Nebraska’s football team rebounded from a 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech with one of its best practices of the year, Cornhusker coaches and players agreed Monday.

Head coach Bo Pelini described the two-hour workout on the grass fields north of Memorial Stadium as “real fast” with “good tempo.” NU worked out in helmets and shoulder pads.

“We were just in shells, but I thought it was pretty physical,” Pelini said. “I thought it was really good. I liked the way they came out and their attitude.”

More talkative than usual, Pelini talked to the media for seven minutes after practice , or three times longer than he did after the Tech game itself. His final comments were nearly an impromptu pep talk, echoing the general theme of the day.

“We need to make this a fuel to make this a better football team, rather than a distraction that can make us divide,” Pelini said. “We won’t let it happen. We know how address that. That’s the challenge that lies ahead. I love those challenges. Our football team loves those challenges. We’re going rise up.

“It’s only way I know. It’s the only way this football team knows. It’s what that ‘N’ on the side of the football helmet represents.”

The emotion carried over to the players.

Said strong safety Larry Asante: “We’re not moping from it. We’re a more experienced team now. In the past, guys would come in moping around, but it’s football.”

Asante said the coaching staff “got out minds right” before Monday’s workout. The team watched film of the gut-wrencher, with the instruction that when it was over, it wouldn’t be spoken about among the team again.

Junior running back Roy Helu took the message to heart. Even though he rushed for a career-high 169 yards and forcefully put himself on the national stage, his only response was “it’s in the past, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Pushed to assess his performance, Helu used only one word: “decent.”

But -

“It was the ‘funnest’ practice of the year,” Helu said. “It was just fun. We went back to having fun, but we executed at the same time. That’s the attitude we took on out there.”

That’s the Pelini way, Asante said, a change he’s noticed in the last couple seasons. That bounce-back factor should help Nebraska prepare for Louisiana-Lafayette, which lacks Virginia Tech’s pedigree, although the Ragin’ Cajuns did beat Kansas State 17-15 earlier this year.

“I don’t think Coach Bo, Coach Carl (Pelini), Coach (Marvin) Sanders or any of them will let us play down to the level our opponent,” Asante said.

Pelini also assuaged concerns that quarterback Zac Lee was significantly hurt in the second half vs. the Hokies. Lee wore a splint on his left thumb Monday and didn’t practice. But that wasn’t because of his thumb, Pelini said. Rather, Lee “took some medication, and he shouldn’t exert himself” when on it.

“He’ll be back tomorrow,” said Pelini, who added that Lee will definitely start against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Asante wore a green, no-contact jersey throughout practice, but said he’d be fine for Saturday’s 6 p.m. game.

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Field officials during Nebraska’s 16-15 loss to Virginia told head coach Bo Pelini that Menelik Holt “clearly bobbled” a pass from Zac Lee that would have given NU a 19-10 lead, Pelini said during Monday’s Big 12 Teleconference.

Replays showed Holt caught the ball in the corner of the end zone, got a foot in bounds, then lost the ball when on the ground. Officials ruled the pass incomplete, and Pelini declined to challenge it.

“We didn’t have a good look at it,” Pelini said. “I asked the guy ‘Are you reviewing it?’ I’m under the assumption they’re gonna review scoring plays. I didn’t have a good look at it so I asked the guy and he said (Holt) was bobbling it. He said (Holt) was ‘clearly bobbling’ it going out of bounds.

“…We didn’t have a good view upstairs. I was blind. I had no idea. What are you going to do? I didn’t want to use a timeout at that point.”

After Pelini saw the video, he said it was “pretty obvious” that Holt caught the ball. Pelini wanted to be cautious in discussing referee calls.

“It looks like he did,” Pelini said.

According to NCAA interpretations added in 2007, Holt’s catch may best fit the following description, listed as Interpretation XI to rule 7-3-6 in the NCAA rule book:

“Airborne receiver A85 possesses the ball and in the process of going to the ground, first contacts the ground with his left foot as he falls to the ground inbounds. Immediately upon hitting the ground, the ball comes loose and touches the ground. Ruling: Incomplete pass. An airborne receiver must maintain control of the ball if going to the ground in the process of completing a catch.

The question becomes: Did Holt immediately lose the ball upon contact? Or was the rule interpreted incorrectly as a continuation?

Pelini also said Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee is “fine” after Saturday’s loss. Lee was not made available to the media afterward.

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And so. The road from here, after a sudden head-on collision in the final moments of Nebraska’s 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech.

First, a week of warmth and good tidings, as the Cornhuskers welcome a Sun Belt also-ran (Louisiana-Lafayette) to Lincoln for the 300th consecutive sellout. Hangover or not, NU’s walking out of Memorial Stadium on Saturday night a winner.

Then, a bye week.

Then, what I’d call the biggest game of the season for Nebraska’s psyche: A night war in Columbia, on ESPN, for Big 12 North supremacy and a couple of recruits that both Missouri and the Huskers are after for their 2010 class.

That’s 16 days, between now and then. Enough time to heal, physically and mentally. Enough time to forge an identity that wins conferences games on the road.

Know this: Tech was only a small part of this season’s test. It could have been a springboard. But it won’t be. Now, Nebraska has to avoid it becoming a stumbling block.

