Corn Nation

A Random Q&A About Kansas State Determines I Don't Miss The Hate THAT Much!

2009-11-20T21:10:19Z

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

And you may ask yourself How do I work this? And you may ask yourself Where is that large automobile? And you may tell yourself This is not my beautiful house! And you may tell yourself This is not my beautiful wife! And then you may say to yourself My God! What have I done?

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If you're looking for information on the Kansas State Wildcats, go no further than the site Bring on the Cats where TB is in charge. Mike came up with some reasonable football questions for him, while I asked him more existential questions about the state of things at Kansas State.

Mike: When did you realize that Kansas State realistically could contend for a Big XII North title this season?

TB: After the Colorado game. The results of the Texas Tech and Texas A&M games were too wild to really predict what was going on, and the win over Iowa State was so close that it wasn't particularly uplifting. But after we shut down Colorado and won even without a very good offensive effort, moving the conference record to 3-1 on the same day Nebraska lost to Iowa State, Mizzou lost to Texas, and KU lost to whomever it was they were playing, it started to click that hey, maybe we actually do have a shot at this thing.

Mike: I only saw some of the Missouri/Kansas State as I flipped from game to game. At the end of the game, Daniel Thomas was on the sideline even on the goal line. What was up with that?

TB: The game was in hand, so Bill Snyder probably wasn't going to risk an injury to his best player. Thomas has had a banged-up shoulder most of the season, and the coaches probably decided it wasn't worth it with Missouri so far ahead. We scored a touchdown on that drive, anyway, even if the officials didn't agree.

Mike: People are calling this K-State season "Miracle 2" as in the sequel to Bill Snyder's Miracle in Manhattan. Has Snyder done just that, pull a division contender out of thin air, or did Ron Prince leave a decent foundation after all?

TB: It can't be argued that Prince didn't recruit some talented players. Daniel Thomas, Brandon Banks, Lamark Brown, and Attrail Snipes on offense are all fairly talented players. On defense, guys like Josh Moore, Jeffrey Fitzgerald and Tysyn Hartman are varying degrees of "solid." Prince never brought in top-of-the-line recruiting classes, and he filled them with way too many two-stars that he hoped would be diamonds in the rough, but he also brought in some athletes.

His biggest problem was that he never had anything resembling a decent coaching staff. The best assistant he ever had was Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay's current head coach), and he ran him off. The assistants we had the last two years had no business coaching on a Big 12 staff, and it showed. The results this year merely show what very good coaching can do.

CB/Jon J: Are most of the issues with KSU's Athletic Department straightened out? If not ,how long do you think the whole "Ron Prince secret contract rogue AD issue" will be haunting the university?

TB: Most of them are straightened out, because Bob Krause and Jon Wefald no longer work for K-State. There was a story in the paper this week noting that the Kansas Board of Regents, upon further investigation into the mess, found no wrongdoing on Bill Snyder's part.

The only thing that's left is how much money we'll end up paying Ron Prince. I'm not a betting man, but my guess is that case will end up settling out of court at some point. We are very happy with the current administration that is in place, with John Currie as athletic director and Kirk Schulz as university president.

CB/Jon J: Don't you miss the hatred we used to have between these teams?

TB: I have a feeling that if K-State manages a win this weekend, we'll see a lot of the hate come rushing back. I say that because I know Nebraska considered this division theirs to win this season, sort of like they do every season. If an old nemesis rises up and denies them that achievement, I foresee the old rivalry resurfacing rapidly.

Now, to answer the question, yes, I do miss it. Not because I necessarily love to hate Nebraska, but because it meant K-State was good. Back when Nebraska fans really hated K-State, it was because we were winning a few division titles and beating the Huskers with some consistency. It's been frustrating (although eerily predictable) watching all that Husker hatred get refocused on Missouri the last few years. We'd love nothing more than to have you hate us, just because we know precisely what it would take for you to hate us again.

CB/Jon J: I miss the hate.... I do. But I guess I don't hate it THAT much! Thanks, TB!

Corn Flakes: SUH Cat!

2009-11-20T15:34:06Z

So you may have heard (in every article about the game) that if KSU wins they play in the B12 Championship game, and then a bowl. So KSU will be extra motivated against the Huskers. I have seen many message boards express concern over this game because of that. On the other hand people have been saying that Colorado will be dangerous since they have nothing to play for but pride, can let it all hang out, and NU is their bowl game.

So which is it? Is KSU the more dangerous team because of so much on the line, or is it CU with nothing to play for?

Lots of links today-

Not these Links...

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Portland star might follow Suh

Odighizuwa ranks as the top high school player at his position nationally. He’s considering Nebraska in addition to offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Southern California, UCLA, Cal and Florida. How did the Huskers get him to visit?
....
NU coach Bo Pelini and assistant John Papuchis have made quite an impression on Odighizuwa, Wood said. "When you connect with him as a person, it far exceeds any impact of the bling," Wood said. "He has connected with them, and that is what’s really sold him to this point."

Yes please.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy: Suh Falls to #2 in Fan Voting for Heisman

I'm calling shenanigans here. They removed Suh from the choices, so you have to write him in, and then Spiller takes off. I'm willing to bet that someone is running a script to get Spiller's votes up. BOOOOOO Nissan.

Speaking of Suh-

Ndamukong Suh Website

UNL made him his own website, more on the story here. I made him a lolcat. We're all winners here people.

Nebraska Previews Kansas State - Burnt Orange Nation
Talking With the Enemy: Q&A with a KSU Blog - Nebraska Football

TB and Bring on the Cats talks Huskers

Kansas State Previews Nebraska - Burnt Orange Nation

Corn Nation talks Cats

K-State-Nebraska football preview - KansasCity.com

Basic overview of the game, I like to read them every Fri.

Playing Nebraska means something to K-State’s players again - KansasCity.com
Cats know Black Shirts are back | CJOnline.com

So yeah Nebraska used to be good, and KSU used to be good, and now they are both kinda ok. I'll be happy when this stops being a story.

Life in the Red's Blog | Breakfast with Beck

Beck also showed the crowd a psyche-up video coaches will show the team before the game. The video begins by showing the definition of "opportunity." Then you see the words: "Goal #1: Dominate the Big 12 North."

Sounds like Helu is still not 100%, but Rex is back

Rivals.com College Football - Weekend preview of the Big 12

Scout.com: 2009 Big 12 Fearless Picks - The North Title

What will happen: The Husker defense will pitch a near-perfect game to overcome a shaky performance from the offense. The turnaround won’t be complete under Pelini, but it’ll be a big step forward.

Steven M. Sipple: Keeping an eye on the coaching carousel

Sipple's weekly column where he covers what he wants, from NU football, to KSU, to the Heisman race; this week he neglects to mention when it's ok to put up your Christmas lights.

Ex-Kansas Jayhawks players: Coach Mark Mangino said 'hurtful' things - ESPN

Former KU players air their dirty laundry about Mangino. (Husker Mike: The concerns about physical abuse fall flat with me. You're football players; far worse happens on the field. But some of the things Mangino is alleged to have said are outrageous, to say the least.)

Source: A.D. 'undercutting' Mangino

Another story by John Taylor at NBC Sports has a source talking about how KU athletic director is behind all the bad stuff about Mangino. Is this a blood bath for KU or what? How much worse can it get than this? - CB

Joc Crawford is Willing to Drive The Bus Over Mangino

More Mangino? You bet. Joc Crawford was a JUCO transfer who left this season, obviously over playing time. There's no credibility here, only another angle of a train wreck. - CB

Sweet Lew Just Might Be an Evil Genius

Regarding Mark Mangino, Lew Perkins, and how this all might have happened. Worth a look. Really. Unless you're already tired of the Mangino thing, but hey! This is like a soap opera for dudes (okay, I can't take credit for that line, It was BRN's Brandon Vogel on twitter), completely stolen. - CB
Please note that Sweet Lew is not related to me, though I may be an evil genius as well - JLew

Nebraska vs. Kansas State - Why The Huskers Will Win

2009-11-20T14:09:44Z

More photos » by DAVE WEAVER - AP

Expect greatness to shine through Suh as he plays his last home game in front of Nebraska's sell-out crowd.

