Bleacher Report - Nebraska Huskers Football

For All The Marbles: Nebraska Takes on Kansas State for North Supremacy

Josh Klein — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:13:33 -0500

Most Nebraska players and fans knew that the Big 12 North would come down to this.

All of us figured at the beginning of the season that a match-up between a Kansas school and Nebraska would decide the Big 12 North.

Just not this Kansas School.

Last weekend was supposed to be the deciding factor in the Big 12 North race, at least that's what all the preview magazines decided prior to the start of the season.

It just goes to so how little even the talking heads know at the beginning of the season.

This weekend at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska the Big 12 North race will be decided. Around the same time, the Big 12 South will be decided as Texas takes on the supposed favorites at the beginning of the year, the Kansas Jayhawks.

If Texas wins they lock up the Big 12 North.

No matter who wins the game between Nebraska and Kansas State, one thing is for sure, the winner will be taking on Texas in the Big 12 Championship game.

Some prize.

But it is a prize none-the-less, and it is one that Husker fans are actually salivating for.

The game on Saturday has all the stigma of a championship match-up, but none of the fear.

Nebraska fans see this game as an easy must win game that should be over in the fourth quarter if the team plays like they did against Oklahoma and Kansas.

Why are Husker fans so confident? Well, they have taken a look at the body of work done by Snyder and company this season. Six wins is impressive, but two of those came against FCS foes UMass and Tennessee Tech. In fact UMass had an opportunity to win the game near the end.

My advice for Husker fans is to hold on with that quick dismissal. Sure Kansas State has been on of the only foes that the Huskers have easily dispatched in the past two years.

Since the last loss to the Wildcats in 2004, the Huskers have had a lop-sided four game winning streak against Kansas State. Beating them by a combined score of 177-87 in the past four meetings.

But do you know who the coach was in 2004 that put the beat down on this Husker squad? None other than coach Bill Snyder. And he's back with a vengeance.

He has done what Ron Prince failed to do. He has won with Junior College players and transfers.

Hold on to those reigns Husker fans, don't put the cart before the horse. Because Snyder has the ability to beat these Huskers with his power running game, senior quarterback and markedly better defensive play. After all, we saw a similar team, the Iowa State Cyclones, come into Lincoln and shock Husker nation.

Am I saying Nebraska will lose? No. Am I saying there's a chance? Yes.

What I'm really saying is this. If Nebraska comes out like they did against Iowa State, Daniel Thomas, Bill Snyder and Grant Gregory will take advantage of every situation.

Kansas State (6-5 [4-3 in Big 12]), comes in with a chance to complete a total turn around from a year ago. Ask any K-State fan what they expected this year, I would be willing to bet that none of them had counted on a bowl or a shot at the Big 12 North crown.

They can obtain both on Saturday.

Because of the fact that two of those six wins were against FCS opponents Kansas State is playing for all the marbles on Saturday.

If they lose, they gain no bowl bid and no trip to the Big 12 Championship game in Texas.

If they win, they attain both.

Nebraska comes in under similar pressures, but not as unexpected. To the fans and the Media, Nebraska was supposed to win the Big 12 North this year.

Nebraska finds itself with the actual, tangible ability to reach the goal they set out for at the beginning of the year. It's no surprise, it's not really some great story line of inspiration like Kansas State's is. It was expected.

And it should have been.

There will be no rushing the field on Saturday if Nebraska wins, there will be no momentous celebration, except to honor the seniors. It is expected that they be in this position, even if they have gotten here in less than traditional fashion.

Nebraska may be playing their best overall football of the year right now. Zac Lee looks confident, Niles Paul looks like a game breaker, and Roy Helu looks primed to shine in the spot light.

Shawn Watson seems to finally have found an offensive gameplan that fits his personnel and the defense is as good as ever.

Sure we may say the defense slacked a bit last week against Kansas. However, I have to chuckle to myself to think of the expectations. Just two years ago holding Kansas to seventeen points would be seen as a great defensive performance, this year though it was disappointing.

And the players on defense took note of it.

This game comes down to one thing for each team: The running game.

If Nebraska chorales Daniel Thomas and forces Gregory to throw his way back into a game you can pretty much pencil in a win for the Huskers.

If Nebraska's Roy Helu gets going and Zac Lee plays the play action like he did against Kansas last week this will be a long day for Wildcat fans everywhere.

The return of Rex Burkhead is important to notice as well.

In the end it will come down to defense in this one. And while I said that Kansas State can win this game, I don't think they will.

Nebraska has more talent and more depth than the Wildcats. And two more wins against FBS quality opponents.

6-6 may not get you bowl eligible Kansas State, but it sure does put you in the record books for most impressive turn-around in a season.

But while you have turned it around you have only one win this season against an FBS opponent with a winning record and that was against Iowa State.

Believe it or not I think Nebraska probably hits the ground running in this one. Roy Helu probably amasses over one hundred yards again and Niles Paul burns the Wildcat defense deep a few times.

Nebraska inherits a match-up with Texas this weekend after a 34-13 win against the Wildcats of Kansas State. At least that's what I think. Take it or leave it.

This one, unwittingly enough, is for all the Big 12 North marbles.

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Nebraska Eyes Big 12 North Championship on Senior Day Against Kansas State

Bugeatersteve Stuchlik — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:01:01 -0500

This is the reason why they play the games, correct? You play all season long to get to the point where you have that one game that defines your season. Win and you are playing for the Big 12 championship. Lose and you are left pondering all the “what if’s” that occurred in this game (Iowa State), or that game (Texas Tech or Virginia Tech).