Head coach Bo Pelini has experience here. As interim coach in 2003, he dusted off the Huskers after Frank Solich’s firing and won the Alamo Bowl. As defensive coordinator at LSU, he rebounded from a crushing 50-48 loss to rival Arkansas to craft an excellent plan for the SEC Championship game, beating Tennessee 17-10. And as head coach last year, he sifted through the rubble of 52-17 and 62-28 and built a stronger, smarter team after both games.

In Bo we trust – to adjust.

On with the review.

Five Players We Loved

Kicker Alex Henery: Better known as “A Money” inside of 50 yards. Pretty sweet rugby-style punter, too.

Running back Roy Helu: Nebraska put the load on his shoulders and he bore it with toughness and agility. Good on-field attitude, too.

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: Of course he’d like to Tech’s last offensive play back. He’ll probably wonder himself what he was doing, NU’s best pass rusher, just standing there, watching VT quarterback Tyrod Taylor buy time. Otherwise, Suh was awesome on Saturday. His only weakness, really, is sometimes trying to do too much on one play.

Defensive ends Barry Turner and Pierre Allen: Well-prepared, they were, to corral Tyrod Taylor. Allen and Turner refused to be turned by blocking tackles, were rarely pinned on outside plays, and consistently remained stout on inside runs. Good effort.

Three Concerns We Still Have

Meltdown penalties: When it rains, it pours with NU’s offensive line and tight ends. They played a mostly clean game – until that disaster in the third quarter, which was one of the subtle turning points.

Not Enough Niles: if he’s a playmaker in practice, then you have to give him designed touches in the game. One poorly-thrown screen pass is not enough. Why is Zac Lee looking for Mike McNeill in double coverage 30 yards down the field and not Paul? Why is Menelik Holt the guy running corner routes in the end zone, and not Paul?

Look: Jeremy Maclin wasn’t 6-foot-4 either. But Missouri moved him around, got him snaps, cleared out the middle of the field and let him catch a short slant, that kind of stuff. And if Paul’s just another receiver at NU, then put him where belongs, in the slot, and stick Chris Brooks on the outside in four-wide situations. Shawn Watson has to do something to direct Lee’s attention in Paul’s direction, or isolate Paul in the open field.

Straight coverage: If Taylor had been any kind of passer, Saturday’s game might have been much different. Tech’s receivers routinely had a step on NU’s defensive backs; Taylor just couldn’t hit them. Nebraska’s corners were fairly aggressive, it seemed; they were lucky they didn’t get burned more.

Reviewing the Five Keys

Violent Dance: Nebraska didn’t handle Jason Worilds very well. He had five QB hurries, flushed Lee several more times, and drew a holding penalty on that botched third-quarter drive. He’s a player. Marcel Jones and D.J. Jones are, too, but they’re not of Worilds’ caliber yet.

The Specials: Nebraska played Tech to a draw, or maybe even had a small edge. Tech’s big kickoff returned was offset by Paul’s punt return. Adi Kunalic consistently pounded the ball for touchbacks. Henery was money on punts.

Hustle and Flow: The linebackers held up. Frankly, they seemed better when they know the opponent is going to run the ball. Will Compton, Phillip Dillard and Sean Fisher consistently pursued well, lined up correctly and wrapped when tackling.

Lane and Lee: NU’s quarterback didn’t look rattled in the first half, and indeed made a few savvy scrambles and throws. But after that penalty debacle in the third quarter, Lee wasn’t the same guy. What happened? We’ll have to ask Tuesday. Lee wasn’t available after the game. (Note to coaches: Isn’t part of growing up as a QB facing the music right afterward?)

Big-Game Coaching: In our estimation, Pelini and Watson were up to the challenge. We could argue the Cover 2 call, or a few of Watson’s play selections. You could analyze it until you’re blue in the face, frankly, but the coaching staff was up to the moment. You couldn’t necessarily say that about last year’s game in Lincoln.

Three Questions We Still Have

Who is this team in the red zone? Right now, Nebraska seems like a bunch that’s not sure how to score a touchdown. The Huskers nibbled around the edges but never pushed over that one score they really needed.

Can Nebraska close when it counts? The Huskers spit the bit a little. Oh, they played hard, but they didn’t seize victory. Virginia Tech was tired and ready to fall. NU kept the Hokies in the game with mental mistakes, dropped passes and penalties.

How soon is that Missouri game again? Soon enough.

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Grades from Saturday’s heartbreaker to Virginia Tech:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Roy Helu. Ran tough, found daylight. He just never found paydirt. A shame. The kind of guy he is, he’ll find a way to blame himself.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ndamukong Suh. Well, he showed up as much with his hands as he did his bull rush. We’re sure some Husker experts won’t find his work on Saturday aggressive enough, but he fulfilled his assignment about as well as he could. An excellent interior performance.

GRADES:

QUARTERBACK C Zac Lee had his “hell day,” and he survived it well enough, we suppose. Lee wasn’t very accurate, he rushed some of his passes, and threw one very ill-advised interception down the middle of the field. But he ran hard, escaped pressure when necessary, and checked into some good running plays that hit for big yards. We’re not going to be too hard on him.

