Tad Stryker of the North Platte Bulletin asks the pertinent question as we head into the thick of things with no real momentum.

Nebraska has a lot of good players who are not really playing together well as a team right now. Ultimately, that is Callahan’s responsibility. Can Callahan coach as well as he recruits? That continues to be the question that dogs the former NFL coach throughout his tenure in Lincoln.

The answer is no, he doesn’t coach as well as he recruits. Let’s look at more evidence care of Husker Brad’s comments here at HZ:

I looked down at the sidelines and there were groups of players here and there. The people who will redshirt were just sitting amongst themselves, not even paying attention to the game…I just thought it funny, small groups of guys doing their own thing and not even caring about the game.

I’m disturbed by this first hand account. We’ve already witnessed BC make several bad decisions, call several stupid plays, fail to make mid-game adjustments, keep key players on the bench, and so on. Now this.

BC strikes me as a daffy professor of football, a man lost in his Xs and Os. A coach leads men into battle. We don’t have that at Nebraska right now and it spells trouble for the games ahead.

Nebraska holds steady at #25 in the AP Poll as Kansas State makes their debut at #24. In the USA Today Poll, the Huskers slipped one spot to #23.

In other Big 12 rankings, Oklahoma slipped to #10 in both polls, while Texas slipped to #19 in AP, #16 in USA Today. Missouri sits at #17 in both. Kansas, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Colorado also received votes.

The Huskers played better yesterday, but we were far from dominant. Iowa State took a 10-0 lead and they were still in the game in the second half, until Bo Ruud–who finished the game with 14 tackles, six unassisted–iced it with his interception and 93-yard return for a score.

The Blackshirts made some nice hits and got some intensity back, but we also surrendered 415 yards and 28 first downs. To Iowa State.

“It was a strange game,” Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan said. “Kinda weird. They had the ball quite a bit.”

Ya think?

Time of possesion was totally lopsided. Iowa State had the ball for 39:03 compared to just 20:17 for the Huskers.

[via Nebraska StatePaper]

The Big 12 North is having a big Saturday. First, Colorado beats No. 3 Oklahoma and then K State takes down No. 7 Texas.

It’s been that kind of day around the nation, as well. No. 10 Rutgers fell to Maryland at home; No. 13 Clemson lost to Georgia Tech in Atlanta; No. 21 Penn State lost to Illinois in Champaign and No. 22 Alabama lost to Florida State in Jacksonville.

USC and Florida are also in battles with Washington and Auburn, respectively. And No. 9 Wisconsin went to the wire with Mighigan State before pulling out a three point win. Maybe there is something to this parity thing, after all.

[UPDATE] USC won by three and Florida lost by three. No. 5 West Virgina also lost on Friday night to No. 18 South Florida. To recap, the numbers 3, 4, 5, 7 and 10 teams in the A.P. Poll lost this week.

Slow start. But we have the lead now. Let’s take control of this game. 42-10 would be nice. Okay, I’ll try not to get greedy. A solid performance and a win to build momentum towards Columbia will work.

[3rd Quarter Action]

Kick to Hill. We have great field position. Keller tosses to Phillps for six from the bootleg. Bootleg action again, Keller throws deep to Nunn. Too much on it. Third and five. Pass to Purify for the first down. Lucky gets a block, he breaks it big for a TD. Nebraksa 21 – Iowa State 10.

First and ten, Iowa State. Come on Blackshirts. Meyer wings it, incomplete. Pass complete to the tight end for the first. Come on Blackshirts. Scales tackled by Bo Ruud. Second and seven. Pass to Blythe. He’s drilled. Incomplete. Flag. What did we do? No foul on the play. That works. Crowd comes alive. Meyer to Hamilton. Complete for a first down. They needed that. Quiets crowd. Phillip Bates in at QB, he runs, is tackled for a loss. Pass. Flag. Offensive pass interference. A rarely called penalty. Chizik complains. The refs reverse themselves. Are you kidding me? Meyer back in. He passes downfield. No. Flag. Pass interference on us. 15 yards. Ball on the 38. First and ten, Iowa State. End around to Wallace Franklin. Octavien makes the tackle at the 36, otherwise he’s loose. Pass. No good. Third and eight. Pass. No good.