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- Strength vs Strength

Kansas State's primary offensive strength in their running game. They lead the nation in time of possession and they're accustomed to slugging it out, sustaining drives and maintaining ball possession. 25 of their 42 scoring drives this season have gone for over 50 yards, and 12 of those consisted of ten or more plays.

Running back Daniel Thomas is of the big bruiser variety, at 6'2", 227 pounds. He's complemented by Keithen Valentine who has more speed and moves than Thomas, but at 5'8" and 193 pounds, doesn't have his size. Bill Snyder will pound Thomas at the Husker defense repeatedly, hoping that something will break. Thomas has had five 100-yard games this season, his high of 185 yards coming against in-state rival Kansas when he averaged 7.71 yards per carry. Thomas is a receiving threat as well, with 21 receptions for 206 yards.

Nebraska's defense is third in the nation against the run with All-America candidate Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick stuffing the middle. The Wildcats should find themselves unable to sustain long drives without striking some offensive balance. Quarterback Grant Gregory is not a dual-threat type guy, but he is elusive and can scramble well enough to buy time when passing. At least that's been the case against other teams. Gregory will find himself in a different situation running from the speed that is the Husker defensive line.

Kansas State will find their offensive strength negated by the Blackshirt defense. They'll play conservative, preferring to keep the score low, stay in the game and hope that the Huskers make mistakes that give them a short field. Even then, the Wildcats will have to rely on their....

- Play Maker

The Wildcats primary playmaker is 5' 7", 150 pound Brandon Banks. Banks is very similar to Darren Sproles who's in his fifth year in the NFL, and at 5' 6" is the shortest player in the league. Banks has Sproles primary super power - amazing speed. Banks leads the NCAA with four touchdowns in kick returning. Adi Kunalic should negate at least some of Banks' returns with touchbacks, although his kicks might be affected by the wind normally prevalent at this time of year.

Kansas State will be dependent upon a big play from Banks to win this game. He is the only true game-breaking weapon the Wildcats have. He is the Wildcats leading receiver with 51 receptions for 657 yards and one touchdown, and they will run reverses with him to get him to the edge of the field. If Husker special teams can cover returnable kicks and keep Banks in front of them, the Wildcats will find themselves in serious trouble. Especially if they don't get a.....

- Fast Start

The recipe for disaster for KSU includes having to play from being behind by two scores because that situation doesn't play to their basic strengths (see sustained drives, above). Most teams will defer the kickoff to the second half, but don't expect that to be the case with Bill Snyder if there is a strong wind Saturday night. He'll want to go into the wind and see if Banks can return one of Kunalic's kicks early in the game.
Bill Snyder made an excellent hire in Assistant Head Coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator Vic Koenning. Koenning came from Clemson after they chose Dabo Swinney as head coach. Koenning's Clemson defenses finished in the top 25 in several defensive categories in each of his four years with the Tigers. Koenning will have his defense stacking against the run, hoping to minimize Nebraska's first down plays, thus forcing them into throwing on third down. That will increase the chances for the Wildcats to pick up a turnover or two. However, Koenning's efforts should go to naught as the Huskers finally have....

- An Offense Found

The Wildcats' 2008 defense was hideous, comparable to the 2007 Husker defense in Bill Callahan's final year as head coach. They've made a great leap forward this season under Koenning, but are still having problems with pass defense. The Wildcats three top tacklers are in the secondary with free safety Emmanuel Lamur leading the way with 61 tackles. Lamur is an all-around talent, blocking two kicks this season, including one against Iowa State with :32 left to give the Wildcats a one-point win. Cornerback Joshua Moore is the second leading tackler with 57 total tackles.

If KSU has a defensive star in the making, it's in safety Tysyn Hartman, who's third in total tackles, has four interceptions, a forced fumble, and six pass breakups. Hartman is the Wildcats second punt returner behind Banks with a 13.1 yard average.

The Kansas game saw a Husker offense finally come together with big plays from Zac Lee, Roy Helu and Niles Paul. Expect the same type of game plan this week, with the Huskers seeking to establish a strong running game early then loosen up the defense with play-action passes to Niles Paul, Mike McNeill or one of the other Husker tight ends. The key will be consistency, some of the same things I talked about earlier this season - minimizing negative plays, protecting the ball and sustaining drives by picking up short third down situations. The offensive line should be able to break Helu into the second level, at which case it'll be a great night for the Husker offense.

If the Huskers can minimize turnovers, pick up third downs, and get a lead, they should keep it because of it'll be.....

- An Emotional Night With Both Teams Playing For High Stakes

The Big 12 North title is on the line for both teams. A bowl trip is on the line for Kansas State as they played two FCS opponents earlier in the season and can count only one towards bowl eligibility. All of the aforementioned will be trumped by the fact that it's Senior Night at Nebraska and you know that the Huskers will be pumped high with emotion.
The emotion of this game will keep the Huskers from falling into the same trap that nearly cost Oklahoma a game against the Wildcats. The Sooners got off to a 28-6 lead in the first half, then relaxed as KSU scored 17 unanswered points. The Sooners looked to put Kansas State away, taking a 35-23 lead in the fourth quarter, but KSU answered when Banks returned a touchdown to cut the Sooner lead to 35-30. The Sooners won, 42-30, but the Wildcats didn't quit and make Oklahoma earn their victory.

Expect none of that Saturday night. There will be no let up in the Blackshirts. Expect Crick and Suh to dominate the Wildcat offensive line. Expect the Huskers to take a healthy lead and hold it. Expect Nebraska to win the Big 12 North.

In Perspective: Further Nebraska vs Kansas State Statistical Comparisons

2009-11-19T19:38:25Z

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Is that a legal tackle? Arrrghhh!!!

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It's safe to say that the game against Kansas State is being viewed with cautious optimism. The cautious part comes from still not having a real solid handle on what's going to happen with our offense, while the defense, even after the defensive line disappeared against Kansas, should give Husker fans plenty of optimism no matter the opponent.

Statistics obviously don't tell the whole story about a team, but looking at them can give you a good idea about what they do well and don't do well. Most of that is after the jump. KSU went 2-2 in non-conference, then picked up wins against Iowa State, Texas A&M, Colorado, and a surprising rivalry win over Kansas, a team that's coming apart.

I don't feel bad about this game. There's nothing that says we shouldn't beat Kansas State by double digits. Their primary offensive strength, the running game, plays right into our primary defensive strength. Their defensive weakness doesn't necessarily align with our offensive strength, running, unless Zac Lee and Niles Paul can duplicate the big play display they put on against Kansas.

	Nebraska		Kansas State
	National	Big 12	National	Big 12
3rd Down Conversions	60	8	96	12
Red Zone Conversions (Score %)	73	8	96	11

Turnover Margin	59	7	22	2
Sacks	15	4	68	10
Tackles for Loss	27	3	87	11
Sacks Allowed	32	4	64	7
Punting (Avg)	61	6	93	10
Punt Returns	40	5	47	8
Kickoff Returns	46	6	6	2
Penalties (Yds/G)	106	9	79	3

- Some good news! Nebraska's national ranking in red zone conversions rose from 97th to 73rd after the KU game!

- Kansas State's red zone conversion ranking looks awful, doesn't it, worse than Nebraska's. The news for Wildcat fans gets worse. In September and October, KSU was scoring touchdowns over 65% of their trips to the red zone. In November, that percentage has dropped to14.29%, while the field goal percentage has increased from 6.67, 17.39 and then to 42.86 in November.

- The Huskers had a horrible October regarding red zone conversions. Score percentage dropped from 94.12 in September to 57.14 in October. Part of that drop is understandable, having transitioned from non-conference to Big 12 play, but there was the downpour in Missouri, Iowa State and Texas Tech. November has seen the score percentage go back up to 88.89%, with equal parts touchdowns and field goals (44.44% each).

- If we can stop Brandon Banks from having good returns on kickoff returns, it'll go a long ways to a win. You're thinking I'm Captain Obvious, right? Well, yes, but trying to emphasize a point as well as Banks currently leads the NCAA in kickoff return touchdowns with four. He's currently ranked ninth in kickoff return average at 29.92 yards per return. The good news? Banks hasn't returned a touchdown yet in November and his average has dropped to 20.67 per return.

