Roy Helu jumped into the crowd. Matt O'Hanlon flipped the ball in the air. The Memorial Stadium faithful roared with vigor before, during and after every big play, and howled with delight at game's end.

The look, sound and feel of joy in Nebraska's 10-3 win over the Sooners.

It's been awhile around these parts. NU was close in 2006 vs. Texas. Close in 2002, as well. On Saturday night, the Huskers closed their hands on a signature win over a team that's much better than its 5-4 record suggests.

Now it's a Sunflower two-step. The land of toll roads, hoopheads, Flint Hills and poor souls who root for the Chiefs also claim the duo – Kansas and Kansas State – that stand in the way of Nebraska's trip to Dallas for a personal conversation with juggernaut Texas. With more momentum than the program's had since the 2005 Alamo Bowl win, NU can't spend a second savoring the OU triumph. The head-scratching loss to Iowa State has left the Huskers little margin for error.

Of course, we'll savor it a little, and ask some more tough questions. On with the review.

Five Players We Loved

Free safety Matt O'Hanlon: The three interceptions were nice, of course. They'll never be forgotten. But O'Hanlon really earned his bacon in run support, repeatedly tackling Sooner running back DeMarco Murray on those wide sweep plays that would have burned the Huskers in previous years. OU openly challenged NU's speed, and the Huskers were up to it. Kudos to strength and conditioning guru James Dobson for putting NU in the position.

Linebacker Phillip Dillard: Another tackling gem. Dillard snuffed out a couple screen passes, sacked OU quarterback Landry Jones and had a crucial interception after a deflection. After that pick, Dillard, an Oklahoma native, ran to the sideline and gave defensive coordinator Carl Pelini a giant bear hug. That's redemption earned.

Running back Roy Helu: He made a couple “only Roy” runs, a combination of vision and quickness that suddenly gets him into open space. Helu isn't a burner, but he busts long runs because he can evade, almost without effort, several defenders.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara: The kid really knows how to jump a route and redirect wide receivers. Nebraska's defensive backs were consistently physical with OU's receivers, and it left Jones without many options in the passing game.

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: He still had his game face on in the postgame press conference. Fine by me. Suh needs to treat this final three-game stretch like a personal offense to his talent. Everything is in front of NU, with a prize of Texas at the end of the rainbow. Know this: If Suh were to have a monster final month, culminating with a big showing in Big D, his Heisman hopes aren't over. People instinctively want to vote for this kid.

Three Concerns We Have

Dumb offensive penalties: Nebraska nearly self-destructed in its first two drives of the game with false starts and a personal foul for a cut block. Pelini looked like he was about ready to melt down over those minor mistakes. He should. They're getting old. And offensive line coach Barney Cotton needs to continue to answer for them.

Nervous in the Service: That's offensive coordinator Shawn Watson's way of describing how uncomfortable Cody Green looked Saturday night. He's used it to describe Zac Lee, too. You can see the problem here.

One Wrong Hit: On Helu or Alfonzo Dennard's shoulder, and they're back to half-speed. And these two guys are crucial to NU's success down the stretch. Nebraska needs a little luck here that they stay healthy.

Reviewing the Five Keys

Field Position: Nebraska lost this battle all night, really, except once – when it started a drive on OU's 1-yard line. That's field position.

Haymakers: The Sooners tried to knock out Nebraska in the first quarter, but missed two field goals and withered under Bo Pelini's well-timed blitzes.

O-Line Litmus Test: The Huskers' offensive line didn't exactly pass any exams, but it did open a few holes in the power running game.

Little Things That Kill: Nebraska successfully took away OU's short passing game more often than not, but the Sooners kept trying and failing to capture it anyway. Oklahoma tried too hard to assert its advantage in the passing game when it had none.

Gambles Not Worth the Risk: NU won this key. OU played recklessly after the first quarter, rolling the dice too often on fourth down or with risky passes. The Sooners took too many bad chances and didn't show much patience despite never trailing by more than seven points.

Three Questions We Still Have

Zac or Cody? Check out our longer commentary on this matter.

Can the defense roll another 7/11 in Lawrence? Kansas' defense has improved, NU's offense really hasn't, and KU quarterback Todd Reesing is experiencing an unexpected late-career slump. Nebraska may have to turn in an encore to win.