RUNNING BACK A You just can’t ask any more out of Helu than he gave. After some early tentative runs, Helu got stronger and tougher, a broke a whole slew of arm tackles. He also caught a few passes, too. Rex Burkhead didn’t play much, but had a nice reception for a first down.

OFFENSIVE LINE B- Pretty good job of protecting Lee and creating some holes, but you simply can’t meltdown with penalties like that. You can’t. Four on one drive? And it didn’t really matter who NU put against Tech’s Jason Worilds – he was too quick for them.

TIGHT ENDS/WIDE RECEIVERS C Solid blocking effort, but they struggled to get open and Menelik Holt dropped a touchdown. Holt had played well in his first two games. He cost NU a touchdown on Saturday. Niles Paul is not an effective outside receiver, either. He has an exceedingly difficult time getting open.

DEFENSIVE LINE B+ May get some pushback here, but we need to be honest: The line did its job. Ends Pierre Allen and Barry Turner contained Tyrod Taylor. Suh and Jared Crick forced middle pressure. They got inside Taylor’s head. It was a solid effort.

LINEBACKERS B- Pursued fairly well on running plays. Phillip Dillard at WILL was a smart move; he stuck his nose in a lot of running plays. Tech struggled to complete the short crossing routes meant to exploit the linebackers’ weaknesses.

SECONDARY C- Taylor missed a lot of open receivers on Saturday. Truth be told, the Hokies’ wide receivers won their share of battles, and got the payoff on the final drive, when NU suffered massive brain failure on an 81-yard pass to Danny Coale.

SPECIAL TEAMS B+ Aside from the opening kickoff return – break down and tackle next time, Eric Martin – you sure can’t argue with the work here. Nice return by Niles Paul, gritty punting from Alex Henery in the face of pressure and five nailed field goals. Is there is a better pure kicker in America? No.

COACHING/GAME MANAGEMENT B We’ll argue with the Cover 2 defense at the end of the game. And we’ll argue with some of the offensive calls in the red zone. But many of the mistakes NU made were on the players, not the coaches. They can only control so much. Pelini was wise not to test Tech’s defensive line on a 4th-and-1; that was a disaster waiting to happen.

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Burn the film. Erase the listing in your DVR. Go have a slice of apple and forget all about this nightmare.

These are the worst ones to lose. The hardest from which to learn and grow, for players and for fans. Bo Pelini just had to throw his headset at the end. Pitched it like it was a dirty toad, and Huskers’ bench was a pond. Don’t blame him, frankly. You probably trashed a lot worse in your living room.

It’s a “Bill Buckner” loss. Don’t deny it. You’ll sit in a daze for the rest of the weekend. Folks, right now, will be walking aimlessly through the streets of Nebraska. Danny-Coale-behind-the-defense is our “behind the bag!” Be honest – are you ever going to forget that kid’s name for the rest of your life? It’ll be a punchline at a black humor party. They’ll show the game on scary movie night.

How in the hell did Coale get back there? Pelini didn’t want “belabor” the point. Well, of course he didn’t.

So, uh, how in the hell did Coale get back there?

His catch was, truly, one of the most inexplicable defensive plays in Nebraska history. Of course there is an explanation for it, but it’s a little like the one where the guy forgets to bring the ring to his own wedding.

It ruined a perfectly wonderful defensive effort from the Huskers. They had a strategy to contain and frustrate Tyrod Taylor, and they did it. Aside from one long run by Ryan Williams, NU gummed up the Hokies’ ground game. Roy Helu, by himself, had more total yards heading into the fourth quarter than Virginia Tech.

It was a remake, frankly, of NU’s game vs. Clemson, when the Tigers looked helpless and outcoached and beaten. Tech’s offensive coordinator, Bryan Stinespring, had retreated deep into his Hokie shell by the game’s final drive. Taylor, awful for 59 minutes, didn’t have a chance. He couldn’t hit the barn, much less the broadside of one.

And then – Coale behind the defense! And then – Taylor, with his Joe Montana moment, on the 11-yard touchdown pass.

It was the only decent play Taylor made all day. He played like a bust. He pouted. He fussed. Nebraska’s defense made a campfire in his brain. But he had that one, brilliant throw in him, and he made it.

And the Huskers ran out of lives. They had nine. They didn’t have a tenth.

You want to blame NU’s offense for not putting the game away sooner. But color me surprised that it ran the ball that well. Helu did a lot of that damage on his own – he’s a big-league running back, folks, one of the best in America – but the offensive line scrapped pretty good, too. It wavered some in pass protection, but quarterback Zac Lee had enough time. You’d love to have that third-quarter drive back if you’re Ricky Henry and Marcel Jones. But they were under more stress than Husker fans may appreciate.

Lee? He’s a gamer. It was a tough, long day, but he kept his head in it and only made a few bad mistakes. You were expecting last week? No. He was inaccurate, but his receivers didn’t help him much. Menelik Holt dropped a touchdown. Niles Paul was mostly a non-factor. Chris Brooks made a few tough grabs – he’s made them all year - but apparently he doesn’t block well enough to start. Or something.

Quibble if you wish with Shawn Watson’s playcalling. It wasn’t as conservative as it seemed, and the conservative stuff worked better anyway. Burning so many timeouts is a pain, but natural in an environment like Lane Stadium. Maybe he called too many passes. Or maybe he called ones that took too long to develop.