Yes, this Saturday night in Lincoln the country’s best defense will once again take the field at Memorial Stadium hoping that the offense that gained over 400 yards the previous week, will continue to show up.

A win will give the Cornhuskers a Big 12 North Championship and a matchup with the University of Texas on the first Saturday in December in Jerry Jones’ new playground in Dallas.

For players such as Barry Turner, Ndamukong Suh, Larry Asante, and Phillip Dillard on the defensive side and Menelik Holt and Jacob Hickman on the offensive side, it is their last chance to shine in front of the Memorial Stadium faithful. They hope to give the fans a BTN championship to remember in Bo Pelini’s second year as head coach.

Bill Snyder and Kansas State enter their last game of the regular season with a 6-5 mark (4-3 in the Big 12) and need the win to not only be bowl eligible (They have two wins against non-BCS schools), but also to clinch the BTN. Snyder's first year back has already been an improvement from last year, when the Wildcats missed out on the postseason with a 5-7 record.

In looking at the two squads, their offensive numbers are mirror images of each other. K-State averages 354 yards and 25 points per game, while the Huskers gain 353 yards and score 26 points per game .

It is of course on the defensive side where the Huskers have the advantage. Nebraska ranks 10th overall, while the Wildcats' defense is ranked 47th. The Huskers are also third in the nation in scoring defense at 11 points per game given up. The Cats are 59th in that category averaging 24 points per game.

The Blackshirts should also be more pumped up for this game after suffering the letdown against Kansas last week, where they gave up several long drives and played on their heels most of the game. The exhaustive effort given against Oklahoma might be partially to blame, so lets hope that they bounce back to their dominating selves.

If you take a quick look at the numbers this season, the one thing that jumps out at you is the fact that the most points the defense has given up this season is the 31 points in the loss to Texas Tech. Last season that number was reached six times and in 2007, it was an embarrassing eight times.

No, make no mistake about it, the Pelini “D” philosophy has made it’s permanent impression in Lincoln. There shouldn't be anymore 65 and 76 point games.

I also noticed a difference in the game attitude of Zac Lee. In the Oklahoma game, it was apparent that he was playing more to control the game and clock instead of playing for the win.

Against Kansas, he was playing with more confidence in his ability to make the plays that needed to be made. I look for that to continue Saturday night.

Roy Helu Jr. appears to have finally recovered from the shoulder injury that made him totally ineffective for the month of October. Helu has posted back to back games of 135 yards or more and appears to get stronger as the game progresses.

Helu’s contribution running the ball makes Lee a better quarterback as the defense because they have to respect the running game.

With senior day and the BTN championship on the line, I look for a dominating defensive game with the Huskers coming out on top by the score of 27-6. GBR!

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Like Old Times, Nebraska Hosts Kansas State for Trip to Big 12 Title Game

James Adkins — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:23:34 -0500

At the beginning of the season, many around college football wondered if the 70-year-old Bill Snyder could somehow resurrect the Kansas State football program the same way he did when he took over the program 20 years ago, in 1989.

Back then, Sports Illustrated had labeled the Wildcats program “America’s most hapless team”—and they were. For three straight seasons leading up to Snyder coming to the Little Apple that is Manhattan, KS, the Wildcats didn’t win a game.

Under Snyder, that all changed.

In Snyder’s second season, he won five games, something that had only occurred once in K-State’s previous 17 seasons. Then in 1993, Snyder guided his team to only its second nine-win season ever and began a streak of 11 straight bowl appearances.

During each of those 11 seasons that ended in a trip to a bowl for the Wildcats, Snyder’s main objective was to beat Nebraska. Because if you beat the Cornhuskers, it meant you had a great shot to win the conference.

The Cornhuskers, led by the legendary Tom Osborne through 1997 and then by longtime Osborne assistant Frank Solich, won three national championships and eight league titles during that 11-year stretch.

However, by the end of Snyder’s run in 2003, the Wildcats had surpassed the Cornhuskers atop the Big 12 North, and Snyder had pulled off the greatest reclamation project in major college sports history.

Then in 2004, with the departure of Snyder at K-State and the ouster of Solich at Nebraska, both the Wildcats and Cornhuskers began a trek down the path to mediocrity. Each team has been struggling to regain its status atop the Big 12 ever since.

Both K-State and Nebraska have since fired the coaches they brought in back in 2004. Instead, each has turned, once again, to a former coach familiar with each program’s tradition in an effort to return their teams to prominence once again atop the Big 12 North.

This Saturday in Lincoln, these two teams face off in a game that means more than any of their meetings the past six seasons. At stake in this game, just like old times, is the right to represent the North division in the Big 12 Championship game in Dallas on Dec. 5.

For Snyder and his Wildcats, they need this game not only to secure a spot in the Big 12 Championship game, but they need this win just to become bowl eligible. Should they lose, their Cinderella season will come to an abrupt end.

On Saturday, that additional motivation will be important to a team long on effort but short on talent. K-State ranks dead last in the conference in passing offense and relies heavily on its running game and special teams to score points. In fact, the Wildcats’ biggest threat and most talented player is kick returner Brandon Banks.

Banks, who stands only 5’7” and weighs a mere 150 pounds, has blazing speed and is probably the best kick returner in the country. His four kick returns for touchdowns lead the nation, while his 1,077 return yards rank him second.