Where's the offensive creativity? Doesn't Shawn Watson have a few reverses in the toolbox? How can he better utilize the speed NU does have? What happened to the middle screen passes Helu ran so well last year? Conservative is one thing. Inert is another.

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Players of the game and report card for Nebraska's 10-3 win over Oklahoma:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Roy Helu. He's back – and just in the nick of time! Helu made a few runs Saturday that only he, on NU's football team, can make. His vision and quick cuts to the hole are rare for a player at any level, and more than once he caught an OU defender peeking or heading the wrong way. He needs to improve with his pass protection. But what college running back doesn't, right?

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Matt O'Hanlon. He called his interceptions a product of being in the right place at the right time, which is true. But MattyO was terrific in run support – his tough tackles help convince OU to move away from the running game, and his one interception return – which helped set up a field goal – was fairlu crucial. Great game for a kid who's earned it.

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: C The position has now shifted into “don't kill us” mode for the rest of the season. Zac Lee and Cody Green didn't exactly make many plays Saturday – but they didn't lose the game, either. Who Nebraska plays from here is anybody's guess.

RUNNING BACK: B+ Roy ran like the old Roy, Traye Robinson had some authority, and Tyler Legate was solid in the blocking scheme. This unit is so much better when Helu is reasonably healthy.

WIDE RECEIVER: I For “incomplete.” They blocked, mostly. Only two receptions by the position all night, both belonging to Brandon Kinnie.

OFFENSIVE LINE/TIGHT ENDS: C Oklahoma has an awesome defense, and NU occasionally held its own in the running game, especially when Nebraska chose the power route with Legate as a lead blocker. But the pass pro was fairly shabby Saturday night. Neither Green nor Lee had much time.

DEFENSIVE LINE A The front four played so damn hard, blunting OU's run game and producing enough of a pass rush on Landry Jones to throw him off his rhythm. The Huskers are as physical and imposing across the front as any defense in college football. The Sooners and Alabama are up there, too.

LINEBACKERS: A Essentially a grade for Phillip Dillard – and we're OK with that. Dillard made two or three key tackles on screen passes, had an interception and a sack, and served as on-field emotional motivation for the defense. He's become an all-conference caliber player in a matter of months.

SECONDARY: A Landry Jones will see these guys in his dreams. O'Hanlon played great, Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard constantly challenged receivers, Eric Hagg and Dejon Gomes worked over the inside slot routes, Larry Asante provided the hits, and Anthony Blue and P.J. Smith looked good in spot duty. And what about Hagg's big tackle on fourth down? Yep – these guys can play!

SPECIAL TEAMS: B Nebraska's punt coverage units were a little leaky, sure, but Alex Henery's punting was strong overall, and Ndamukong Suh blocked a field goal attempt in the second quarter. Kickoff coverage was excellent. Niles Paul displayed sure hands on punt returns. Gomes needs to be a little more careful out there – he cost NU about 35 total yards on two penalties.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: B+ From a defensive perspective – brilliant! Bo and Carl Pelini constantly had OU guessing on offense, and the Sooners kept choosing the wrong door. On offense, coordinator Shawn Watson played it safe and smart. For this week, we can live with it. Expect Kansas and Kansas State to have better plans though, and Watson better figure out a way to move the ball. The offensive penalties early in the game were simply absurd. Why is Ricky Henry cut-blocking the opposite guard's man, 10 yards away from the play?

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Phillip Dillard keeping peeking at the clock on the scoreboard. Five minutes. Three minutes. Two minutes. Under a minute. Under forty seconds.

Nebraska's defense, which had rebuffed No. 24 Oklahoma all night with interceptions, timely tackles and stifling pressure of quarterback Landry Jones, had to do it again. One more time – with a 10-3 lead over the rival Sooners, whose own defense had stoned NU into 11 punts.

“We just had to keep fighting,” Dillard told the huddle. “We've fought this long, we have to find something else down deep inside.”