What of Bo’s coaching effort? Mostly outstanding. He had his defensive ends, Barry Turner and Pierre Allen coached up, didn’t he? They kept Taylor penned in most of the day. And the Phillip Dillard move worked.

We’ll argue strategy on “The Play,” though. Was Cover 2 the right call there, 84 yards from the end zone, when a Cover 3 or Cover 4 would have kept such a play from occurring? Say what you want about ol’ No. 33 back there – well, you’ve probably already said it – but what value is there, really, in Anthony West covering an empty patch of grass 80 yards from the goal line with a minute left? So what if Taylor completes a couple 20-yarders? That puts Tech, at best, at midfield, with no timeouts and 30 seconds left.

Again – there’s no good explanation for the bust. But there’s a good argument for something other than Cover 2. And that’s Pelini’s call.

But give Pelini this much credit: NU rebounded from a rocky start, wrested control of the game by halftime and dominated the line of scrimmage. They played Tech to a draw in special teams: One good return per side.

Yeah, Nebraska’s pretty tough. It’s not fast enough yet, it doesn’t convert in key situations and it still blows up with penalties. But it’s tough. The Huskers have to believe – the fans, too - there isn’t another game on their current schedule that they can’t win.

Except, of course, the one they just lost.

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Bo Pelini took off his headset, turned away from the field, and pitched it over the heads of his own players. It was 59 minutes and 39 seconds of tough, gritty football – down the drain.

Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor had just thrown an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts to give the Hokies the improbable lead on a most improbable drive. After gaining just 37 yards in the entire second half, Tech went 88 yards in five plays, fueled by an 81-yard pass from Taylor to receiver Danny Coale that is destined to haunt the dreams of Husker fans everywhere.

Another home win for the Hokies against a non-conference opponent. Another Husker loss to a ranked foe on the road. And this 16-15 setback might sting more than any other.

“We had plenty of opportunities to put the game away and we didn’t do it,” a despondent Pelini said.

He had no interest in talking about the 81-yard pass, as cornerback Anthony West simply allowed Coale to run free while safety Matt O’Hanlon’s eyes were stuck on Taylor, who hit a streaking Coale near midfield. O’Hanlon caught Coale at the 3-yard line with 1:11 remaining.

“You watched the game,” Pelini said.

O’Hanlon then sacked Taylor on a blitz back to the 11-yard line. After an incomplete pass on second down, Taylor rolled to his left on third down, sensed pressure, and drifted back toward his own sideline. In the end zone he spotted Roberts, who had shaken free of NU cornerback Prince Amukamara. Just before defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh slammed down on his shoulder, Taylor fired his best pass of the day. Roberts cradled it. Lane Stadium erupted.

“That situation is tough - I personally had a great shot,” said Suh, who otherwise played magnificently, batting down four passes – which tied a school record - and notching a sack. “But I didn’t get there in time. I fell off the back of him. I can only hope the next time I’m in that situation, I make the play.”

That Suh even had to make that play was a failure of Nebraska’s offense to capitalize on numerous scoring chances.

The Huskers consistently ran the ball against Tech’s stingy front. Junior Roy Helu had the best game of his career, rushing 28 times for a career-high 169 yards, many of them after contact. Overall, NU gained 207 ground yards and quarterback Zac Lee was never sacked.

But NU was never able to score a touchdown. Junior Alex Henery was forced to kick five field goals. A combination of untimely play calling, poor execution and penalties sunk NU’s scoring efforts.

The most glaring failure was in the third quarter, while NU held a 12-10 lead and had driven to Tech’s 6-yard line. Lee seemingly threw a touchdown pass to Mike McNeill, but Ricky Henry was flagged for holding. Then the Huskers accumulated three more penalties in the series, including another holding flag, to push itself out of field goal range. Menelik Holt also dropped a surefire touchdown in the corner of Tech’s end zone.

By the time the series had ended, NU had lost 30 yards.

“Obviously that was a key point,” Pelini said. “We thought if we had scored there, we’re in pretty good shape.”

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OK, so it’s time for some cold water.

Nebraska football isn’t back yet. Even with a win at Virginia Tech Saturday, NU isn’t back.

If you listen to Bo Pelini, actually listen between the gruff one-liners, you know this: The Cornhuskers are in the midst of purgatory. A process of fire and crucible by which they ascend to a higher plain of college football, or falter and stay put.

Nebraska is not Florida, Texas, Alabama or Oklahoma. It is historically, yes, but not in a short-term rebuilding process. NU cannot simply arrive via one recruiting class. It tried that in 2005, and fell flat on its face. It cannot arrive via the “one big win” theory. It’s been trying that since 2002, to no avail.

Bo’s been different. And, in this case, different is good. He’s got a plan, and its last page does not include the words, “beat the Hokies, and the rest will take care of itself.” The best part about the process is that it accounts for losses.

Husker fans winding their “we’re back” watch to Saturday’s 2:36 p.m. kickoff are setting themselves up for major disappointment if the breaks don’t go NU’s way. Bo Pelini’s boys will need every one of them, against a team that locks those breaks in a safe on its home field.

