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First off, here's your Thursday practice update from the UNL Athletic Department, which once again will make you wonder what alien being has possessed Bo Pelini:
Head Coach Bo Pelini talked to the media afterwards and expressed pleasure in his team's efforts, saying the game plan has come together well.
"I thought we finished up the week well," Pelini said. "I thought that was the best practice of the week today. It was a little bit back and forth throughout the week but we'll kind of put it to the test on Saturday."
Pelini also talked about Saturday's opponent, Southern Miss, and was impressed with the Golden Eagles on film.
"They are a much better football team than they were a year ago," Pelini said. "I don't know about the result or anything else and I know they turned the ball over six times last week but you put on the film and they'll get your attention. They have very good skill on the offensive side, they are fast on defense and aggressive."
Pelini added that he thinks the young players are making progress although they aren't where they need to be yet.
"I think their understanding grows by the day, by the practice, by the period, by the rep," Pelini said. "That's what it has to be. Going out there and understanding the defense is one thing but having to make adjustments within a game plan and according to your opponent is part of the process."
Pelini also named some specific young linebackers he was pleased with throughout the week.
"Michael Rose had an excellent week of practice," Pelini said. "As did Josh Banderas. Zaire Anderson worked his tail off this week. That's one thing about what we have going right now. We have some really good competition going on in practice and that's going to make you better as the season goes on."
Nebraska and Southern Miss will kick off at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Stadium with TV coverage provided by Big Ten Network.
Young defense, making progress, not there yet. I suspect we'll hear that for a while yet this season.
Look, I'm more organized!
B1G
Northwestern injury report vs. Syracuse: Kain Colter, Venric Mark "questionable" - Sippin' On Purple
Does Northwestern's injury report tell you anything about what will happen Saturday? Well, no, but it does tell you Fitz likes making wanking gestures at Sonny Dykes.
Indiana State At Purdue 2013: Preview Of A Win - Hammer and Rails
Purdue is 8-0 all-time against the FCS level with an average winning margin of over 35 points.
Behind Enemy Lines: A Q&A With Down The Drive - The Champaign Room
The Illini are facing the Bearcats on Saturday. Cincy's SB Nation Blog was kind enough to answer our questions and let you know the Cincy perspective on the game.
Jeremy Langford and a Shiny Bit of Hope - The Only Colors
Jeremy Langford had a pretty spectacular debut at RB this past weekend against WMU. The singular bright spot in an extremely disappointing debut by Michigan State.
Can SDSU make good on Dino Babers' prediction and upset Ohio State? - Land-Grant Holy Land
After Ohio State opened slow out of the gates, OSU runs square into a Mountain West Conference team that hasn't won east of the Mississippi in 40+ years. We chat with the experts on all things MWC, the Mountain West Connection, to get the lowdown.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Michigan Wolverines 2013 preview - Football Study Hall
Michigan and Notre Dame are each rebuilding rosters from opposing approaches while battling for heartland supremacy.
A whole lot here about the Notre Dame- Michigan game. Say what you want about either program, but I've always looked forward to this game. These are two the top programs in college football history - they should be playing each other every season.
Michigan-Notre Dame Q&A with One Foot Down - Maize n Brew
Patrick from One Foot Down joins me to talk Notre Dame football before this weekend's matchup, Under The Lights II
Three B1G Questions, Week 2: Will we miss the FCS? - Off Tackle Empire
After the Big Ten had THE BEST RECORD OF ANY CONFERENCE in Week 1, we look ahead to Michigan-Notre Dame and an otherwise easy slate -- and wonder whether or not those FCS games mean anything after a historic set of non-B1G upsets.
Nebraska
Hail Varsity Magazine – The Voice of Husker Nation: Numbers Game: Pick Your Poison
Brandon Vogel does a good job of putting forth an argument that Bo Pelini should change up his defense to do more against the run. I'm not sure I agree with his conclusions, however.
The spectators who leave football games early do not hold themselves to the standard they supposedly apply to themselves. They do not live up to their title. If they need a reminder about who they think they are when they enter a football game, that shouldn't be hard.
They pass the signs on their way out of the stadium, too.
Nice piece by Zach Tegler of the Daily Nebraskan about Husker fans leaving games early. I don't agree with his assessment about Bill Callahan in 2007. Husker fans should have left those games early, showing their displeasure in a regime that was failing. That's not now, though.
We heard about it last week. We especially see it during Nebrasketball games. Who are these Husker fans that are leaving early?
Is the traffic so bad in Lincoln that people are worried they won't get home until 2:00 am? Are the bars so packed that people worry they can't get a postgame drink?
What happened to the days that fans stayed around just to see who got into the game late? Our old Big 12 counterparts would frequently talk about Nebraska fans feeling entitled. We haven't been in the B1G long enough yet for those fans to pick up on that. Perhaps our old Big 12 counterparts were right.
I have to admit, I don't get it. There are people constantly hunting for tickets to these games. Husker fans have to "donate" to hang on to their season tickets. Yet they leave games early.
WTF is this all about?
Three Reasons Nebrasketball Will Be Better in 2013 - BT Powerhouse
Let's face it- Nebraska hoops isn't exactly a storied program, and the transition from being trampled by Kansas to being trampled by 9 good teams in the B1G has been much more difficult on the hardwood than the gridiron.
National
Playoff Projection: Which teams join 'Bama in the field?
USA Today isn't waiting until 2014 to get the projections of their playoff selection committee as to who the four teams would be were there a four-team playoff held today. It's an interesting concept, and a reminder that everything will change next season.
Sporting Focus: Behind the Lens with Andrew Hancock - Good Bull Hunting
Professional Sports Photographer and Former Student Andy Hancock invited Good Bull Hunting to assist him on an Aggie Football photoshoot with Johnny Manziel. Here is our story and interview with the man behind the camera.
Florida vs. Miami: What if the Gators-'Canes rivalry had remained an annual series? - Alligator Army
The last time Florida and Miami met as part of an annual series was in 1987. But what if that series hadn't ended?