They need to embarrass the Tigers like Mizzou did to them last season.

On Thursday night, both Nebraska and Missouri open up their respective Big 12 Conference schedules. For these two teams, though, it’s more than just another conference opener.

Missouri made a joke of Nebraska last season, blasting the Huskers 52-17 on national television in Lincoln–it couldn’t have been much worse for NU.

After a competitive game against Virginia Tech in 2008, which they lost 35-30, Nebraska laid an egg against Missouri and went on to lose its third-consecutive game to Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas–a game they should have won.

This year is much different, even though the records might now show it. Nebraska is once again a one-loss team heading into its game against undefeated Missouri, but the Huskers are ranked higher.

Missouri fought its way into the top-25 after winning four fluff games against Illinois, Bowling Green, Furman and Nevada.

Illinois looked to be a legit win to start the season, but the Fighting Illini have since proven that idea wrong with blowout losses to Ohio State (justified) and Penn State (who lost to an Iowa team that could barely withstand Northern Iowa and Arkansas State).

Unless Missouri has yet another cat in the bag, the Tigers are going to be pulled out into the open by a stronger Nebraska team and be discovered for what they really are–a mediocre Big 12 Conference football team.

At least this year.

Missouri has been the one team to prove me wrong in the past, but Nebraska finally has the defense to shut down a fairly weak Missouri offensive attack. The Blackshirts are the top scoring defense in the country, too.

The Huskers and Tigers meet up for a big primetime showdown Thursday night on ESPN–Final Score: Nebraska 38, Missouri 17

After choking in the final minutes in Blacksburg, Va. against an overrated Virginia Tech team, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini went Tim Tebow on everybody.

After Florida loss to Ole Miss last season by just one point, Tim Tebow broke out what is now called “the promise.”

There isn’t a name for what Pelini did in his weekly Tuesday press conference quite yet, but I will go ahead and name it “The Vow.”

Here it is, hope you enjoy it:

“We’re going to come out on Saturday, and I promise you you’re going to see a group of guys playing with passion. You’re not going to see anybody crying about what happened last week. Our guys are going to come out, and they are going to play their tails off. That’s what’s going to happen. I vow that’s what’s going to happen on Saturday.”

Pelini didn’t use Tebow tears or a red face. He said it sternly, while looking at every last reporter in that conference room. He had the look of a guy that knew his ego took a blow after falling to the Hokies.

Pelini elected to do pooch punts and field goals over taking any major risk against the Hokies, and it backfired on him. Tyrod Taylor, who had been bottled up all game long made the play of his season (once again against Nebraska) by launching an 80-yard bomb down the sideline putting the Hokies just 3 yards away from victory.

They took the long way to scoring the touchdown, but VT officially did put the dagger in Nebraska, something Pelini had ample chances to do the Hokies.

Oh well, if Pelini runs the table and wins out in a very competitive Big 12 Conference, maybe they’ll erect a plaque with “The Vow” outside of Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

Only time will tell.

The Owls burned an N resembling their first opponent in 2009 in the Nebraska Cornhuskers to start their annual school bonfire.

However, what was meant as a commemorative symbol to start the 2009 school year down in Florida has ruffled a couple of feathers in Lincoln.

No coach or player would talk about it, but NU safety Larry Asante alluded to it during the weekly Tuesday press conference.

To say the least, the guy that will be able to hit players with FAU on their helmet come Saturday wasn’t happy, and frankly was a little ticked off.

“Coach came in and he gave us a little speech that I can’t go into, but what they are doing down there–that’s not football,” Asante said. “You should just show up and play and let all the other stuff take care of itself.”

As if Nebraska wasn’t already fired up enough to finally get out there and play somebody else besides themselves, now they get this. This piece of bulletin board material is offered up by a team that lost 52-10 to Texas in their season-opener last season.

Now granted, Nebraska may not have the firepower to cook the Owls quite as handily as the Horns did last season, but this YouTube clip should add fuel to the fire.

View clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z05bhLj-FEM

Nebraska right now is favored to beat the Owls by 22 points, but don’t be surprised if that gets bumped up a little more at least in the minds of NU.

Who knows, maybe Nebraska will scorch the Owls by a score similar to 52-10 and they will have something to commemorate themselves.

Dumb move by the Owls–we’ll see how much it hurts them come Saturday.

Double teams, chop blocks, possibly even triple teams if two aren’t enough. When asked about being ready for the extra attention on Saturday, a small smirk formed on his face before simply stating: “I’m aware.”

The preseason All-American defensive tackle has gotten more publicity than any other defensive tackle in the country. He’s projected as high as the top pick for next year’s NFL Draft. He’s aware of that, too.

