The key is QB recruit Jacoby Walker, who recently reopened his recruiting, and will be visiting Arkansas.

Could Nebraska be interested in Walker? It may not matter. Watch for Gill to lock this kid back up.

Don't be surprised if Gill brings along at least one Buffalo commit – running back James Potts – along with him. Potts – who had offers from Michigan State, Louisville and Rutgers - was a nice coup for Gill.

Now then – it's common for new head coaches to at least pay one visit to various in-state prospects – who may be committed elsewhere – just to see who will listen. Based on his highly-publicized role in almost getting the Auburn job in 2008, Gill is better known than some Husker fans might suspect. And the state of Kansas has some big-name prospects – DeMarcus Robinson (Kansas State). Joseph Randle (Oklahoma State) and Justin McCay (Oklahoma) among them.

Are any of Nebraska's recruits in flux? Not to KU, they're not.

*Staff Changes. No offense to Gill's staff at Buffalo, but it's not a major-college staff. Look for at least some of it to stay in Buffalo; don't be stunned if offensive coordinator Danny Barrett takes over for Gill; he was a successful head coach in the Canadian Football League.

Who might Gill attract to his KU staff? One can't help but look at Nebraska's current offensive staff for possibilities.

It's well known that Gill and receivers coach Ron Brown are close friends. Trust us: Nobody wants to lose Brown. And Gill could probably use a guy like offensive line coach Barney Cotton. But Cotton – for several reasons – is a fine fit at Nebraska, especially with two sons – Ben and Jake – playing there.

A more obvious choice may be NU Director of Football Operations Jeff Jamrog. Jamrog, after all, worked with Gill briefly during the last days of the Frank Solich era, and may be itching to get back in the coaching game. Unless defensive coordinator Carl Pelini were to leave in the offseason for another job, there's no position on NU's staff forthcoming.

Another thought: NU football intern and former Husker linebacker Doug Colman. Head coach Bo Pelini really likes this five-year NFL vet, but there's no room on the staff without alterations. Colman has Jersey connections that could help KU's coast-to-coast recruiting. Football intern John Garrison – former center in the late Solich era – is another possibility.

*Inevitable comparisons. Pelini and Gill were the final two candidates for NU's head coaching job in 2007. Athletic director Tom Osborne writes in “Beyond The Final Score” the following: “Telling Turner that I was not going to hire him was one of the hardest things I have had to do.”

Considering the last month, when Pelini's defense nearly willed Nebraska to a miraculous Big 12 title, it seems clear, right now, that Osborne made the proper choice.

But now, with Gill just four hours to the south, the question is bound to come up again. Of course it is. Not many Husker fans were necessarily clamoring for Gill in 2007 – but that was before his “Speechless, Man” moment in the 2008 MAC Championship game. What he pulled off at dead-on-arrival Buffalo – a 20-30 record, a conference title – is more impressive than Husker fans can appreciate. Scoff all you want about the MAC. Just don't forget that guys like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer came from there. And before you laugh at comparing Gill and, say, Meyer, remember, again, that Gill spent a good chunk of his career as an assistant in one of the nation's best programs. He coached Tommie Frazier, Scott Frost and Eric Crouch. Bob Stoops sought him as an offensive coordinator. He did not spend the last 20 years running the jet dry at a car wash.

Gill, to some hard-core football types, is an acquired taste. He's not a screamer. He's not particularly expressive, for that matter. He doesn't curse or cajole or berate. He carries himself, in some ways, more like an NFL guy than a college guy. And he walks with a confidence that's hard for people who weren't one of the smoothest quarterbacks in college football history to understand.

His tenure at Kansas, at the very least, will give Husker fans a glimpse of what could have in 2007.

What will the Jayhawks look like? So much depends on the makeup of his staff.

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Almost to his chagrin, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini tasted a Gatorade bath Saturday night after NU's 17-3 win over Kansas State to clinch the Big 12 North title.

He earned it, you know, dragging this team off the canvas from a bewildering 9-7 loss to Iowa State, keeping it together through a string of injuries and a mess at quarterback, milking every last drop of turnover-making power of his secondary, about as useful at toe lint two years ago, now sparkling with playmaking ability, if not always the best concentration.

“Our kids have an attitude about keeping people out of the end zone,” Pelini said.

Expect him to be a foul mood Monday as he searches for a way to turn lame Buffalo into a challenge of the Huskers' manhood. We suspect he'll succeed – even in a short week. Nebraska by two touchdowns, while you pour gravy over leftover stuffing. (Kidding, of course – there's never leftover stuffing.)

Beyond that lies sure-to-be-undefeated Texas, in the world's glitziest football stadium, smack dab in the Huskers' DFW recruiting playground. Let that sink in for a minute. The Big 12 Conference sure is. Probably toasting a few Red Stripes as I write and you read. The league may not have the marquee game on Dec. 5 – that belongs to Alabama v. Florida – but it has one helluva dessert for football fans to devour: Tradition vs. Tradition. Bo vs. Mack. Suh vs. Colt. Big Red vs. Burnt Orange.

“The kids are hungry,” Pelini said. “On to the next challenge.”

Well then - grab a fork, drizzle an off-white plate with caramel, and dig in.

And while you're at it – leave a light on for Bill Callahan.

I doubt he was watching the game on one those double-screened computers he likes so much – surely, he was too busy toiling away at some throwaway detail as the New York Jets' offensive line coach. But he deserves an assist for Saturday night. Sure, I'm in a gracious mood. But not without a purpose.

Nebraska's scheme didn't outfox Kansas State. On the contrary; Bill Snyder's bunch was ready and then some. Aside from one gutsy call from offensive coordinator Shawn Watson – the 47-yard, game-changing bomb – NU's playcalling wasn't the difference.

It was the athletes on defense. To borrow an oft-mocked phrase of Callahan's, it was the “talent oozing all over the field.” Guys who were out of position, to be honest, but made plays through a combination of their innate skills and some solid, fundamental coaching from the current defensive staff.

NU clinched a North title because it had the better personnel. Much better. Ndamukong Suh. Barry Turner. Phillip Dillard. Larry Asante. Eric Hagg. Prince Amukamara. You and I may choke on the written words – but they're Callahan guys. From, let's see, Oregon, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Arizona, squared. Guys who'd probably never seen Nebraska before their 17th birthday. Guys who were probably coaxed to Nebraska for the wrong reasons – and coached into the right ones. But Callahan coaxed them here nonetheless.

KSU's Snyder showed Saturday night he's still got it as a coach. His offensive plan spread NU out and left the Huskers, often, with a six-man box against the run. Snyder managed to free one of KSU's two weapons – Brandon Banks – on a number of quick slants. He was creative with trick plays. His plan had the Brothers Pelini and the Blackshirts on skates for most of the second half.