- If you're not thinking about Husker kicker Adi Kunalic here, you should be. Kunalic is third nationally in touchbacks with 23, and third in touchback percentage with 41.07. Can't score if you don't have the ball - there's your Captain Obvious for you!

- Niles Paul is showing he's no slouch. Nebraska's kickoff return ranking went from 74th to 46th after the Kansas game. Paul had two returns against Kansas for 72 yards, including a return for 44 yards that set up the go-ahead score.

- Take away (pun!) the eight turnovers against Iowa State, and Nebraska would be +9 on the season in turnover margin. That would be good enough for a 15-ranked spot. Ah, well.

- Looking at explosive plays from both quarterbacks: Zac Lee has completed 71 passes for first downs, with 35 of those going over 15 yards, and 19 going over 25 yards. Grant Gregory has only 43 passes for first downs, 22 of 15 plus, and eight of 25 yards or more. Lee has attempted 227 passes to Gregory's 144, so Gregory has had a third less opportunities for big plays. I find the eight for 25+ for Gregory a little surprising given Banks' existence.

- Explosive plays in the running game. Nebraska has had 344 rushes, 41 of which have gone for 10 yards or more, and 18 of 20 yards or more. 12 of those big plays are from Roy Helu Jr, two from Traye Robinson, one from Niles Paul, Zac Lee, Cody Green... and I'm missing one.

- KSU has 470 rushes with 71 going for 10 yards or more, and 19 going for 20 or more. Half of the 20-yard plus gains have come from running back Daniel Thomas, five from backup running back Keithen Valentine, two from Banks, one from Gregory and the guy we expected to start at quarterback, Carson Coffman.

- I'm going to change this format so that it's easier to read, incorporates both statistical articles for next week and start using that from now on. Any suggestions or items you'd like to see are encouraged. Or, if you like splitting the statistics stuff into two..... well, anything. I'm all ears. Ha!

A look at the five 2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalists, as selected by the FWAA All-America...

2009-11-19T17:56:57Z

A look at the five 2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalists, as selected by the FWAA All-America Committee:

Pat Angerer, Linebacker, Iowa, 6-1, 235, Sr. (Bettendorf, Iowa): The top tackler for a 9-2 Iowa team, which won its first nine games of the season. He leads the Hawkeyes with 119 total tackles (79 assisted and 40 unassisted), two tackles for loss (one sack), five passes defended and two forced fumbles. Iowa is 17th in the country in scoring defense.

Eric Berry, Safety, Tennessee, 5-11, 203, Jr. (Fairburn, Ga.): An FWAA All-American in 2008 as a sophomore, he has 70 tackles this season, 44 unassisted, 26 assisted. He has five tackles for loss, two interceptions and six passes broken up for the Volunteers under first-year coach Lane Kiffin. He also has recovered three fumbles and has three quarterback hurries.

Terrence Cody, Tackle, Alabama, 6-5, 365, Sr. (Fort Myers, Fla.): A member of the FWAA All-America team last season, he holds down the Alabama rush defense, which is second in the country. Alabama is second in the country in total defense as well. Cody blocked two field goals in victory over Tennessee, including the potential game-winner as time expired. He has 20 tackles, five for 10 yards in losses, one pass break-up and two quarterback hurries for the unbeaten Crimson Tide.

Jerry Hughes, End, TCU, 6-3, 257, Sr. (Sugar Land, Texas): A Nagurski Trophy finalist for the second straight season, he is the mainstay of a TCU defense, which has led the Horned Frogs to an unbeaten season. TCU is fourth in the country in total defense and sixth in the country in rush and pass defense. Hughes has 49 tackles, 13 tackles for 73 yards in losses (10.5 sacks), one pass broken up, six quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.

Ndamukong Suh, Tackle, Nebraska, 6-4, 300, Sr. (Portland, Ore.): Leads Nebraska in tackles with 31 unassisted and 25 assisted. He has 13 tackles for 47 yards in losses (five sacks), eight pass breakups, 19 hurries, one forced fumble and three blocked kicks. Nebraska ranks 10th in the country in total defense and 11th in country in rush defense.

FWAA > News > Bronko Nagurski Trophy Finalists

Corn Flakes: Superman Returns!

2009-11-19T15:17:05Z

Really a quiet week still, and it's Thurs. Could be the respect from NU fans to a Snyder coached team. KSU fans have been mostly quiet as well. Either they accept that they don't have a good chance against us, or they are just biding their time. Maybe we need to declare this a Hate Week, find a purple blogger that hate, hate, hates NU and it's fans, and tell KSU they are not our rival... What do you guys think?

Practice report: Freshman Burkhead returns
Superman Returns! KSU has a good O-Line, and Pelini gives the D-Line a grade higher than Suh's F

Superman Returns, or is this SUH-perman?

Kansas State insider
LJS breaks down KSU

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Nickel and diming its way to success
Hagg and Gomes have played great this year. A look at NU's nickle and dime packages.

Snyder has united the Wildcats - KansasCity.com
Another long article about how great Snyder is. I really hate for NU to end their season.... oh wait no I don't

Big 12 predictions, Week 12 - Big 12 Blog - ESPN

Nebraska 28, Kansas State 17: The North Division title is up for grabs in this winner-take-all battle. The Cornhuskers’ running game will be tested by Kansas State’s gritty defensive front which has overachieved all season. Roy Helu Jr. has been Nebraska’s key offensive threat in recent weeks, but Zac Lee needs to continue to build on his strong effort of last week against Kansas to balance the Cornhuskers’ attack. Kansas State figures to struggle against the Cornhuskers’ defensive front and will need to stay ahead of the chains to keep Grant Gregory from too many long-yardage situations. Bill Snyder will try to dictate the pace by shortening the number of possessions and keeping the game away from the Cornhuskers as much as possible. But Nebraska has too much defense to let the division title slip away.

Week 12 College Football Picks From WhatIfSports.com
They ran many prediction models and....

Nebraska Cornhuskers win 75.6% of the time with an average score of 24-13

Dave Rimington Podcast: Trophy a True Honor – LostLettermen.com
Nice conversation with Dave Rimington about the trophy that bears his name.

What to watch for in the Big 12, Week 12 - Big 12 Blog - ESPN

Can Roy Helu Jr. continue his recent running binge? Helu has bounced back from an earlier shoulder injury to become the Cornhuskers' most consistent offensive threat, averaging 147 rushing yards per game in his last two games. His strong effort last week seemed to perk up the Cornhuskers’ entire offense in a 31-17 triumph over Kansas. Another big game will be important as the Cornhuskers attempt to claim their first championship game berth since 2006.

Nebraska sweeps Baylor for fourth straight win

Coach John Cook described his team’s overall effort as rough around the edges, but thanks to 32 digs from Banwarth, the No. 9 Huskers rolled to a 25-16, 25-21, 25-20 sweep of No. 24 Baylor at the sold-out NU Coliseum.

Revisiting the Kansas State Wildcats

2009-11-19T12:30:28Z

Truth be told, while I didn't give Kansas State much chance of being in position to win the Big XII North this season,, I'm not sure I missed too badly. Carson Coffman only lasted a few games at quarterback before being replaced by Grant Gregory. Daniel Thomas turned out to be a top-notch running back for the Wildcats, and has become a "slash" type player in the "everybody runs it now" Wildcat formation. The Wildcats disappointed the Big XII by losing to Louisiana in September, but then pulled off upsets of Iowa State and Texas A&M to position themselves to compete in the North.

Defensively, the Wildcats still generally rank in the bottom half of the conference except in one key statistic: the Wildcats are +8 in turnover margin this season, good for 2nd in the Big XII. In a division where it seems everybody seems to be trying to lose at times, the Wildcats have been able to make their move by simply not making the mistakes everybody else is.

So just for giggles, here's my preview of the Wildcats from this summer.

There are two groups of fans happy that Ron Price was fired by Kansas State: Wildcat fans and Longhorn fans. Inexplicably, Prince seemed to have Mack Brown's number, upsetting Texas both time the Wildcats faced Texas, including a 41-21 blowout in Austin that is remembered mostly for the Ron Prince Stomp. Against the rest of the Big XII, the Wilcats went 7-15 during the Prince era. So out of retirement comes the architect of the Miracle in Manhattan, Bill Snyder. While the program isn't as bad off as it was when Snyder first arrived at Kansas State, the Wildcats will be recovering from Prince's bizarre recruiting practices (19 JuCo's last season?) for years to come.