The Sooners had run 30 more plays, had 16 more first downs and 145 more total yards. They visited NU territory 12 times. An electric, almost angry crowd of 86,115 fans at Memorial Stadium alternately hollered and clutched their hands. Huskers cramped all over the field, including defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who dramatically collapsed to the ground with a thigh cramp on OU's second-to-last drive.

But where they failed at Virginia Tech, the Blackshirts delivered the defining, signature moment of the still-young Bo Pelini era, a 10-3 victory that rested solely on the shoulders of the defense – whom Pelini was hired to rebuild and resurrect. A defense that gave up 62 to Oklahoma last year. A defense that was tired of hearing about the superior Sooners.

“We had to step up and show this defense could play,” Dillard said. “That this defense can ball.”

Consider it done, along with a startling defensive turnaround in less than two years. From 2007 – when NU allowed 40, 41, 45, 49, 65 and 76 points in various games – until tonight, when the Blackshirts set up all of the Huskers' points and withstood OU's withering no-huddle pace and world-class speed to stay alive in the Big 12 North race.

“They sucked it up and found a way,” a drained Pelini said. “I'm proud of that group of men.”

Was it Pelini's best coaching win? Remember, he owns a Super Bowl ring and a national title in previous stints as an assistant.

“This ranks right up there,” he said. “That's a good football team we played out there tonight. Make no mistake, Oklahoma is a helluva football team. That game could have gone a lot of different ways; we just found a way to kind of hang in there and hang in there, and we made enough plays. (Oklahoma) played their hearts out, too.”

NU intercepted Jones five times – all in Cornhusker territory – and turned over the Sooners twice on fourth downs. Oklahoma contributed to its own demise by missing three field goals. Senior Matt O'Hanlon tied the school record with three interceptions – a Husker hasn't done that in 30 years – and added 12 tackles.

Nebraska's front four didn't have flashy numbers, but it spooked Oklahoma's running game enough for Jones to throw an eye-popping 58 passes. He only completed 26. A dozen times, he simply threw the ball away. Jones' final pass of the night with a painful, floating balloon, higher than a punt, that O'Hanlon fielded at the 6-yard line with 27 seconds left. Game over. Party in Lincoln.

“Luckily I got my hands on it,” O'Hanlon said. “I thought it was up there for about ten seconds.”

After the pick, O'Hanlon stood up and threw the ball in the air. He got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. He didn't seem to care. The guy who blew a key coverage in a 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech had his vindication, a place in the record books, and his own chapter in the lore of the NU-OU series.

“After the Virginia Tech game I was down,” O'Hanlon said. “I just needed a kind of breakout game to get my confidence back. This game did that.”

In front of regional television audience on ABC, all of Nebraska's defense had a breakout game, setting up the Huskers' 10 points, including the game's only touchdown.

Early in the second quarter, after OU had already blown two chances at points with missed field goals, NU junior cornerback Prince Amukamara aggressively jumped a slant route and intercepted Jones at OU's 23-yard line, returning the ball to the Sooner 1.

“Huge play,” Pelini said.

After an offsides penalty, quarterback Zac Lee – who replaced starter Cody Green – floated a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ryan Hill.

“For a second I thought 'Oh no,'” Lee said. “Then I saw Ryan. It kind fell in his hands. I was just trying to put it up in the back corner, and he went and got it.”

Pelini said he “felt it was right” to insert Lee after Green's shaky start.

“It was an emotional game and I guess you could say I just got caught up in it,” Green said.

Green's last pass was thrown into oblivion, 40 yards upfield toward no receiver or defender.

“Get up,” offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said to Lee. “You're going in.”

Lee wasn't asked to do much – he only completed 5-of-9 passes for 35 yards – other than not lose the game and hand off to Roy Helu, who returned to form with 138 yards, most of it after contact.

“Roy Helu played his tail off tonight,” Pelini said. “We just wanted to keep pounding it and running the football. We were going to be fairly conservative, try and keep them from blitzing and some of the things that they did. We stuck with it. We were able to get the lead, which was huge. It allowed us to play to our defense.”

Oklahoma made five trips to Nebraska territory in the first half – and scored only three points. Sooner kicker Tress Way yanked one field goal and had another blocked by Ndamukong Suh. NU thwarted a 15-play OU drive when Eric Hagg smothered running back DeMarco Murray for a loss on fourth down. Only the Sooners' final drive of the half produced points, a nine-play, 59-yard march that ended with Way's 28-yard field goal.