Snyder probably outcoached Bo.

But Callahan, even in his short reign, badly outfoxed Snyder's successor/predecessor, Ron Prince, who showed, for maybe the final time Saturday night, what a grease fire his tenure really was.

The Wildcats were working with an empty cupboard Saturday. They have two offensive players of any repute, and one of them, running back Daniel Thomas, is some guy Snyder dug up out of a Mississippi junior college and spent all summer trying to get eligible. The other is Banks, one of the the nation's smallest receivers. Quarterback Grant Gregory is a sixth-year transfer who didn't start a collegiate game until two months ago. He missed at least five receivers with plain rotten throws. The defense is small, scrappy and reliant on funky fronts and run blitzes. KSU's kicker missed two field goals. The punter's so bright he hurt himself flopping after Justin Blatchford nudged his shoe.

KSU's coaching staff is all that kept the Wildcats within two touchdowns, much less four. And it didn't have a single bye week during the season. Not one chance to breathe, get healthy and retool.

And still – it took some excellent individual efforts for NU to clinch the North title.

Asante's strip of KSU running back Keithen Valentine was magnificent. His interception was another nice play. Hagg, responsible for trailing Banks for much of the second half, broke up a sure touchdown on one of Gregory's few good passes with a diving leap that left the junior injured. Suh battled clever blocking schemes and a moving pocket all night, but he still managed to get nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, deflect two passes and draw a holding penalty.

No question – the success of these individual players is in part to Pelini's coaching staff. We'd like to see similar development on the offensive side – we're still, ahem, waiting – but Asante especially is Exhibit A of the Pelini Way. That's a play he doesn't make – he doesn't even think of making – under Callahan/Cosgrove.

Suh is another exhibit. Then again – he was around for the Pelinis to develop, wasn't he? Callahan getting Suh is a little like – OK, a lot – like NU landing 2010 recruit Owa Odigizuhwa, one of the nation's best prep defensive ends, who also happens to be from Suh's hometown. He took his official visit to Nebraska this weekend.

Division titles are not usually reflective of short-term growth alone – although in Snyder's case, it would have been. Titles take a good system, equal parts talent and development.

You already know Callahan's weakness. Heck, it might be Watson's weakness, too, considering Zac Lee made two or three inexplicable decisions Saturday night, the kind that earn most quarterbacks the hook.

But let's not kid ourselves here: Pelini, who can develop players, inherited a great raw product. While Snyder got chopped liver, Bo walked into a chophouse of T-bones and aged ribeyes.

He's got one more year – Callahan's 2007 recruiting class – to enjoy it. And he will. Nebraska can play double-digit wins next year. Maybe 12 wins. Maybe more.

After that, we'll truly see how well Bo's done at the grocery store.

For now, we can enjoy his cooking, and the resulting meal – a Big 12 North title.

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Punch that ticket to Dallas. And get ready for the role of spoiler.

Nebraska survived sloppy play on defense benefited from Kansas State miscues and got a handful of big plays to clinch the Big 12 North division title Saturday night, icing the Wildcats 17-3 in front of 85,998 fans at Memorial Stadium.

"This was a big one," senior center Jacob Hickman said. "It felt good to hoist that trophy."

With Texas' easy win over beleaguered Kansas Saturday, the Dec. 5 league championship is now set: Longhorns vs. Cornhuskers, for the first time since 1999.

The Blackshirts bent considerably throughout the game, as KSU's blend of run and pass out of multiple formations consistently kept the Huskers on the run. But NU (8-3 overall, 5-2 in the Big 12 Conference) thrice rebuffed the Wildcats (6-6, 4-4) in the third quarter while holding a 17-3 lead. "That's kind of the way we've been all year," defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. "Give up a little, and then our guys rise up."

First, safety Larry Asante forced a dramatic fumble at NU's 2-yard line with a big hit on KSU running back Keithen Valentine. Prince Amukamara recovered.

On the second drive, nickel safeties Eric Hagg and Lance Thorell made back-to-back breakups of passes to KSU receiver Brandon Banks. Kansas State kicker Josh Cherry then missed a 31-yard field goal.

Third, NU linebacker Phillip Dillard got his second sack of the game to push the Wildcats out of Cherry's range.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Nebraska turned the Wildcats over on downs at the Huskers' 27-yard line.

"I think you see a mental toughness about how we're playing defense," Pelini said. "I still am not happy. I thought we gave up too many yards. We had some little things - some assignment mistakes, some execution mistakes. But, to hold them to 3 - we find a way. We've come a long way."

Coupled with Nebraska's quick third-quarter touchdown drive – 70 yards in four plays, punctuated by Roy Helu's 14-yard run – and two key punts from Alex Henery that were downed inside KSU's 2-yard line, it was more than enough for the victory over game, but error-prone Kansas State.

Just to show how confident he was, with a little more than two minutes to go in the game, head coach Bo Pelini said the offensive line lobbied for him to go for a fourth-and-1 at his own 36-yard line. Quarterback Zac Lee did, with a two-yard sneak. NU ran out the clock.

"The kids assured me they were gonna get it," Pelini said. "They wanted to go for it, so we rushed them out there and snuck it. They're lucky they did. Becuase they would have had to deal with me if they didn't. I would have looked pretty dumb. But I thought it was a chance to end the football game."

Said Hickman, who led the lobby: "They were about to punt it and said 'Yeah, that's not going to happen.'"

After the teams traded field goals on their opening drives of the game, the Huskers notched a crucial 57-yard touchdown drive, marked by solid plays from quarterback Zac Lee, who rushed for 12 yards and drew a personal-foul, late-hit penalty.

The drive was punctuated when, on third down, Lee pump-faked to freeze the defense, then found tight end Mike McNeill, who had slipped behind the defense, for a 17-yard touchdown. It was same play Nebraska used against Virginia Tech for touchdown – only a holding penalty negated that score.

“It was nice," said McNeill, who scored for the first time since the Missouri game. "I forgot what the end zone felt like, so it was nice to get a taste again."

But Lee made three mistakes toward the end of the first half that cost NU at least a field goal. He took a 14-yard sack inside that pushed Nebraska from KSU 5-yard line to the 19. On the following play, he telegraphed a pass to receiver Khiry Cooper on a end zone post route. Wildcat safety Tysyn Hartman stepped in front of it for an interception.

"Really tried to force it there," Lee said. "Should have checked it down there, taken the field goal."

Then, near halftime, Lee decided against running for a sure first down to throw a pass to Niles Paul that was nearly picked off. Nebraska had to punt; Pelini and Watson caught Lee two inches onto the sideline and equally berated him for move.

Fortunately, Kansas State hurt itself with two holding penalties, an interception and an intentional grounding on KSU quarterback Grant Gregory. Kicker Josh Cherry left a 51-yard field goal attempt at the end of the half just feet short, as well.