He’s a candidate for the 2009 Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy, Nagurski Award and the Lott Trophy, and the guy hasn’t even crouched down for his first snap of the regular season.

His head coach Bo Pelini knows all that “stuff” is out there about his star defensive tackle, but has no concern about it affecting Suh’s play on the field.

“His year is going to be defined by how he plays when the ball is snapped,” Pelini said. “Forget all the other stuff—that means nothing at this point. He’s a marked man, and he needs to get after it and play at a high level.”

Suh will play at a high level, there’s no doubt about that, but it might not be seen statistically under his name. If guys like defensive tackle Jared Crick and defensive ends Pierre Allen and Barry Turner are putting up huge numbers, Suh is possibly taking on the biggest workload.

It’s a new situation for the 6-foot-4, 300 pounder. Last year, he was under the radar and excelled significantly, leading the team in tackles, sacks and the always funny stat—interceptions.

He wasn’t just a defensive threat either. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson liked the kid so much he created a whole other offensive scheme that players called the “Ducky formation,” which was essentially a revamped version of NU’s goal line offense.

Along with his play on defense, Suh tallied 3 touchdowns and 81 total all-purpose yards—beating wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen, graduated tight end Hunter Teafatiller and full back Thomas Lawson last season.

Not bad for a guy who is now a main concern for opposing offenses.

But is the Husker standout ready for the spotlight? Yes, and if he has it his way, he won’t back away from it either.

“It’s a combination of some pressure and not much pressure,” Suh said. “I just want to do the best I can and be a big part of helping this team win.”

As for being considered a top draft pick, he’s not too shy about that either.

“I’ve looked at it, and I’ve had friends text me and call me about it, but it’s all theoretical,” Suh said. “Nothing is set in stone, and I will still need to perform on the field this year.”

Luckily for Suh, NFL scouts don’t look at just statistics when evaluating a player. That’s why they show up to games instead of just reading box scores. Scouts will be able to see Suh open up opportunities for his teammates this season, and he will continue to have top draft pick potential.

The future NFL draft pick isn’t big on being the flashy star on a football team, nor does he like talking about all of his hype—but he’ll never deny his situation, which is an enviable one at that.

Suh gets to start his season Saturday, and he couldn’t be more appreciative of that fact. Florida Atlantic is going to come into Memorial Stadium and pass the ball—that’s a given.

Last season, the Owls took on another Big 12 Conference team in Texas to start the season. They passed the ball 39 times on the day in contrast to just 23 rush attempts. Neither worked out well for FAU, as they fell 52-10 to the Longhorns, and Nebraska can only hope for the same result on Saturday.

With a passing attack looming for the Nebraska defense, Suh might not show up significantly statistically—at least in terms of tackles and for that matter tackles for a loss.

But who knows, maybe he can pace himself to lead the team in interceptions again. It is something he joked he wouldn’t mind one bit as long as it is more than the two he got last year.

The spotlight will not change Suh, and he will tell you that all the way until he’s drafted. Knowing that, expect more of the same from “Ducky” this fall, and that’s a message for both opposing offenses and opposing defenses.

The team went from being ranked 115th out of 120 FBS college football teams in 2007 to 84th in 2008, and that was with base package material according to his players.

According to several players, they expect to make a leap defensively in 2009 compared to what some saw as baby steps in 2008.

“(We have) experience,” senior safety Larry Asante said. “We’ve been through a lot, we’ve seen a lot. We understand the whole defense, so with experience and practice, it’s just coming together at the right time.”

All spring and early fall has been spent by the Nebraska coaches preaching the “why” aspect of the NU defense, and because of that, each player is now comfortable and ready for bigger steps to be taken according to Asante.

Secondary coach Marvin Sanders agrees. He said it was good to see his team get their feet wet in ’08, but he expects much more this season.

“Last year we put the system in, and they were just kind of picking their way through what they could understand,” Sanders said. “But now as coaches what we are telling them is that we can go to level two.”

With several questions lining the defensive experience in certain spots, primarily at linebacker, Pelini says not everything can be predictable come Saturday.

With the departure of linebacker Cody Glenn and Tyler Wortman from an already youthful core last season, Pelini knows some things just have to be played out in the heat of a Saturday game day.

“It’s part of the deal,” Pelini said. “You got to work the kinks out. I hope we light it up on both sides of the football and play a perfect football game, but I’m realistic enough that none of that is probably going to happen.”

Pelini said he doesn’t concern himself with age or experience of a player as long as he feels he can get the job done. With new faces stepping into positions like linebacker, defensive tackle and in the defensive backfield, he said it’s on them to succeed.

“They are going to lean on themselves, because no one will be out there helping them,” Pelini said. “There are going to be guys around them obviously, but they have to handle their responsibility. I have confidence in them or I wouldn’t be putting them out there. It’s time for them to stand on their own two feet, be a man and show up.”