In the second half, OU made six more trips – and scored nothing. Jones threw four interceptions, including the three to O'Hanlon, whose first interception, returned to Oklahoma's 44-yard line, set up Alex Henery's 28-yard field goal. Jones would consistently hit two or three passes on each drive – receivers DeJuan Miller and Ryan Broyles combined for 13 catches – but couldn't finish off those drives. NU often disguised its coverage before the snap, moving its dime defense in and out of man and zone looks. Jones, who took over for an injured Sam Bradford, looked confused and frustrated.

“We were fairly consistently moving it,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “We'd just get behind the chains. You've got to credit them, on third or fourth down, we had our opportunity, and they made plays, they covered us or pressured us or whatever it was to get out of it. That's where we needed to be better.”

Nebraska threatened for a fourth-quarter score after runs of 12, 8 and 24 by Helu, but Henery pushed a 42-yarder off to the left – his first miss under 50 yards in almost two years. NU stopped the Sooners two more times after that. Dillard intercepted a fourth-down pass tipped by Jared Crick, and O'Hanlon caught the Hail Mary punt.

After that, Lee came into the game, sneaked for a yard, and the game was won.

“It feels good to win, no matter how ugly that may have been,” Lee said. “It's probably the best feeling I've ever had in football. The way we hung in there and kept fighting. The way we stuck by each other the entire game.”

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Right after Bo Pelini was hired to coach Nebraska in 2007, a good helping of Cornhusker fans, well-versed in both modern and historical college football, pointed to this upcoming week as an early mid-term, if you will, on NU's progress under Pelini.

A home game vs. Oklahoma, the standard-bearer of the Big 12 in the 21st Century, coached by Pelini's old buddy, Bob Stoops. If Pelini had a grace period of, say, 20 games – he's coached 21 thus far – OU, with its balance, talent, speed and reputation, would be an apt measuring stick for how far the Huskers had come – and how far, still, they had to go.

As we stand here now, with both fighters bruised and frustrated, it's harder to see that stick in the mist of injuries, offensive woes and close, painful losses.

But it's still there. And all of Nebraska's goals are still there, too. The Huskers control their destiny. Win out and punch a ticket to Dallas and the Big 12 Championship vs. Texas. Win out, and NU, with its fan base and classy reputation, is guaranteed no worse than the Holiday Bowl to tangle with another of Pelini's mentors, Pete Carroll and his USC Trojans.

Yes – win out, and a fairly cool prize awaits at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box.

NU's 20-10 victory over Baylor isn't the kind you love to relive, aside from one particular performance. We'll do it anyway, with an eye on the big stick that Nebraska would very much like to carry into the final quarter of its season – after measuring up to it, of course.

Five Players We Loved

Defensive tackle Jared Crick: Opponents pay so much attention to Ndamukong Suh that Crick feasts on the single-blocker approach. But Saturday, he tossed those blockers aside and chased Baylor quarterback Nick Florence like a wolfman. Thirteen tackles? Absurd. Crick's small-town persona only adds to the appeal.

Linebacker Eric Martin: He's been threatening to make a big special teams play all year; Saturday, he finally made it by setting up a blocked punt that was returned by Justin Blatchford for the Huskers' first touchdown. If Martin is able to make the leap defensive back Alfonzo Dennard made from his freshman to sophomore season, watch out.

Quarterback Cody Green: Warts and all, Green ran hard, competed bravely and generally seemed in command. He's got some work to do, particularly on timing routes, but he's finally a position to do something about it on the field.

Punter/kicker Alex Henery: Nailed two important field goals – Baylor's Ben Parks missed a chip shot of his own – and made a touchdown-saving tackle on a wild BU punt return right at the end of the game. Athlete first. Kicker second.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara: One terrific interceptions with three more pass breakups to boot. Amukamara rebounded from a so-so game vs. Texas Tech with a strong performance here.

Three Concerns We Have

No Daylight: Nebraska ran the ball 19 times in the second half for 61 yards. How many teams is that going to beat? The beefy offensive line has to earn its keep.

