As Shawn Watson walked out of the Hawks Championship Center Tuesday, Nebraska’s offensive coordinator paused at the entrance and looked back at a scruffy, scraggily-haired kid who one day hopes to be a fifth-grade teacher.

“Too many interviews for a fullback,” Watson joked to junior Tyler Legate, who held court with a few reporters.

Legate, at 5-10, 235 pounds, can take it.

“Legate’s a tough sucker, man,” running backs coach Tim Beck says with a smile and a hint of admiration. “He just does everything right. He’s a fierce competitor and tough kid. He’s a typical Nebraska fullback, I can tell you that.”

Even Beck, just a third-year coach, knows the template. A stud runner in high school. A blocker in college. Occasionally a pass reception or a carry. But a fullback lives for the isolation play or the kickout block, down after down.

The Neligh native is in a good position battle with junior Ryan Hill, a converted tight end with good hands and deceptive speed. Redshirt freshman C.J. Zimmerer, an Omaha Gross product, is still learning the ropes, although he broke a few runs in the Red/White Spring Game.

"No job is safe," Legate said.

He’s the frontrunner, though. His stature allows him to get under a defender’s pad. He’s redistributed a little weight to the right spots. He’s a little faster. And Nebraska’s emphasis on a power running game may lead to an expanded role.

Plus - the pedigree.

“It’s always been a Nebraska kid,” Legate said. “Doesn’t have the greatest speed, not the most athletic kid in the world, but tries to just find his way on the team.”

Tyler’s cousin, Billy, was one of those guys. And Tyler remembers most of the big names, too. Or, at least the ones you can count on a 21-year-old to remember: Cory Schlesinger. The Makovicka brothers. Dane Todd. Steve Kreiwald. Judd Davies.

Like most of those fullbacks, Legate is a bit of a raconteur, too. He can chat up a media guy, even if the Neligh native looks like he turned in a 12-hour shift at the mill. Not a kid with aspirations of teaching grade school. He worked his practicum last year at Lincoln’s Huntington Elementary. Fifth grade.

“I liked that age group,” Legate said. He relates to them well. And he remembers his own fifth-grade experience. He never got in too much trouble, either.

“Fun times,” he said.

He tried not to tell his students he played football at Nebraska. Practicums are hard enough without playing ask-a Husker.

They found out anyway.

“They get pretty excited,” he said. “The ones that like football. Kinda like me growing up. If I had somebody come into the classroom who played football, I’d have been the same way.”

The future profession is a sharp contrast to his current day job. Legate doesn’t mind indulging a little in that, either.

“It’s the manly part of everybody,” he said. “Nobody wants to get pushed around. Nobody wants to get beat on something.”

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For every compliment Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s doled out since last December’s 33-0 win in the Holiday Bowl - and he’s doled out his share - there seems to be a little voice that reminds him to temper each line praise with another of caution.

It happened again Tuesday night. By Watson’s mood and comments - and the ticked-off looks on the faces of Husker defenders you could tell: The offense had a good day against an even better defense.

“We made a handful of plays,” Watson allowed. Against these budding Blackshirts, hey - a handful can look like a Barry Switzer-style half a hundred. Especially when the uber-competitive Brothers Pelini are, however briefly, on the receiving end.

But Watson carefully added this: “We have to put it on film when it really counts.”

And that’s smart. Even if Nebraska’s offense was besieged with injuries last year (it was) and head coach Bo Pelini declared martial law and put the attack on early curfew with two and three tight ends to guard the gates (he did), Watson perhaps knows now that, well, this is Nebraska.

Husker fans love them some defense. But it’s gobbling up those chunks of yards, accompanied by a bonanza of points, that puts more stars in their eyes.

Watson’s offense didn’t do that last year, and revisionist history has more credit going to quarterback Joe Ganz in 2008 than to Watson, even if the OC had to rebuild the offense after a disastrous 52-17 loss to Missouri and did so - in a week.

Remember the stigma Scott Frost collected in 1996 after his second start at Arizona State (19-0 loss, three safeties, Frost’s rear end in a proverbial sling)? Despite recovering nicely that year, Frost didn’t shake it - or the doubts or the boos - until 1997. It took one quarter, two long touchdown runs, and a 27-14 win at Washington to do it. To put it on film - when it really counts.

Funny, that the Huskers return to Seattle in 2010.

Funny, too, that what will save the Huskers’ bacon in Husky Stadium this year, is the same thing that Nebraska used 13 years ago: A healthy, dominant, downhill running game.

Play your three-card QB Monte all you want. Ganz and Zac Taylor aren’t walking through that door. At least not in uniform. At least not this year. Watson isn’t going to be able to stick Lee - and certainly not Cody Green or Taylor Martinez - in a shotgun and ask him to deal 45 times a game. Or 35 times a game. Frankly, 25 is pushing it under Bo’s new watch.

It’ll be land with an occasional dose of air. A Tom Watson seven-iron at Carnoustie. More zone read plays, less dig and drive routes.

“If you can run the ball it doesn’t matter what else is going on,” Lee said. “You can move the ball, be steady, control the clock.”

You saw it in the spring and again now in fall - the Huskers are packing for a long, fruitful winter of smashmouth football. The quarterback race, while interesting, is subplot of the main story: Folks - up close - this is a huge offense, built for power.