Nebraska, on the other hand, enters the game riding a three-game winning streak that includes an impressive 10-3 victory over Oklahoma two weeks ago in Lincoln. After dismantling the Jayhawks in Lawrence a week ago, the Cornhuskers will be geared up for their final home game of the season in front of a sold-out Memorial Stadium.

Nagurski Trophy finalist Ndamukong Suh leads a defense that ranks third in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 11 points per game. Suh and fellow defensive tackle Jared Crick have combined for 33 tackles for loss, and Crick ranks fifth in the conference with nine sacks.

If the Wildcats want to be successful on offense, they will have to find a way to contain Suh and Crick.

The Keys to Victory

Kansas State

* The Wildcats will need to make big plays on special teams and possibly get another touchdown out of Banks.

* Snyder needs to reach into his old bag of tricks and find plays that neutralize the Cornhuskers' overwhelming superiority on defense when K-State has the ball. Mainly, they need to find ways to get the ball into the hands of Banks in space.

* The defense needs to do what Iowa State did to the Cornhuskers earlier this season...force turnovers—a lot of turnovers.

Nebraska

* The special teams unit must not allow Banks to have a big day in the return game.

* Roy Helu must run the ball without putting it on the ground, as he’s done recently since sustaining a shoulder injury a few weeks ago.

* Whether it’s Zac Lee or freshman Cody Green at quarterback, they must make good decisions in the passing game and not force any plays that could cause turnovers. Niles Paul has played well of late and should be able to make big plays against the K-State secondary.

* On defense, Suh and company simply need to continue what they’ve done all season...dominate the line of scrimmage and limit the number of big plays against them.

Prediction

Barring some major collapse on defense or special teams by the Cornhuskers, Nebraska should be able to handle their business in front of Husker Nation and millions more on ESPN.

However, if K-State’s Banks can find a way to make some big plays on special teams, and the defense can force turnovers like Iowa State did in Lincoln four weeks ago, Snyder’s team could find themselves booking a trip to Dallas.

My pick

Nebraska 27

Kansas State 10

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Nebraska Cornhuskers' Rollercoaster of Emotion: What a Difference a Month Makes

Michael Huckstep — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:22:48 -0500

As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Memorial Stadium on October 24, the Husker fans who remained stood in frozen silence. Many of them were not sure what they had just witnessed.

A justifiably jubilant Paul Rhoads celebrated with his Cyclone players as they soaked up the adulation from the Iowa State section. Husker players couldn't get off the field quickly enough and put the nightmare behind them.

In a literal sense, Husker Nation knew what had transpired that day. Following a sound defeat by Texas Tech, Nebraska's offense had returned to the field the next week and failed on a level of genuinely historic proportions.

Eight turnovers, four within the Cyclones' six-yard line. The eight miscues tied Nebraska's record for giveaways, set in 1972, also against Iowa State.

The naked facts of the 9-7 loss transcended several eras of Nebraska football.

The Cyclones hadn't won in Lincoln in 32 years. They did so with back-ups at quarterback and running back.

Nebraska hadn't lost in 126 games in which they held their opponents to 10 or fewer points, a streak dating back to 1981.

But what did the defeat mean in a larger sense?

Was it another speed bump in the rebuilding process of Nebraska football?

Was it an anomaly, a day when the football gods had decided that, no matter what, the ball was to bounce the way of the Cyclones, thus ending their streak of futility on Nebraska soil?

Or was it something worse? Something much worse? The low-water mark in a decade akin to a drought for a once-dominant program?

Coach Pelini didn't have much to say, issuing terse statements while promising change in Waco the following week.

Meanwhile, Husker fans and the media were abuzz. It seemed that everyone from Auburn to Alliance wanted answers. Everyone had their own suggestions on how to turn the Big Red Bus around.

Bench Lee. Start Green. Fire Watson.

Fast forward nearly four weeks later. The Cyclones proved to be a flash in the pan, following up their emotional win with consecutive losses to A&M and Okie State. They're third in the Big XII North with a losing conference record.

Nebraska, on the other hand, rebounded with three consecutive wins, including one against Oklahoma, and sits atop the North with a half-game lead on Kansas State and the opportunity to win the division with a victory against the Wildcats this Saturday.

Before I go any further, please understand that I'm not proclaiming that all is well in Husker Nation.

It's not.

The offense has continued to struggle, managing only five touchdowns in those three wins, one of which was a fumble recovery in the end zone.

The defense has had to carry the team during this stretch and the pass rush virtually disappeared in the KU game.

During this three-game span, the Huskers allowed the Bears to rally in the second half of the Baylor game, benefited from five interceptions from OU back-up QB Landry Jones, and were aided by a drive-extending facemask call at a crucial point against the Jayhawks.

It hasn't been pretty. At times it's been down-right gut-wrenching. But the Huskers have found a way to win against their last three opponents and, whether most of you are willing to admit it or not, hardly anyone thought they would beat the Sooners.

A game that most thought would be yet another example of a South Division team trouncing a lesser North Division foe morphed into a titanic defensive struggle that, in future years, might be looked back upon as a defining moment in Pelini's career.

In Nebraska's defense, it's not the Huskers' fault that they played a third-string quarterback, Nick Florence, at Baylor. It's not their fault that Sam Bradford was re-injured against the Longhorns. The Huskers have no control over such things. They've just been playing the best team their opponents can field...and winning. Besides, it's not as if Nebraska hasn't had its fair share of injuries as well.