Going Horizontal: Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson laid off the sideways passes for the first half. Then, with a seemingly comfy 20-0 lead, he started getting cute again, trying to burn Baylor for loading the box by throwing 20 yards sideways, in the hopes of creating one-on-one situations on the perimeter. You all know what eventually happened. If Watson wants to go horizontal, here's a thought: Run wide receiver sweeps.

Shaky coverage: Baylor was close on a couple kick and punt returns to busting one open for a touchdown. The Huskers have to keep lane discipline and learn to break down and tackle better, instead of searching for the killshot.

Reviewing The Five Keys

Play to win, not to dominate: Nebraska did just that with a modest offensive gameplan and a defensive strategy that called for maximum coverage and zero blitzes. The result? Seven sacks and three turnovers on defense. Safe to say the plan worked.

Match up and move it: Dejon Gomes, Lance Thorell and Sean Fisher probably were exhausted by game's end, running in and out of the game as NU mixed and matched nickel, dime and dollar coverages, but the Huskers were rarely out of position, and almost always had double coverage on the deep receiver, which led to Gomes' interception. The Huskers were lucky that Florence wasn't more accurate on that skinny slant pattern to Kendall Wright, though.

Neutralize the earth-movers: Baylor couldn't do anything against Crick and Suh, while Nebraska had initial success against the Bears' front four, with that success waning by the second half.

Traye and Jay: Dontrayevous Robinson looked like Nebraska's best running option until he got hurt in the fourth quarter; Robinson, like Green, competes hard on every play. BU's Jay Finley was not a factor.

Bo vs. Briles: Baylor head coach Art Briles threw the kitchen sink at Nebraska, and the Brothers Pelini dodged nearly every bullet and landed some haymakers of their own. NU won this coaching chess match with a big dose of help from Crick and Suh.

Three Questions We Still Have

Is Roy Helu anywhere near getting healthy? Why did he play Saturday? Repeat: Why? If Nebraska couldn't beat Baylor without Helu – and, just for the record, the Huskers pretty much did – then Nebraska had no business winning, period. Helu should have stayed home and nursed his injured shoulder.

Where in the world is Mike McNeill, and how does Watson get him involved in the offense again? McNeill's too good to be wasted on well-covered tight end routes. Give the kid a chance to work on the edge and use his size advantage. He's a mismatch waiting to happen. Isn't Watson all about that?

Can the Nebraska crowd find some inner resolve? And create a nightmarish atmosphere for Oklahoma this week? Memorial Stadium needs to be the toughest environment that OU quarterback Landry Jones has ever played in.

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

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

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

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

Five Players We Loved

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

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

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

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

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

Three Concerns We Still Have

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

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

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

Reviewing the Five Keys

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

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

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

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

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

Three Questions We Still Have

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

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

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

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Bo Pelini called out his Nebraska football team after Wednesday’s practice. After Thursday’s , Bo’s brother, defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, said the Cornhuskers answered the bell.

NU pushed through with more aggression and concentration, he said, as fall camp nears an end, and Nebraska begins prep for Sept. 5’s season-opener vs. Florida Atlantic.

“You put in two hard weeks of camp, school starts, it’s not game week yet,” Carl Pelini said. “It’s always a week where, as a coach, you’ve got to anticipate you have to push them a little bit and they’ve got to find a way to motivate themselves. They’ve got to find a way to do it, and today they did.”

The Huskers seem to be narrowing on the guys who play significant snaps at linebacker, Pelini said.

Redshirt freshman Will Compton – a name heard more often last year than this camp – is currently No. 1 at the MIKE spot, while Phillip Dillard closely on his heels. Colton Koehler, who had been No. 1 at the start of camp, was not mentioned by Pelini.

“Every day he just gets better,” Pelini said of Compton. “More aware of what his responsibilities are. He’s communicating better with the front four and the secondary. Still not perfect, but we’re happy with his progress.”

Sophomore Mathew May and junior Blake Lawrence continue to have a “good battle” for the starting role at WILL. Pelini said May’s athleticism is impressive, but he needs to “slow down a little bit” in executing his assignments, while Lawrence knows the defense well.

“Both guys will see significant playing time,” Pelini said.