Aside from undersized center Mike Caputo - and he’s far from small - it’s the biggest and tallest offense I can remember. The backs all weigh north of 205 pounds. The starting wide receivers measure 6-1, 220, 6-3, 220 and 6-4, 235. Tight end Ben Cotton is 6-6, 255.

Running backs coach Tim Beck has spent all of fall camp drilling into pupils heads: Don’t get cute with your running style. Don’t search for a hole. Cut and go. Get tough yards. Wear down the opponent. Play faster.

“Be more physical,” Beck said. “Be more decisive. When there’s not a hole - create one.”

Pound, pound, pound.

And whether any of it works hinges on the offensive line. You hear the raves, sure. And after the Huskers smash-n-grab Western Kentucky and Idaho, you’ll hear some more. But they’ll need to put it on tape. When it really counts.

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Though cooler temperatures finally blew into Lincoln Tuesday, it was not a faint-hearted afternoon practice for Nebraska’s football team.

“It got a little heated,” running back Rex Burkhead told the Lincoln Journal-Star. “A few fights got out of hand.”

The sophomore was referring to a variety of competitive scuffles that occurred during the workout. Enough that head coach Bo Pelini cleared out the practice of the few visitors he does allow - to dole out a little extra conditioning at the end of practice.

Many players, tired, quickly filed for the skywalk that connects the Hawks Center to the locker room. Most of the Huskers who stayed behind were on the offensive side of the ball.

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson certainly was upbeat.

“We’re making plays against a great defense,” he said. “It’s exciting to see how far we’ve come.”

And he’s still vague about the three-man quarterback race that reached Day Ten Tuesday. The media can’t watch practice

“Competition is really close,” Watson said. “I feel like they’ve all really gotten better…the battle wages forward.

Watson praised the management skills of senior Zac Lee, sophomore Cody Green and redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez.

“They know what each other’s doing - yet they’re taking care of their job,” he said.

NU’s offense continues to hum in the run game, according to several Huskers. Running backs coach Tim Beck said he’s seen a distinct improvement in the offensive line’s run blocking.

“I love our mentality,” Beck said. “We’re really being physical.

On with the report:

Particulars: Nebraska held a spirited workout two-hour workout inside the Hawks Championship Center, its cargo bay doors flung open to let in an unseasonable - and much needed - cool breeze. The practice itself was anything but cool, as players confirmed that enough scuffles broke out that head coach Bo Pelini ordered disciplinary runs at the end. The offense appeared in a decidedly happier mood than the defense.

What’s New: Several news outlets reported that linebacker Sean Fisher suffered a leg injury. To what extent is unclear. Pelini will address the issue Wednesday morning. Dreu Young and Austin Cassidy did not practice. Freshman wide receiver Kenny Bell was in full pads for his first day after recovering from a hamstring injury. Scouts from several NFL teams were on hand for the workout.

Coach Quote: “He plays big, and he plays fast. He’s got ability to get in and out of a cut. He functions very well in space and in tight proximities. He’s really a complete player. We’re really pleased with him.” - Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson on freshman wide receiver Quincy Enunwa

Player Quote: “It’s different for me coming from corner. We had our opportunities where we had to get into the run fit and give our support, but at safety there’s a lot more opportunity. It’s really big. We’ve been talking about throughout camp and even in the spring. - Senior safety Anthony West on stopping the run.

Notes:

***The best thing about former Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz being back as an intern? Quarterback Zac Lee said it’s the value of talking to a guy who “just got done doing this.”

“There’s some little tricks of the trade that maybe he’s been forced to use that we haven’t used,” Lee said. “He’ll say ,‘Hey, try this.’ He’s good for the little extra stuff.”

And it hasn’t been awkward, Lee said, having the guy who started in 2008 back as a coach. When Lee transferred to NU in 2007, it was Ganz and Beau Davis who tutored him then, too.

“It’s just been a continuation of that,” Lee said.

***Lee said mentioned four areas of improvement he focused on in the offseason: Running the zone read better; pushing the pocket; throwing on time; and anticipating breaks and throws. We’ll have more on Lee in a few days.

***West doesn’t look a thing like former strong safety Larry Asante did - he’s a good 20-25 pounds lighter - so it would hard to expect the same production as a run stopper. Yet West is counted upon to fill up holes and support linebackers when necessary. He spent all summer watching Asante - and former NU free safety Matt O’Hanlon - to pick up tackling tips.

“The main we stress is: Just get the guy down,’” West said. “Coach (Marvin Sanders) always says there’s no bad tackles, just get the guy down. That something I try to keep in my head.”

***Beck said Lester Ward, Austin Jones and Collins Okafor are in the running for the No. 4 tailback job. Just how much they’ll be needed, of course, depends on whether Roy Helu, Rex Burkhead and Tray Robinson stay healthy. They didn’t have much luck in 2010.

***Watson said Enunwa - a California native who drew little interest from Pac-10 schools during the recruiting cycle but looks like a prototypical West Coast Offense receivers, has “put himself in the hunt” at playing this year. Enunwa, at 6-2, 205 - he’s all of that - has a natural talent for receiver.

“Some kids, you throw the ball out back and they start making plays,” Watson said.

***Junior fullback Ryan Hill Tuesday confirmed that he changed numbers from 80 to 33 last week, in part to make way for Kenny Bell to wear No. 80, and in part because 33 is his mother’s favorite number, along with several close friends and family.

