What ever happened to August?

Well, the Huskers sit at 3-0, despite a less than stellar offense, and I'm not sure what happened to the last 2 months (no preview)!

Perhaps if I keep silent about the team's chances, they will continue to win, although this 3-0 record was built on wins over Division 1-AA Maine, Wake Forest (without Tim Duncan- oh wait, that's hoops) and Pitt, who looks like a bad copy of the Wannstadt-coached Dolphins of recent seasons. Good grief.

In my world, Coach Bill Callahan should be given a 2 year pass- that is, his first two seasons in Lincoln should be looked at for what they really are- a coach trying to implement a difficult offensive system with players recruited to fit something entirely different. Similar to fitting square pegs in round holes (which I used to do as a child) Callahan is using leftover players from Frank Solich's successful option attack, and the players simply do not have the requisite skills to compete in a West Coast-type offense. This is one of the reasons we are witnessing so many struggles on the offensive side of the ball. Procedure penalties and missed assignments, however, can not be blamed on the talent level. That being said, if Callahan does not begin to see offensive success by next season, the administration needs to seriously rethink his role. By next season players will have had 2 years experience in this system and his recruits will be much more experienced. There will be no "mulligan" next Fall for Callahan, you can bet on it.

Luckily, the defense is playing better than it has in years. Players are flying around the field, reminiscent of the mid-90's championship runs. This defense is the fastest I have watched in years, particularly the linebackers and ends. Adam Carriker, the latest in a long line of rush ends to thrive at Nebraska, has already recorded five sacks in the first three games- he is the real deal, and will be playing on Sundays. Players like Corey McKeon, Stewart Bradley and Daniel Bullocks are really setting the tone for this defense. I like what I see- but the defense can't be expected to carry this team for 12 games. Eventually they will have let downs, and it is the offense's responsibility to compensate for these let downs. Right now, I just don't see this happening on a consistent level. We shall find out much more now that conference play is upon us, particularly with matchups against the high powered offense of Mike Leach's Texas Tech Red Raiders, who put a 70 spot on the Huskers last year in Lubbock. Even Iowa State should be a stiff challenge for the Huskers, althought these games are at home. I'm not sure what it means that Nebraska's best player so far has been punter Sam Koch, who boomed an 84 yarrder against Pitt.

Around the Big 12- What happened to Oklahoma? At 1-2, the Sooners are virtually assured of not going to a BCS game for the first time in 4 years. Mike Stoops has no one to turn to at quarterback, although highly-touted Rhett Bomar shows promise. Oklahoma looks beatable for the first time in years, which says a lot about the parity in college football today.

Second ranked Texas appears to have a leg up on the rest of the conference- if they can get by the Sooners and a much improved Texas A&M squad. If not for the dominance of Pete Carrol's USC dynasty, Mack Brown would be staring at a number one ranking for the Longhorns. The Rose Bowl matchup could very well be Texas- USC, although there is a lot of saeson left, particularly for Texas, who must play an extra game if they win the Big 12 South.

Notes: The Big 12 North finished non-conference play at 16-2, while the South wrapped up it's non-conference schedule at 15-3. Last season, the North was 18-30 against the South. The Iowa State- Nebraska game will kick off at 2:36 pm CT Saturday in Lincoln on ABC, with former Auburn coach- and son of Florida State coach Bobby Bowden- Terry Bowden handling the commentary and Dr. Jerry Punch on the play-by-play. The Cyclones are ranked 23rd in the AP poll. Cyclone running back Stevie Hicks played high school football in Omaha for Creighton Prep High School. He was offered a scholarship to play linebacker at Nebraska, but instead chose to avoid linebackers and carry the ball for the Cyclones.

Iowa State at Nebraska
Saturday, 2:30 pm CDT

Prediction-
Nebraska 24 Iowa State 20