Josh Freeman took his NFL prototype body (6' 6", 248 lb) and NAIA prototype game (58% completion percentage last season) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who decided to utilize (waste?) a first round draft pick on the Freeman project. The leading candidate to replace Freeman from last year is junior Carson Coffman, who looked much better than Freeman in last year's NU/KSU game. But Coffman looks more like a quarterback Snyder used in the early part of his K-State career (Chad May, Brian Kavanaugh) than in the later part (Michael Bishop, Ell Roberson) when the 'Cats challenged for the conference title. So enter juco transfer Daniel Thomas, who reminds some people of Michael Bishop. At least initially, he'll probably see time as a "Slash" player, taking snaps at running back, receiver, and quarterback.

Who else will play running back is unknown at this time either. Last year's top two returning rushers are changing positions. Junior Lamark Brown, who led the returning 'Cats with 412 yards and 5 touchdowns is returning to wide receiver, and sophomore Logan Dold is now a safety. So perhaps it's Thomas' job to lose after all; even Thomas tells the Kansas City Star that he views himself as a running back. If not Thomas, then it'll have to be senior Keithen Valentine almost by default.

The returning star on offense for Kansas State is senior wide receiver Brandon Banks, who earned Big XII offensive newcomer of the year honors last season. He caught 67 passes for 1049 yards and nine touchdowns last season in addition to the 98 yard kickoff return against the Huskers. Senior tight end Jeron Mastrud and senior wide receiver Aubrey Quarles return after 400 yard seasons last season.

Offensive line will be a huge concern. Senior left tackle Nick Stringer was honorable mention all-Big XII last season, and senior left guard Brock Unruh and sophomore right guard Colten Freeze were part-time starters last sason.

Eight starters return from the worst defense in the Big XII last season; you can decide if that's good or bad. Defensive ends Eric Childs and Brandon Harold did get honorable mention all-Big XII last season. Senior defensive tackle Jeffrey Fitzgerald transferred from Virginia, where he was a freshman all-American in 2006. In 2007, he had 73 tackles and 7 sacks for Virginia.

The Wildcats plan to run a 4-2-5 defense, with sophomore Alex Hrebec being counted on to build on 68 tackles last season. The secondary is lead by junior cornerback Joshua Moore, who earned honorable mention all-Big XII last season with 76 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions. Senior safety Courtney Herndon added 61 tackles last season, while sophomore safety Tysyn Hartman switched from quarterback to safety last season, adding 49 tackles.

The cupboard isn't quite as empty in 2009 as it was twenty years ago, but at first glance, it doesn't look like the Cats will have the firepower to challenge for the top spots in the North division initially. 2009 is more about reversing the slide and reestablishing the program he built. Phil Steele picked Kansas State to finish in second in the north, but that seems to be based more on the favorable schedule than anything else. The only division foe the Wildcats play on the road is Nebraska, though the Wildcats will play Iowa State at Arrowhead in Kansas City. To get to bowl eligibility, the Wildcats will likely need to beat the UCLA on the road, the Cyclones, Texas A&M at home, and find a win against Kansas, Missouri, or at Texas Tech. Doable? Yes. But probably a stretch goal for this group.

Poll

What's your prediction when the Wildcats and Huskers meet in November?

48%

Nebraska is Nebraska again, Kansas State is like Kansas State was pre-Snyder. Huskers name their score.

122 votes

34%

Snyder rebuilds the 'Cats quickly, but the Huskers still pull out a home victory.

88 votes

Wildcats are back, narrowly pulling off the upset in Lincoln.

22 votes

If Bo Pelini thought Bill Snyder ran up the score in 2003, just wait until 2009.

22 votes

254 votes | Poll has closed

Men's Hoops: Saint Louis 69, Huskers 55

2009-11-19T04:19:30Z

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Nebraska's Quincy Hankins-Cole, left, and Saint Louis' Cory Remekun, right, watch as a ball bounces out of bounds during the second half of Saint Louis' 69-55 victory. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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Husker fans who tuned into tonight's Nebraska/Saint Louis game to see what Brian Diaz looked like will have to wait until another game to get that impression. Diaz took a hard shot to the mouth in the opening minute and broke a tooth. He didn't return until late in the second half, and only played a few minutes. He came in cold and shot a couple of awkward hooks that missed badly, and headed back to the bench.

All told, it was an ugly night. Nebraska started cold and the Billikens jumped out to an early "double the score" lead on the Huskers. The Huskers fought back and pulled to within one at 28-27 at halftime. Ryan Anderson scored to open the second half, putting the Huskers into the lead and apparently annoying the Billikens, who went on a 14-2 run to take command of the game.

Not a lot of positives to take from tonight's game; without Brian Diaz, the Huskers don't look much bigger than last season and seem to really miss a guy like Paul Velander. Doc Sadler hasn't been too happy with the defense in his Twitter comments, so there's a lot of work to be done. I'm interested in seeing a little more out of Lance Jeter down the line; he caught my eye a couple of times in the limited time I had to watch tonight.

This looks like a rebuilding part of the season early on; things could get interesting when Christian Standhardinger becomes eligible in January.

Big 12 Cob of the Week: Can A Fat Man Fit Under A Bus, Texas A&M, and Colorado

2009-11-18T22:08:19Z

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Todd Reesing tries to protect himself while the KU program comes down around him. It won't help. If that's Mangino above him he'd better run now. The impact crater will be enormous.

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I got tired of waiting for Corn Blight to give me a nomination so the heck with him I'm going to do one of my own. Maybe it's not fair to Husker Mike and Jlew because it didn't happen last week but it happened because of last week. I going to make this nomination because its the 800-pound gorilla ha ha ha that can't be ignored even though everyone in Kansas want us to.

Q: Can Mark Mangino fit under a bus?

A: Only if it's a really big bus.

My nomination goes to Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins. It's pretty clear by now that Perkins wants Mangino gone, to the point that he's released university documents detailing an example of Mangino's bad behavior. Oh. Maybe Perkins didn't release those they were leaked! We've heard about Mangino "putting his finger in the chest of a player" as if its a bad thing. First he could have put his finger somewhere else we'd have to hear about and second there are 300 pound guys running into each other as part of the sport. If some player can't handle his coach putting his finger in his chest perhaps he could take up a board game like Clue or better yet Chutes N Ladders.

If Perkins wanted to fire Mangino, why doesn't he just call him into his office and fire him. Because that requires a spine. Better to drag your own coach through the mud than to have people question you. That makes me want to work for him right there.

KU will get a better coach. They'll be a football powerhouse. Taxes will go down, every one will get free chickens and no one who graduated a Jayhawk will ever die again. Good luck with that, Lew

Husker Mike:

Every so often this season, A&M jumps up and looks like an up and coming program. Then they go out and start swirling the drain again. This week, it was the 2nd quarter against Oklahoma, giving up four touchdowns to stretch a 14-10 deficit to 42-10 and a trip behind the Sooners woodshed. We expect performances like that from Baylor, especially now that Robert Griffin is out. We've grown accustomed to it from Colorado because of suckage at head coach...and now A&M seems to have become Colorado South. Or is Colorado now A&M North? Oh Bill Byrne, what have you done?

Jlew:

Oh Colorado we can't have a week without mentioning you. Just when we think you are going to show some pride, by beating Texas A&M, you go and lose to Iowa State. This is not just a single game aberration (see NU vs ISU) this is a continued melt-down. Four trips in side the 10 yard line resulted in 3 points. CU is now 2-18 in road games with Hawkins running the show, and CU will miss a bowl for the 3rd time in 4 season.

Poll

Your Vote for the Big 12 Cob of the Week:

Corn Flakes: Was in fact abso-tooting-lutely nuts

2009-11-18T15:47:55Z

Looking like it should be a nice day on Sat, and I'm hearing that tickets are getting hard to find.
If you want tp probe the depths of a K-State fan you can Ask TB in a fan post. Just be nice, he didn't choose to be a Wildcat, well he did, but he is from Nebraska and some people just have to be different. (Join us TB! Come back to the Red Side it's not too late...)