Next Practice: Two on Wednesday, morning an afternoon.

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Following the 2010 spring camp, Nebraska now looks back at the progress made by each position group - and what progress still needs to be.

Position: Running Back

Spring Summary: Nebraska altered its running game to more sudden, downhill attack, which suited sophomore Rex Burkhead’s running game, but required a slight change in style from senior Roy Helu. Helu appeared more decisive and bullish in the spring game. Tray Robinson is NU’s clear No. 3 - for now. He didn’t get many carries in the spring game, but he brings 230 pounds and surprisingly good outside speed for that size. Overall, this is the strongest offensive position group of the four. Coach Tim Beck should be a happy man.

Big Mover: Burkhead, who looked every bit of Nebraska’s top running back in the spring game. He was especially dangerous when paired with quarterback Taylor Martinez. Both of them are quick-twitch, hard-running athletes who get North/South in a hurry.

More to Prove: Lester Ward’s long strides and upright running style just don’t seem to fit the direction of Nebraska’s offense. He did little on Saturday.

Wild Card: Austin Jones will never be a starter at Nebraska, but he’s a nice utility guy when the injury bug bits. He showed off a variety of baseline skills - including good hands in the receiving department - in the spring game.

Freshmen to Add: Braylon Heard, assuming he qualifies. Heard is a true home run hitter. Elusive-yet-decisive, Heard is a nearly perfect fit for the new direction of NU’s running game.

Injuries: None of note.

How to Spend Summer Vacation: Helu and Burkhead will push each other, we’re sure. Meanwhile, watch for a potential transfer. Nebraska’s backfield is awful crowded, and Jones, as a walk-on, appears ahead of a few scholarship guys.

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Spring Reviews on Quarterback, Offensive LineRunning Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End

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He looks the same - a big smile as he trades a quick laugh with teammates. And, to a series of questions, Nebraska senior running back Roy Helu said he’s “about the same” as the 2009 version. Weight? Same. Goals? Same? Leadership? Same.

Competition? “They’re all good,” Helu said. “It’s always like that.”

But Helu’s position coach, Tim Beck, doesn’t quite agree.

“Roy’s been different this offseason,” Beck said. “And I like the way he’s working.”

The spurs: Sophomores Rex Burkhead and Dontrayevous Robinson are charging hard for playing time. Both are faster and carrying more weight. Both are downhill runners who attack the line of scrimmage with a single cut. Both are versatile enough to stay on the field in any situation.

Six months ago, Burkhead and Robinson were true freshmen in fall camp, staring up at the incumbent Helu, who sat alone atop the depth chart after head coach Bo Pelini booted Quentin Castille from the team.

“Even when I thought wasn’t complacent, I guess I was complacent,” Helu said. “That’s human nature when you’re the older person in the group and there’s no one there to push you.”

Out of the 2009 gate, Helu didn’t seem satisfied. He was dazzling in games vs. Florida Atlantic (152 yards) and Virginia Tech (169). Suffering from the swine flu, he helped NU ice Missouri on the road with a 41-yard run. Through five games, Helu led the Big 12 with 552 rushing yards.

“When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best backs in the nation,” Burkhead said

But on that long run at Mizzou, Helu badly sprained his shoulder. The rest of the season was marked by brilliant performances - 138 yards vs. Oklahoma and 156 at Kansas - and disappointing ones - two fumbles vs. Iowa State and just 24 yards at Baylor.

Helu finished with 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns - both career highs. But over NU’s last four games, Helu rushed for just 46 yards per contest, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. He didn’t catch a pass, either.

Burkhead, recovering from a broken foot in near-record time, seized spotlight in wins over Colorado and Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.

Helu hardly played in San Diego - three carries, eight yards.

“It was one of those things where it happens,” Helu said of the Holiday Bowl. “That was the way it was supposed to be. Couldn’t control it.”

The last impression of 2009, of course, lingers into 2010. Which is OK, Beck said. Helu needed that “competitive drive” of knowing Burkhead and Robinson could eat into his playing time.

The era of the workhorse is over, anyway, Beck said, as evidenced by the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, Alabama’s Mark Ingram, splitting time with true freshman Trent Richardson throughout the season, but especially in the BCS National Title game. It was Richardson, not Ingram, that blew the game open with a 49-yard touchdown run.

For the season, Ingram averaged 19.3 carries per game, never eclipsing 28. Compare that to past Heisman winners Barry Sanders (31), Herschel Walker (30) or O.J. Simpson (a mind-boggling 32.6).

“Nobody’s invincible,” Beck said. “There’s no more ‘one guy’ just lining up, every single game, 30 carries after 30 carries after 30 carries. They don’t really exist anymore.”

At Nebraska, they never did. Lawrence Phillips set the record for attempts in a season with 286 in 1994l; that was only 24 carries per game. In 1983, Heisman winner Mike Rozier averaged 23 carries.

In 2009, Stanford’s Toby Gerhart led the nation with 26.3. Pittsburgh’s diminutive Dion Lewis averaged 25. Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs averaged 24.

Helu averaged 15.7. Twice in his career he’s reached 28 carries for a game - Virginia Tech and Kansas in 2009.

Burkhead’s versatility may mean Helu never sees the other side of 30 totes. Burkhead, who’s now bulked up to 210 pounds, excelled running the Wildcat offense in the Holiday Bowl - as a former quarterback, he would also be a threat to pass - and proved to be a dependable between-the-tackles back with 100 yards - and a season-defining drive - at Colorado.