Nebraska started the second half quickly, using a 47-yard pass on 3rd-and-1 from Lee to Niles Paul to set up Helu's 14-yard touchdown.

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said Kansas State was packing the box, and NU wanted to take advantage of it.

"We knew it was there," Watson said. "We took the shot at them. It was a perfect situation to do it. I went to Bo, he gave me the thumbs, and we took the shot. And it worked out."

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Players of the game and grades from Nebraska's 17-3 win over Kansas State

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Center Jacob Hickman. NU's thoughtful, positive leader had a nice game, played banged up (again) and lobbied head coach Bo Pelini to go for a fourth-and-1 – which Nebraska did, and picked up. It was the right call, considering the moment.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Larry Asante. His forced fumble was the clutch play of the game, and one of the best of Asante's career. A perfectly timed hit. Asante played well otherwise, too.

GRADES:

QUARTERBACK: C+ Sharp first quarter, toughness on several runs, nice play on the touchdown pass to Mike McNeill, an awful three-minute stretch, and back to fair for the second half. That's my notes on Zac Lee. At this point, you pretty much know what you're going to get. Lee's a willing soul who makes too many mental gaffes.

RUNNING BACK: C+ Roy Helu was close to busting a few big runs, but he never quite found consistent daylight. Sometimes he tries to hard to bounce the play outside. He dropped a surefire first down pass from Lee, as well. Tyler Legate didn't block as well here as he did vs. Kansas. Traye Robinson and Rex Burkhead were OK in spot duty. Burkhead looked surprisingly healthy for a guy who broke his foot just a month ago.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B It's a little hard to block against 10, 11 men in the box, against as weird front, vs run blitzes, but NU's unit did OK. Pass blocking was generally good. Keith Williams whiffed on a block that led to a 14-yard sack of Lee, but Lee's long playfake and curious run toward the sidelines didn't help matters.

WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT ENDS: B+ Pretty good game all around. The blocking was there, no dropped passes, decent routes. This was one of the better games of the year for Ted Gilmore's bunch.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B+ The front four had a hard job Saturday night, and handled it pretty well in the second half, especially against the run. Ndamukong Suh persevered and finished with a big night – nine tackles, 1.5 sacks. Liked the work from Barry Turner, too, whose pursuit and strength has been pretty good all year.

LINEBACKERS: B+ Again – better in the second half, in some ways, because Phillip Dillard and Will Compton shut down the running game, especially Grant Gregory's quarterback draw. On first glance, the pass coverage seemed OK, too.

SECONDARY: B The two plays by Asante makes up for an otherwise so-so night. Anthony West played well in place of an injured Alfonzo Dennard. Nickel/dime backs Eric Hagg and Dejon Gomes struggled some. Too many underneath routes were open. NU seemed confusing with Banks' basic delayed slant pattern.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A Terrific work by Adi Kunalic, Alex Henery and the kick/punt coverage units. Arguably their best game of the year. Henery has some wedge, doesn't he?

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING C+ Shawn Watson's playcalling got a little too conservative in the second half after NU's second touchdown, and whether that's his call or Bo Pelini's – it's still the wrong call. Bo dialed up some timely blitzes that also left Nebraska vulnerable to broken plays, which was officially, it seemed, part of the game plan by Bill Snyder.

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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're back for another week of "Guess The Score!" Last week, Mark_From_Aurora nailed the 31-17 score of the Nebraska-Kansas game and won Tom Osborne's book "Beyond The Final Score." Congrats Mark!

Who will win this week? Put your score below, along with the offensive MVP and the defensive MVP.

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So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.

A trip to Dallas? (Arlington for our Nat Geo types.) A date with the biggest jumbotron this side of a Japanese arcade in JerryWorld? Two weeks of contemplating vengeance against Texas for 1996?

Then finish it Saturday, in a game that won't test Nebraska's talent as much it will its patience.

Let's be blunt: Kansas State, 6-5 and clawing for its postseason life, is a shade more talented than Iowa State. The Wildcats remain, 11 games into their season, a work in progress. It's Ron Prince's parting gift to leave behind an undersized-if-energetic defense. The offense has two key playmakers – Brandon Banks and Daniel Thomas – who have to account for the lion's share of KSU's yards and points. Quarterback Grant Gregory is a better story – sixth-year transfer from South Florida makes good – than he is player.

Bill Snyder's 2009 team is not terribly unlike his last one in 2005. Fairly stingy at home. Weaker on the road. Run-heavy. Patient. Opportunistic on the special teams. But not a great team - and not one that should, with everything that's at stake Saturday, beat Nebraska, on Senior Day.

A loss for the Cornhuskers on national TV – with a berth to the Big 12 Championship on the line – wouldn't be a casual thing. This is, again, one of those defining moments. Good coaches – good teams – find ways to close out these games. Pundits talk about comparing the 2009 defense to 1999. Well, that 1999 bunch stoned top 20 teams – Texas A&M (37-0) and Kansas State (41-15) – in back-to-back weeks to help secure a Big 12 crown. KSU was still undefeated, in fact, at the time of its game with NU.

All the 2009 version has to do to is overcome a thoroughly mediocre Snyder club.

Just a little perspective – before the pressure sets in.

On to the keys:

To the Banks: KSU receiver Brandon Banks is the Wildcats' one true home run hitter. He's the punt and kick returner, for one – and he's dangerous enough in that arena. But his speed makes him sneaky tough to cover on deep routes, and his shiftiness makes him a pain to tackle in the flat. Kansas State tries to get him five-ten touches per game in a variety of ways – screens, sweeps, deep shots, quick slants. Nebraska needs to know where he is, successfully mark him and then – tackle, tackle, tackle.

Power Play: Both teams will line up in heavy formations, try to put “hat on hat,” and grind out clock and yards. And both teams will try to use their playaction passing game off of the power game. And both teams will do so out of a variety of formations, motions and personnel groupings. In short, plan to see two offense with the same goals, equally good running backs, and equally iffy quarterback. The difference?

Front Four: We're about to find out just how good Nebraska's much-praised defensive line really is at accepting the challenge of a straight-ahead running game with a big, talented, physical running back in Daniel Thomas. This isn't going to be a “flash” game for Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick so much as a test of guts, strength, pad level and sheer technique. Again – great defenses eat one-dimensional teams like KSU for lunch. Behind the front four, NU's linebackers – expect plenty of Phillip Dillard, Sean Fisher and Will Compton, and maybe even Eric Martin – need to wrap Thomas and drive with their legs.