Punt sails out of bounds. Ball on the Nebraska 15. Three and out. 8:48 in the period. First and 10, Iowa State. Third and long, pass to Blythe. First down. Meyer dropped for a loss. Slant route. Good, but short of a first. They’re goign for it on fourth down. Pass caught by Blyhte for the first. Damn. Scales runs for one yard. Ninth play of drive. Scales thrown down like sack of flour by Suh. Another slant. Good. First and goal. Second and goal. Third and goal. Husker D is working hard. Meyer throws, intercepted by Bo Ruud. He runs it all the way back for a TD. A 93 yard return! Ruuuuuuuuuuuuud! Nebraska 28 – Iowa State 10.

Iowa State ball. Third and one. Scales runs for the first down on a pickup of 11. Scales dropped in the backfield. Quarter ends.

[Other Scores]

Penn State loses to Illinois. What?

Colorado is tied at 24 in the 4th against Oklahoma in Boulder. What?

K State is up 14 -7 on Texas. What?

[4th Quarter Action]

ISU three and out. They punt. Our ball at the 20 yard line. Glenn gets a block. Pick up of 10. Pass. Good. We have the ball at mid-field. Time out, Nebraska. 12:41 to play. Fancy play. Keller to Ganz. Ganz back to Keller. Iowa State contains. Third down and four to go. Keller to Swift, good for the first. Pass, no good. Ball on 39, pass to Purify, incomplete. Third down. Keller in the shotgun. Pass juggled by Hardy. He’s hit hard. Ball dropped. Punt inside the five yard line.

Terrible field positon for the ‘Clones. 4-3-4 defense for the Big Red. Pass is dropped. Second and ten back at the three. Pass to Hamilton is good for the first. Another first for ISU on the ground. Another pass to Hamilton is good for 18. ISU in hurry up attack. Meyer deep in shotgun. Catch across mid-field. Incomplete. Meyer throws again, incomplete. Fourth down and four to go. Iowa State is going for it. We show blitz. Meyer throws for a first down. Ugh. Blitz on first down. Nearly intercepted. Pass for 24 yards. ISU inside the 20. Option, Meyer runs into Bo Ruud. Ball inside the 10. First and goal, Iowa State. Fade to Hamilton, no good. Pass, incomplete. Third and goal. Scales walks into the end zone. Nebraska 28 – Iowa State 17.

Iowa State has run 92 plays and had 26 first downs. Way too many.

Kick to Grixby. Ball on 38. Lucky runs for a nice gain. Third down. Alvin “Ace” Bowen of Iowa State busts up our play. We punt. Iowa State ball. 5:06 left in the game. We’re up by 11. We need a three and out. Let’s go Blackshirts.

Third and three for the ‘Clones. Pass to Bates. Incomplete. ISU goes for it. This is the game. Pass is intercepted by Grixby! He returns it 38 yards to the three yard line. Run. No. Run. No. Third and goal. 2:42 and counting. Keller to Lawson for the TD. His second of the day. Nebraska 35 – Iowa State 17.

Nebraska wins.

It’s time for kick off. Time to answer the question, “Where are the Blackshirts?”

Today is consecutive sell out number 286.

It’s blustery and warm, a perfect day for football.

Coin toss: Iowa State calls heads. Heads it is. Iowa State takes the football into the breeze.