Robinson only gained 165 yards after burning his redshirt midway through the year, but he appears to have Castille’s skillset, plus some. Sophomore Lester Ward added weight to his tall, lean frame, and junior Austin Jones remains a third-down option.

“Eventually they’re going to separate themselves out,” Beck said.

To get there, Beck stages mini-competitions for his players each practice. On Friday, it was “breakout runs” - a Helu specialty. Not surprisingly, Burkhead said, Helu won.

“There’s great energy,” Burkhead said. “Everybody’s out here competing for a job.”

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According to several news outlets, Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne bumped the base salary for head coach Bo Pelini again on Monday - and sweetened the pot for NU’s assistants - particularly defensive coordinator Carl Pelini.

Effective Feb. 1, 2010, Bo Pelini will make 2.1 million per year. Last year, he made $1.851 million as a base, although incentives pushed him over $2 million.

Carl Pelini gets $375,000, while offensive coordinator Shawn Watson gets a small raise to $380,000. Secondary coach Marvin Sanders now becomes the highest-paid non-coordinator, making $250,000 per year. Ted Gilmore, Tim Beck, Ron Brown, and Barney Cotton will make $220,000. Previously, all five, plus Carl Pelini, made $208,360. Watson made $375,000 last year.

Mike Ekeler and John Papuchis were bumped from $150,000 to $175,000.

Bo Pelini is now the fifth-highest paid coach in the Big 12, inching just ahead of Kansas’ Turner Gill, who will make $2 million at KU. Bo is just behind Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s $2.2 million base salary. Like OSU, NU and Osborne has chosen to focus more dollars toward the assistant coaching staff than most programs in the Big 12.

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Shotgun to stay? Whether we or you or any Husker fans prefers an under center power game is immaterial to what offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s players can actually execute. And the Huskers look better in a shotgun spread offense. They just do. It suits the quarterbacks, the running backs, the offensive line, the receivers and the Wildcat formation.

How long does it take Zac Lee to recover - and is recovery successful? Funny that Nebraska fans would pin a potential national title run on the health of No. 5, but, after seeing Cody Green’s wobbly work in the Holiday Bowl, so be it. Lee is unquestionably the No. 1 guy going into spring practice - and he still isn’t very good. So not only does he have to rehab after surgery on his right torn flexor tendon, he has to find a way to improve without throwing the ball - possibly through all of spring camp.

Can Cody Green capitalize on Lee’s absence to develop for 2010 and beyond? We can’t ignore his struggles during the last half of the season - but we also can’t take too much from them, either. Green hasn’t been allowed to grow into a starter - too much attention for a handful for a good plays, too short of a leash for a handful of bad ones - and he should make “the leap” in the spring. Well, he’d better, anyway.

Whither Kody Spano? The things Spano reportedly did best - throwing those skinny slants and posts, and hanging in the pocket when bullets started flying - are attributes Watson appreciates most. Can he come back from two ACL tears? Can he trust his knee enough to make plays. It’s rare - but possible.

Is there a No. 2 receiver in the building? Some Husker - Brandon Kinnie, Khiry Cooper, Antonio Bell, Curenski Gilleylen - has to take the heat off of Niles Paul. And receivers coach Ted Gilmore has to stop sampling every guy on the roster for the role. Find two or three complimentary receivers, stick with them, and develop chemistry with Lee - when he returns - Green and whoever else tries out at QB.

How much can the redshirt freshmen - plus Jermarcus Hardrick - push the vets on he offensive line? Hardrick will push Marcel and D.J. Jones at right tackle - and potentially win the job. As for the redshirt freshmen, we’re talking about Brent Qvale (guard), Jeremiah Sirles (tackle), Jesse Coffey (guard) and Nick Ash(guard/center). At the very least, Qvale (huge, and nimble) and Sirles (looks the part) were slated for the two-deep before injuries tilted the risk/reward scale against burning their redshirt. Neither will likely start for NU in 2010, but they can provide important depth every third or fourth series, or serve as injury protection. At any rate - they sorely need experience for the future.

Where does Taylor Martinez fit in? We dug around in the few weeks after the Big 12 Championship game about Martinez, and found he was more feared as a receiver than he was at quarterback. And yet he’ll start at QB - potentially as a Wildcat guy - and take a run at the backup job. Either way - the kid needs to see the field, and get the chance to make plays. He’s among the fastest players on NU’s roster and he’s big enough to take some licks. T Magic is more like T Mystery.

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The story of Nebraska’s offense in 2009 turns out to be a crackerjack courtroom drama, complete with compelling characters, riveting testimony and a twist ending - touched off by a surprising revelation - that has some Cornhusker fans sailing out of theater satisfied, and others wondering if all plot threads meet up.

The men on trial - offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, his staff and quarterback Zac Lee - won acquittal in a 33-0 thumping of Arizona, returning to the shotgun, unveiling an effective version of the Wildcat - which running backs coach Tim Beck correctly described as an offense, not merely a play - and getting Lee to a point where he can run the zone read competently - if not beautifully - for yards and first downs.

Everything you could have hoped to see vs. Arizona - third-down efficiency, big running plays, Niles Paul, Mike McNeill, a dominant offensive line - you saw. Roy Helu got hurt early, but Rex Burkhead capably replaced him.

