These are some of our favorite stories to share with you - the ones that reveal what Nebraska football means on a day-to-day basis in the community at large.

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nebraska's entire football team made visits to area hospitals. Once such group headed to St. Elizabeth's hospital to visit the neo-natal intensive care unit.

The photos by Aaron Hahn tell the story so well, we don't have to. Enjoy and remember - this, too, is Nebraska football.

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See also: Big 12 Postseason Awards, 10 Unforgettable NU-UT Moments, Big 12 Rankings, Bowl Watch, Onward to DFW, Huskers Giving Back and [url=http://www.huskerlocker.com/blogs/view/bid/2363/i/podcast

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Nebraska wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore had wanted to find his six or seven top candidates for playing by the end of last week.

On Tuesday, Gilmore said, he’s carrying the competition over to the end of this week. As of now, only one player – junior Niles Paul – has earned significant playing time, and another sophomore Marcus Mendoza, moved back to running back. That leaves roughly a dozen players for five spots.

Well, maybe five more spots.

“You knew what? I threw that number out, six, but if two of them are doing it, then two of them are going to play,” Gilmore said. “I’m looking for the best football players.

And if NU needs four pass-catchers for a third down, who fills the role? Tight ends?

“There you go,” Gilmore said. “We’re gonna put the best 11 players on the football field.”

The receiving corps has until the end of this week to prevent Gilmore and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson from implementing any kind of plan out of the Norman Dale handbook.

Said Watson: “They’re competing. We’ll find out who those guys are. We’ll give them to the end of the week to figure it out.”

Here are the likeliest candidates for those roles:

Senior Chris Brooks: Battled injuries, expectations and bouts of inconsistency to earn more playing time at the end of 2008. He was NU’s No. 5 receiver and occasionally lined up in the slot. He caught a touchdown pass vs. Kansas.

Senior Menelik Holt: Has been slated to start by pundits and most fans since the start of spring football, but the coaching staff has handed the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder nothing thus far. Holt had 31 catches in 2008.

Senior Wes Cammack: Specialist on kick coverage units in 2008, finishing with nine tackles. He caught a touchdown in the spring game and just went on scholarship last week.

Junior Will Henry: A 6-5, slender outside receiver who had strong practice sessions in late 2008 and during the spring. Gilmore said last week Henry’s had a fair camp, but hadn’t made any standout plays.

Junior Adam Watson: Shawn Watson’s son. Converted walk-on safety.

Sophomore Curenski Gilleylen: With speed to burn and a good frame, he could be a front-runner at slot, but he’s struggled catching the ball at times.

Sophomore Brandon Kinnie: Looks the part at 6-3, 220 pounds, but is “sinking” in terms of learning the playbook.

“He hasn’t really shown what he can do,” Gilmore said. “And you can see it in his play. His hesitation…once he gets it, we’ve got something good there.”

Redshirt freshman Khiry Cooper: The two-sport kid who missed all of spring camp playing baseball.

Redshirt freshman Steven Osborne: Tall, lanky guy whose brother, Courtney, plays defensive back. Gilmore has alternately praised and been tough on Osborne during fall camp.

Redshirt freshman Tim Marlowe: Small, speedy slot guy whom Gilmore has praised a couple times in camp.

True freshman Antonio Bell: Nicknamed “Lil Frantz” because he has a frame and speed like former NU receiver Frantz Hardy, Bell has shown good receiving skills. Now it’s a matter of blocking and getting separation at the line of scrimmage. Same obstacles Hardy had, although Hardy enjoyed a solid career, and caught 54 passes for 971 yards and seven touchdowns during his career.

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It was the fans’ turn to take the field on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Fan Day 2009 gave way to thousands of Big Red fans with posters, programs, jerseys, helmets and T-shirts, trying to get autographs from Husker players and coaches. The fans were from all over Nebraska and beyond. The lines were already meandering well into the university’s campus an hour before the event started. Once the gates opened and the fans got inside the stadium, they plotted out which lines to wait in and which to pass. It was crowded, and they had to hurry to get the most out the afternoon.

One common reaction, from both the young kids playing catch with the footballs they just got signed and the adults who have been coming to fan day year after year, was to take a knee and rub their hand back on forth on field turf, leaving a brief impression of their hand on the turf that owns the state’s attention during football season.

Here's the second of Fan Day Dispatches...we'll run them throughout the next week!


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Wes Cammack, a fifth-year walk-on wide receiver, had his own cheering section at fan day. Close to 20 members of his family were on hand to wait in line to get his autograph.

Five-year-old Gage Cammack, remembers getting a running start and careening into his padded-up older cousin after the spring game.

“That’s the fun part of having a cousin that’s a football player,” Gage said.

Cindy Cammack, Wes’ aunt, said Wes is the first person from the family to suit up for the Huskers.

“We’ve been Husker fans forever,” she said. “It’s a special time; to have a family member on team…You just hope he gets an opportunity.”

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