Because Nebraska shouldn’t win Saturday. Sorry. Husker fans salivating over the prospect of heading into Blacksburg are pinning their hopes on the right arm of Zac Lee, who suddenly looks capable of winning a Big 12 North championship, and the fact that Tech was exposed by Alabama in the first week. Sub out the Tide for, say, Arkansas State or Florida Atlantic, and the Hokies are ranked in the top five right now and a larger favorite than five points. And NU fans have more realistic expectations.

Bama shut down most hopes for a VT national title, but it gave the Hokies a very clear idea of how to get better in preparation for NU. Ask yourself: Was Nebraska remotely tested by either of its first two opponents?

What is the identity of Nebraska’s defense? Do we know yet? Each unit within the whole has had its moments, good and bad. Some defensive calls have been late. The linebackers are not yet playing “downhill,” attacking the football with fire and aggression. The unit leader, Ndamukong Suh, is a gifted, fast renaissance man. But he hasn’t taken this defense by the neck and carried it with him.

The same can be said for the rest of the defense. Thus far, it’s been serviceable, but mechanical. It looks wary of blowing assignments, allowing big plays. Which is good. But it can be bad, too, when a second’s hesitation is the difference between three and seven yards on a running play.

The offense has been a pleasant surprise. Lee’s confident and daring, and the receivers have, thus far, held up. Roy Helu is running with more speed and agility. And offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has been sharp – really sharp – with his playcalling this year. I’m sure he’s given Virginia Tech’s defense a lot to think about in two short games.

Maybe Lee’s up for throwing for 300 yards and submitting his resume for national recognition. Or maybe he’ll be a kid who adjusts, like most quarterbacks do, to life on the road with an uneven performance.

What about Bo? Can he and his staff outcoach Frank Beamer and his crew? They didn’t last year. Tech, for the most part, played smart, controlled football in Lincoln, working its formula to the tune of a 35-30 win. Pelini threw the kitchen sink of blitzes at Tyrod Taylor, who simply dodged the botched attacks and burned the Huskers with his arm and legs.

But Pelini seems to relish the road. Fewer distractions for him. Aside from the Oklahoma meltdown, Nebraska has looked more composed and disciplined on both sides of the ball. But maybe that was just playing Kansas State and Iowa State. Virginia Tech is several rungs higher on the food chain.

And faster. Don’t discount this. The Hokies will be the fastest team NU plays that isn’t from Norman. And they play on a fast track inside Lane Stadium, where the fans sit on top of the field, bearing down with a lot of noise.

Have I set up for Nebraska enough failure yet?

Look – it’s not necessarily specific to NU. Tech hasn’t lost a non-conference home game in ten years. Most teams won’t even bother making the trip. In 2004, USC was happy to play the Hokies – at FedEx Field. The Big Ten hasn’t been there in ages. It’s been seven years for the SEC. In those 31 straight wins, Tech has given up more than three touchdowns just once. It’s pitched eight shutouts. This is not a welcoming place on a first visit.

Much like Nebraska’s trip to USC in 2006, there simply isn’t much to objectively recommend a NU victory. It’ll take a performance beyond what NU’s turned in under Pelini thus far, or sheer kismet – six turnovers, several lousy calls, Taylor gets hurt, or the like.

It could happen. Lovely if it does.

Just remember it’s a process.

And this too: Three weeks from now, on a dark night in Columbia, Nebraska gets to do it all over again. With much more at stake. In other words, treat Virginia Tech like the Hokies treated Alabama.

Great opportunity. Even better learning experience.

Find an identity. Dig deep for some fire. Identify the guys who can fight and win some road wars in the Big 12. Maybe decide if this offense runs through Helu, or Lee.

Virginia Tech is about more than winning. It's about character.

Time for the Huskers to get popped in the face, taste their own blood, and decide what the hell they're going to do about it.

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We seriously debated building this five keys article as a shrine to that TBS Superstation legend Patrick Swayze, who died this week after a long battle with cancer. He was a staple of what we like to call Generation HDTV, that class of twenty and thirtysomething guys with ridiculously big flat screens and hours to burn watching mindless pop culture from their collective youth.

Swayze thrilled us on many a Sunday afternoon in the 12 minutes before the kickoff of early NFL games. When it came to the choice of watching retired football players guffaw through their lead pipe locks, or Dalton take out the trash at the Double Deuce, well, it wasn’t really a choice. None of that processed cheese; give us the sharp Vermont cheddar. Until the kickoff of the early NFL games.

We even had the “key” names picked out according to his movies: Red Dawn, Next of Kin, Ghost, The Outsiders…

But then we realized: It’s Virginia Tech week. And that’s no time for kitsch. Hokie cornerback Stephan Virgil, who forced a key fumble in Tech’s 35-30 win at NU last year, was right:

“We’re going to give Nebraska our best game,” Virgil said. “They’ve played two Sun Belt teams. They’re not Virginia Tech. We’re going to get their best shot, and we’re going to give them our best shot.”

The original Virgil couldn’t have said it any better. Well, yeah, he probably could have, but we don’t know Latin.

On with the keys.

Violent Dance: That’s an apt name for what offensive tackles and defensive ends engage in 30-40 times a game. Last year, Tech’s fast, physical, undersized line won more battles than it lost, consistently harassing Joe Ganz into sacks or errant throws. The Hokies should have even more of an advantage in its home stadium.