Zac Attack: Nebraska fans better hope Zac Lee's strong play at Kansas wasn't a one-week wonder. Not only does Lee need to keep NU in down-positive situations with timely scrambles and smart throws, he needs to continue on an improvement curve toward that game in Dallas, where Texas promises its own brand of nasty.

The Snyder Factor: Snyder is a major storyline in the game. But his best strengths are, in truth, minor, understated touches on gameday.

The man prepares well and gets his assistants to do the same. His offenses usually take care of the ball and rely on field position for points. His defenses aren't flashy from a sacks/tackles for loss perspective, but they tend to have guys in the right place against the run, relying on the athleticism of the secondary against the pass. The special teams are across-the-board strong. KSU conservatively clings like a leech to a small lead.

The Wildcats aim to win the hidden details, all while giving up yards, sacks and style points. Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini and his staff may be tested by this mindset. Or, the Huskers could jump out in front and run away with a three-touchdown win.

It may depends on which team can taste Dallas the most.

Is Nebraska as good as we remember? Saturday night - two contenders become one.

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Just two days before Nebraska's tilt with Kansas State, it's like that little mint hotels put on the pillows.

NU running back Rex Burkhead has apparently recovered well enough from a broken foot suffered four weeks ago to be ready for the Cornhuskers' Big 12 North title game with the Wildcats.

“Rex is doing really good,” head coach Bo Pelini said Thursday night after NU's practice.. “If he can play, he can play. Let it all hang out.”

Burkhead broke his foot Oct. 12 in practice. Prior to the injury, he had 262 all-purpose yards (118 rushing, 66 receiving and 88 return yards). Burkhead seemed to be taking over for Niles Paul as NU's lead punt returner when he got injured; since then, the redshirt of Dontrayevous Robinson has also been burned.

Pelini confirmed Thursday that tight end Mike McNeill and defensive end Pierre Allen are expected to play, as well.

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It was halftime of the Missouri game, and Nebraska had just laid a scoreboard egg. As NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson left the coaching press box, Tom Osborne wanted a word.

“Remember,” Osborne said, “You have that route.”

The “route” to which Osborne referred was actually a concept: A hook pattern by a slot receiver, with the primary receiver running a deep post behind it. Osborne – and Watson – had noticed in film study that Mizzou safeties would sit on certain short routes, exposing the corner to one-on-one coverage downfield.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Watson dialed up the play, and it opened up beautifully. The Missouri safety chased the short route. Niles Paul beat his corner inside. Zac Lee hit Paul in stride for a 54-yard touchdown.

“(Osborne's) box is up by ours,” Watson said. “Every so often, he'll offer advice.”

And you thought it was a rumor.

Turns out that, yes, Virginia, there is an Ozfather.

***

It's a role fit for Brando, were he taller, thinner and still alive. Maybe Clint Eastwood could fill in. You hate inject more saccharine than necessary, but – dadgummit! – if this isn't an interesting story.

We caught a sliver of the tale Saturday when Watson revealed that some of the plays in Nebraska's 31-17 win over Kansas – notably the 37-yard option pass – were from the Osborne vault. So, too, were some of the option runs and power plays in the 10-3 win over Oklahoma.

But it's the way Osborne did it, casually dropping off some film for Watson to peruse, that adds to the mystique of it.

“He left it for us to find,” Watson said. Which, of course, they did.

Could it really be that elegant? Can the spirit of one of the best offensive minds in college football history simply waft off a page of notes, twinkle like a speck of dust in the afternoon light?

Osborne makes no real attempt to hide himself. He's around, a fixture at practices of many sports. I sense he likes to watch coaches in their element – because that's his element. Practice is where teams are born. Practice is where Osborne built a venerable Varyag of a squad, complete with two scout units that prepared twice-as-many players for gameday.

After football practice these days, he smiles as he walks by reporters. Often says hello. Holds doors, waves and moseys out. Some days he's in his trademark red blazer. On Tuesday he was decked in winter wear – a coat and sweatpants. He'd been outside, obviously, on the practice field.

What is his true level of input? Watson and head coach Bo Pelini seem to suggest that Osborne's touch is so light that it barely makes an imprint.

“He has a unique way of doing things in such a way that believe me, he makes it real clear to me that, hey it’s your job, you have to run your team the way you have to run it,” Pelini said. “If anything I wish he would speak up more. He’s not overbearing about anything he does.”

And yet, in the next sentence, Pelini – fully aware of the implication of his statement - said: “He talks to me like my father used to talk to me.”

Supportive. But corrective.

“He’s willing to give his opinion and be real black and white, and say, 'Hey I think this is something you need to fix,' or 'I like how you did this, but this is something you should probably think about working on,'” Pelini said.

It goes without saying that there isn't one athletic director in college football anything like the Ozfather.

Like Somerset said at the end “Seven:” “Around. I'll be around.” And so Osborne is, popping his head into Bo's office when time allows.

“He’ll look at the game tape,” Pelini said. “There are always going to be some Xs and Os things that he thinks could help. I’ll just run some things by him - 'In this situation, what do you think? Punting the football or going for it on fourth down?' The dialogue kind of happens pretty continuously.”

Some Husker fans – a small faction, but vocal – bristle at the image. They think Osborne wields too much influence. They suggest he helped shape Bo's offensive coaching staff. That he pushes for Bo to offer scholarships to in-state kids who aren't worthy of them. That he wants to restore the walk-on program back to a level that no longer is useful.

The landscape has changed, they argue. A well-meaning Osborne is still inserting himself where Bo should assert his leadership. Instead of Osborne acting as paterfamilias, Bo should be the one with the vision for the offense, and he should make Watson adhere to it.

If only life were as simple as it looks, in these human equations we always tend to figure out in our heads.

The flip side is a more compelling argument. Pelini's not a finished product as a coach. He admits as much, of course, but he's better off, right now, growing into the role with Osborne as a net, especially in some of the intangible areas – media, community relations, cultivating a positive sideline image with referees, assistants and players.

One can argue, if they choose to wade into deep water, Osborne's methodology when it comes to winning football games. They can argue with some of his personnel decisions during his coaching tenure.

But the intangible stuff – what made Osborne so likable amongst his peers – probably won him the parting gift of a split national title in 1997.

And I don't see any Husker fans handing back that trophy.

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Among the many conversations Bob Lee had with his son, Zac, about playing quarterback, the former NFL signal-caller once said this: You're not a true quarterback until you've been run out of at least one town.

Zac Lee certainly wasn't sent packing from Nebraska's football program – but the junior was benched during periods of the Texas Tech game, and seemingly for good when freshman Cody Green took the helm at Baylor. Fans and pundits who had seen Lee's on-field confidence and performance waver with each double-clutch and each tentative throw didn't figure the San Francisco native had a second act in him.

They also didn't know Lee's dad, who spent 12 years in the NFL with three teams – mostly in a backup role – had already prepared him for such a moment.