This is how KSU plans on blocking Suh. ~~Power~~ Fat Cat. Hmmmm maybe two fat cats would be better?

Steven M. Sipple: Osborne's influence shows Bo's desire to grow
Sipple looks at the relationship between Pelini and Osborne

Practice report: Suh gives line play a failing grade
McNeill is questionable after he got blown up after a catch against KU as well

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - KSU offense expected to run at Suh

The run-oriented Kansas State offense is exactly the type of unit that senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh would prefer facing.

When Suh's happy, I'm happy. More notes about practice at the link as well-

NE StatePaper.com - The Swagger Returns

Among the many conversations Bob Lee had with his son, Zac, about playing quarterback, the former NFL signal-caller once said this: You're not a true quarterback until you've been run out of at least one town.

Zac could have shut down after being benched, but he didn't. That's quality right there folks, and it's another reason this team is on the rise.

Wildcats embrace all-or-nothing attitude - KansasCity.com
Does KSU have more to lose than NU? Will that affect their mindset in the game?

Hey Husker Fans: Admission, Not an Apology | Campus Corner

I ADMIT I was wrong to say that people picking Nebraska to win the Big 12 North were "abso-tooting-lutely nuts."

Blow it out your ass. I don't care what you think or what your reasoning is that NU isn't really that good.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy: Nebraska vs. Boise State: Scheduling I Can Believe In
Husker Mike likes the idea of playing Boise State, sometime soon.

Tuesday mailbag: Who should be the Big 12's Coach of the Year? - Big 12 Blog - ESPN

Ashtyn Beek of Jefferson City, Mo., writes: A lot of different people and sports websites are predicting Nebraska to meet Stanford in the Holiday Bowl. I think this would be a great match-up between two physical teams, led by two confident, competitive coaches. Suh/Crick vs. Gerhart would be a great battle. Anyway, I can think of Nebraska playing just about everyone from the Pac-10 in recent history, except for Stanford. What's the history between these two teams?
Tim Griffin: These two teams have met only once and it is the fewest times that the Cornhuskers have played any Pac-10 opponent. Their only game came in 1940, when Stanford notched a 21-13 home victory over the Cornhuskers. Also, I agree with you. A matchup between Bo Pelini and Jim Harbaugh would be intriguing. And, the matchup between the bullish Stanford running game and the dominant Nebraska defensive front would be a good one, too.

Headlinin': Don't bother tracking the friendly skies for Flying Irish - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports

• Weis Watch. Another sign of Charlie Weis' impending demise: Notre Dame has blocked the university plane from appearing on flightaware.com (see for yourself), a proactive effort at cutting off the breathless surfers intent on tracking its path to Cincinnati or Gainesville or Vatican City or wherever ND's next coach is waiting. That comes on the heels of the athletic director assuring reporters that Weis' huge buyout won't affect whether he stays or goes and the two most notable Irish-centric newspapers both calling for his head almost simultaneously, completing the Holy Trinity of "You're Fired." [South Bend Tribune]

Oh that's not good at all...

Under The Hood: Nebraska vs. Kansas State Statistical Comparison

2009-11-18T06:14:47Z

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

He's just beautiful when he's happy, isn't he?

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Take yourself back to August. You'd been reading the sticky-sweet gooeyness that is offseason Husker football coverage for several months, and the 2009 team had yet to play a game. You were sure Nebraska would win the Big 12 North. Maybe you thought the team was capable of more than that, maybe not. But I can almost guarantee you that if I had told you we'd be playing Kansas State for the Big 12 North title and that they'd have a better offense than the Huskers, you'd have thought my credibility was zero and never visited this site again unless you were looking for a good laugh.

Yet here we are with a questionable offense. And so is Kansas State.

The Husker offense has struggled much more than even the grumblers predicted. With two regular season games left, we're still not sure what might show up this Saturday. Given Kansas State's pass defense, you'd hope that Zac Lee can find Niles Paul on deep routes like he did against the Jayhawks. Consistency is what we'll be looking for this week - more offensive production, as Shawn Watson mentioned last week.

A win against the Wildcats is not a given. KSU has been one of the weirder teams in the nation this season, losing to Louisiana-Lafayette in September, and then in consecutive weeks giving up 66 points in a loss to Texas Tech while coming back to destroy Texas A&M, scoring 62 points in the process.

Offensive Statistics

	Nebraska	Kansas State
Rush YPG	152.40 (57/6)	183.55 (31/3)
Rush YPC	4.43 (48/3)	4.30 (52/4)
Rush TDS	16 (56/7)	22 (17/2)

Pass YPG	200.9 (82/9)	170.9 (105/12)
Pass YPA	7.0 (71/9)	7.1 (65/8)
Pass TDS	13 (71/9)	7 (111/12)
Pass Efficiency	127.50 (67/8)	124.54 (78/10)

Total Offense	353.3 (77/11)	354.5 (75/3)

Defensive Statistics

	Nebraska	Kansas State
Rush YPG	93.90 (8/4)	105.82 (23/6)
Rush YPC	2.72 (6/3)	3.67 (42/7)
Rush TDS	6 (9/3)	9 (23/4)

Pass YPG	185.2 (26/3)	240.7 (90/10)
Pass YPA	5.4 (6/3)	7.0 (56/9)
Pass TDS	4 (1/1)	24 (115/12)

Total Defense	279.1 (10/3)	346.5 (47/6)
Scoring Defense	11.0 (3/1)	23.9 (59/8)

Opponent Statistical Ranks

Total Offense Rank	Nebraska Opponent	Total Defense Rank	Total Offense Rank	Kansas State	Total Defense Rank
15	Florida Atlantic	111	-	Umass	-
96	Arkansas State	53	83	UL-Lafayette	93
62	@Virginia Tech	16	84	UCLA	37
83	UL-Lafayette	93	-	Tennessee Tech	-
55	@Missouri	39	67	Iowa State	92
6	Texas Tech	54	6	Texas Tech	54
67	Iowa State	92	8	Texas A&M	104
81	@Baylor	91	105	Colorado	73
21	Oklahoma	6	21	Oklahoma	6
27	Kansas	52	27	Kansas	52
			55	Missouri	39
51.3	Average	60.7	50.67	Average	61.11

- UMass and Tennesee Tech are Div IAA (FCS) opponents, so are not included in the stats.

- More about how funny a season goes. Back in June, I stated that Kansas State's two primary strengths were schedule and pass defense. Schedule has played a double-edged sword. While the two games against FCS foes were wins that gave the Wildcats some confidence, the Wildcats can only count one towards bowl eligibility. They must win this weekend to become bowl eligible, so if they lose, Bill Snyder's legendary desire for cupcakes may come back to bite them.

- What happened to the Wildcat secondary? If you watched the Kansas State - Missouri game last week, you saw a Wildcat defense consistently give up the long pass. You might have thought that was because Mizzou's Danario Alexander played like a Randy Moss look-alike, but instead it's because the Wildcats secondary has been pretty bad this season.

The run defense looks decent enough, but if there's a comparable stat that stands out above it's the Huskers giving up only four passing TDs all season, while the Wildcats have one of the worst secondaries in the nation, giving up more passing touchdowns than everyone but Idaho.

- Both teams like to run the ball and both teams will have a tough time doing so. Nebraska has the advantage (obviously) in that they can toss some deep balls to soften up the defense. Kansas State may hope to do the same in hitting Brandon Banks for a big play here or there, but most likely they're just going to try to slug it out on the ground and hope that Nebraska commits mistakes (as we have most of the season).

- The Husker national ranking for rushing touchdowns went from 73 to 56 after scoring 31 points against Kansas. That's a healthy jump. The 56th ranking isn't earth-shattering by any means but if it can continue to improve the Huskers still have a shot at an incredible season.

- We'll have more statistics tomorrow, looking at some more of the esoteric stuff.

Mark Mangino Under Fire.... From Former Player's Parents??????

2009-11-17T20:47:59Z

Apparently Kansas Athletic Director Lew Perkins had a meeting with a group of KU players regarding Mark Mangino's behavior. One rumor is that Mangino got into an altercation with one of his players earlier this season, only to be balanced by another rumor than said he ate one.