[1st Quarter Action]

Twice we tee it up and the wind blows the ball off the tee. Booming kick. Touchback. Iowa State starts at the 20. The “D” has intensity. They’re on their toes. But Iowa State passes for a first. Pass for 11 yard pick up. ISU in I-formation. McKeon breaks up pass attempt with nice hit. McKeon trips up Bret Meyer on QB draw. Third and long out of the shotgun. ISU is short of the first. They punt. Ball put down at one yard line. Hold it. Roughing the kicker. Ouch! Iowa State keeps the ball. Meyer to tight end. ISU is at Nebraska’s 18. Fumble! Cyclone’s get it back. Second and 16 form the 21. Fumble. Husker ball on our 29!

Keller throws strike to Frantz Hardy. 60 yard gain! Big play. Lucky runs toward the end zone. He loses the ball! Iowa State recovers fumble and runs it to the 35. I can’t believe it. Play under review. Call on the field is upheld.

First play from scrimmage, Meyer is sacked. 7:31 left in the quarter. Iowa State has to punt again. Husker’s ball on the 34. No! Another killer penalty. Iowa State keeps the ball and completes a pass. Second and three. Scales runs for first down. Meyer runs to the 22. Scales dives for the first at the Husker 18 yard line. Come on D! 4:19 in the quarter. Ninth play of this drive for ISU. We need a stop. Big time. Hand off to Scales. Ball on the 13. Third down and five. Pass is incomplete. 30-yard field goal attempt coming. Iowa State 3 – Nebraska 0.

Worm-burner kick. We have the ball at our own 47. Great field position. Keller throws deep. Intercepted! Iowa State ball. We’ve given up the ball twice already. And Iowa State has had the ball for over ten minutes in the quarter. Ridiculous. Time out taken by the Cyclones. Second and nine. 4-3-4 for the Blackshirts. Pitch to Scales. No gain. Third and nine. Short gain. D-line taking care of business. ISU punts. Nate Swift calls for a fair catch. :27 remain in quarter.

[2nd Quarter Action]

Nebraska ball. Quick pitch to Lucky for a seven yard pick up. Third and one. Cody Glenn fumbles. Iowa State ball. Unbelievable.

Pass good for eight. Run for a loss. Third down. Scales runs for the first. Option play to the left. Suh tackles runner for a loss. Second and 14. Huge rush by Turner. Meyer nearly intercepted. Meyer throws. Intercepted by Grixby, “the little hero from Omaha Central.”

12:30 left in the half. Important drive for the offense. Second and five. Pass dropped by Hill, our tight end. Gotta make that catch. Throw to Purify for the first down! First grab of the day for Purify. End around to Nunn. Nunn wrapped up. Big loss on play. Second and 20. Middle screen for no gain. Third and 20 into the wind. Keller out of shotgun. He runs. Dances out of bounds for one yard. We punt. Knuckle ball. Iowa State runs it out across mid-field. 10:19 to play in the half.

Scales runs to the 45. Ben Martin, the redshirt freshman from Lincoln Southwest is in there. Iowa State pass for first down. Scales runs but McKeon yanks him down. Pass to Todd Blythe. Good for a big gain inside our ten yard line. Scales runs counter but he’s met by Octavien. Time out, Iowa State. Second and goal at the Nebraska three. Scales slips a tackle for the touchdown. Point after good. Iowa State 10 – Nebraska 0.

It’s awfully quiet in Memorial Stadium. Kick to Grixby. He runs for a big gain (51 yards) across mid-field. “Shades of Johnny Rogers.” Go Big Red! Keller to Nunn for the first down. We’re on the Cyclone 34. Lucky plows for a coule tough yards. 6:18 left in the half. Second and seven. Two tight end on the field, handoff to Lucky for three. Third and four. We need to convert this. Two-down territory? Lucky runs for the first. Breathe…Cody Glenn gets the handoff. Gains two. Clock moving. Under five minutes left in the half. Keller pitches to Lucky, who throws to Hill for touchdown. Insane. Iowa State 10 – Nebraska 7.