The defensive line is seen by coaches and players as the strength of the NU defense this season, and it will be led by preseason All-American defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Suh comes in with larger expectations than ever before to lead this year’s defense, and he hasn’t backed down.

“The foundation is set and the expectations are known,” Suh said. “Most of the people in starting roles understand what needs to get done. They know what the expectations are or else they wouldn’t be there.”

The defensive improvements go farther than just knowing the expectations and having the experience this year. Asante said a lot of the improvement will be seen by how the team communicates on every play.

“As long as we communicate, we will survive the down, and we won’t give up big plays,” Asante said. “We took that personally amongst us as a defense to get that corrected. We communicate, and we let each other know what’s going on just to make sure we’re all on the right page.”

Asante reiterated that the confusion is gone, which in turn leaves less room for excuses come game day. Each player knows what every other player is doing and why they are doing it, allowing players like Asante and Suh the opportunity to go after the ball more often.

The talking is almost over, and Pelini said Saturday will determine where this team is and how far it needs to go.

 “There’s that little bit of the unknown,” Pelini said. “I feel like I’m confident in our football team and I’m confident they will be well-prepared. That’s why you play the games right?”

1) Nebraska Cornhuskers

Most will think this is just me being a homer because this is “The Husker Blog,” but this prediction is with a completely unbiased eye. Nebraska made leaps and bounds last season from the completely dismantled Bill Callahan era, and that was with coach Bo Pelini not being able to do half the stuff he wish he could with the NU defense.

This year it will be even more of a revitalization for the Big Red, and it will all be determined nationally in Blacksburg, VA in the late non-conference schedule. If Nebraska can jump that hurdle before the Big 12 season starts, they won’t only be contenders for the Big 12 championship, but possibly a national championship.

Yes, Nebraska lost its quarterback Joe Ganz, who made play after play for the Huskers last season, but the good thing for NU is it has a Joe Ganz clone that will start for them this season in Zac Lee. Lee has been groomed by Ganz to be able to do everything Ganz did and possibly better–mainly because Lee is actually faster than him.

Lee may not have the game experience, but that will come with the fluff games before Virginia Tech. The Huskers’ two big contests in the North will come against Missouri and Kansas–both on the road. If they can get two W’s out of that and make the game against Oklahoma respectable, spirits will be high in Lincoln.

NEBRASKA 2009 SCHEDULE

September 5 -         Florida Atlantic

September 12 -       Arkansas State

September 19 -       @ Virginia Tech

September 26 -       UL Lafayette

October 3 -                BYE WEEK

October 8 -                @ Missouri

October 17 -              Texas Tech

October 24 -              Iowa State

October 31 -              @ Baylor

November 7 -           Oklahoma

November 14 -         @ Kansas

November 21 -         Kansas State

November 27 -         @ Colorado

The Huskers have the second-most difficult schedule in the Big 12 North, but they do get lucky without having to play Texas or Oklahoma State in the regular season.

Optimistic record:        10-2

Realistic record:               9-3

Pessimistic record:          7-5

2) Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks are picked by many to win the Big 12 North, and rightfully so. KU is returning basically its entire team from last season and showed flashes of being ready for the big time with a win over Missouri to end the regular season in 2008. The win catapulted the Jayhawks into headlines across the country because Missouri (somehow) was seen as a viable threat to Oklahoma’s run at the national championship game.

That turned out to be a flat out lie as Oklahoma gave Mizzou a swift kick in the butt for the second-straight year in the Big 12 title game. The Jayhawks should be able to knock Missouri off again in 2009 considering the Tigers are missing Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman and Jeremy Maclin–essentially the only reason they won games last year.

The reason I have KU under Nebraska is because although the Jayhawks are bringing nearly everybody back from last season, it’s that “nearly everybody” that went up to Lincoln and lost in a game that was somewhat close until the end. The final score was 45-35 and to be honest, that should have Nebraska worried considering they have to play the Jayhawks in Lawrence this season.

The last couple times Nebraska has traveled to Lawrence it hasn’t been pretty for the team with the N on its helmet.

2007: 76-39 Kansas            2005: 40-15 Kansas

Unfortunately for Kansas, there is just a different air in the Big 12 North right now, and as much as Kansas wants to convince all of us that they are a national power….they’re not.

KANSAS 2009 SCHEDULE

September 5 -              Northern Colorado

September 12 -            @ UTEP

September 19 -            Duke

September 26 -            Southern Miss

October 3 -                     BYE WEEK

October 10 -                  Iowa State

October 17 -                  @ Colorado

October 24 -                  Oklahoma

October 31 -                   @ Texas Tech

November 7 -                @ Kansas State

November 14 -              Nebraska

November 21 -              @ Texas

November 28 -              Missouri (In Kansas City)

The telling time for the Jayhawks will be their last three games of the season. The Nebraska-Texas-Missouri stretch is something to keep an eye on. If KU can take two of those three, they should more than likely topple Nebraska for the Big 12 North. However, if they can’t make it out of that on the upside or if they somehow mess up in the games leading up to it, then they will not be playing for a Big 12 title.