Enter Marcel Jones, who held his own vs. Arkansas State defensive end Alex Carrington last week, and will likely be called upon to block VT’s excellent end, Jason Worilds, at least part of the time on Saturday.

“They’re pretty quick off the ball, but they also play with a lot of power moves,” Jones said. “A lot of bull moves. I’m going to have to drop the anchor and sit on them a little bit. Keep my feet ready for counter moves.”

Worilds owned left tackle Mike Smith in 2008 with 1.5 sacks and several more hurries. If Smith isn’t up for the challenge Saturday, look for Jones to swing over there. How NU protects quarterback Zac Lee may determine his success.

The Specials: They’re certainly not an afterthought in this game; Tech’s already returned two kicks for touchdowns in 2009. The Hokies used a blocked punt for a safety and a punt return by Macho Harris in 2008 to quickly put Nebraska in a 9-0 hole.

“What they do, they do well,” said NU coach John Papuchis, who spearheads Nebraska’s special teams units. “It’s not a gimmicky scheme or anything like that. But they’re very fundamentally sound. They do a very good job of getting on and off blocks…we have some keys and things we’re looking for. Basically, it’s a lot of want-to and a lot of technique and execution.”

The Huskers’ kick and punt coverage units are better in 2009 than they were in 2008, thanks to an influx of young athletic talent, and some needed energy from a healthy Rickey Thenarse and true freshman Eric Martin.

We remain unsold on Niles Paul as a punt returner, but in the kick return game he’s a threat, with his straight-ahead speed, to bust one open.

Hustle and Flow: Linebacker is one hard position to play in college football. You’ve got to be aggressive, but patient. Physical, yet nimble enough to tackle some guy almost two-thirds your size. Single-minded, yet versatile. You’ve got to run like hell, but not too much, lest you get caught in the backwash of a cutback play.

If you want to know why the spread offense works so well these days, just consider the stress it puts on 19-year-old linebackers, and how few of them can hold up to it. You can’t just have three good ‘backers. You’d better have six who can do different things, depending on the circumstances.

This week, Phillip Dillard takes the stage to help Nebraska shore up its run defense against the Hokies. Tech loves to run sweeps, counters and occasionally options, and do it with a maximum of pulling guards and tackles. Dillard’s playing style and body type fits this game. He’s good at sitting in the hole, taking on a block with one shoulder and blasting through with his free shoulder. Bo and Carl Pelini wisely moved him away from the middle position, where he’s required to make the calls, to a spot where Dillard can expend that emotion and physicality.

Sean Fisher and Will Compton, meanwhile, are going to get a smashmouth introduction to big-time college football. Tech’s going attack them specifically, you can count on it.

Lane and Lee: Zac Lee’s been to a few road games at Nebraska. Oklahoma. Kansas State. He just hasn’t had to walk out there on the first offensive snap of the game, and feel the weight of the joint pressing down on him.

The biggest road game Lee’s started in was at San Francisco City College, when he quarterbacked that team to the California Junior College state title game. He played in Chukchansi Park, a Fresno baseball stadium that holds 12,500 fans.

So, yeah, this is a step up.

A good running game will help, but here’s the reality: The Hokies are going to force Lee to beat them. Don’t get fooled by Alabama’s plush ground stats in a 34-24 win; it was Tide quarterback Greg McElroy who hit several key passes – two of them right over the head of giant free safety Kam Chancellor – that opened up those running lanes in the second half.

Big-Game Coaching: We’ll talk more about this in a column tomorrow, but we want to see how Nebraska’s braintrust responds to adversity on Saturday. Namely, when Tech makes a couple big plays on offense or defense, and Lane Stadium launches into madness. How will Bo Pelini, Carl Pelini and Shawn Watson digest and respond?

We’ll be blunt: Watson called 10 excellent games in 2008. One, Oklahoma, was out of his hands before he had a chance. Another, Missouri, was a failure of defensive execution. But against Virginia Tech, he bailed on the running game by the end of the first drive, never tried to use the Hokies’ pursuit against them with a trick play, and generally showed Bud Foster too much respect. He pulled a Callahan. And he hasn’t done it since.

The Brothers Pelini, meanwhile, got impatient with their linebacker play and dialed up blitzes to pressure Tyrod Taylor. Taylor calmly sidestepped those poorly-executed blitzes and either ran or passed for big gains. The Huskers practically handed Tech half of its yards by leaving giant swaths of the field wide open. That’s execution, sure. But it’s also coaching, to know that your players can’t do what’s being asked of them.

In other words: When Virginia Tech puts Bo’s boys in the corner, how do they get out?

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It's that time of the week again!

1. Guess the score of the game
2. Offensive MVP
3. Defensive MVP.

Last week, huskersfosho came so close to nailing the score with his prediction of 38-10. Remember...if you hit on the dot, you win a Husker Throwback poster. Your choice of offense or defense!

Our take:

We're not sure Nebraska has the speed or the offensive line to stay with the Hokies for four quarters. We like Tech to stake an early lead, and hold on to it. Virginia Tech 23 Nebraska 14

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Tidewater. Hampton Roads. The warm, wet eastern coast of Virginia, the oldest, busiest water corridor in the United States, frankly, a breeding and bleeding ground for every significant war fought on and off American soil. History’s so thick you can squeeze it like a stress ball. Theme parks with guys in powdered wigs.