For the first time since the Kansas game, Lee looked like the solution instead of the problem. Afterward, when he revealed he’d been playing with a torn flexor tendon in his throwing arm, which requires surgery and nearly three months of rehab, it was like that beer glass in the novel “Presumed Innocent” that nobody could find - because nobody ever asked the guy who took it from the evidence room to return it.

“It was them that (screwed) up,” Lipranzer tells defendant Rusty at the end of Scott Turow’s best book.

In this case, the few left in Watson’s corner could say the same of his many naysayers. If you only you knew of all the injuries on the offensive line, at running back, in Lee’s right arm.

You can see how the arguments set up.

Credit where it’s deserved: Watson crafted a good plan, and called an even better game. He and Barney Cotton got their offensive line to fire off the ball. He trusted Lee on third-and-long to extend drives. Lee did. In short, Watson seemed to be returning to midseason 2008, when Nebraska sliced and diced Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State with a dizzying array of formations and plays.

Lee was a poor man’s Joe Ganz, which, with Bo’s defense, was more than enough. He’s a tough kid who chooses to struggle with injuries and inconsistencies in relative silence. Commendable enough.

But “Holiday Bowl scoreboard” isn’t a sufficient salve for every offensive problem in 2009.

“Torn flexor tendon” isn’t a sufficient answer for why Watson had Lee throwing the ball in the Missouri rain, or why Watson couldn’t bear to call a trick play - just one! - vs. Texas in the Big 12 Championship.

“O-line injuries” doesn’t explain why the wide receiver corps fell apart, with two starters apparently so unmotivated and disinterested that they spent two weeks on the scout team.

No, Watson didn’t suddenly forget how to call plays.

But we can’t suddenly gloss over real struggles, either.

The offseason, beginning with Lee’s surgery and rehabilitation, will be a test of patience, creativity and coaching for Watson and his assembled crew. I look forward to watching skilled - but embattled - guys whittle away the problem, with a prominent chip on their shoulder, I suspect, and something to prove.

*At quarterback, Watson will have to play it by doctor and trainer as to when Lee can return. Then he’ll have to develop quarterbacks Cody Green, Kody Spano and Taylor Martinez in three distinctly different places in their career. Will Ganz, a new graduate assistant, help? Sure. But even that’s a adjustment, for these Huskers know and respect Ganz quite a bit, and may initially see Lee - or any signal-caller - in stark relief of the former No. 12. When a former teammate suddenly becomes a mentor, it’s can be an interesting transition. Ganz isn’t going to sugarcoat anything, nor should he.

*At running back, Tim Beck has to manage Roy Helu’s health, devise new ways to exploit Rex Burkhead’s skills and find a No. 3 running back between Traye Robinson, Lester Ward and Austin Jones.

*At offensive line, Barney Cotton gets to integrate young pups Brent Qvale, Jeremiah Sirles, Jesse Coffey and Nick Ash, get JUCO signee Jermarcus Hardrick quickly up to speed, break in center Mike Caputo, wait out the recovery of Keith Williams - who has a torn pectoral muscle - and hone the games of Ricky Henry, Mike Smith, Marcel Jones and D.J. Jones. Cotton has the most important - and arguably toughest - job of the bunch. As goes the offensive line, so goes NU.

*At wide receiver, Ted Gilmore needs to build around senior-to-be Niles Paul, with an emphasis on guys who can actually catch, run and keep their balance on a wet field. Gilmore has to put a better product on the field than NU offered up in 2009, when Menelik Holt’s drops cost the Huskers at Virginia Tech, and Paul’s midseason lapses in concentration contributed heavily to losses vs. Texas Tech and Iowa State.

*At tight end, Ron Brown just needs to keep doing what he’s doing, juggling time and snaps for a gifted unit.

Presuming he has enough healthy pieces, Watson then gets to play chemist. Which combination of formations, plays and players make the best brew? Injuries, execution and “inexperience” - plus Bo’s intervention right around the Oklahoma game - prevented him from figuring that out in 2009.

What are the key questions for this offseason? Click here.

Otherwise, continue the debate. Does the Holiday Bowl resolve your concerns? Does the end of the movie forgive its dull middle?

In 2010 - a national-title contending season - we’ll have the sequel.

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In Carrollton, Irving and Euless. Flower Mound, Allen, Wylie and DeSoto. All the way down in Duncanville, out to Keller and of course, in Plano.

Rex Burkhead was a known property. The Metroplex version of a made man.

Wherever Nebraska running backs coach Tim Beck traveled in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, the high school football coaches – many of them Beck's former peers - loved this kid they used to call Superman on the field, in part for his Clark Kent persona he possessed off of it.

“It was unique,” Beck says now. “Anywhere you went, people would talk about him and what a great football player he was...when he played, he played hard. And people saw it.”

Varsity as a freshman. Starting quarterback as a sophomore. The kid with Barry Sanders on the wall and Walter Payton on the ceiling above his bed. Sweetness before bed every night.

“I'd rather run over somebody,” Burkhead said Tuesday.

As a junior and senior at Plano High School, he amassed 3,530 yards rushing and more than 60 touchdowns. Ole Miss wanted him as a Wildcat quarterback. Rich Rod wanted him a scatback and -

Well, hell – if you're in the DFW, you already know all this. Most Nebraska fans who count recruiting stars as they go to sleep know it, too. The Huskers got the loot, nabbed one of the biggest names out of the Lone Star State, and needed a bevy of position coaches – Beck and Mike Ekeler and John Papuchis to do it.