Funny what a five-game losing streak can do to your career.

It's nasty news for Mark Mangino and the KU faithful. But it gets worse. Former players' parents are organizing against him.

The source said there is an organized group of former players' parents ready to air their concerns about Mangino as well.

No one can help him now. Remember the line - "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". Well, these days you can toss the "woman" part, replace it with "mommy" and you'll get a small taste of what's going to happen next.

In the long run it won't matter. If Kansas runs a program so full of weiner boys that their parents have to get involved, what difference does the head coach make?

Where Was the Husker Defensive Line Against Kansas?

2009-11-17T18:00:31Z

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Kansas made themselves bigger in the middle with the influence of head coach Mark Mangino.

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Nebraska's defensive line has been incredible most of the season, but against Kansas they looked somewhat pedestrian. Nebraska managed only one sack, that on a corner blitz where Prince Amukmara chased down Todd Reesing who was rolling to the opposite side of the field. The defensive line unit managed only 3.5 tackles for loss, with five total for the team.

Strategically, Kansas did a couple things very well to neutralize Nebraska's defensive line. They double and triple-teamed the best defensive lineman in the nation for most of the game. They also ran a fair number of misdirection plays, having Reesing roll in the opposite direction of the offensive line blocking. On those plays the defensive line doesn't have much choice but to go in the direction of the offense, as that's the point of misdirection - to disguise the play by moving the offense in one direction while the ball goes in another.

Kansas tried a couple of plays early with a single blocker against Ndamukong Suh, but his upfield push was too strong for tackle-converted-to guard Jeff Spikes. (Last week Husker fans were told a freshman would be getting his first start against Suh. Apparently Mark Mangino isn't that crazy.) Given that result, Suh was double-teamed and triple-teamed for the rest of the game. Normally Jared Crick would benefit from the extra blockers handling Suh, but in this game Crick was frequently caught up in KU's blocking scheme. Carl Pelini called some line stunts in an attempt to cross up the blocking, but the Huskers were burned by them on a few occasions.

That's not to say the defensive line didn't have some great plays. Kansas was limited in the number of downfield passes they could throw. When they tried to develop longer passing routes, Reesing was frequently pressured into bad throws. Kansas had one play where their receiver had gotten behind Nebraska's defensive backs, but the ball was dropped.

Dezmon Briscoe's biggest gain of the day came on a short pass where Briscoe spun around and ran past two Husker defenders who had taken bad angles on the play. Those are the kind of plays Briscoe can make. Reesing's biggest gain came on a 17-yard quarterback draw when he barely escaped the grasp of a defensive lineman. Other than Reesing's draw, the longest ground gain was by running back Toben Opurum for a mere six yards. That's not anywhere near suck territory.

The most impressive defensive line play of the day came when Barry Turner tracked down Dezmon Briscoe on a reverse, running him to the sideline for a one-yard loss. Turner showed impressive speed on the play and kept the angle of pursuit to his advantage. Turner ended up with four tackles, while fellow linemen Suh, Crick, Pierre Allen, and Cameron Meredith had 2.5 apiece.

To date, Nebraska has averaged 6.9 tackles for loss and 2.8 sacks per game. Kansas was successful in eliminating negative plays, largely due to Reesing's ability to scramble and find just enough room on his draw plays. The Jayhawks made the best of Briscoe's ability to make plays and Kerry Meier's ability to catch anything thrown at him.

Overall, it wasn't a bad game for the defensive line, we just didn't see the bone-crushing tackles that we've become accustomed to this season. Don't worry about it too much - Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory isn't nearly as mobile as Todd Reesing, and the Wildcats only have one big playmaker in speedy receiver Brandon Banks.

Count on seeing a Husker defensive line back in form this weekend. Contain the Wildcat ground game, get some sacks, and everything should be good.

Corn Flakes: Tues Lull

2009-11-17T17:30:07Z

Ugh the Tuesday lull. When everyone has covered the Bill and Bo fought in 2003! angle they are left with nothing for a day or two.

I'm late with this so no cats. I tried to pose my cats last night to take some pictures, but cats don't like to be posed. I guess they are not fans of lolcats.

Blackshirts know they need to keep raising the bar
See this is what you get on a Tues. A story about how the defense needs to keep improving. You may have seen similar stories all year.

Practice report: Burkhead could be back in couple weeks
This is great news, but without practicing you have to wonder if he'll even be good to go by a bowl game. Can he get a medical redshirt?

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Power surge igniting Husker offense
Yep power formations are all the rage. See Husker Mike's story below this one for more info.

Nebraska vs Kansas State & Big 12 Lines
NU is a 16 favorite at home. Does this seem too high? NU has covered the last couple of games...

With Apologies to Coach Ekeler
This should be entered into Amercia's Funniest Shots to the Nuts.

The Wiz of Odds: Hitting a Wall

Here is the violent collision between Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson and Texas Tech cornerback Jamar Wall. There was no penalty on the play, even though it was a helmet-to-helmet hit. Robinson is expected to play Thursday night against Colorado.

Wow what a hit.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - NU-KU match time shifts to 3 p.m.
Because of the late football game

Revamping the Offense in Midseason: Causes and Effects

2009-11-17T12:30:14Z

More photos » by Dave Weaver - AP

Menelik Holt and Curenski Gilleylen played themselves out of the Husker lineup. Is this a failure of coaching, talent, or development?(AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

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For the second year in a row, Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has had to go back to the drawing board and revamp the Husker offense at midseason. Last year, it was to implement a spread offense around a ball-control offense. This year, that spread look was abandoned in recent weeks to implement a power formation with multiple tight ends and (gasp!) a fullback. In recent weeks, Tom Osborne has been advising Watson as Watson and longtime Husker assistant Ron Brown have dug into old Husker playbooks to find alternatives to an unproductive offense.

There are two ways to look at this situation; it's a variant of the old "glass half-full/glass half-empty" discussion. On one hand, you have to admire the ability to recognize what's not working and adjust. Last spring, I dug into Watson's background as an offensive coordinator for an article in "Cornhusker Kickoff" and came away more impressed with Watson. Throughout his career, he's seemingly always played to his strengths. Some years, it was the running backs, others, it was the quarterback's arm. Sometimes it was a mix of the two. Sometimes he even found the need to switch quarterbacks. But I don't think Watson ever has had a situation like he's faced at Nebraska.

This year's situation is a multi-faceted problem. A new, inexperienced quarterback would be taking the field along with new receivers. The quarterback situation was further complicated by the defection of Patrick Witt to Yale and repeated ACL injuries to Kody Spano. Then by mid-October, Nebraska was digging deep on the depth chart at I-back. In late August, Quentin Castille was kicked off the team for violating team rules. Roy Helu hurt his shoulder at Missouri, and was hampered for nearly a month. Rex Burkhead injured his foot after the Missouri game, and might return in a couple of weeks. Even Traye Robinson was banged up late against Baylor, meaning that Nebraska finished that game with their fifth string I-back.

Receiver is another dilemma. Deep down, I think the number one issue at receiver is simply a talent gap created by the previous regime. Almost everywhere else on the roster, development has improved the performance of players. Just look at the defense; two years ago, they were one of the worst in college football, and now statistically, they are one of the best. Offensive line seems better, and the depth at I-back looks pretty good with Helu, Burkhead, and Robinson. But wide receiver seems to be the exception, as Khiry Cooper and Brandon Kinnie have been thrown into duty despite their inexperience and unfamiliarity with the offense.

And that situation at receiver might explain the Huskers situation best. Whether this staff overestimated the receivers going into the season, or realized that's what they had to work with and tried to make it a go is irrelevent at this point. Once you get into a season, the only thing that matters is making adjustments. Those adjustments became necessary at the same time the depth at I-back disappeared, which created a dilemma for Watson and the offensive coaches. I reject the idea that the power offense was the solution in mid-October. Roy Helu wasn't healthy enough to carry the load, and there was nobody behind him ready to go. So Nebraska turned to their receivers, who simply weren't able to step up when needed. Whether it was the dropsies against Texas Tech or the turnovers against Iowa State, those two games illustrated the Huskers problems.