And the military just snatched up half of Chesapeake Bay for its own use during the two World Wars. Never gave it back, either. Just took more. And displaced families, almost all of them black, settled in the communities around the bases, in the shadow of the largest naval station in the world.

The city of Hampton – Allen Iverson’s hometown, Tyrod Taylor’s too – is smack dab in the middle of it. Poor. A median income below $20,000. Hampton High School, 81 percent black, the oldest high school in America still in use. The football stadium’s bleachers have a section for octogenarians. And they show up, too.

Because, damn, Hampton can play football. Seventeen state titles for the Crabbers. And not just good football at Hampton, but up and down the coast. Stud teams everywhere. Led by stud quarterbacks.

Taylor grew up amidst all that. He won one of those state titles in 2005. He Bryan Randall, Ronald Curry and the Vick Brothers. All from Tidewater. They still debate who was best, and Taylor makes his own case. He starred at Hampton High and his choice for college came down to Virginia Tech and Florida. Yeah, Urban Meyer wanted him. Taylor could have had that. But most kids from Hampton Roads want to be like Mike.

QB at Tech is a specific, honorable, difficult thing. Especially if you’re from Vick’s old stomping grounds. You’ve got to be good. You’d better be fast.

Vick set the tone with his scrambles, amazing throws and million-watt smile. Whatever his faults, he’s given back to the school that made him - the program that, in so many ways, he made. Right before his life went to complete hell by his own brutal hand, Vick was in the midst of raising money for those who lost family members in the Virginia Tech massacre. He’d given thousands back to the school already.

A Tech quarterback is a target for opponents, an ambassador for the program. Simply having the job, post-Vick, provides and requires an extra authority.

“When Tyrod comes in the huddle, we all shut up,” right tackle Blake DeChristopher said. “He just has that presence. We all stop and listen. We all respect him.”

Said Tech coach Frank Beamer: “Exceptional player. Really good leader. Good person, good player, good leader. He’s a guy who’s constantly trying to get better.”

And yet, as it must be with a Tech quarterback, there is a flip side. The man of the people. By numerical order, Taylor’s locker is next to David Wilson, a highly-touted true freshman running back who rushed for 165 yards last week against Marshall. Wilson said he’s bonded with Taylor more than anyone. They joke constantly.

After his debut, Wilson walked up to Taylor and asked him: Am I dreaming?

Yeah, Taylor joked. You’re about to wake up in your hotel room.

“He’s different than what I’d thought he’d be,” Wilson said. “I thought he’d be some kind of soldier or something. But we laugh together and everything. He’s real funny.”

Taylor shared the job for two years with Sean Glennon, and not very harmoniously. Glennon, invariably, would falter, and have to be bailed out by the 6-foot, 215-pound Taylor, who’d sometimes try to do too much. He threw too many interceptions, made too many bad reads, and basically sunk Tech’s chances in the 2008 Orange Bowl vs. Kansas before the Hokies had a chance.

But, of course, there’s the flip side of the equation. The games he won with those legs and that occasionally brilliant arm. The 300 total yards to help give Beamer his first win over Florida State in 2007 The sudden comeback vs. North Carolina. The 2009 Orange Bowl, when he made a touchdown run vs. Cincinnati to rival Vick’s greatest hits. And, of course, Nebraska, one of the best games in Taylor’s career, when he accumulated 258 total yards in a 35-30 win and burned one Bo Pelini blitz after another.

He’s 14-3 as a starter. Only Michael and Marcus Vick have better winning percentages in the last 13 years. And Taylor’s better now than he was in 2008, he said in a teleconference with reporters. He’ll take what the defense gives him.

“If we call a pass play, I have the arm strength to find my receivers,” Taylor said. “If it breaks down, I can always run.”

Last year was messy anyway. Taylor was going to redshirt and let Glennon play the season, until Glennon flamed out in the opening-season loss to East Carolina. VT head coach Frank Beamer, smarter than the average bear, immediately burned Taylor’s redshirt. Then Beamer, not so smart, insisted on splitting time between the two, even though Taylor was the far better player.

The result was a lack of rhythm at the position, and Taylor was often wild with his passes. He tossed only two touchdowns. He threw seven interceptions. He was hurt off and on, too.

Said NU head coach Bo Pelini said: “The biggest key for him now is that it’s his offense. I’m sure that helps him with a little bit of a comfort level, to be out there all the time.”

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Not the best video quality. But the audio is all you really need to hear.

This is what Nebraska will hear and see as it runs out for Saturday's game at Virginia Tech.

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Don’t call it a measuring stick. Forget last year. And if you want to talk psyche, call a shrink.

The tenor of Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini’s press conference Tuesday was respectful, but unmistakable: Bring on the road game at Virginia Tech, and all the trimmings that go with the 2:30 p.m. game televised on ABC/ESPN.

Actually...about those trimmings...

“National TV means nothing,” Pelini said to gathered reporters. “Where we’re playing means nothing. It’s about execution between the lines. Period. End of story. If we’re able to do that, we’ll like the outcome. If we don’t?”

He didn’t provide a consequence.