Now that you've indulged me this long, back up for a minute to that overcast day against Iowa State.

While you were standing there slack-jawed and dumbfounded, either in Memorial Stadium or in front of your television, did you think then, even for a second, that Nebraska would be playing for the North Division title?

The answer is no.

You didn't.

At that point, it was widely accepted that no game on their schedule was a given.

Yet they prevailed.

However, the Huskers' work is not done.

Despite being heavy favorites against the Wildcats, despite the fact that those same Wildcats lost at home against Missouri, media reports all across the great Midwest say that Kansas State relishes playing its underdog, all-or-nothing role this Saturday in Lincoln.

Meanwhile, the Huskers can only wait.

Resolute.

Determined.

And while Coach Pelini stresses that they stay hungry and improve each week, perhaps they're feeling a small measure of pride and good fortune, while still keeping their eyes on the prize.

Fortunate because they were given another opportunity and proud that they've taken advantage of it.

So far.

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Nebraska's Offensive Improvement Makes Big 12 Title Run Possible

Tyler Dale — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:33:43 -0500

There’s a scene in the movie Gladiator that for whatever reason popped into my head after Nebraska’s victory over Kansas. In it, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius is talking to General Maximus about what people once dreamed Rome could be, a dream that was extremely fragile. The exact quote:

"There was once a dream that was Rome, you could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish. It was so fragile and I fear that it will not survive the winter."

I bring that movie up for a reason. For weeks, Husker fans have watched as the defense has carried a moribund offense through games against Baylor and Oklahoma. So putrid was the performance against Oklahoma, I thought that perhaps Nebraska had grabbed a local Lincoln high school team to face the Sooners.

Now, I understand that OU fields a great defense with some terrific athletes, but when the Huskers put up a mere 39 yards passing and gained the bulk of their 180 total yards on one Roy Helu run, even I couldn’t believe the ineptitude. But then I remembered the Iowa State game, and I realized that this was definitely the Nebraska offense.

However, against Kansas, for the first time, there came a faint glimmer of hope. Niles Paul came out of his shell, continuing his “I-tear-it-up-every-four-weeks” act that has gone on throughout this season. Zac Lee looked confident and efficient for the first time since the fourth quarter of the Missouri game. And a re-energized Roy Helu, with an assist from some power formations that we haven’t seen enough of, looked like he did against Virginia Tech.

Even the oft-maligned Shawn Watson, whose performance has been questioned throughout the conference slate, finally realized that to win he needed to play the hand he was dealt and stop throwing like Ganz, Peterson, and Swift were still around. Those double tight end sets, the option game (AND the option pass), it was as if a light finally went on above his head.

If Texas Tech last year was the game that the Husker offense finally figured out it’s winning formula, perhaps the Kansas victory is this year’s “Eureka!” moment. Zac Lee can’t throw the simple slants and outs that Joe Ganz could. But he throws one hell of a deep ball, which happens to suit our fleet receivers much better than the dink-and-dunk offense of 2008.

So the zone-read hasn’t been as effective as we hoped it would be. That is to some extent the byproduct of an offensive line that is erratic and inconsistent, and Watson made a smart move offsetting it by putting in a fullback and extra tight end.

Is it as sexy as the spread? Probably not. But the spread is only sexy when you have the personnel to run it, otherwise it’s like Lindsay Lohan circa 2009.

Nobody ever accused the option and power run game of being sexy, but ask the man in the athletic director’s office if he cared when he was racking up 60 wins in his last five seasons. The best coaching staffs are the ones that adapt to their personnel, something Watson may finally be doing over halfway into this season.

Which brings me to the Gladiator quote. With the improved offensive performance, there is now a dream, something that has begun to fester inside every Nebraska fan. They don’t want to admit it, for fear it would vanish just as the Roman Empire did. And that dream is defeating Texas in the Big 12 championship game.

That last sentence? I whispered it because what if Nebraska could pull it off? What if Nebraska has the tools to keep Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley off the field long enough to give Nebraska a chance? The season has proven that with Nebraska’s defense, the Huskers have the opportunity in every game.

Hell, in reality, Nebraska is only two plays away from being 9-1 right now, so it’s not as if they are a bad team. Sure, the offensive slump hurt, but the tools are there to make a run just as they did at the end of 2008.

If the Huskers can use the power formations they used against Kansas and continue to slip in play action passes (and Zac Lee can continue to show those wheels we saw against the Jayhawks), Nebraska could maybe, just maybe, pull off something truly special.

Don’t tell anyone though...I don’t want this opportunity to vanish.

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Big Fish: Five Star Recruit to Visit Lincoln

Josh Klein — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:07:54 -0500

Look at this picture and get to know this face because the name is a bit hard to pronounce.

Owamagbe Odighizuwa (Pronounced: Oh-um-ah-be Oh-dig-eez-uh-wuh) isn't just another Nebraska football recruit, he is one of the best looking recruits in recent history.

Owa (oh-uh), hails from Portland Oregon, he stands at six feet-three inches and weighs a healthy 234 pounds. He reportedly runs a 4.7 forty yard dash and has the ability to beat tackles on the inside or on the outside.

He is that good.

Did I mention he is the first five star (according to Rivals.com) player to visit Nebraska this season?

I would be remiss if I didn't start off by saying that Owa has not committed to Nebraska or any other school for that matter, but Nebraska is right in the thick of things as far as his making a decision goes.