Not to mention they scheduled absolutely nobody for their non-conference games, so KU will  be a soft 4-0 heading into conference play, but luckily for them, the first Big 12 game is against Iowa State. After that, we’ll see if KU can rock the chalk.

Optimistic record: 10-2

Realistic record: 8-4

Pessimistic record: 7-5

3) Missouri Tigers

Missouri should and will take a sad drop this year from where they have been in the past. Unless the Tigers can find some miraculous way to survive losing their quarterback, tight end and wide receiver that made the offense what it was, it will be a rebuilding year in Columbia. Considering the significant losses, finishing third isn’t all that bad.

The rebuilding process will start with a heck of a team in Illinois. The Fighting Illini were one of very few teams who even challenged Missouri to start the ’08 season, and now one would think that since Mizzou lost nearly all the playmakers that Illinois would pounce on the down Tigers.

After that, Mizzou gets Bowling Green, Furman and Nevada before the start of conference play–wake me up when that’s over. The Tigers should make it through that without geting declawed, but their first conference game might be their biggest conference game they play all season. Big enough to say if they lose, the season could be gone, and if they win the season could be on.

That of course is a conference opener against Nebraska in Columbia. The good thing for the Tigers is the fact that they have shredded the Huskers the last three times NU has come across the borders into Missouri. Consecutive scores of 41-24, 41-24 and 41-6 against Nebraska have the Huskers tired of allowing 41 points to Mizzou, but most would think 41 is a tall order for an offense without its top three playmakers from last season.

Missouri isn’t completely out of the hunt for winning the Big 12 North, but they are a distant third. Who knows, I thought the same thing about Missouri after they lost Brad Smith, so I’ve been wrong about them before.

MISSOURI 2009 SCHEDULE

September 5 -               Illinois (In St. Louis)

September 12 -             Bowling Green

September 19 -             Furman

September 25 -             @ Nevada

October 3 -                     BYE WEEK

October 8 -                      Nebraska

October 17 -                   @ Oklahoma State

October 24 -                   Texas

October 31 -                    @ Colorado

November  7 -               Baylor

November 14 -               @ Kansas State

November 21 -              Iowa State

November 28 -              Kansas (In Kansas City)

This conference schedule is pretty brutal early, but definitely dies off in the end. What this means is the Tigers will have to come out firing early or not fire all season. If Mizzou gets clawed up in the Nebraska-Oklahoma State-Texas-Colorado stretch, nobody will care what they do in the final four games. Personally, Mizzou will probably come out of that stretch 1-3 (2-2 if the Tigers are lucky) and if that does happen, the season will be over for people in Columbia.

Hell, they barely beat Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl to end last season just because they were pouting about losing to Kansas and Oklahoma in their last two games. If they don’t win, they pack it in. It’s how Missouri works.

Optimistic record: 9-3

Realistic record: 7-5

Pessimistic record: 6-6

4) Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado ended the 2008-09 season with a bad taste in their mouth. They rightfully should have beat Nebraska in Lincoln–a game that was changed quickly by a 57-yard field goal off the foot of Husker kicker Alex Henery in the waning minutes of the game. If Henery misses that field goal, CU runs out the clock and fans in Lincoln might not have been too excited to play Clemson in the Gator Bowl. To be honest, Nebraska wouldn’t have been in the Gator Bowl.

This season is not looking much better for Colorado, as almost all the teams around them have improved including Nebraska and Kansas in the North. The one win the Buffs might get that they didn’t get last season will be over Missouri. Another helper fact is that CU gets Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri (The top 3 in the north) all at home in 2009.

The true test for Colorado will take place in their fourth game on October 1. The Buffs travel to West Virginia for a rematch of the big win Colorado was able to notch last season in Boulder. Luckily for the Buffs that doesn’t have to concern them much in terms of conference play, but it doesn’t really help when a road game at Texas is buddied up right next to it.

For Colorado, a lot of expectations (what little there are) are riding on the shoulders of people nobody has heard of. The receivers might be the worst in the Big 12 right there next to Iowa State. For Colorado to have a real chance at any success this season, Cody Hawkins will need to step up and try to be comparable to other quarterbacks in the Big 12 (Bradford, McCoy, etc…). In the end…good luck.