“Taking that to heart, and hearing that for as long as I've heard that – it's just part of the deal,” Lee said. “I've said that before.”

And yet – Lee's confidence went somewhere, didn't it? Head coach Bo Pelini had called Lee “borderline arrogant” during fall camp – Lee bristles a bit at this – but, by the Texas Tech game, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson termed Lee's mistakes as “chasing ghosts.” Misreading coverages. Refusing to scramble.

“Maybe earlier I was trying to make plays passing the ball too much instead of just reacting and going,” Lee said. “Holes close pretty quick.”

A seat on the bench for Baylor – and the first two drives of the Oklahoma game – woke up Lee, Watson said, to the realities of the position. At least the realities of NU's offense right now, as the Cornhuskers try to shift from a shotgun spread offense into a power-based, double-tight without pumping the clutch.

Such a jarring transition needed a steadier hand.

“He saw he wanted to play,” Watson said. “Wanted to be out on the field. Given his opportunity, he grasped what we've been trying to get him to grasp, and that's just managing the game. Start there, and grow from there.”

On the sidelines, Lee found “a little extra hunger that maybe I didn't know I had.”

“It was realizing you've got to do whatever it takes to win,” Lee said. “No matter what that may be.”

Against Oklahoma, that meant handing off and executing safe, playaction passes. Against Kansas, that meant reducing his reads – with the power formations there weren't that many reads to check anyway – and running when the holes were available.

“It wasn't an extremely conscious decision,” Lee said. “I just saw some lanes and took off...if 1 or 2's not there, take it, tuck it and run.”

He rushed for a career-high 53-yards at KU. Threw for 196. Considering the opponent, the hostile setting and Nebraska's so-so defense, Lee agreed it was the best game of his young career.

While Watson prepared some plays designed to utilize Green's strengths in Lawrence, Pelini said they weren't necessary.

“Why make a switch when you don't need to?” Pelini said.

Maybe that's why Pelini has noticed “a little swagger out of Zac.” And Lee has noticed it in himself.

“I don't want to necessarily call myself arrogant, but there's a certain amount of confidence you've got to have when you're the quarterback of a team,” he said. “A certain amount of it comes from just having fun, just playing, being an athlete. I got that back.”

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If Nebraska's football team had any intent of scaling back its practices this week, head coach Bo Pelini wasn't tipping his hand to that effect Monday.

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

NU did cut its workout time in the Hawks Center by 20 minutes Monday, practicing in half-pads. Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini hinted after the Cornhuskers' 31-17 win over Kansas that the Blackshirts were leg-weary after a grueling month of football.

His brother brushed off that notion Monday.

“Everybody is tired this time of year,” Bo Pelini said. “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.”

Indeed, this may not be the week for Nebraska to gear down. The Big 12 North championship is on the line, as is a date with Texas in the Big 12 title game. Kansas State, NU's foe, relies on the run more than any team in the league, and has running back Daniel Thomas, who leads the Big 12 with 1,166 yards rushing.

“They play smashmouth football,” NU safety Larry Asante said. “And (Thomas) is a real good tailback. They run the ball. They're going to come in here to run physical.”

That suits Asante, who's third on the team in tackles with 54 and whose forte is run support, just fine.

“I'm in the box in this game,” he said. “I can't wait. I feel like this is my strength.”

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[url][/url]Water under the bridge.

That's how Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder characterized a tense post-game meeting between he and Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini after KSU's 38-9 win over NU in 2003, when Snyder was on his way to his only Big 12 Championship, and Pelini was the Cornhuskers' defensive coordinator.

Pelini had strong words after the game for Snyder, who kept his starters in despite enjoying a comfortable lead. The extent of the loss was considered by most the final nail in Frank Solich's coaching coffin; Solich was fired shortly thereafter. This past summer, Pelini said he “regretted” the incident.

“We haven't talked about it,” Snyder said during Monday's Big 12 Coaches Teleconference. “I don't think it's an issue. On my part it's not. I hope it's not with Bo. Kind of a heat-of-the-moment thing. Competitive people respond competitively. I'd like to think it's beyond us.”

Snyder spent a good chunk of his time during the teleconference praising Nebraska's defense, which ranks tenth in total defense and third in scoring defense.

“They're every bit what people say about them – and perhaps more,” Snyder said. “They play hard. All 11. They pursue well. They've got speed and quickness to compliment the effort.”

Snyder said Bo Pelini, his brother Carl and linebackers coach Mike Ekeler – who played for Snyder at KSU – have enough shared history together to create a solid, cohesive defensive mindset in a short amount of time.

“They're well ahead structure-wise and implementation-wise and schematically and fundamentally than most teams would be with a staff's that come in,” Snyder said.

Pelini returned the praise to Snyder, who employed Carl Pelini was as a graduate assistant, along with long-time friends Bob and Mike Stoops and Brent Venables.

“I was pretty familiar of what was going on at the time and how far he took that program,” Pelini said. “Really he's done it again. Just goes to show how good of a coach Coach Snyder is. He does a great job; he works hard at it. He gets the kids to be committed, and they play tough, very sound, fundamental football. That's a pretty good equation.”

Pelini singled our KSU running back Daniel Thomas, who leads the Big 12 with 1,166 yards.

“They use him really well,” Pelini said. “They do a good job of getting him the football in places where he can make plays. He's very athletic. He's also very physical and tough. He has nice size. He's a load.”

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Players of the game and grades from Nebraska's 31-17 win over Kansas:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Quarterback Zac Lee. He managed the offense, made good throws downfield, ran the ball for yards and first downs, and carried the team in the fourth quarter. For one week – Zac's back.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cornerback Prince Amukamara. For most of the game, he locked down on Dez Briscoe, whose biggest receptions came in the slot or while Amukamara was blitzing. Prince was the biggest bright spot in the secondary.

GRADES:

QUARTERBACK: A- A marked improvement of Lee's work for the last month. He generally made the right reads, threw decent deep balls to Niles Paul and crucially scrambled for 53 yards. It was Lee's best game of the year, considering the opponent and the circumstances – and even he knew it.

RUNNING BACK: B+ Roy Helu still looks to bounce too many runs to the corner of a defense, but when he does get there – watch out, as always. Big props to Tyler Legate, too, who blocked well for the second consecutive week as he led Helu into the hole.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: B A workmanlike effort in the blocking department, great work from Paul at receiver and some clutch plays by Mike McNeill at tight end. McNeill left the game, it seemed, with a concussion. Brandon Kinnie made a nifty catch. Khiry Cooper drew a key personal foul. OK, he didn't do anything to earn it, but still – right?