In the secondary, expect several cornerbacks and safeties to play – at least in the first couple of games. Pelini and secondary coach Marvin Sanders said Dejon Gomes and Alfonzo Dennard continue to press starters Anthony West and Prince Amukamara, whom Pelini said is “not quite 100 percent.” At safety, Larry Asante and Matt O’Hanlon should get the starting nods, but P.J. Smith and Rickey Thenarse should get some snaps, as well.

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A couple of them will have a chip on their shoulder. A couple more are being thrown into the fire. Others see the sands of time running out on their NU career.

The ten Husker football players who arguably have the most to prove in 2009 are on the list for various reasons. And each one of them could have standout seasons. Here's our take on the guys NU fans will be watching come fall:

Senior wide receiver Menelik Holt: You can’t create a more prototypically sized receiver – 6-foot-4, 220 pounds – but Holt hasn’t been the heir apparent to Maurice Purify that many expected him to be. At least not yet. His hands haven’t been the problem – sans a fumble at Iowa State – but Holt doesn’t easily get open, and hasn’t much been sent on those deep routes that were previously reserved for Nate Swift. Holt had an average spring camp, and needs to turn up the voltage in the fall.

Senior wide receiver Chris Brooks: Does “Brooksie,” as some call him, finally make good on his lauded high school potential? Time to find out. He had a solid spring, but receivers coach Ted Gilmore has typically been reluctant to play him. He won’t have much choice in 2009; Brooks should be the team’s No. 3 or No. 4 option, at worst. He’s well-liked, and seems to have the right attitude, and no lingering frustration over his lack of playing time.

Senior linebacker Phillip Dillard: Just two years ago, Dillard was seen as the answer to Nebraska’s flailing, failing linebacking corps, specifically the suddenly-average Corey McKeon. Today, Dillard tries to fight out of the doghouse after plummeting to the bottom of the depth chart in spring practice. If healthy, and at the proper weight, Dillard is probably an upgrade over Colton Koehler, who started over the last half of 2008. But he’s got to earn the trust of position coach Mike Ekeler and head coach Bo Pelini, and that should take the balance of fall camp.

Senior defensive end Barry Turner: We’re not questioning Turner’s previous production; he’s been a solid rush end at Nebraska. But he does have to fully recover from a nasty break in 2008 in order to give the Huskers that speed rusher they were lacking last year. With Ndamukong Suh attracting more double teams this year, Turner will have his shots at the quarterback. As the spring game showed, his first step is still there. But can he get around the Big 12’s best tackles? That remains to be seen.

Junior cornerback Prince Amukamara: He’s fast, he’s got huge hands and, by every account, dude can practically jump out of the gym. Now it’s time for Amukamara, a “hot one play, cold the next” cover corner last year, to make the leap that position coach Marvin Sanders knows he can. Sanders revamped his coaching installation this spring, beginning with basics and core principles, in an effort to get all of his defensive backs on the same page. When the light goes all the way on for Amukamara, he could be one of the Big 12’s best. Question is: Does it happen?

Junior quarterback Zac Lee: For it’s worth, we think Lee’s up to the considerable challenge in front of him, which is to sustain the success of 2008 with a tougher schedule, new receivers and a talented true freshman (Cody Green) waiting in the wings. Joe Ganz got to spend the first month in the cozy confines of Memorial Stadium; Lee gets no such luxury, with two vicious road games at Virginia Tech and Missouri on an ESPN Thursday night. The kid’s got to be sharp, fast. And the final exam – games at Kansas and Colorado – will determine the Big 12 North title. Lee has a lot of pressure to bear on that No. 5 jersey.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Sean Fisher: Really, all of the linebackers have something to prove, but Fisher is a perfect microcosm of the position in the fall of 2009: Lots of talent, little experience. Fisher has been the best of the young studs so far, settling into a BUCK linebacker spot nicely in spring camp and looking decent, in the spring game. The first month of the football season, he’ll face all kinds of different offenses - pro-style, spread, whatever Virginia Tech decides to trot out – and he’ll have to keep head above water in all instances. Fisher has earned the spotlight thus far. But his mistakes, should he make them, will be the most quickly exposed, too.