Colorado 2009 SCHEDULE

September 6 -               Colorado State

September 11 -             @ Toledo

September 19 -             Wyoming

September 26 -             BYE WEEK

October 1 -                     @ West Virginia

October 10 -                  @ Texas

October 17 -                   Kansas

October 24 -                   @ Kansas State

October 31 -                    Missouri

November  7 -               Texas A&M

November 14 -               @ Iowa State

November 19 -              @ Oklahoma State

November 27 -              Nebraska

The non-conference schedule for the Buffaloes is somewhat impressive just because they have to go to take on the Mountaineers at their place, and Toledo has been a team that can cause mediocre teams fits. Add Colorado State to it all and I will grade the non-conference schedule a solid B. Conference schedule doesn’t look too great for the Buffs as they have to take on Texas, KU, Oklahoma State and Nebraska with OSU and Nebraska being back to back to end the season….ouch!

Colorado might play one good team close, but don’t expect any huge upsets for CU in 2009.

Optimistic record: 9-3

Realistic record: 6-6

Pessimistic record: 4-8

5) Kansas State

Kansas State is trying to evoke a little Nebraska magic down in Manhattan. The Huskers brought legend Tom Osborne closer to the Husker football program once again, and the team went out under main man Bo Pelini and got 9 wins and a Gator Bowl victory over highly touted Clemson. The Wildcats are hoping the same thing can happen for them considering they are bringing back the beloved Bill Snyder to begin coaching once again near Aggieville (and no I’m not referencing Texas A&M at all). There’s just one problem, they are bringing back Snyder to coach, something Nebraska won’t consider anymore in terms of Osborne.

The Wildcats didn’t do half bad under former coach Ron Prince, and what impressed me most was the fact that Texas could never knock off KSU with Prince at the helm. So although he did nothing but beat Texas through most of his tenure, he’ll always have Mack Brown hating him. Now on to Mr. Snyder.

Frankly, the man had his legacy sealed in Manhattan. The man could have not lifted one more finger and he would have been remembered by Wildcat after Wildcat as possibly the greatest coach to ever grace the field now named after him. But what does he do? Of course he comes out of retirement to get blasted by a much different college football world.

It will be interesting to see if Snyder is up with the times of college football in 2009, so I can’t officially say he will be laughed out of Manhattan–but I will go with close to. Snyder’s coming back to the Big 12 Conference at a time where the big guns are all back for the big teams. Sam Bradford is back in Norman, Colt McCoy in Austin and Zac Robinson in Stillwater. The one break Snyder will get is the fact that those are all quarterbacks in the south, but he still has to face the defending Heisman Trophy winner.

Kansas State 2009 SCHEDULE

September 5 -               Massachusetts

September 12 -             @ UL-Lafayette

September 19 -             @ UCLA

September 26 -             Tennessee Tech

October 3 -                     Iowa State (in Kansas City)

October 10 -                  @ Texas Tech

October 17 -                   Texas A&M

October 24 -                   Colorado

October 31 -                    @ Oklahoma

November  7 -                Kansas

November 14 -               Missouri

November 21-              @ Nebraska

November 28 -              BYE WEEK

One rare thing when you look at the KSU schedule is the fact that they do not get a break at all in the middle of the season. They will never have an extra week to prepare for an opponent and heal up from the previous game. That makes life pretty hard for the Wildcats down in Manhattan, and it’s very doubtful that the bye week they finally get at the end of season will be a good one, and it certaintly won’t be giving them more rest in preparation of a Big 12 Championship game. Snyder won’t be able to turn the ship around in one year, but who knows, maybe the old smash-mouth style of football will catch all the defenses waiting for the spread off guard.

Optimistic record: 8-4

Realistic record: 6-6

Pessimistic record: 4-8

6) Iowa State

Now to the part of the Big 12 North preview I don’t think anybody would like to really talk about–the Iowa State Cyclones. It pains me to write about the Cyclones in the somber mood because I do have a friend that is a die-hard Cyclone fan, so much to actually make him think ISU can actually make a bowl game in 2009. (I laughed internally…)

This isn’t a blow to Paul Rhoads self-esteem by any measure. The poor guy was just left absolutely nothing to work with by former coach Gene Chizik who got a first-class ticket straight out of the land of doom. Austen Arnaud will under-perform like always and there won’t be anybody around him to really help him, which makes things even worse for the first-year coach.

Rhoads himself even seemed quiet and to himself at the Big 12 Media Days because he knew he couldn’t really step up to the microphone and say his team was going to be good in 2009. In the end, will Rhoads make Iowa State respectable again? Yes. Will he bring them far enough back to where they will compete for a legitimate shot at the Big 12 Championship? Not in the next 5-10 years. I sure hope Rhoads wants to stay in Ames and really get his hands dirty, because that’s the only trick to turning this pony around anytime in the next decade.