OFFENSIVE LINE: C+ Fair, although another personal foul on a poorly-executed cut block sure didn't help. The line finally started plowing some earth in the fourth quarter; before then, it was hit-or-miss, dependent on Helu's ability to hit the corner. From the naked eye, Jacob Hickman had a nice game.

DEFENSIVE LINE: C Kansas punked Nebraska's best unit by using a quick quarterback draw from Todd Reesing to negate the pass rush. From there, the front four played it much more safely. Barry Turner was twice sent into coverage on a zone blitz, with awful results – but that's not necessarily his fault. Ndamukong Suh was neutralized. But, then, that was the plan. And it worked.

LINEBACKER: B- Phillip Dillard was the only linebacker who played any significant snaps. He played OK. Didn't tackle the best. Got burned on a long pass play in which the ball was dropped by KU's Jake Sharp. Dillard got tested today by KU's varied offense.

SECONDARY: D+ Yes, this group deserves that grade. NU's unit was plum outplayed by KU's group of receivers, especially Kerry Meier, who had Dejon Gomes spun all around all day. Gomes did force a key fumble, but that was the secondary's best play of the day. Reesing actually missed four or five passes; otherwise, the day would have been even longer.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A Alex Henery hits three field goals, NU gets kickoff returns from Paul and Tim Marlowe to help set up touchdowns, and the kick coverage was strong. Good day all around.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: B- Shawn Watson's offensive playcalling was generally strong. He managed a solid balance between the 20s. In the red zone, he needs to create a better sequence of success for the Big Red, but we liked the mixture of power and playaction. Nicely done. On defense – we're still not wild about the zone blitzes on 3rd-and-long. Twice, the Brothers Pelini hurt their own cause when KU burned them with first downs. We also question NU's insistence on keeping its dime defense in the game when Kansas countered with a large running back, Toben Opurum. It turned out OK, we suppose, but Nebraska needs to pay Kansas State's running game more respect.

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LAWRENCE, Kan. - It was billed before the season as the game for the Big 12 North crown. In reality, there was very little at stake in Saturday's Nebraska-Kansas game.

It just felt like it, as Kansas took a 17-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter, juicing the chilly 51,525 fans at Memorial Stadium, which included a reporter-estimated 10,000 Cornhusker partisans.

But NU answered with a short-field touchdown of its own. And then, pressed with finishing off the game – Nebraska did it again, going 74 yards in ten plays, all on the ground, all out of power sets, as if the Huskers jumped in a time machine and exited the craft back in 1986.

Nebraska 31, Kansas 17. Bring on the real battle for the Big 12 North crown, next Saturday vs. Kansas State.

“We did what we needed to do in the fourth quarter,” head coach Bo Pelini said. “I'm proud of the way they hung in there. I'm proud of the way they finished the game...the offensive line, the tight ends, fullback – that's the way you finish. That's the way you come out with a drive.”

In total, NU (7-3 overall, 4-2 in the Big 12 Conference) amassed 404 total yards, its best output since the Lafayette game in late September.

“We got our mojo back,” offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “We've been nicked up. The kids have just been resilient. They've never questioned or doubted themselves at all.”

The Huskers got a huge boost from quarterback Zac Lee – seemingly wresting control of the starting job once again – who threw for 196 yards and surprisingly scrambled for 53. Lee's only glaring mistake – a fumble at the goal line – was masked by Roy Helu's recovery of that fumble for a touchdown.

Lee was entrusted with an opened-up, retooled offense that again included more option plays – including an option pass that went to Niles Paul for 37 yards – and a heavy dose of playaction, which Lee often executed with precision and accuracy.

“We just saw some things that we could take advantage of in the defense,” Lee said. “Get behind them a little. And really just let our receivers make big plays. Let them go up and get the ball.”

Paul did just that, catching four passes for 154 yards. All of his receptions were longer than 20 yards, and three of them were jump balls. His catches helped set up nine points.

But Paul's biggest play occurred right after KU quarterback Todd Reesing hit receiver Dez Briscoe for a 21-yard touchdown with 7:34 remaining in the game. Kansas tried a pooch kick – the Jayhawks were offsides in doing so – but Paul came up to catch it. Then he rattled off a 44-yard return to set up the Huskers at Kansas' 31-yard line.

“I knew by the way he coming at the ball how he was going to kick it,” Paul said. “The kicking team gave me a lane to make a play.”

Kansas (5-5, 1-5) stuffed Nebraska on three consecutive plays. But on the last of those plays, KU defensive back Justin Thornton yanked Khiry Cooper's earhole, drawing a 15-yard facemask.

“The ref made a good call,” Thornton said.

Said Cooper: “I've never had it grabbed like that. He went up and under.”

Nebraska got the ball at KU's 20. Roy Helu – who gained 156 yards on 28 carries – scored on the next play, a gallop around right end on a counter call. Lee converted the two-point play with a heady scramble and toss to Paul in the corner of end zone.

Kansas couldn't answer. After keeping Nebraska's Blackshirts off-balance for much of the game, KU called an odd series of plays. The last of them was a tunnel screen to 240-pound fullback Toben Opurum, who lost five yards. The Jayhawks punted.

And, much like a month ago at Missouri – that seems almost two seasons ago, doesn't it? - NU slammed the ball down KU's throat, converting a 3rd-and-10 with simple counter play by Helu, who bounced the play twice before hitting the corner. Helu looked like he could have scored a touchdown, but he veered back toward the middle of the field, where he fell down for a 30-yard gain.

“I did it because I was tired,” Helu said. “I didn't trust in where I was going. I didn't know the situation that well, so I just fell on the ground. Probably spoiled a good run there.”

Helu scored five plays later on a 14-yard run. Nebraska rushed for nearly 100 yards in the fourth quarter, better than one-third of its 233 total.

“Defenses get tired of tackling the same running back,” Helu said.

NU opened the game with a shot, literally and figuratively, as Lee hit Paul on a go route for 35 yards. Lee placed the ball perfectly on Paul's back shoulder. Five plays later, Nebraska got a crucial break that Kansas wouldn't get later in the game.

On third and goal from KU's 2, Lee veered around left end, cut back into a hole and was smacked at goal line. The ball rolled down his left arm, as if going down a chute, into the blue of Kansas' north end zone. For a second it sat there unattended to, until Helu, the pitch back on the play, pounced on it for a touchdown. NU led 7-0.

Kansas had a similar moment in the second half when Nebraska cornerback Dejon Gomes popped the ball from KU receiver Kerry Meier's clutch. But NU safety Matt O'Hanlon fell on the ball inside the Husker. It was the game's only turnover.

Back to the second quarter, Lee got busy again. He scrambled for 32 yards after a playaction fake. Then he perfectly executed an option pass to Paul for 37 yards down to KU's nine-yard line. The Huskers sputtered from there, and Alex Henery kicked a 25-yard field goal to pad the Huskers' lead to 10.