But what were Shawn Watson's options this summer while he tried to pencil in the Huskers offense? Count on Cooper, the baseball player, or Kinnie, the Juco who he hadn't had a chance to coach yet? Or count on guys like Menelik Holt and Curenski Gilleylen to step up? In hindsight, the answer probably was to count on the tight ends, who looked so good in spring practice...but hindsight is always twenty-twenty, especially from us amateurs. That's the fundamental question that Bo Pelini and Shawn Watson will need to address in the offseason: why was there a need to revamp the offense midseason? Did the coaches make faulty assumptions or faulty decisions? Or did the players simply fail to step up and deliver, despite the best actions and interventions of the coaches. Only the staff can really answer that, and that's a fundamental question that this staff will need to answer after the season is over.

Now is not the time to ask that question. There's a Big XII North championship waiting to be won, and this team still has goals to meet. Right now, the solution is to do exactly what Watson, Brown, and Tom Osborne have been doing. Roll up their sleeves and adjust the offense based on what these players can do. In my job, I've encountered similar situations where all heck has broken loose, and you've got to resist the temptation to place blame when things are broken. Get things fixed as best you can, using whatever means necessary, and get things back in operation. Then, when things stabilize, you look at what went wrong and make the necessary changes at that time.

Is Shawn Watson part of the problem or part of the solution? That's not a question for Bo Pelini to answer in October and November. Pelini will need to answer that question in January, and probably should start asking that question in December. Certainly all aspects of the Husker program need to be questioned: at it's core, was the offenses struggles related to recruiting, development, training, coaching, or simply bad luck?

I won't pretend to definitively know the answer, but it's important that Bo Pelini find an answer because revamping the offense at midseason is a horrible habit to get into. It's great to see this staff making those adjustments when they are necessary, but it shouldn't be necessary to keep making those major adjustments in the middle of the season.

Nebraska vs. Kansas - Random Thoughts For Which I Don't Have A Cute Title

2009-11-16T19:42:35Z

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Bo Pelini - not yelling at anyone right now. That's some split-second photographic work right there!!!

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I would normally review a "Keys To Victory" article on Monday, but I didn't do one last week. To be honest, I think most of them are pretty lame. Want some keys - establish the run, don't turn the ball over and don't let anyone get behind you on the big play.

Did Kansas do better than Nebraska on any one of those keys? NO, they didn't, and that's why they lost. Ha!

So what we have here is a random collection of thoughts about the game.

Shawn Watson Survives Another Week!

Saw last week some special on the History Channel about some guy going off into the Amazon looking for tribes that shrink heads. I instantly thought about Shawn Watson and his offense. Who hasn't wanted to shrink his head lately?

Before yesterday, that is. After Oklahoma, the group thought (okay, mine) was ‘play conservative, let your defense win the game' while the Watson thought was "we need to be more productive" and after the game was over, you had to be thinking that Watson is smarter than all of us (okay, me).

Didn't look that way the whole game, though. It's the fourth quarter, the ball is at the KU 22 and the Huskers lead 13-10. Then Watson calls an option play on third-and-12 and if you're anything like me you're screaming and throwing a tantrum (although a small one because we're ahead). Then you stop and think...... weren't we wanting him to kick a field goal on first down only a couple weeks ago?

Then Henery lines up and makes the score 16-10. I remember the Bible verse... "Ask and Ye Shall Receive" and the add-on that goes with it "so be careful what you ask for".

Let's not ever wish they kick on first down again, eh? Someone might be listening, and I'm not talking about Tom Osborne.

Offensive Line Finally Offensive In A Positive Way

What was it - the Husker offensive line providing a hole, or Helu's great vision on that wondrous touchdown run with 6:27 left in the fourth quarter? Stop! Don't answer that! Consider this instead.... the offensive line didn't commit an egregious mistake, blocked the play perfectly and Helu was sprung for a touchdown. No holding. No tripping. No defensive penetration that blew the play up.

The offensive line played a darned good game against Kansas. Of course, it didn't seem that way until the final quarter of the game. The Huskers picked up 97 yards on the ground in the fourth and five yards passing. Insert another Tom Osborne reference right here. Bottom line - the offensive line was strongest and played the best when it counted most.

Bo's Screaming Again, This Time At Barney Cotton

Third quarter, Nebraska starts a drive at their own four-yard line. After a 45-yard pass to Niles Paul, the Huskers have the ball at the 11-yard line with the score tied, 10-10. Zac Lee keeps the ball to the five, and it looks like the Huskers should pound in a touchdown until Keith Williams gets called for tripping. On the replay, sure enough, there's Williams missing a cut block, then lifting his leg to make up for it. Silly Keith, not by the goal line!!!!

The next thing we see is Bo Pelini yelling at Barney Cotton, not because that's the only time Pelini ever yelled at Cotton, but because it makes for damned good TV. Fact is, Pelini probably yelled at Cotton 267,000 times before that, but it had more impact just after a costly personal foul penalty. People get more bent out of shape that way as if that Pelini feller is some mad dog crazyman, then they point out the bad managers they've had throughout their life, and how they'd never work for someone as crazy as that, and dammit, that Bo Pelini needs to act more like Tom Osborne who was criticized because he never showed any emotion whatsoever, even that time Barry Switzer brought guns to the field and stuck everyone up for cash.

Side note - Pelini finished the game yelling at people 293,934 times, which was nowhere close to his personal record of 748, 233, set when he was a junior defensive back at Ohio State. I really wish they had chairs on the sideline so he could pick one up and throw it onto the field.

Mystery Ball Player Appears, But Only For A While

Hey, we had some guy wearing #44 that had consecutive receptions, one for a first down. Later he dropped one that could have been a nice gain. After that he had one more catch for five yards, then disappeared. Weird, huh?

Good Bye Kerry Meier!

The pundits talk about Todd Reesing and Dezmon Briscoe, but they don't talk much about Kerry Meier and they should. On third down, KU goes to Meier, as they did so many times in this game. If you doubt that, check the game thread for me complaining about it. The Jayhawks do this because Meier is one of those guys who continually makes plays. I hate him because he plays for Kansas, but I love him because he's been fun to watch for the past few years. Now, good bye, Kerry Meier and may you be blessed with whatever life brings you that doesn't involve Husker football.

How Many Years Will It Take?????

How many more years will it take before we no longer have to hear about Bo Pelini yelling at KSU coach Bill Snyder after the Wildcats win in 2003? No, seriously, answer that one in the comments section because I'm already tired of talking about it.

What the Hell Will I Bite Next Week?

My fingernails are gone. So are my toenails (yuck!). I have no idea what I'm going to do for next week's game. Maybe we'll start real fast and crush them, my nails need a break.

Corn Flakes: Power Cat Edition

2009-11-16T16:36:54Z

It's K-State week. Win and NU has a chance at the B12 Title. Look for KSU to bring their A game. They are a tough team that wins by playing solid football, not making mistakes, and taking advantages of other teams mistakes. Be ready for that Power Cat growl as well.

Wilie the Wildcat has really let himself go...

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - NU finds success on first drive
A look back and a breakdown of the KU game from the OWH

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Getting to know Kansas State

Life in the Red's Blog | Kansas State-Nebraska set for ESPN
A 6:45 kickoff.

Steven M. Sipple: Carl Pelini deserves kudos, too
Sipple looks at Carl's influence on the defense, talks about Lee's resiliency, what to do about Green, and the O-Line

The Wiz of Odds: So What Did Carroll and Harbaugh Talk About?

"What's your deal? What's your deal?" Carroll said, according to two sources near enough to hear. "What's your deal?" Harbaugh retorted, and that was that.

Here's the deal when you get USC down you kick them.

NE StatePaper.com - Husker Monday Review: Kansas
A look back, and then forward from McKewon

Husker Mike's Blasphemy: Sunday Night Beer: Not Underestimating the Wildcats

Big 12 power rankings settle with two weeks left - Big 12 Blog - ESPN

3. Nebraska: Roy Helu Jr.’s return has finally given the Cornhuskers an offensive weapon they can lean on and Niles Paul gives them an emerging game-breaker. The results have pushed them into the driver’s seat for the divisional championship. The Bo Pelini vs. Bill Snyder rivalry will have an intriguing first matchup when they meet Saturday with the North title at stake.