And the storm couldn't be more perfect for Nebraska recruiters than it is this weekend. A prime-time ESPN game against Kansas State that will, without a doubt, decide the winner of the Big 12 North.

Owa lives for games like these, and he gets to witness one this weekend.

Ranked as the second best defensive end in the 2010 class behind only Ronald Powell, the fifth overall prospect in the nation, Owa looks like the real deal.

John Papuchis has already stolen Chase Rome from the likes of Oklahoma State, could he go for a second steal in Owa Odighizuwa?

I think so.

Owa comes from Portland, Oregon. Another recruit that once hailed from the city of Portland on Nebraska's roster: Ndamukong Suh.

And even ESPN announcers had trouble pronouncing Suh's name.

Owa is being courted by the likes of California, Florida and USC. Some big names among the nation's elite. But he has held off on so much as peeping a hint at a commitment which means it is still everyone's ball game.

Lucky for Nebraska his second to last visit of the season is this weekend in Lincoln to watch the Huskers take on the Wildcats of Kansas State. He will get a first hand chance to see what Bo Pelini can do with players that seem to have half his talent.

It seems that his connection to one Ndamukong Suh has also helped out in the recruiting process.

The Oregon native has seen Suh develop into a top five draft pick under Pelini's tutelage and one can't help but think that this would be the ideal place for him to develop into Nebraska's next defensive star.

According to Scout.com, Owamagbe said something that is rather interesting, at least to me.

He says, "I'd like to improve on my technique and my football IQ."

This quote should have Husker fans salivating, because if this is his true motivation for picking a school there is no better place than Nebraska under Head Coach Bo Pelini who may be the best defensive mind in college football.

The downside for Husker fans is that it looks as if he won't announce his commitment until the U.S. Army All-American game on January 9th which will give Urben Meyer and sons plenty of time to try to convince him to come to the likes of Florida.

All we as Husker fans can do is cross our fingers and provide a once in a life-time feel at memorial stadium this weekend for the budding star.

Not only is a budding star, but he is also (according to Rivals.com) one of the most coach-able athletes in this years recruiting class.

Rivals literally calls him, "One of the nicest and most coachable players in the country."

What would you give to see Pelini work with this kid?

I don't know, but what I do know is that if he does choose Nebraska we may have a star for the ages.

Lastly I must leave you with this.

Rivals reports that Owamagbe Odighizuwa is much like New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

Now wouldn't that be something to latch onto?

So to those of you making the trip to Lincoln this weekend make sure you look for him, memorize his face, and welcome him to Lincoln.

Hopefully he will be coming back to stay a while.

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Have the 2009 Nebraska Cornhuskers Lived Up to Expectations?

Denny K. — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:52:07 -0500

Saturday's game with Kansas State will determine the Big 12 North's victor and the opportunity to play Texas in Dallas for the Big 12 Championship.

For Nebraska, the game is huge.

Kansas State can approach Saturday's game in Lincoln with little pressure. No one expected before the season the Wildcats in their first year under Bill Snyder, who decribes the team as a “rag-tag bunch,” to compete for the North title.

Nebraska on the other hand, was projected by sports media and fans alike to compete for the top position in the North.

The pressure on Nebraska to beat the Wildcats is deserved.

In September, Kansas State was defeated by lowly Louisiaina-Lafayette 17-15, a team that Nebraska demolished 55-0.

True, Kansas State has improved leaps and bounds since that embrassing loss with a Coach of the Year-type perfomance by Bill Snyder, but can one team really improve that much in one season?

We will find out on Saturday.

Nebraska's season is on the brink.

A loss and the failure to capture the mediocore North, would be a tough pill to swallow for Husker fans. It would be a terrible waste of NFL level talent and a defense that was championship-type strong. Many in Lincoln seem ready to gloat about Nebraska's late season turn-around–the second in two years–but a change in perspective is needed before any such bragging.

Nebraska has three losses this season.

Two, Virginia Tech and Iowa State, were more than winnable games. The Virginia Tech loss came about due to a terrible defensive collapse in the fourth quarter and the offense's inability to convert in the red zone.

The loss to Iowa State, arguably one of the worse in Nebraska football regular season history, resulted after a mind-blowing eight turnovers to a weak and rebuilding Cyclones team that started a backup quarterback and running back.

To live up to its preseaon expectations, Nebraska must defeat Kansas State and Colorado to close the season and win the North.

The Huskers could very easily be 9-1 or 8-2 now and in BCS conversations like the 8-2 Oklahoma State Cowboys, but they failed to deliver in key moments earlier this season.

Any more failures, like a loss to Kansas State, and the team and fans across Husker Nation will have a long offseason before them.

Nebraska has shockingly only won one Big 12 North title in the 2000s. Winning the North title on Saturday can go along ways in saving some face for this decade and maybe delay for awhile fan debates about whether a victory over Texas in the Big 12 Championship will be necessary to blot out the stain of that awful loss to the Iowa State Cyclones in October.

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Band Of Brothers: Nebraska Cornhuskers Pick Cotton, Prove Bloodlines Run Deep

Michael Huckstep — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:07:30 -0500

Ask any college football team in America and they’ll tell you the same thing.

They’re more than just a team. They’re a fraternity of sorts.

A brotherhood.

At the University of Nebraska, they take that term literally. You see, in Nebraska, football is a family affair.

Brothers, sons, nephews and even grandsons of former players have followed their family’s footsteps to Lincoln so they could wear the Scarlet and Cream. It’s a long-standing tradition.