But Reesing, after a cold, inconsistent start, owned the rest of the half – with a little help from true freshman running back Opurum.

Reesing opened KU's touchdown drive following the Henery field goal with a 13-yard scramble; NU safety Larry Asante was flagged for a late hit personal foul. KU then ran the ball on eight of the next 12 plays – converting two fourth down plays on short runs by Opurum. Nebraska chose to keep its dime defense on the field for all of it, and corners Dejon Gomes and Eric Hagg were unable to make crucial tackles on Opurum and Reesing, who capped the touchdown drive with a five-yard, spinning scramble.

NU punted after three lackluster plays. Reesing then stormed down the field again. The crucial completion of the drive was his first, a 28-yard slant to Dez Briscoe on 3rd-and-14. Briscoe slipped by defensive end Barry Turner, who was in coverage while the Huskers sent a heavy corner blitz. Kansas burned Nebraska for the same play. KU had to settle for a field goal as time ran out.

Although Reesing only completed 19 of 41 passes, he made each completion count with 236 total yards. KU also used a delayed quarterback draw to stymie NU's front-four pass rush, which scaled back in the second half to take the play away.

“We have to credit Kansas,” linebacker Phillip Dillard said. “They came out with a good scheme and they came out with a lot of plays we hadn't seen before.”

The Jayhawks amassed 339 total yards.

“We had too many busts,” Pelini said. “We did not execute well consistently. Especially in a couple spots, which I'm not going to name. We gave them some things that there's no way should have happened.”

In the second half, KU's first drive was thwarted by Meier's fumble. NU put together two consecutive field goal drives to take a 16-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

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“I expect our offense to play very well this week. We need to play better. We have to be prepared this week to put points on the board and to do it early and often, because we’re playing a pretty explosive offense with some guys who can hurt you at any time. It was the right formula for that day [Oklahoma Game], but this week we have to be ready to open it up and get ready to come after them and score some points.” --Bo Pelini.

Nebraska Football Head Coach discussing the upcoming Kansas game at the press conference on Tuesday, November 10, 2009. The offense was able to score 31 points against Kansas in Lawrence.

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We're back again with another installment of guess the score! We've yet to have anyone hit the nail on the head, but when someone does - they'll win a copy of Tom Osborne's book "Beyond The Final Score!"

Give us your predictions for this week! A score, an offensive MVP and a Defensive MVP.

Fire away!

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Be wary. Be plenty wary.

As Nebraska's football team floats into that final bend in the Big 12 river, it is, to borrow a Bo Pelini phrase, pretty obvious that just about anything can happen to the Huskers – that anything can happen to any team in the North division, for that matter.

It's the kind of league, right now, where Colorado, that collection of sunshine boys, has an outside chance at heading to Dallas (er, sorry Nat Geo types – Arlington) for the league title game.

We use the phrase “happen to” because, until a four-quarter defensive masterpiece vs. Oklahoma, NU hadn't fully seized its own destiny in the conference season. The offensive gameplan was geared toward a chess match with the opposing defense – not helping the Blackshirts. Running back Roy Helu either wasn't fully committed to playing hard or was sending mixed messages to the coaching staff about his relative health. Suddenly, of Helu's own volition, he toughened up and turned it around last week with a terrific performance vs. OU.

It seems now, finally, the Cornhuskers have found an identity for the whole, instead of the individual parts. Run big sets. Hope Helu busts a few. Throw playaction to offset the run. Let the defense do its thing.

And so – Kansas.

KU has the worst offensive line the Big 12. That's two years now, and that's on Kansas Coach Mark Mangino. Its defense is better, but still overmatched against stronger teams. But the Jayhawks have three skill players – quarterback Todd Reesing, wide receiver Dez Briscoe and wide receiver Kerry Meier – who can make plays off the board. The kind of guys who can take advantage of NU's momentary lapses in concentration.

It's senior day for Reesing and Meier, and it is might as well be for Briscoe, a junior who's gone, baby, gone to the NFL after this year, considering KU needed glue and chicken wire, so to speak, just to keep the kid academically eligible this year. They're going to put up a fight. As much as defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh would like to run over their collective dog, don't be surrprised if, entering the fourth quarter, you're wary. Plenty wary. On to the keys:

QB Shuffle: No easy answers for Nebraska's signal-caller, but we think the starter is Zac Lee, sprinkled with a dose of zone read from Cody Green. Bo Pelini hinted strongly that both quarterbacks might play in Lawrence. To what advantage? We've no beef with quarterbacks sharing time, so long as they're not out there doing the same thing. Use Green to run the spread game. Keep Lee in hand-off and playaction mode.

Reesing's Last Run: You get the sense that, despite a high degree of competitiveness, Reesing is about ready to move on with life. He's an international business guy, he's been running around behind an awful offensive line for two years, the crowds on Mt. Oread are indifferent, his coach is suddenly benching him for fumbles. Reesing has his magical year in 2007, he has win memorable win over Missouri, he has his place in the KU record book. Expect a loose, exciting effort from him on Saturday. Kansas has lost four in a row. There's not much else to lose.

Short Stuffed: Nebraska's secondary has been consistently excellent against the short pass. Bubble and tunnel screens, quick slants, rub-off routes, stops, curls, you name it. NU's cornerbacks are aggressive and confident 15 yards in. Kansas won't be immune to this treatment. So the Jayhawks have to gamble, and send their talented receivers deep. Reesing has to hit them. If they can't make plays downfield, the short-to-intermediate game will be closed for business, and KU is in for a lot of punts and potential interceptions.

Vengeance: Don't kid yourself. That 76-39 score from two years ago is in the hearts and minds of a lot of Husker players who lived through it – especially guys like Ndamukong Suh, Barry Turner, Roy Helu, Phillip Dillard, Larry Asante and Jacob Hickman. You think they've forgotten? Not a chance. You will see an emotional, hungry team Saturday. They won't give KU an inch. This is intended, after the OU win, as a statement game.

Keep It Together: NU's offensive line needs a half without penalties. Just a itty-bitty half of clean football. No false starts. No 15-yard hi-lo blocks. No personal fouls. No holding. No failing to place one's head at Hickman's torso. No illegal men downfield. A clean half. It would do wonders.

The Beck Advantage: Former Kansas assistant – now current NU assistant – Tim Beck knows the Jayhawks well. He recruited Reesing. He coached the wide receivers. He helped incorporate a spread running game at Nebraska. His knowledge of KU's scheme and personnel was invaluable last year – and it will be again this year. Kansas hasn't changed much since 2007, and the personnel is still similar.

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It's a frequent debate I have with a friend: Is it harder to be the head coach in college football, or in the NFL?

He claims the NFL, where the expectations are higher, players act like primadonnas, the media is merciless and the owners can essentially say and do whatever they want. No job security.