Iowa State 2009 SCHEDULE

September 3 -               North Dakota State

September 12 -             Iowa

September 19 -             @ Kent State

September 26 -             Army

October 3 -                     Kansas State (in Kansas City)

October 10 -                  @ Kansas

October 17 -                   Baylor

October 24 -                   @ Nebraska

October 31 -                    @ Texas A&M

November  7 -                Oklahoma State

November 14 -               Colorado

November 21-              @ Missouri

November 28 -              BYE WEEK

Like Kansas State, the Cyclones don’t get a break once they play their first game. In fact, the biggest break they get will be after that first game (9 day break) before they get ready for their much-hated rival Iowa. It’s hard to say that this team has even a fighting chance of doing anything in year one under Paul Rhoads, but one can always hope.

Last year, ISU started 2-0 and couldn’t win a game the rest of the season. I see this happening pretty much in the same way, but with a loss to Iowa tossed in. The Cyclones should be 3-1 heading into conference play, and even though Rhoads has the easiest conference schedule he will have in the next three years (No Texas or Oklahoma), I still don’t see the Cyclones mustering up a Big 12 win this season. If my friend reads this, I apologize in advance!

Optimistic record: 6-6

Realistic record: 3-8

Pessimistic record: 2-9

Love it or hate it, this is the way I see the Big 12 North in 2009. Let me know what you think!

It’s just a small piece to the puzzle of what the potential 2010 NFL Draft No. 1 pick is. He’s tough to figure out, but if you really get to know the guy, he might be a good friend of yours for a long time to come.

I did a full length feature on Ndamukong months back, and as we get ready for the start of the new college football season, I thought I’d share who Ndamukong Suh really is, because frankly–you’re going to be hearing his name a lot in 2009.

Here’s the story, hope you all enjoy!

Suh treasures family, heritage over NFL stardom

Ndamukong Suh knows this story hasn’t been told, and that’s just fine with him.

Frankly, he’d prefer to be just like you or me: out of sight, out of mind.  

But this past season, the 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound defensive lineman made that pretty hard, considering he led the Nebraska football team with 76 tackles, including a team-high 7.5 sacks. Surprisingly, he also was the co-leader in interceptions with two.  But this is the story, excuse the yawn, almost everybody already knows.

So let’s peel away a few more layers and expose a chapter or two that not every Husker fanatic has committed to memory just yet.

It’s the end of the 2008-09 football season and Ndamukong has a tough decision to make: Should he forsake his college education to play for millions of dollars in the National Football League, or stay in school one more year, get his degree and position himself to one day take over his father’s construction management business?

The decision quickly became a battle between Ndamukong’s traditional upbringing and the quick riches that help define American culture. In the end, his family’s cultural values and a college degree came out on top.

“I’d be the only person in my family not to get one if that was the case,” said the 22-year-old senior construction management major. “It’s one thing that drives me.”

The Portland, Ore., native is the son of Michael and Bernadette Suh, neither of whom was born in America. Michael immigrated to America from Cameroon and owns his own equipment business, while Bernadette found her way to the states from Jamaica and teaches first and second grade. Ndamukong has an older sister and two younger ones, and without them the NU defensive tackle wouldn’t be who he is today-or more importantly where he is today.

In the end, the decision to stay in school wasn’t made in a few days or even a few weeks. Instead, it evolved from certain moments in Suh’s childhood and on into his adolescent life. When decision time arrived, it was those developments and a little motherly advice that went a long way.
“I told him he needs to work on getting his degree regardless of what happened,” his mother said. “I told him that the ultimate goal is to get his degree, and I think he has always kept that (in mind) because that is a must for him.”

Growing up in Portland, Ndamukong was quiet and reserved as a child-mainly because of other kids bullying him.

“People would pick on him for being taller and bigger than everybody,” said Ngum Suh, his older sister. “He grew up with people picking on him. I always stuck up for him. I told them to leave him alone.”

At 26, Ngum is the oldest of the four Suh siblings and serves as not only a sister, but as her brother’s best friend. Because of their family heritage, Ngum said it was hard for her and her brother to relate to other kids their age growing up in their neighborhood.

“We grew up with three cultures, so it was a matter of us trying to find a way to fit in,” Ngum said.

Ngum said the multiple cultures – Jamaican, African and American – made her and her brother unsure of who would really understand them. At times, it seemed as if they were the only ones who understood each other.

“She knows almost everything about me,” Ndamukong said. “We have an open relationship, and that’s the way it’s been since she’s left for college.”

In fact, Ngum was the first one he called when trying to choose between the NFL and a college degree.

For a long time, his sister and his family were the only ones Ndamukong trusted – and that created some problems.

