Flakes: Chickens, Tumbleweeds, Football Stuff, and Science

Good morning Corn Nation! We are in the midst of a mini heat wave in northeast Nebraska. We have near-90 degree weather on deck.

Here on the ranch, something has been killing chickens. Our loyal dog has been helping by finding the remnants of each carcass and bringing it up to the front yard. Sigh. At least the little rooster we did not want was among the first victims. We can smell skunk in the area but the holes in the chicken wire point to a raccoon being the likely culprit. Maybe both are to blame.

The ranch boys will be reinforcing the fence this weekend.

Besides chicken predators, fall also brings tumbleweeds. This video is what I imagine people in large cities assume Nebraska and surrounding states look like.

Driver Faces Off Against Thousands Of Tumbleweeds Blowing Across The Road - Digg
And this was just after a plow drove through them all to clear a path down the middle of the road.

Corn Flakes

Charting Oregon – What You Can Do, Now We Can Do Too – Through These Gates . . .
Wow.  When I said buckle up, I meant it in theory, but I wasn't sure what it would look like in person.  Then game time hit and Huskers offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf put out one of the most interesting F U games I've ever seen, going Gun with 11 personnel for the overwhelming part of the day and…

Northwestern to honor late Huskers punter Sam Foltz with helmet sticker | CSN Chicago
Pat Fitzgerald announced Monday that his team will sport special helmet stickers, the same stickers Nebraska is wearing this season, to honor Sam Foltz, the Nebraska punter who was killed in a car accident this summer.

Football score predictions: Nebraska vs. Northwestern | Sports | dailynebraskan.com
Brett Nierengarten, senior sports editor: Nebraska 27, Northwestern 24

Huskers guarding against letdown after big win over Oregon (Sep 19, 2016) | FOX Sports
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Coming off an emotional win over Oregon, Nebraska's task this week is to keep its mojo going.

Special teams excel for NU - The Grand Island Independent: Latest Huskers News
LINCOLN — Nebraska was down to No. 22 Oregon 20-7 late in the first half Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Non-Football Flakes

Nebrasketball had some famous visitors.

Huskers Ranked 10th in First RPI - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
The Nebraska women's soccer team (7-3-0, 1-1-0 Big Ten) earned the No. 10 spot in the first set of RPI Rankings for this season, released by the NCAA on Monday.

No. 1 Huskers enter Big Ten play - The Grand Island Independent: Latest Huskers News
LINCOLN — It gets real now for John Cook’s Nebraska volleyball team.

Huskers Fall to Penn State in Match Play - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
Emily Gillman defeated Penn State's Madeleine Herr 1UP to give the Nebraska women's golf team its lone victory in head-to-head duals with the Nittany Lions at the East & West Match Play Challenge on Monday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Schedule Rundown

An article for each opponent on the Husker football schedule. We start with last week's opponent, Oregon. They seem a little pessimistic after losing a game and some key players.

Slingin' Quack: We Are A Basketball School Anyways - Addicted To Quack
Slingin’ Quack is back talking about the game against Nebraska, the injuries, the team’s improvement, and preview Colorado.

Inside the Play: Vault and Carr beat the defense deep - Inside NU
Northwestern finally got its deep passing game on track against Duke

Buckle Up, Illinois Football Fans, It’s Gonna Be A Bumpy Ride - The Champaign Room
It’s gonna be a long time before we see tangible results from this rebuild.

Kevin Wilson to Indiana fans: Stay until the end of the danged game - The Crimson Quarry
Indiana’s coach is tired of watching the stands empty well-before the game ends. He’s got a point.

The Darrell Hazell Hot Seat Watch Week 4 - Hammer and Rails
Mike Bobinski has a decision to make on November 27th. We’re just trying to help.

The Big Ten West is going to be wild - Bucky's 5th Quarter
Nebraska is up. Iowa is down. The division is there for the taking.

Urban Meyer's flipped the script on Ohio State fans’ nightmares - Land-Grant Holy Land
2006’s ending you wish you could forget has turned into something unforgettable.

Football Concepts, Schemes, Formations: TDG Football Seminar Discusses Receiver Patterns - The Daily Gopher
Welcome back to Week 3 of the second edition of TDG’s Football Seminar. Like the Gophers, we decided to take the bye week off because sometimes life is more important than learning about receiver...

Maryland football is headed into a bye week, and things seem okay - Testudo Times
Taking stock of the Terps during the bye week.

North Dakota State football solidifies status in Iowa win
North Dakota State football may find a shortage of willing Power 5 opponents after its win over Iowa, but the Bison have no doubt they belong

Is there a quick fix to Fresno State football’s physicality deficit? | Fresno Bee
Fresno State got pushed around in a 52-17 loss at Toledo in which it allowed 619 yards of offense while generating only 254. Part of the problem, coach Tim DeRuyter said, is the Bulldogs played tentatively, unsure in their technique and adjustments. The Bulldogs will look to simplify schemes, trying to get back to playing faster and with more confidence.

Wyoming avoids pitfalls of a week ago in response to turnover | Football | trib.com
LARAMIE — For a second, it looked it might be deja vu for Wyoming.

Elsewhere In Sports

This is becoming one of my favorite weekly features over at OffTackleEmpire - SB Nation's Big Ten site.

Big Ten Football Preview: Week 4 in MS Paint Infographics - Off Tackle Empire
Previewing Week 4 for those of you who don’t feel like reading

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo attends funeral of Army DB Brandon Jackson
The funeral for Army defensive back Brandon Jackson was held in New York City on Monday, and representatives from the Black Knights’ biggest rival, Navy, were in attendance to pay their respects. Per the Associated Press, among those from Navy in attendance were head coach Ken Niumatalolo and members

Bob Stoops limiting player availability to media after backup QB's 'basic' comments
Kendall, Oklahoma’s freshman backup quarterback, said last week that Ohio State’s defense was "basic" and that he expected Baker Mayfield to "light them up." As you know, Oklahoma was blown out by Ohio State on Saturday, dropping the Sooners to 1-2.

Just a reminder. Rutgers fired their very unpopular athletic director only to hire this guy.

Rutgers AD apologizes for drinking beer at tailgate party; event shut down
Rutgers AD Pat Hobbs says he's sorry for accepting beer at tailgate party; event canceled after incident

This and That

Tardigrades sound like the perfect offensive lineman...well if they gain 300 lbs.

Tardigrades can live 30 years in a freezer and survive in space, and now we know why - The Verge
Tardigrades — also known as "water bears" — are microscopic animals that can live through almost anything: 30 years in a freezer, rapid dehydration, boiling and freezing temperatures, massive doses...

Have a great Wednesday everyone!