Sophomore cornerback Anthony Blue: He had the ugliest of ugly knee injuries – the dreaded MCL tear – and he’s just now rounding back into game shape and trusting his leg to do what it once did so easily. Before his injury, Blue was slated as a starting cornerback. Now, he might be the No. 5 guy on the board. Another talent, Willie Amos, never really came back from his devastating tear. Neither did wingback/cornerback Isaiah Fluellen. Husker fans don’t want to go down this road again.

Junior guard Ricky Henry: Nearly every Nebraska offensive and defensive lineman have professed an admiration for this kid. Mostly because his motor is on Autobahn speed most of the time, and he loves battling in the trenches with a zeal some haven’t seen since the Milt Tenopir days. That’s fine with us, of course, but, to paraphrase position coach Barney Cotton, it might be good if Henry turned it down a notch every so often, and realized there is such a thing as a holding penalty. If Henry can learn the offense, and be more than a toughman, Nebraska’s running game may be in even better shape.

Senior safety Rickey Thenarse: It would help if Thenarse would get a break on the health front, but he’s still a guy who was healthy enough last year in the Gator Bowl, only to get outplayed and replaced by Matt O’Hanlon. Thenarse is a special teams dynamo, and he’s pretty good in run coverage. But he still tends to get turned around in pass coverage. Does that finally end in 2009?

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It was the second straight season that zero Nebraska players were taken on the first day of the NFL Draft and only three were taken overall. It served as a death rattle for the Bill Callahan era.

Will the trend change in future years? We look at the potential Draft prospects of current Huskers:

2010 Draft

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: If Suh stays healthy and continues to improve his technique – whether or not his statistics are comparable to 2008 – he’s a sure-fire first-round pick, and possibly a top-ten or top-five pick, depending on team need. At 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, Suh probably isn’t a 3-4 nose guard – those guys are usually squatter and, well, fatter – but he fits into a 4-3 scheme as a 1, 2 or 3 technique, depending on how a defense chooses to play him. He already makes the flashy plays behind the line of scrimmage, and has since his sophomore year.

Defensive end Barry Turner: Teams will look over Turner’s broken leg injury, and since we’re not doctors or insurance specialists, we couldn’t say whether that would prevent Turner from getting selected. As an end, Turner has a good first step and can beat slower linemen to the corner. He’s not as adept at swim and rip moves as he should be. On the flip side, Turner’s received average coaching at best from John Blake. He’s got room to grow.

Center Jacob Hickman: He’ll be helped by his versatility to play either guard spot or center. Hickman, 6-4 and 290, is agile when pulling and skilled at getting to the second level. Probably not the nastiest guy on the planet, but he’s smart, and he knows a number of positions. You could see some team taking him with a late-round pick and developing him as a valuable reserve.

Strong safety Larry Asante: Depending on whether some NFL team thought they could put 20-30 pounds on Asante, he could play linebacker at the next level. Asante hits hard, and he’s generally decent in run support. Where’s he’s struggled is in the passing game. As a safety, we’d see him as a free agent; Clemson’s Michael Hamlin, a much better college player, lasted until well into the second day in the 2009 Draft.

Wide receiver Menelik Holt: Longshot here, but one never knows. Holt has the speed, and he’s a good enough blocker. Nobody knows if he can catch balls and get open consistently, however. He’ll get only one year to prove it and he’d better have big-time numbers. Otherwise, he’ll be a free agent, if that.

For now, we don’t consider middle linebackers Phillip Dillard and Colton Koehler, free safeties Rickey Thenarse and Matt O’Hanlon or receiver Chris Brooks as likely selections, although they may sign as free agents.

2011

Left guard Keith Williams: At 6-5, 305, Williams has the size and strength to become a very good NFL guard. He needs to get more consistent, and cut out wasteful penalties. He’s quicker than recent draftee Matt Slauson and he’ll get two more years of coaching under Barney Cotton. Too hard to project a specific round right now, but Williams would be in the Draft.

Safety Eric Hagg: Could be a quality safety for some NFL team; his size and anticipatory skills are a good fit. Nebraska coaches finally seem set on putting Hagg at safety and letting him blossom there. Two years of good development puts him right in the crosshairs of being drafted. Sometimes, though, it seems like Hagg isn’t aware of how good he could be.