One that continues to this day.

Lincoln Southeast lineman, Jake Cotton, the younger brother of redshirt freshman tight end, Ben Cotton, gave his verbal commitment to Bo Pelini several weeks ago, though the news was just recently made public.

Their father, Barney, is the offensive line coach for the Huskers and played on both sides of the ball for Nebraska from 1975-78.

With the addition of brothers Jake and Ben to the Nebraska roster, they become the latest Husker family name in a long and illustrious list.

The Ruuds and the Makovickas. The Steinkuhlers and the Wistroms. The roll of great Nebraska players from the same family goes on and on.

Some of the names are lesser known. Some are carved in granite. Literally.

While each family’s place in Husker history is debatable, the sheer amount of Husker family connections is not.

The most obvious example starts with the Huskers’ head coach, Bo Pelini. Even casual fans know that his brother, Carl, is the defensive coordinator.

Granted, neither played for Nebraska, but the sight of Bo, pacing the sidelines in his sweatshirt and relentlessly working a piece of gum, and Carl, clad in black shirt and hat, is an indelible one.

The image of the two hard-nosed brothers has quickly become synonymous with Nebraska’s no-nonsense, defensive style of play.

Aside from Ben Cotton (and soon to be, Jake), current players with ties to the past are redshirt freshman Jordan Makovicka, whose older brothers, Jeff and Joel, were starting fullbacks for the Huskers in the 90s, and Baker Steinkuhler, whose father, the great Dean Steinkuhler, won both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award.

Baker’s older brother, Ty, was a defensive end for the Huskers from 2005-08, signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets and was then subsequently released.

Earlier this season, Grant Wistrom was honored during the Iowa State game as the 14th Husker to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He later went on to play nine seasons in the NFL, six for St. Louis, where he helped the Rams win Super Bowl XXXIV. His younger brother, Tracey, played tight end for Nebraska from 1998-2001.

Identical twin brothers, Josh and Daniel Bullocks stalked the Nebraska secondary in the early part of this decade. Both made it to the NFL, Josh leaving a year earlier, where they remain today, playing for the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, respectively.

Another former Husker in the NFL, Scott Shanle, was once a walk-on who now plays linebacker for the New Orleans Saints. His younger brother, Andrew, was a free safety for the Huskers until 2006.

However, not all the stories of Husker brothers ended well, as evidenced by Christian and Jason Peter. According to the Boston Globe, Christian was arrested eight times for various offenses and convicted four times.

Also mentioned in the Globe article was the claim that, in 1993, he sexually assaulted two women (allegedly in some circles) and was sentenced to 18 months probation.

His brother, Jason, recently wrote a New York Times best-selling book, Hero of the Underground, which intimately details his addiction to heroin, cocaine, painkillers and alcohol.

While both made it to the pros (Christian played for three teams during a six-year span), neither lived up to their potential as All-America defensive tackles at Nebraska. Jason also co-hosts a radio broadcast, “The Spread,” on 1480 AM in Lincoln.

Perhaps the most interesting story belongs to Bo and Barrett Ruud. Barrett, a MLB from 2001-04 is the all-time leading tackler for Nebraska with 432 career stops. Bo, the younger of the two, played from ’04-’07.

Barrett who now plays on Sunday for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is considered to be one of the NFL’s premiere linebackers. This year, Bo briefly joined his brother on the Bucs’ squad, but was waived on Sept. 5.

Apparently playing linebacker is in their blood. Their father, Tom, and uncle, John, played the same position for the Big Red from 1972-74 and ‘78-’79, respectively.

Even more remarkable is the fact that a second uncle, Bob Martin, lettered as a defensive end from ‘73-‘75 and their great-grandfather, Clarence Swanson, was a Cornhusker from '18-'21.

The names flow on like time itself. Chris and Chad Kelsay. Dan and Mike Erickson. Cortney and DeAntae Grixby. Adam and Matt Ickes. Chris and Mark LeFlore.

What’s amazing is that I’m leaving out some examples for sake of space.

And if you start to factor in the more distant family relations, it becomes even more mind-boggling.

Longtime Green Bay Packer and former Husker running back Ahman Green is the uncle of former I-back Tierre Green and cousins with current NU receiver, Niles Paul.

Third-string quarterback LaTravis Washington is cousins with ex-Husker Fabian Washington, who now plays cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens.

Even the future holds such connections. Tyler Moore, a 2011 commit from Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida, is related to four past Huskers.

His father, Brian, played tight end for NU in the 80s. He also has two cousins and an uncle who spent their Saturdays battling for the Big Red.

The uncle? Vince Ferragamo.

But sometimes, things don’t come full circle, even for Husker legends.

Irving Fryar’s son, Londen, wanted to continue in his father’s legacy and play for Nebraska.

Nebraska, however, wasn’t interested.

Londen wound up playing for the Western Michigan Broncos as a cornerback. A team that, as fate would have it, ended up playing the Huskers in their 2008 season opener.

It was strange seeing the elder Fryar on the sidelines in Lincoln wearing a white Western Michigan jersey. But he was there in support of his son.

“When he was getting ready to graduate from high school and thought he had an opportunity to play ball on the next level, I really envisioned him being here, playing in front of the Big Red. But it didn’t work out that way.

"Fortunately for him, he’s doing well. I’m so happy for him. He’s doing a great job, I’m proud of him,” Fryar told the Lincoln Journal-Star.