“I felt most comfortable here,” Burkhead says of NU. “Felt like this was the place.”

Head coach Bo Pelini tested him straight away in fall camp. Gave him the “rookie ball” for 24 hours. First day. First guy. Burkhead wasn't supposed to fumble it, and every member of Nebraska's top-shelf defense tried to pry it away.

“Who better than him?” Bo said of Rex's selection.

Indeed. Because Burkhead didn't fumble.

And he didn't blink an eye when, after the dismissal of Quentin Castille, he shot up to No. 2 on the depth chart. When he played well in the first five games of the season. When he converted a crucial third down at Missouri, taking a poorly-thrown swing pass from Zac Lee, planting hard with his right foot, and jutting back to the middle of the field for a first down. Decisive. Quick.

“He hits the hole downhill,” offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “He doesn't waste time. He doesn't over-analyze or read. He gets north and south and gets skinny.”

Three plays after Burkhead's clutch play, Lee hit Niles Paul for a NU's first touchdown. The Cornhuskers won, but starter Roy Helu jammed his shoulder something awful on his second-to-last carry. Burkhead would likely have been the guy for Texas Tech. And Iowa State. And possibly Baylor.

Then – pop! A simple little cut in practice four days after the Mizzou game. Gone awry.

“It wasn't a extreme pain, but I knew something wasn't right,” Burkhead said.

Foot fracture.

Sit down, Superman. Time to take a lesson you haven't yet learned – how to lose time to an injury.

Understand the difficulty here for Burkhead. After high school football, he would transition directly to basketball. He didn't slow down. When he arrived at NU, coaches and teammates noticed quickly: He's way ahead of the game here. How hard has this kid been working?

And Burkhead had learned so much, he said, in his short time in college football. The mental game, blitz pick-up, setting up defenders, using your blockers. It was close, you sensed. Burkhead seemed small on tape but bigger in person. And he runs even bigger than that.

“He's explosive,” Watson said. “It is surprising.”

For five weeks, NU lost its spark plug. Helu wasn't right for at least half of that time. Still isn't 100 percent, frankly. The Huskers had to burn Traye Robinson's redshirt in the process, and endure that awful 9-7 loss to Iowa State, in which Robinson and Helu combined for three fumbles.

Would Burkhead, who held on tight in the toughest of conditions during fall camp, have been so careless?

Often in a black puffy coat on crutches, Burkhead would sit back from practice and watch from afar. It got to him a little, he admitted. It took teammates – especially Helu, who doesn't let on much but is a kind of joyful mentor to Burkhead – to bring him around. Also, for a broken foot, the doctor's prognosis was good: Back for the Colorado game.

Of course, Rex being Rex, he was back a week early, for Kansas State.

“I was little hesitant at first,” Burkhead said. “I didn't feel it at all, but just knowing it's down there and the possibility of re-aggravating it.”

That changed once Burkhead got into the flow vs. the Wildcats.

“It was a nice bonus,” Pelini said.

Losing that trepidation was crucial, as it turned out, in the following week, when he rushed 100 yards on 18 carries in a 28-20 win over Colorado. Nine times for 55 yards and a touchdown on NU's penultimate drive, the one that made Husker fans party like it's 1979, all power sets and inside counters and Burkhead's churning legs.

It wasn't so much that Burkhead gained the yards as how he did it. One cut – and go. He bounced off some tackles and crawled past others. In all, 67 yards of the century were after contact. It's one thing to see a guy like Castille bull moose his way through a defense. Another to see a man of Burkhead's size even try, much less succeed, when NU made no secret on that drive of who was getting the ball, and where he was going to go with it.

“Whether he made the right decisions or not, he made them and ran with them,” Beck said. “He ran down his pads and kept his feet moving and accelerated through contact. He wasn't dancing around trying to make the big plays.”

Most backs – like Helu – are trying to “make every cut,” Beck said. They see three guys on two levels of the defense, and want to create a path around all of them. Helu, possessing rare peripheral vision, often makes sudden, almost inexplicable cuts parallel to the line of scrimmage. Where's he going? Helu doesn't always know. He just feels the pressure, and turns away from it. Sometimes, it works beautifully. Sometimes, Roy's just running around.

“That's not Rex,” Beck said. Burkhead makes the one cut and then - well, come what may.

In this case, a homecoming in Arlington, Burkhead's old stomping grounds, against Texas, the home state team. He played at least ten games inside the old Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and he'll have a hefty fan club for his first game in the new one, including some friends who are UT fans, and lobbied him to stay in-state.

Burkhead doesn't have much of an ax to grind with the Longhorns, mind you. He grew up in Kentucky, not Texas, so he wasn't wearing burnt orange out of the womb.

Texas did put forth a mild recruiting push for his services. Burkhead made a few visits, saw a game. But UT had already had two running backs – Vondrell McGee and Tre' Newton – with Burkhead's build and skillset, so there was some question as to what position he'd play for Mack Brown – and whether he'd even stay on offense.

“It was back and forth deal,” Burkhead said. “They really kind of left it up to me.”

UT was the wrong fit. No hard feelings. NU is the right one.

Burkhead, Pelini said, meshes with the new attitude of Nebraska football perfectly. As a bunch, the Huskers are humble – but Burkhead is unusually so, even for a high school star in a state where being one really means something.