“When I was younger, I wasn’t necessarily a bad child, but I was hard-headed,” he said. “I respected my parents, but if you weren’t my parents or my parents didn’t give you authority, I didn’t really listen to you.”

That mindset changed one day.

It was another morning on the basketball court. The game got under way, and young Suh took control of the game. He would try to monopolize it as much as he could, and it didn’t take long for the others to feel slighted. Soon, another boy began making fun of Suh’s size: huge, gigantic, a monster. Ndamukong could only take so much. He charged the boy, picked him up and slammed him to the hardwood floor.

His father rushed to the school to meet with the principal and to discuss his son’s behavior. What followed was a discussion that both still remember vividly.  

“I told him if you want to succeed at what you want to do, just show it,” Michael Suh said. “I think that one time changed who he was. I think it made a big difference in him.”

It did.

Once freshman year arrived, Ndamukong had changed and so had his surroundings. His sister went off to college on a soccer scholarship, leaving him feeling alone for the first time.

Sports became his new best friend-although they had played a role in his life since age 3. Soccer, basketball and track were a part of his childhood, but now he found a passion for football-with his mother’s permission of course. He had to overcome her dislike of the physical nature of the game by getting at least a 3.0 GPA his freshman year.

However, his sophomore year he received the green light from his mother to compete in the new sport he loved. He played both football and basketball throughout high school and leaned toward jumping to college basketball upon graduation. But his own basketball coaches told him football was his home, his future – not basketball.

So those same coaches sent their star basketball player to football camps, and soon Ndamukong received scholarship offers from Oregon and Oregon State. But he didn’t want to stay put-he wanted to branch out and meet new people away from home.

Months later, Suh found himself unpacking in a dorm room in Lincoln, Neb.

The decision came solely from Ndamukong, considering his parents wanted their son to stay closer to home. With no friends, and a commitment to a university hundreds of miles from home, Suh felt like a fish out of water-a very big fish.

Former Nebraska linebacker Cody Glenn became a close friend early in Suh’s freshman year. He, Glenn and NU junior defensive end David Harvey all lived in the same dorm complex their freshman year and it didn’t take long for the three to mesh.

“After a while, we were always together,” Glenn said. “If you saw one of us, you’ll at least see one more of us right next to them.”

Still, his sister remains one of the few people who have seen the defensive force let his guard down. And when he does, she can barely stop laughing.

“He’s a big goof once he opens up,” Ngum said. “People don’t really know this about him, but he is really funny. At home, you’ll catch him dancing around and singing. He was doing a dance and singing ‘I Kissed a Girl’ (by Katy Perry) and I have it on video.”

After kissing a Gator Bowl trophy on Jan. 1, Ndamukong eventually decided he didn’t want his road at Nebraska to end just yet.

He wants his degree in construction management so he can take over his father’s business, a goal which has its roots in African culture. In Cameroon, it is tradition that the parents spend all the energy they can to take care of their children. But once the time comes, the role switches and the children pour all they can into taking care of the parents. Ndamukong said he wants to see those roles switch soon, so he can see his parents retire.

“It makes me almost shed a tear,” his father said. “In Cameroon, when you grow up, personally your parents are everything to you.”

It’s likely the family will shed even more tears when they see Ndamukong walking across that stage and nabbing the biggest award of his collegiate career-a college degree.

The Cornhuskers went 9-4 in 2008, a far cry from anything Husker nation could have predicted with former coach Bill Callahan at the helm. However, Bo should know more than anybody that once you have a successful season coaching the Nebraska football team, you’re expected to have a better one.

It’s going to be harder for Pelini considering he is facing a much more difficult schedule than he did in his first season. He has to take NU to Blacksburg, Va. and hope to knock off what should be a Top 5 Virginia Tech team.

Not to mention a visit from Oklahoma to Lincoln along with two road games at Kansas and at Missouri where Nebraska has frankly been smacked around the last couple times they’ve been to each.

With the coals getting a little bit more rosy under his seat, Pelini said there’s not much to worry about.

Things are changing in Lincoln according to the second-year coach, and changing for the better. The culture had a black cloud hanging over its head with Bill Callahan holding the reins. The cloud was so black, one might think it took the blackshirts right off the NU defense.

Pelini let Husker fans know that the black cloud is gone, but in his own way without making it sound as bad.

He said said a major sign that the culture is changing in Lincoln is the way the players carry themselves into each practice. He said players used to show up with a “feeling of dread.”

“They were more looking for the easy way to get out,” Pelini said. “Now they’re looking to get better.”

And they have. The Huskers welcome the return of the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year Ndamukong Suh for his senior year along with the return of defensive end Barry Turner, who received a medical redshirt last season due to injury.