It’s a bittersweet anecdote to end an article, but remember, Londen Fryar was turned away during the Callahan regime.

Which only serves to underscore the fact that the Pelinis appreciate the value of tradition.

Tradition and family.

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A Fumble for a Fumble: Nebraska Atop the Big 12 North

Josh Klein — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:28:27 -0500

It's fitting I think.

That Nebraska's offensive woes this season really started with a fumble in the red zone against the Texas Tech Red Raiders early in the season and may have ended with a fumble this last Saturday in the first quarter against the Jayhawks.

Some may point to a less-than-stellar effort against Virginia Tech, even though the ball was actually moving well in that game, a few less offensive penalties and a non-dropped pass by Menelik Holt and that game is seen as a big win instead of a disappointing loss.

Maybe you point to the Missouri game, but in a torrential downpour, Zac Lee led this Husker offense down the field four times in the fourth quarter for a heck of a come from behind win.

But no, I point to a single play in a single game that started this downward spiral. A botched screen play to Niles Paul that was an obvious lateral. The ball careened to the ground and Texas Tech picked it up and scampered 82 yards to the end zone.

Since that play Nebraska had mustered no touchdown drives of over 50 yards in over 40 opportunities.

Until Saturday afternoon on Nov. 15.

The opening play was good maybe even great with a 30-yard-plus play-action pass to Niles Paul.

An option play and run later and Nebraska was on the one yard line about to get an opening drive score for the first time in a long time.

That's when it happened. The play that hopefully removed the curse of the Paul fumble.

Zac Lee ran an option left, saw a hole, cut, and drove his shoulder into a defender and stretched the ball towards the goal. Much to every Husker player and fans' dismay the ball popped loose and fell harmfully to the turf.

Darrel Stuckey looked primed to pounce on the football and claim a touch-back for the much maligned Jayhawk defense, but out of seemingly nowhere came a determined Roy Helu Junior.

Helu jumped on the ball and preserved the offensive threat. Not only that, he made good on that threat by jumping on the ball in the end zone to record the first of his three touch downs in the evening.

It was this first one though that seemed to redeem, at least for a little while that play against Texas Tech.

After that play Nebraska posted another 24 points in the evening seemingly breaking out of their offensive slump just in time.

Are all the questions answered? No. Have some of them been? Yes.

Shawn Watson has finally conceded. He has finally made good on his promise to stick to the run and play action as best he can. With the help of Tom Osborne, this offense could turn into a weapon yet this season.

A fumble for seven for the wrong team started this slump, let's hope that a fumble for seven for the right team ends it and becomes the catalyst for a rise to offensive competence.

The Huskers have a chance to take the North this weekend and to get another nine win season the Friday after that.

I have a feeling this wasn't an aberration. I have a feeling this team is going somewhere.

And that somewhere just might be Texas for the Big 12 championship game.

No more fumbles, no more spread. It's time to hit 'em in the mouth and run it down their throats.

Watch out nation this Husker team may have just found an identity and not a moment too soon.

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Cornhusker's Upcoming Contest Against Kansas State Reminds of Better Times

Jack Laughter — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:39:33 -0500

Don't you miss those good old days? You know, the ones where Nebraska football was revered nation wide, the ones where teams would play us and feel it for the next month, or how about the days where teams were afraid to play us because they new we would beat the snot out of them.

You know, those days where 250 rushing yards in game was below average and you knew that if we threw the ball as many or more times than we ran we probably lost.

Oh, how far Nebraska has fallen.

I suppose I need to explain my reminiscing. Today I saw a Sports Illustrated collectors edition. The title was Champions Again and it had Tommy Frazier standing on the very field where Nebraska hung 63 points on the Gators to win the 1995 national title. In this edition I read an article about the game against K-State that year.

In the article it talked about how that year Kansas State was 6-0 and No. 8 in the country under Bill Snyder's first years there. It had qoutes from players that year saying how they were a different team and how they thought they had a shot at Nebraksa that year.

However, it wasn't enough. The Huskers humiliated the Wildcats 49-25. The article said that maybe one day the 'Cats would have enough to beat Nebraska, maybe one day their mentality would be enough to over come Nebraska. It was totally unforeseen then the heights Kansas State would rise to and the depths to which the Huskers would fall.

Yes, we are on the road back and yes, Bo will be the one to take us to the top of the mountain again, but Nebraska never had to leave the top. Nebraska had nothing but success for 50 years and it would have continued for another 50 if it were not for ridiculous expectations and impatient people.

We the fans ended Nebraska's run of dominance. It wasn't because of the limited scholarships or the eventual parity throughout college football, it was the fans and boosters who couldn't be happy with 10 wins a year, the ones who thought every year should be a championship one.

This isn't baseball and we aren't the Yankees.

Now, next week's game against Kansas State, is for the North title. For Nebraska and Kansas State it's this simple: win and you're in, lose and you come in second. Kansas, Colorado, and Iowa State are all out of it.

Someone could draw comparisons to that 95 game. It's Snyder's first year back with K-State, they have a new winning mentality, and the game is at Memorial Stadium where Nebraska will surely be favored.

However, one could see the irony in that as well. Nebraska is just a shadow of its former self. Today if I were to tell you Nebraska rushed for 250 yards in a game you would assume they won, but if I told you that in 95, you would have laughed at me or assumed Nebraska lost. It is just ridculous to look at the Huskers right now and see them as being back or even close to it.