“You can't let everything get to you,” Burkhead said. “You have to stay down to earth.”

That's what caught their eye in the DFW.

It's certainly grabbed Pelini's attention.

“He’s just a football player,” he said. “He’s tough. He’s a leader. He exemplifies all the characteristics that I want in football players that come into this program.”

The invaluable ranch hand, to borrow an image from Burkhead's adopted state. Knows the land like the laces of a football, does his job with a little fuss, and occasionally makes your jaw drop.

Or, Superman, when the shoe fits. Right Rex?

“Aw, it's all right,” Burkhead said. “I guess.”

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It's one of the big bonus prizes of playing in Saturday's Big 12 Championship: A free billboard of Nebraska football to a national television audience, which will be watching intently to see Texas can punch its ticket to the BCS national title game.

That audience will include, rest assured, truckloads of prospective recruits for 2011 - and beyond.

The most immediate bounce may be felt in one of NU's hotbeds - DFW. That Tim Beck's stomping grounds - first for Kansas, now for Nebraska - and a week like this won't be lost on any of the guys the Huskers are targeting in the Metroplex - or anywhere else in the Lone Star State.

Beck, who coached at Summit High School in Mansfield, Texas - on the south side of Fort Worth - and Carrollton High School - that's the north side of Dallas - has been fielding calls all week from friends and former colleague in the Metroplex - the same guys who now have players Beck wants to recruit.

They'll be watching.

"And our team – the kind of season that we've had – says a lot for the perseverance of our kids, the way we've just kind of battled throughm" Beck said. "And it hits home to a lot a coaches. Guys who really coach and know the game, they take their hat off to the way the kids play and what they do. They realize it probably isn't pretty, but we find ways to win."

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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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An unseasonably warm night game. Television cameras swarming around the field of play. A raucous Memorial Stadium crowd bubbling with noise and excitement. And most importantly, a big win over a name team – Oklahoma.

They don't happen often, but Nebraska enjoyed one of those perfect storms of football recruiting Saturday night, as three official visitors – defensive tackle Jay Guy, defensive end Tobi Okuyemi and defensive back Joshua Mitchell – committed directly following NU's 10-3 victory. Other visitors who didn't commit rated the experience highly.

“You have to live through that one,” said running backs coach Tim Beck, one of the Huskers' prime operators in Texas. “You can try, but it doesn't give it justice. Being here and experiencing that – and having those kids come here and experience that – it's once in a lifetime.”

The weekend commits made 14 overall pledges for the 2010 recruiting class. Then Lincoln Southeast offensive line Jake Cotton officially made 15, although he apparently committed weeks ago. Cotton, the son of offensive line coach Barney Cotton, is a 6-foot-7, 265-pound late bloomer whose only other offers were from UNO and Northwest Missouri State. He's an offensive lineman now, but may fit in on the defensive line in college.

“In this situation, I'm a coach,” Barney Cotton said of son's commitment. Ben Cotton already plays tight end for Nebraska. Coaches aren't allowed to talk players who haven't officially signed with a team. “I'm a dad in seeing him play and all that, but in this case I'm a coach.”

After a slow summer of few unofficial visits and two decommits – Anterio Sloan and Keeston Terry - that had message boards buzzing with concern and criticism, Nebraska has seemingly rebounded, filling most of its class. Recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore said NU's class should be in the “16 to 18 range” in terms of players, “unless something crazy happens.”

Gilmore said he's “satisfied” with NU's haul thus far.

“A lot of times people look at what other teams are doing – 'Oh, they've got this many commitments, why don't we have any commitments?' - but we're comfortable with our process and we're going to let it take its course,” Gilmore said. “It comes in spurts for us. And we're happy. We're only going to take a few more. We're right there.”

Nebraska already has a solid start on its 2011 class, as well, with commits from Crete defensive tackle Ryne Reeves and Florida offensive lineman Tyler Moore. A trip to the Big 12 Championship in Dallas – Beck's stomping ground – only improves NU's profile in the Lone Star State and elsewhere.

“Anytime you're playing in championship games, they help,” he said.

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Trap game. Tune-up. Upset alert. Afternoon pastry.

You could flip-flop all morning, you know, on just what Saturday’s 1:10 p.m. game vs. Arkansas State represents for Nebraska’s football team.

But, in the state that invented the reuben, we prefer the independent party on this debate: Call the Red Wolves the first of three “sandwich” games. The next is Sept. 26, vs. Louisiana-Lafayette. The third is Oct. 24 vs. Iowa State. All home games. All bridges to and from more important contests. All meant, eventually, to be devoured.

ASU is perched between NU’s season-opening romp over Florida Atlantic – crucial for development and experience – and the game at Virginia Tech. It’s should be a win, but, initially, it probably won’t be easy. Arkansas State is liable to raise more questions about the Cornhuskers than it answers. Consider it a hoagie bun of meat, vinegar, olives – OK, we’ve taken the analogy far enough. On with the keys:

The Buzz Word: Which, over the last week, was “tempo.” Is it college basketball season yet? Did Doc Sadler start coaching the NU offense?