Running back Roy Helu: We fully expect Helu to play four years at NU, if he stays healthy. As a pure runner, Helu is instinctive, quick and hard to bring down. He’s a decent pass-catcher and should improve his blocking. If you were projecting way out, you could see Helu getting picked in the 3rd-4th rounds, maybe even the first day.

Tight end Mike McNeill: We could definitely see a guy like McNeill taking that Dallas Clark role with the Indianapolis Colts. McNeill is sure-handed and athletic, and pretty fast for a tight end. His best skill is open-field running. In two years, he’s a 4th-6th-round selection, and better if he improves his blocking.

Defensive end Pierre Allen: Very good sophomore campaign could lead to big things in 2009 and 2010. Allen needs to keep grinding away as a pass rusher so that he can fit into a 4-3 system, which requires good pass-rushing skills out of its ends. He’d need to gain 20-30 pounds to play end in a 3-4.

Kicker/punter Alex Henery: If he continues to kick like he did in 2008, he’ll be one of a handful of kickers selected in the Draft. Henery’s punting skills may also help him make a roster. The kid’s a bit of a kicking savant; many of his field goal tries are perfectly shaped into the middle of the goalposts, looking like a Phil Mickelson wedge shot.

Running back Quentin Castille: Credit where it’s due: Castille has lost enough weight to be a viable player in a one-back, one-cut outside zone NFL system. No the lead guy, necessarily, but a bruiser type. He gets downhill quickly, strides nicely for a big guy, and seems more comfortable in the open field than he does traffic. Blocks and catches pretty well. Hasn’t shown himself to be a great short-yardage back, but he could develop into one. Castille isn’t a fullback, and NFL teams will quickly notice that watching him on film. The right team with the right need could draft him.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara: If this kid picks up the red the courtesy phone and figures out the position, he’s as intriguing a prospect as any on NU’s team. Naturally gifted, huge vertical leap, tall and fast, not afraid to tackle. Amukamara’s stumbling block isn’t physical stuff. But can he play, drive after drive, without mental errors?

Cornerback Anthony West: Steadier than Amukamara, not quite as gifted, and not quite as big. Gambled and lost a couple times in 2008. Needs to close better and be more aggressive to the ball, as his allowed touchdown in the Red/White Spring Game showed.

Wide receiver Niles Paul: Needs to play more often, and more consistently. Paul would be a slot receiver in the NFL, so route-running, savvy and elusiveness would be important to develop.

Guard Ricky Henry: Strictly a project right now, but the clay is there to be molded. We’ll see.

Cornerback Dejon Gomes: See Ricky Henry.

Quarterback Zac Lee: Too early to tell. The skillset and height suggests he’ll fit into the Joe Ganz category.

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Nebraska's football team walked slowly off of the Hawks Center practice field Wednesday, clearly feeling the weight of another intense workout, one of the toughest of the spring, as the Cornhuskers will now taper down in preparation for Saturday's Red/White Spring Game.

"They're sore right now," defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. "They're tired. It's been 'full go.' Physical football every day. But they battled through that. They practiced hard today."

Pelini spent the rest of his session recapping the progress of his young-but-talented defense.

*On the defensive line, sophomore Jared Crick "has a good handle" on the top spot at defensive tackle alongside senior Ndamukong Suh. Crick and Suh will rotate positions at times, however, with sophomore Terrence Moore and redshirt freshman Baker Steinkuhler serving as backups.

"We're going to move those guys around a lot," Pelini said. "The four of them are going to rotate."

*Defensive end Barry Turner is "still not changing direction the way you'd like him to" but his upfield burst is strong.

"He's a lot further along than I thought he would be," Pelini said.

*Linebacker competition remains fierce. Pelini rattled off the names of every linebacker in the two-deep - excluding Phillip Dillard - as fighting hard in the Spring Game.

*In the secondary, Pelini lauded Prince Amukamara, Anthony West, Alfonzo Dennard and even Anthony Blue, fighting back from a knee injury. As a unit, the cornerbacks have been "more aggressive" in practice, snatching more turnovers.

"We need a lot of depth there," Pelini said. "That makes you better at the nickel position."

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