I'm sorry, but there has to be someone out there that keeps Husker fans down to earth and if it has to be me then so be it; Nebraska is not back. Bo will get them there if he is given enough time, but let's face it, he won't becuase eventually expectations will get ridiculously high again. People will again start to think we are the Yankees and start acting accordingly.

I do hope Nebraska returns to prominence; what I want everyone to understand is why Nebraska fell. They fell becuase of the people who couldn't be happy with winning, they fell because of a Chancellor and boosters that so quickly lost sight of what mattered—winning, not championships. I do hope Bo will be given enough time.

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After Further Review, Someone Wants To Win The North

Michael Huckstep — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:23:51 -0500

It's been a running joke all season. So much so that the television announcers who called Saturday's game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Kansas Jayhawks referenced it multiple times during their broadcast.

For several weeks, it's seemed that no one wanted to win the Big XII North Division Title.

And despite knowing otherwise, that oft-repeated "joke" has contained more than an element of truth during this topsy-turvy season.

It's not difficult to see why. Visit almost any college football message board or blog, and you'll quickly see a pattern. Scores of cynical fans repeatedly asking the same question.

Why would any team want to be offered up as a sacrifice to the undefeated Texas Longhorns in the Big XII Championship?

While I don't agree with that sentiment, and believe that Nebraska has the best chance out of the North to compete against Texas, it's understandable why some people might feel that way.

First off, let's look at the Longhorns.

Their offense is ranked second nationally in points scored at 41.6 pts/game. Aside from the Oklahoma game, which Texas won by three, the Longhorns' average margin of victory has been 10 points or more. However, most times it's been more. Much more. Texas Tech was the only other team that managed to keep within 10 points of the 'Horns when the final gun sounded. Texas defeated its eight other opponents by an average of 34.6 points, including this past Saturday as they pasted Baylor, 47-14.

Defensively, Texas is the No. 1 team in the nation, allowing an average of 232 yds/gm. In fact, the only things that Texas doesn't do exceptionally well (i.e. rank in the Top 25 in the country) is rush the ball (55th), punt (84th) and prevent sacks (48th).

Meanwhile, in the Big XII North, it's been a bumpy ride for most teams.

Colorado and Kansas have been downright awful. After winning five in a row, Kansas has now lost five in a row, the latest being a 31-17 defeat at the hands of the Huskers. Not even the fact that it was Senior Day for Todd Reesing, Kerry Meier, Darrell Stuckey and Max Onyegbule, among others, or the fact that the Jayhawks were playing for bowl eligibility could propel them to a win.

It probably wouldn't be too presumptuous to pencil in that sixth loss in a row; Kansas travels to Austin next week, though the Jayhawks still have their neutral site game against Mizzou on the horizon.

The Tigers, who have failed to find a consistent identity under Blaine Gabbert, did the Huskers a favor and beat the Wildcats, 38-12 in the battle of Big XII feline football. Coupled with the Nebraska win, that gives the Huskers a half-game lead over Kansas State.

It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that the Big XII North title will be decided next week in Lincoln when K-State comes-a-callin’.

And after Saturday, it appears that the Big Red wants it more. Either that or they have the talent to get the job done. Maybe both.

Nebraska has had their fair share of key injuries, so it's a negative on depth.

Aside from the Kansas offensive line doing a fine job containing the Nebraska front four for most of the game, there was improvement in other key areas, which should be an encouraging sign for the Huskers going into their own Senior Day with the North title on the line.

Nebraska was much-improved on offense, piling up over 400 total yards, their highest output since the Louisiana-Lafayette game. Roy Helu, Jr. backed up his 100+ yard effort a week ago with 156 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

In fact, it was the Big Red offense’s turn to answer the opposition for a change instead of forcing the defense to make a game-winning play, though Dejon Gomes’ third-quarter strip of Meier as he headed to the end zone certainly helped. Besides, after the Huskers’ eight turnovers against Iowa State (several in the red zone), it somehow felt fitting, as if the earth started spinning properly around its axis once more.

In the fourth quarter, Reesing, looking like the Todd Reesing of old, drove the Jayhawks 89 yards down the field (their longest scoring drive of the season) and punctuated the effort with a sweet 21–yard strike to Dezmon Briscoe to take a 17-16 lead.

However, following Niles Paul's hefty return of a KU pooch kick, the Huskers who had scored only four offensive touchdowns in as many games were not the same Huskers to take the field. Aided by a facemask call on KU cornerback Justin Thornton, Helu bolted for 20 yards and a score.

And unlike past games when the Huskers were unable to run significant time off the clock, the Nebraska offense managed to get the ball back with 5:15 to play and cap the game with another Helu rushing touchdown.

Nebraska still made mistakes, though not as many as last week. Asante’s late hit on Reesing could have easily earned him an ejection and will most likely be reviewed by conference officials in the coming week. Likewise, Keith Williams’ tripping penalty deep in Jayhawk territory most likely caused the Huskers to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown.

Overall, things could have been much worse for the Huskers, but they made some plays when it mattered, got some lucky breaks, cut down on penalties and managed to find the end zone more than once.

Instead, they could have had Danario Alexander compile 200 receiving yards against their defense, lose any momentum they might have had going into the game to decide the division and add another chapter to the comedy of errors also known as the 2009 Big XII North.

But on November 21st in Lincoln, when the Huskers and Wildcats face off, he who laughs last, will laugh best.

Until they face Texas.

With a chance to make history.

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