The offense isn’t looking half bad either for the team predicted to win the Big 12 North crown outright for the first time since 2006. A lot of that can go to the credit of new quarterback Zac Lee. Although he hasn’t been officially named the starter…he’s the starter.

Rimington Trophy watch-list candidate Jacob Hickman, who will be snapping the ball to Lee said the incoming quarterback will be a change from what Joe Ganz brought to the table–at least personality wise.

“Joe was kind of more, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s go,’” Hickman said. “Zac is more, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ He’s kind of goofy. He’s a player’s player. He’ll do what needs to be done – and with a smile on his face.”

There will be more to come from the Big 12 Media Days, but until then, Bo wants everyone to know, things will be just fine in Lincoln–even with a goofy quarterback.

However, unless you are a very avid golfer and don’t mind getting a sunburn every day at the pool, you are in the majority of Nebraskans that do one thing and one thing only.

Count down.

This specific countdown is at about 3 months, 3 days and give or take 4-5 hours.

That of course is until kickoff of the first Nebraska football game of the 2009-10 season. When Memorial Stadium is empty, so is Nebraska.

Don’t get me wrong, people still live in the state–if you can call waking up every day to go to a job that you may or may not like in a state that has no attractions whatsoever outside of a football season that is not here yet “living.”

When USC isn’t playing football, Los Angeles has the Lakers. When Florida isn’t winning a national championship, they have the Orlando Magic, Disney World and the beach.

Even when lowly Vanderbilt of the SEC isn’t playing football, people in Nashville have the Grand Ole Opry.

In Nebraska…there’s no back up. It’s football, or no football–and no it’s not a question.

Nebraska can be compared to a bipolar bear, instead of hibernating in the winter, the Big Red faithful hibernate in the summer across the vast stretch of land that is as flat as your dinner table.

Instead of oceans, Nebraska brings small lakes and rivers that should be more considered streams.

Instead of 6 Flags, the Husker state considers Wal-Mart more of an attraction than anything. There are honest attempts at waterparks in cities like Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island, but that’s all they are–attempts.

So while every other state has a solid back up plan for the offseason of college football, Nebraskans will continue to sit and stay focused on their mental countdown to the kickoff against Florida Atlantic.

And just in case you were wondering, it’s now at:

3 months, 3 days and more towards 4 hours and 30 minutes now.

Not like I was keeping track though.

Nebraska was one of the worst teams in college football two years ago. Bill Callahan did nearly everything in his power to run the most prestigious program in college football into the ground, and he didn’t do half bad.

Players gave up on him and his assistant coaches, and near the end of 2007 it looked like the Huskers forgot what sport they were playing. Quickly, Tom Osborne gets the nod for Athletic Director after former AD Steve Peterson got a swift kick in the rear from Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlmann.

Osborne then took the momentum from Perlmann’s foot and kicked Callahan out of Nebraska after an extremely disappointing 5-7 season with a season-ending loss to Colorado where the Huskers scored 51 points, but couldn’t pull off the win.

Enter stage left: Bo Pelini.

A guy known for his defensive mastery comes back to Lincoln after making the Husker defense one of the most feared defenses just years earlier under Frank Solich.

A year has come and passed in the Pelini era, and nobody would have thought he could have done this well–and now it’s continuing. After taking Callahan’s players and motivating them to a 9-4 season, Pelini is working on this year and the next…and more likely the next and the next and the next.

Nebraska has four solid verbal commits for the 2010 recruiting class, and although it’s no 20 like Texas already has, it has Lincoln talking.

Under Bill Callahan, Husker fans got used to seeing 3-star recruits commit and getting somewhat excited about what they could do in Lincoln–a far stretch from the 4 and 5-star only theme of the 1990s.

Under Pelini, that 90s theme is slowly starting to find its way back onto the scene. By no means are 3-star athletes not good enough to play for Nebraska, but it takes a base of the 4-star and 5-star guys to get the supporting cast that you truly want.

If you land a 4-start quarterback (Cody Green) you wouldn’t need to search for lower quarterbacks to help push the starters. Same thing goes for half backs, receivers and on down the list of positions.

Right now, Nebraska’s four 2010 commits are:

1) Andrew Rodriguez – 12th best offensive lineman in the nation’s recruiting class.

2) Anterio Sloan – 16th best defensive back in the nation’s 2010 class.

3) Keeston Terry – a 6-foot-2, speedy receiver that will add size after redshirting for a year.

4) Mike Moudy – a near 300-pound offensive tackle that will tower over you at 6-foot-7–and he’s the three star of the group.

These kids won’t step foot on campus at Nebraska until at least August if not September or October depending on when they come to visit for a game, but it’s a tremendous start for Pelini and his staff and the expectations will be going up more and more as the recruiting season wages on.

So until then, Pelini will more than likely thinking one thing and one thing only.

Game on.