Nebraska Cornhuskers' Ndamukong Suh Has Nation's Best Fans

Lane Stadium is supposed to be one of the hardest stadiums for road teams in the nation, yet the Huskers almost won there.

Their defense dominated the game for 59 minutes, led by the one-man wrecking force Husker Nation knows as Ndamukong Suh.

Even in fabled Blacksburg, VA, you could hear the Husker faithful react to all eight of his tackles. You could hear the Husker faithful roar to all four of his pass break ups.

"SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH"

After the Huskers won on the road in Missouri, the attention really began to turn to Suh. The anchor of the No. 2 scoring defense in college football had this time recorded six tackles, forced a fumble, and broke up a pass.

But the biggest play was when Nebraska's big, athletic defensive tackle jumped above the line to snare a Blaine Gabbert pass and put the Huskers in position for the go-ahead touchdown.

Nebraska fans were fired up, and anyone who has any experience with Nebraska fans knows that is a dangerous thing.

The idea that was born has taken on a massive life in a short time. What Huskers fans want is simple: a Heisman for Suh.

Less than a week after the Missouri game a "Ndamukong Suh for Heisman" Facebook group was approaching 20,000 members. To give you an idea of just how much that is, a "Tim Tebow for Heisman" group had just over 400 members and "Jimmy Clausen for Heisman" had a little over 800.

Nebraska fans are determined, and like all good campaigns Suh's camp even has a Web site ready for him at www.suhcampaign.com. One friendly wager prior to the game at Mizzou left a Missouri fan site as the "Home of the Ndamukong Suh for Heisman Committee." 

As presenting sponsor of the Heisman presentation, Nissan was given one vote for the Heisman winner. When they turned around and gave that vote to fans in a online poll, Suh was not even in the nine listed names.

Think that deterred Suh fans? They flooded the write-in ballot until Suh's name was added to the list. At last check Suh had 26 percent of the total vote, and was 18,000 votes ahead of second place Tebow.

Tebow had a lot more star power than Suh. So what is going on here?

There should be no surprise that the Husker fan base is capable of this kind of campaign for one of their players.

But those unfamiliar with Suh have to wonder what it is about him that drives his fans to such lengths.

Maybe it's that he has almost twice as many tackles for loss as the next guy on the team and looks to lead his team for a second consecutive year.

Maybe it's that as a defensive lineman he is leading the team in tackles, for the second year in a row.

Maybe it's that he is once again leading the team in sacks, AND tied for the team lead in interceptions.

Maybe it's that his seven passes defended not only give him the team lead, but rank him sixth in the nation. The next closest linemen? You won't find one ranked above 97th.

Maybe it's just the grit and determination he shows every time he steps on the field. Regardless of the score, regardless of the situation, Suh can be found giving it all.

Husker fans love and respect Suh, and now they want the nation to.

In years past, it probably would not have been a big deal had one Husker player led the team in all those departments. But when one player is leading the No. 2 scoring defense in the nation in all those categories, it takes on some meaning, doesn't it?

Suh deserves his spot in the discussion.

But prior to this week, only Husker Nation thought so. However, with the recent surge of Suh support on the web, some analysts are beginning to take note.

For the first time this year, Suh broke into the CBS Heisman Watch after their poll of columnists landed Suh in the five spot. ESPN's Heisman Watch also welcomed Suh as he broke into their expert's No. 5 spot.

Just last week, Suh was non-existent on Gene Menez's Sports Illustrated Heisman Watch. This week, Menez had a change of heart, and Suh soared to the No. 2 spot. Only Jimmy Clausen was left ahead of him.

The combined effort of Suh on the field, and his fans off the field have vaulted him into the national discussion. Suh's fanbase is not going anywhere, and it can only get bigger the better he plays.

If Suh steps up in Big XII play, he can go as far as this Husker team will allow him to.

A big game at Texas Tech sure wouldn't hurt, but the problem with being a defensive player is—one poor game takes him out of the discussion.

Not to mention one big game for Clausen or Tebow could lock a Heisman up for them.

Don't believe me? Tebow has had a mediocre year at best, yet he is still at near the top at every discussion. Analysts are just waiting for him to give them a reason to vote for him.

Suh has to hope the quarterbacks of this year's class continue to be mediocre. In the meantime, he needs to put up some monster stats.

Suh would become only the second defensive player to ever win the award. Maybe it's time Charles Woodson got some company.