No, it’s still Shawn Watson up in the booth dialing up the touchdowns, and he wants his plays more quickly relayed to quarterback Zac Lee, called in the huddle, and executed. Watson figures – and he’s right – that if Lee scoots to the line of scrimmage with 12-13 seconds left on the play clock, Nebraska can wear out a defense much like a no-huddle offense. Against Florida Atlantic, when Lee and Co. finally got around to establishing optimal “tempo,” some bioengineer got his wings, and the Owls couldn’t stop the run.

That’ll be the same idea against Arkansas State. It’s still humid in September around here. It’s still pretty easy to wear out a smaller-conference team. And it’s still a big, athletic Nebraska offensive line. Even though ASU has two defensive linemen who could play at NU – especially defensive end Alex Carrington – it is, as a whole, is undersized and mashable. It might take a couple quarters, but tempo, eventually, sets in.

Lead Wolf: On ASU’s offense, that’s quarterback Corey Leonard, a scrappy, stocky kid who threw for 2,347 yards last year and ran for 516. He was the team’s second-leading rusher in attempts with 157, or roughly 13 attempts per game. Leonard’s better running north-south than he is east-west, but he’s counted upon for that extra offensive dimension.

“He can run,” NU head coach Bo Pelini said. “He’s a good dual-threat guy. He presents some problems in that way. They’re not afraid to run him, especially when they get down in the red area.”

More of an athlete than a classic quarterback, Leonard runs to set up his passing, and the result isn’t always pretty. He was fairly awful (8-17, 67 yards) at Alabama last year. But Nebraska has to cause him to have a bad day.

Also a boon to Nebraska: ASU is a little vulnerable to the sack monster, giving up 29, 39, 37 and 31 of them in each of the last four years. The Red Wolves may try to play it safe, like FAU did, but look what it earned the Owls. A bag o’ peanuts back to Boca.

Much of the game will be decided on whether NU’s front seven – we’re including blitzers here - can get up close and personal with Leonard.

Lanes: As in keeping them. On punt team, on kickoff, and especially on upfield defensive pursuits. Spread offenses feast on teams with undisciplined defensive lines. The very concept of the sloppy sack, where four defenders just sort loop around aimlessly until one of them reaches the quarterback, doesn’t apply to the spread, which creates lanes so big, and so inviting, that if a player runs through that trap, Leonard, or his running back, Reggie Arnold, are zipping right by.

After a frustrating week against FAU’s timid offense, NU defensive linemen will be tempted to freestyle in order to get to the quarterback. Which is precisely what Arkansas State wants.

The Edges: Nebraska has a subtle, but potentially important, advantage over ASU. NU’s wide receivers will dwarf members of ASU’s secondary. All three starters – 6-foot-4 Menelik Holt, 6-2 Niles Paul and 6-1 Curenski Gilleylen – weigh well north of 200 pounds. None of the Red Wolves’ defensive backs, including strong safety M.D. Jennings, are anywhere near that weight total, or taller than six feet. It’s a fast bunch, but not necessarily a physical one.

Where does that advantage matter most? Running plays. If Nebraska can rebuff ASU’s scrappy defensive line, and running backs Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead can hit the corners, Paul, Holt and Gilleylen should be able to hold their blocks. Blocking, in fact, might be what the three of them do best. Paul and Holt earned some of their spurs last year, while Gilleylen shook down the thunder on Holt’s 28-yard touchdown catch in the Florida Atlantic game.

“I want a complete receiver, I do,” wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore said. “And I challenge them like you wouldn’t believe to block and take pride in it…you can fire up a team without making a touchdown.”

Mix tape: The Huskers only showed a portion of their running game vs. FAU, and what they did show was a little different from 2008. I liked what I saw – misdirection, a little veer action, a counter sweep. It wasn’t Florida’s offense, but it was nice blend of power and finesse.

Saturday may require more of the finesse. Option plays. Toss plays – which Nebraska ran well on Saturday. Outside zone runs out of the shotgun.

“We’ve got a lot of toys in the trunk,” running backs coach Tim Beck said. Not that he was dishing about just which toys offensive coordinator Shawn Watson was going to use, of course.

See also: Guess The Score NU-ASU, Five More Keys, Five Players to Watch, Husker Locker's Top 25 Poll

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A quick glance at any recruiting site reveals that Texas’ football program has already landed a bumper crop of verbal commitments for the 2010 class before the ink has even dried on 2009 spring football camps.

According to Rivals and Scout recruiting services, UT has already received pledges from 21 players, and while verbal commitments aren’t remotely binding, it stands to reason that the Longhorns are nearly done with the recruiting process before most schools, like Nebraska, have even begun to put together a class.

“I know just in my area alone that I recruit in Texas, I’ve got like 35 guys committed already, and in the whole state of California there’s nine,” Tim Beck told the Daily Nebraskan in a solid story about NU’s efforts in the Lone Star State.

What’s Mack Brown’s secret? Pressure or culture? Brown said it’s the latter.

“The young guys who are committing for the 2010 class were 5 years old when we got here,” Brown said. “So this is what they know. This is Texas football.”

Obviously, UT’s in close proximity to beaucoup football talent. But Brown has scheduled UT’s spring football practices strategically to fall before “spring track season and spring baseball season.”

Brown also pointed to “continuity of staff.”

“Our guys know where players are, so we can identify them earlier,” Brown said. “Some coaches have been in the same area for 12 years, so they have a great relationship with high school coaches. They’ve been great to us.

“It’s the same with the players. They get to come in and know that coach, and get to know him over a five or six-year period.”

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