House is loud now. Iowa State throws to Blythe for a first. Scales finds a gaping hole on the weak side. Runs for 24 yards. Not good. Meyer runs to the left. Stopped by McKeon. Punt team on. They fake. Kicker runs, but he’s short of the first. Personal foul on Huskers for hitting him after he runs out of bounds. Nebraska ball, because foul was after the play. 15 yard penalty. 2:43 in the half. Pass. Good. We’re in the two-minute drill. Pass to Swift good for 11 yards. ISU showing blitz. Hardy has the catch for 14. Keller is four-for-four on this drive. Pass is dropped by Peterson. Second and 10 at the 24. It would be nice to take the lead here. Lucky pile drives for the first. A pick up of 11. Well done. Time out, Nebraksa. Keller to Nunn in the end zone. Dropped. Second and ten at the 13. Cody Glenn rumbles forward. Third and three. Time out, Nebraksa. 1:13 left to play in the half. We can run it twice if we need to for the first. Let’s hold the ball, whatever we do. Keller passes to fullback Thomas Lawson, the walk-on from Parker, Colorado, for the TD. Nebraska 14 – Iowa State 10.

Kick. Iowa State takes a knee. Meyer to Blythe. He’s hit hard and drops the ball. Third and 10. Meyer is tripped up in the backfield. :51 to play. Nebraska takes time out. Punt team for ISU is on the field. Kick to Grixby. He takes a big hit. Ball at mid-field. :38 to play. Keller to Nunn, dropped. Lucky runs for 13 across the 40. They move the sticks. Keller to Lucky for a short gain. We need another ten yards to be in field goal range. Keller to Swift. Good for a big gain. Keller runs. He doesn’t get rid of the football. Time expires. We get no points.

[HALF TIME]

Pizza time.

“You can’t deny Phillip Dillard. He’s a great player, so you’ve got to get him in, get him some reps. He’s the future of this organization. He’s going to be a stud coming back.” -Corey McKeon

We need studs now. So here’s hoping number 52 sees some action this afternoon.

Texas has more residents than all the other states in the Big 12 combined. Like they say, Texas is a whole other country.

Here are the numbers:

• Colorado 4,665,177
• Iowa 2,966,334
• Nebraska 1,758,787
• Missouri 5,800,310
• Kansas 2,744,687
• Oklahoma 3,547,884
• Texas 22,859,968

Texas has more than ten times the population of Nebraska.

Lots of young men and women from Omaha cross the river and ride the hills to attend school in Ames, Iowa. But few of them are high school prospects like Phillip Bates. The Omaha North grad turned down Nebraska, Oklahoma and Ohio to become a Cyclone.

He attributes the move in large part to the motivational power of Gene Chizik, Iowa State’s first year head coach.

“Coach Chizik came to my house and I bought into his system that we can do great things. I still believe that. When he came I was pretty excited.”

“I bought into what coach Chizik was saying. A lot of other guys will buy in too. It’s going to be something special. His history says it all. He can change things. I’m pretty excited about what we have going.”

That history he’s mentioning is Chizik’s experience at Texas and Auburn. He won a national championship with the Longhorns in 2005. And Auburn was undefeated and ranked No. 2 in both major polls in 2004 when Chizik won the Frank Broyles Award, honoring the nation’s top assistant coach.

In short, Iowa State has a big time prospect at head coach. The kind of man talented kids from Omaha want to play for.

Bates, a true freshman already has one career-defining moment to his credit. His 38-yard, fourth-quarter reception against Iowa sealed the 15-13 victory over the in-state rival.

Bates’ father played at Nebraska and wil be on hand today in Lincoln to watch his son compete.

[via The Cedar Rapids Gazette]

If you’re up to it, let your eyes feast on the numbers displayed in this lovely chart.

Nebraska’s head coach is the 17th best paid in the college game.

Callahan makes more than Hall of Fame coaches like Joe Paterno, Lloyd Carr and Bobby Bowden.

Maybe we could add a rider to BC’s contract that subtracts a hundred grand for every embarrasment.

[via Fire Bill Callahan]