It's not a bad case. But it's not modern college football.

One reason: Program-building, which requires being a head coach, a salesman, a general manager, an owner, an occasional warden, a sociologist and, at long last, a father figure. In this era, it's a little like nation-building in a third world country. (Mea culpa for, you know, comparing football to an outbreak of malaria and genocide in the subtropical steppe.)

Building a program is hard enough. Sustaining it in places not named Florida, California and Texas is even harder. Look at the Big 12 North.

Bill Snyder reached the mountaintop with his unique formula of 100-hour work weeks, JUCO imports and maniacally-driven assistants. Then he walked away in 2005, and it immediately fell to pieces under Greedy Grimace. Missouri is punch-drunk on its passing game, which falls apart, clockwork, in the second half. Colorado is an unmitigated disaster, the Buffaloes never fully recovering from Katie Hnida, recruiting violations, and thrice getting thunderstruck in the Big 12 Championship game.

It's a big, unruly white whale, consistent success. Try Kansas on for size.

Mark Mangino's size masks his skill to fans, but opposing coaches aren't sitting around telling fat jokes, I assure you. He's toiled at the ultimate basketball school west of the Mississippi by creating a Texas-based recruiting template, alighting on the right quarterback in Todd Reesing, and scheduling quite modestly in the non-conference season.

In 2007, his team was the story of that year. Nobody to somebody in three months. The 12-1 record. The Orange Bowl win. KU took a step back in 2008, but it was expected – new defense, young offensive line. Still – when Reesing hit receiver Kerry Meier on that magnificent fourth down pass to slay Missouri in the Big 12's best game of the year, the prevailing notion was this: 2009 could be special.

I never bought it. I had KU fourth in the North, behind Nebraska, Mizzou and KSU. Mangino had built up everything but his offensive and defensive lines. He'd recruited like a devil to the offensive skill positions and the defensive secondary and left out the most important part. Surprising, considering Mangino is an offensive line guy. But that's how hard the job is.

The defensive line stunk it up in the first half of 2009. The offensive line still does. KU started 5-0 and watched that record crumble into a four-game losing streak.

“I’m not naïve,” Mangino said Tuesday. “I’ve been down this road before. It’s not uncharted waters for me. Through the years when we’ve had a tough spell, we’ve stayed the steady course. We didn’t panic, we don’t blame players, we don’t blame anybody, and it’s our own fault that we didn’t win. We keep our same routine, we keep encouraging the players and we keep coaching them. I think that’s the best way. When you take drastic measures during a tough time, the kids wonder if the coach is panicking or if they don’t have confidence that they can pull out of it.”

Except, if you've been paying attention to KU during the last month – Mangino did panic. He pulled his best player, Reesing, from the Texas Tech game – while it was still within reach – out of “fear for his health.” That's a Ron Prince move, folks, blaming your best player for running around for the last 30 games because he gets no protection. It's not Reesing's fault.

And the benching backfired. Reesing was rattled by it, and pressed terribly in a 17-10 loss to Kansas State. Was it a reaction? Of course. When KU had to force a KSU punt late in the game – the only weapon the Wildcats have is running back Daniel Thomas – the Jayhawks couldn't do it. No clutch defense.

Kansas is a casualty, of sorts, of what the Big 12's become in 2009. It's trending toward the run, and defense. The Reesing-Meier-Dez Briscoe trio that looked so trendy before the year is now just a collection of yards and touchdowns. It's not translating into wins.

KU is staring right down the barrel of 5-7. That's how quickly it can change.

There's a lesson in that for Nebraska, of course.

Bo Pelini enjoys more advantages than Mangino does – tradition, history, better facilities, a real fan base – but NU's program remains in a fragile stage of its growth. Pelini said Tuesday, flatly, “I want to win now,” which is good. Wins, right now, is what NU needs. It needs a run to the Big 12 title game. It needs to knock Texas quarterback Colt McCoy on his rear end a dozen times. And it needs to run whatever ugly offense it takes to accomplish those goals.

The Huskers are going to get a ton of television exposure over the last month of the season. With every win comes a little more credibility, a little more exposure, a little more attention from recruits. NU's almost filled its 2010 class. But the 2011 class gets built next March. How valuable would it be for Nebraska to own a win over Oklahoma, and a strong performance vs. Texas in Dallas when that time rolls around?

So you get those Big 12 North wins any which way. Period. And then try to pitch a Bob Gibson shutout vs. Texas.

But Bo has to be mindful of the larger picture. There's something dreadfully wrong with the offense. The statistics prove it. A simple eye test proves it. That unit, as a whole, has not been coached or developed as well as the defense. And the offense does have the talent. Roy Helu is an NFL running back. Mike McNeill is a NFL tight end. Kyler Reed and Ben Cotton are mighty talented, too. Most of NU's offensive line has prototypical size and agility. Khiry Cooper, Brandon Kinnie and Niles Paul all have excellent athleticism and good personalities to boot.

It's not just a matter of experience. Folks, don't buy it. Jared Crick, Cameron Meredith, Alfonzo Dennard and Dejon Gomes are all key parts of NU's defensive success in 2009. Two of them didn't play a down last year. Crick and Dennard didn't play much.

Does the offense have similar success stories?

We've rapped fairly hard on offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and his staff, and clearly, they're troubled by the lack of production. Judging by his demeanor, by his willingness to make changes in scheme, personnel and how he calls plays, Watson probably hasn't had a tougher year. He's “all in” here. His gameplan to beat Oklahoma was painful – but perfect. I'm not kidding; had Zac Lee thrown, oh, five more passes, one of them would have been picked off. OU needed just one more turnover, but never got it.

"It takes a lot of guts to call that kind of game,” Watson said. “It really does. It's a hard game. It's easy in some respects, but it's hard in other respects because it's what we needed to do to win. You've got to get your ego out of it. Your ego's got to leave. You want to throw it, you want to do all that, but you've got to get rid of it.”
Watson's job, for the rest of this year, is to avoid grease fires. Some points would be nice, too.

But, after the season, he has to be on Bo's hook for what's happened. Bo and Watson need to take a hard look at why the offense went sour – lack of leadership, injuries, practice habits, coaching styles, inconsistent playcalling - and fix the bigger picture. Not merely react within the moment.

After a week of blaming the media and fans after the Texas Tech game, the loss to Iowa State woke Bo up. And, from there, we've seen a different coach. A smarter one. Better with the media. Open to more changes. More involved in the play-by-play details of the offense. I like NU's chances down the stretch here. And I like Nebraska to give Texas a very interesting game in Dallas, should it come to pass.

Just know this: Program-building is more – much more – than winning a handful of games. Sustaining it is even harder. Ask Mangino.

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