Pelini worried? Not precisely. With the exception of the meltdown at Oklahoma, the Cornhuskers, Pelini said, were a good road team in 200, and arguably better than they were at home. Fewer distractions. More focus. A trip to Blacksburg, he said, will give NU a chance to “feed off the energy of the atmosphere.”

Said NU quarterback Zac Lee: “Our fans don’t make it easy on people who come in here and play. But that’s college football. That’s why it’s fun. You go to these different places and see these fans that just love “ball” and love their team.”

As for Tech’s 31-game non-conference home winning streak? And NU’s long drought on the road against top 20 non-conference foes? And the strange magic of Lane Stadium, generally considered the best home field advantage on the East Coast?

“All those other people?” Pelini asked. “I don’t know how many people that stadium holds, but they’re not playing. It’s 11 on 11 when you walk out on the field.”

Pelini would much rather talk about the Hokies and their coach Frank Beamer, who has crafted a program, Pelini said, “that’s stood the test of time” with “tough” and “sound” athletes.

“I love the physicality by which they play,” Pelini said. “They do a lot of things in that program that, anybody who’s in this profession, would want to take a good, hard look at. I’d love our program to be about some of the things he’s done…it’s not a year here or a year there, they’ve done it for a long period of time.”

Last year, Tech added to that resume, winning the ACC championship and the Orange Bowl. A key springboard, after a sluggish start to the 2008 season, was VT’s 35-30 win over NU in Lincoln. The Hokies pounced on the Huskers with special teams and defense and held off a furious rally with the help of a personal foul on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Pelini said he didn’t take much from the experience.

“We lost,” Pelini said. “I shrunk. I didn’t grow. I don’t think anybody on our football team walked out of that locker room happy.”

Said NU running back Roy Helu, who scored a touchdown in that game: “They outhit us last year, no doubt about it.”

Tech held Nebraska to 55 yards rushing, well below its season average and just a quarter of what the Hokies gained in the game. Logic dictates that defensive coordinator Bud Foster – whom Pelini called “excellent” – will again try to put the game on the shoulders of NU’s quarterback.

That’d be Lee, who scorched previous opponent Arkansas State for 340 yards and four touchdowns, and is currently seventh in the nation in passing efficiency.

“That’s just after two games, though,” Lee said, brushing it off.

Lee is one of those Huskers making his first road start. By Saturday, Lee said, he’d hoped to master the silent count Nebraska will use to combat crowd noise and be aptly prepared for the Hokies’ defense.

“The speed of the game might pick up a little bit because of the caliber of athletes they have and type of coaching that they have,” Lee said.

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Ndamukong Suh likes his music loud, and it blares from the earbuds he has lodged in his ears. From the press box on the sixth floor of Memorial Stadium, he stares intently down to the field.

He’s waiting for the first of many phone interviews with out-of-town media. Then some radio and TV interviews with local media. Then a private chat with former Husker defensive tackle Jason Peter, who walks with Suh around the sixth floor, looking for a spot to talk. Then, Suh gets to stand in a doorway and watch his coach, Bo Pelini, talk about him.

“Come on up, Ndamukong,” Pelini sardonically says to Suh as they pass in the press room.

And then, finally, 15 more minutes with the print media.

The publicity, questions, accolades, face time with Husker greats and coaches – it’s all gravy, you know? Sometimes tasty, occasionally lumpy, almost always spilling over the plate of a regular college football player.

“It comes with the situation I’m in,” Suh said. “Just embrace it, do what you’re asked and move forward.”

We’ve spent enough time around the Nebraska defensive tackle to know this: Suh returned for his senior season, in part, to get his degree. Education matters to him. And that’s good.

But he also returned for weeks like this. For games like Virginia Tech. For road trips to Nastytown, known this week as Blacksburg, where 66,000-plus mean-muggers await in Lane Stadium to harass Suh and his teammates.

He didn’t come back for Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State. Sorry, Owls and Wolves. He didn’t come back for Cyclones, Wildcats, Bears or Buffaloes, either.

He came back for Sooners, Tigers, Red Raiders, Cowboys’ Stadium in December, and, first, the Hokies. His season is defined, really, by those five benchmarks.

Oh, Suh’s going to be an all-conference player. He’s probably going to be an All-American. Talent and experience alone should get him there.

But gravy doesn't taste quite the same by itself.

Suh came back to make big plays in big games. Sacks. Picks. Bulldozer tackles behind the line of scrimmage. On the road. Against one of the best offensive lines on the East Coast, no matter what Alabama’s defense did to it.

“I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t feel like this team has the pieces to go out and win these type of games,” Suh said. “I didn’t come back to be 9-4 again. I came back to be 14-0. That’s the plan.”

And a good one. The defense is smarter, Suh said. More mature. Grown up, despite having a lot of peach fuzz at the linebacker position.

Well, we’ll see, won’t we? A lot of it falls on the shoulders of No. 93. When he came back, he assumed that role. He's the leader by example. Suh’s never going to be a brash soul, which is fine with his head coach.

“The best leader I’ve ever been around is Jerry Rice,” Pelini said. “And he very seldom said a word.”

Rice won three Super Bowls.

Nebraska fans will settle, right now, for Suh winning a road game at Virginia Tech.

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