Is it time for Mangino to Go? (CoachesAid.com)
(HT: RockChalkTalk) Apparently this blogger hasn't seen KU's running game (Jake Sharp injury) or the woeful KU offensive line this season. Fire Mark Mangino? This one has to be a trick.

Scout.com: Nebraska gets one step away from North title

What It All Means: Nebraska might have had some rocky moments a few weeks ago, and the offense continues to stink with Roy Helu isn’t carrying the attack, but now it’s one game away from playing for the Big 12 North title. The Huskers are in the championship game if they can beat Kansas State next week, and they can make a statement that they’re the dominant team in the North, as if that’s something special, but beating the Wildcats and closing out with a win over Colorado. The defense continues to be special, and it gave Kansas problems at times, but to beat KSU, Helu has to keep running well and QB Zac Lee, who got the start after being benched last week, has to do a better job in the red zone.

CBS Sports Blog Poll Week 11 - Stability At The Top of the College Football Rankings

2009-11-16T12:00:42Z

- The top nine teams remain the same. With six undefeated teams left in mid-November, we'll most likely hear a lot more screaming about a playoff system this week, how we need one to repair all the injustices in the world. It's been that way for a long time now, but every season teams stumble and the system as it stands turns out to be not nearly as bad as it seems now.

- There are only two teams with one loss at this point, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh.

- Ohio State is the highest ranked two-loss team. Do they deserve to be above Pitt?

- Otherwise, you've got a big gob of teams at 7-3. These will be worked out of the system in the next week or so as November takes its toll.

- Does Houston still deserve to be ranked over, say, Nebraska?

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Florida
2	Texas
3	Alabama
4	TCU
5	Boise State
6	Cincinnati
7	Georgia Tech
8	Ohio State
9	Pittsburgh
10	Oklahoma State	2
11	LSU	3
12	Oregon	6
13	Penn State	4
14	Wisconsin	6
15	Stanford	10
16	Virginia Tech	5
17	Utah	6
18	Brigham Young	4
19	Oregon State
20	Miami (Florida)	10
21	Southern Cal	6
22	Clemson
23	Iowa	4
24	Navy
25	Houston	12
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Arizona (#16), West Virginia (#23).

Husker Report Card: Nebraska 31, Kansas 17

2009-11-15T23:34:32Z

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Niles Paul makes the catch while Kansas safety Chris Harris goes for the eyeball. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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I worried going into the Kansas game how much the Huskers had left in their tank after a grueling 10-3 upset of the Oklahoma Sooners last week. Defending the Sooner offense for 87 plays took a lot out of the defense, and the emotional high of last week might just lead to a letdown this week against the Jayhawks. Initially, the defense started the game just fine, preventing Kansas from gaining a single first down in the first quarter. But from that point forward, the Jayhawks started to find a way to move the ball on the Nebraska defense. It started with scrambles that neutralized the pass rush from the defensive line, which in turn opened up the passing game.

But the Husker offense finally got untracked with Niles Paul making four catches that made the Jayhawks pay for lining up 9, 10, and sometimes all 11 defenders in the box. Add in some good scrambles from Zac Lee, who finally started to commit towards taking yards on the ground rather than forcing a bad pass into coverage, and the offense showed signs of life against a BCS conference opponent. Yes, the Jayhawks have their issues defensively this season. But in recent weeks, Kansas has looked better defensively, holding Kansas State to 17 points last week and holding Texas Tech to 14 points in the first three quarters.

In the end, Nebraska imposed their will at the end of the game and found a way to win once again in the fourth quarter, just like at Missouri a month earlier. Here's our grade; as always, please comment below to add your observations or correct my mistakes.

QB: Zac Lee had his best game of the season as far as I was concerned. I thought he made decent decisions with the ball, and was able to connect deep with Niles Paul four times for huge pass plays that made the Jayhawks pay for loading the box. I was also pleased with his commitment to run the ball, especially on that 32 yard run where he finally showed his speed and even broke a tackle. No, he's not going to convince anybody he's Tommie Frazier or Eric Crouch out there, but he's got the physical ability to be a dual-threat quarterback. He's showing signs of breaking through the mental aspects of doing just that. Grade: B+

IB: When he's healthy, I think Roy Helu is the best running back in the Big XII. Sadly, he wasn't healthy for three games in October. He finds holes and hits the line hard. He was heads-up as well, diving on Zac Lee's fumble in the endzone for the opening score. Only negative on his performance was a missed block, and that might be because his shoulder is still limiting his ability to use his arms in pass protection. Postgame interviews have me concerned; he came off the field holding his arm gingerly and his arm was wrapped up in postgame interviews. The Huskers need him to be ready to go this Saturday against the Wildcats. Treye Robinson also had a couple of ok runs in limited playing time. Grade: A

WR: Anybody else get the impression that Shawn Watson told Zac Lee to look hard for Mike McNeill at halftime? His disappearance is one of the biggest mysteries when the Huskers began to flounder offensively; nice to see him get back into the mix. Niles Paul was money on deep routes, and Brandon Kinnie made a great one-handed catch. Menelik Holt got a chance to get out of the doghouse at the end of the first quarter, and dropped a screen pass. It looks like Holt will finish his Husker career playing special teams on punt coverage. All in all, a solid performance from Paul, Kinnie, and the tight ends who played. Grade B+

OL: Generally solid performance, but that tripping flag on Keith Williams was unnecessary and damaging to a team that already has enough problems putting the ball into the end zone. Otherwise, the line did ok. You'd like to see more of a push, but with the Jayhawks putting anywhere between 8 and all eleven defenders in the box every play, you knew running room was going to be tough to come by. Grade: B-

DL: They expended a lot of energy last week, and Todd Reesing's mobility counteracted the aggressiveness of the line...but the Kansas offensive line has been bad all season. They've been so good all season, I guess they were do for a clunker performance, and if so, this might have been the week to do it. Grade: C-

LB: Once again, the Blackshirts ran dime so this was all Phillip Dillard. Like the rest of the Blackshirts, he was merely ok. I wondered if bringing in Sean Fisher or Will Compton for either Eric Hagg or Dejon Gomes at times might have given Reesing a different look and counteracted Reesings scrambling. Grade: C+

Secondary: Some of Kerry Meier's catches could have been classified as "what are you going to do?" One handed ridiculous catches all afternoon even when covered for the most part. The only option at times would be to just tackle Meier and take the 15 yard flag. Sadly, that's the result of a lack of pass rush. Do not underestimate Dejon Gomes strip of Kerry Meier at the Husker five yard line. Meier was headed for the endzone, and it was one of two game-changing plays yesterday. (The other being the Khiry Cooper face mask call.) Grade: B+

Coaching: If you've got an axe to grind against against Shawn Watson, you won't be convinced. (Hello, Dirk Chatelain.) But Watson is turning this offense around midseason once again. Last year, it was a mid-season spread implementation. This year, it's a power formation look. What Chatelain illogically dismisses is the impact of the injuries to Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead last month. Hard to implement a power rushing game without a running back. So he tried turning to the receivers, hoping they'd step up. That failed...so off goes Treye Robinson's redshirt, and Watson adjusts once again. This is still an offense needing better playmakers outside of the running backs, but this week we saw both Niles Paul and Zac Lee make strides in that area. This isn't pro sports where a general manager can make roster moves to shore up limitations; it's going to take a little longer to clean up the mess that Bill Callahan left in Lincoln. In the meantime, Watson is doing the best with what he's got. Grade: A-

Overall: B It's a win...on the road in comeback fashion. Not the prettiest win, but it's a win that many people didn't think was possible this summer. Survive and advance, and keep getting better. For the second year in a row, that's exactly what's happening in Lincoln.

Elsewhere in College Football:

USC: F 55 points at home?

Missouri: A Nice rebound for the Tigers. Danario Alexander has to be all-Big XII this season.

Kansas State: F It's feast or famine this week. Win and you are playing for a Big XII Championship; lose, and the off-season begins.

Texas and TCU: A Trying to get the attention of voters in the first half is not RUTS.

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Nebraska 25th in USA Today Coaches Poll Rankings

2009-11-15T19:15:46Z

Nebraska 25th in USA Today Coaches Poll Rankings

Nebraska is tied at 25th with North Carolina.