The result?

Out of 345 interviewees*, not a single person would admit their willingness to dress up as a Husker football player this year. This is down quite significantly from every other year Corn Nation has done this sort of polling, and we mean to tell you, we’ve been doing this sort of thing for years.

A quick survey done by driving through neighborhoods in and around Omaha observed only a smattering of carved pumpkins done with a design of anything related to Cornhusker sports.

A call to Crazy Carl’s Costume House at the Outlet Mall found a surprising number of requests for “moose outfits”, even though the employee we spoke to at Carl’s, Larry Benson, admitted that they’d had only three or four requests for anything related to moose over the past five years he’d worked there.

“Everyone wants to be a moose. I don’t get it,” said Larry, who admitted he wasn’t much of a Husker fan. Larry said the second most common request was for a “Rick and Morty” combination and he didn’t understand what that was all about either.

“It’s sad that nobody wants to dress up as a Husker football player, though. It’s been one of our most popular outfits throughout the years. All these costumes going to waste.”

Asked what he would do about the unused Husker player outfits, Larry stated, “Probably ship them all to our Milwaukee store. They’re not that much different than Wisconsin outfits, and most of the time those people are too drunk to notice the difference.”

*All lies. We’re certainly too lazy to attempt anything as energetic as this.

After practice, both Head Coach Mike Riley & Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst met the media.

Eichorst spoke first, addressing his abrupt turnaround on the ending of the Black Friday season ending game for Nebraska.

That would be an interesting trip to Minneapolis for the end of the season. One that most Nebraska fans would be either traveling most of Thanksgiving or even the day before.

Interesting mea culpa on Eichorst’s part. Admittingly, some folks who have wanted the Friday game to stay probably were the loudest ones.

Now on to Mike Riley, who updated folks on the health of several players from earlier this week.

Mikale Wilbon to get his first start in place of Tre Bryant.

Wooo buddy, thats a lot of depth chart Running Backs on that list. The flu has made it’s way around the AD, as Women’s Soccer just canceled a match this weekend because of it.

Here is Riley’s statement about the injuries & situation at RB:

“Tre has not practiced... I was kind of hopping to wait as long as I could. He probably won’t play. (Mikale) Wilbon will start. Jaylin’s (Bradley) going to play. This was a real good practice for him today, but he was not here (ill). It would’ve been great for him to play special team [drills]. We don’t have to change too much with any of the backs. They’re all pretty much all purpose. They all have good hands. They’re all knowledgeable about what we do. They’re all experienced. Mikale and Devine (Ozigbo) a little more so. They’re all versatile enough to play all the time and so is Jaylin.”

Expect Matt Farniok to start at Right Tackle again, and Aaron Williams & Antonio Reed to split Safety duties. But, let’s hope it does not get worse.

The Huskies & Huskers get after it on Saturday morning, with Fox Sports 1 bringinging you the motion picture proof.

Stop it Mike Riley.

Why can’t Mike Riley stop trying to hurt us. Nebraska is going hard after four-star athlete and Cal commit Taariq Johnson. Johnson visited Lincoln this past weekend and had a great visit from all accounts. More from Brandon Huffman of Scout.

"The visit went well," said Johnson. "It was a real eye opener for me and my family."

The Huskers hadn't stopped recruiting Johnson and nearly got him in the spring when he picked Cal.

"They were initially my second choice and I wanted to see what the school offered," said Johnson.

...

"They have top-notch facilities and the atmosphere was mind blowing," said Johnson. "There is nothing else like it."

Johnson is definitely one of Cal’s best commits from this cycle, so the Bears must do their best to fight to keep him. As an athlete, he could play a myriad of positions like wide receiver, cornerback or safety at the next level. Nebraska wants him at receiver, and I suspect Cal wants him to play defense (although I’d guess they would give him the option to choose where he can go).

Johnson also let it be known that the visit to Nebraska has given him something to think about, and he might consider other visits too. It was Johnson’s first official visit. He is likely to take an official to Cal at some point.

Should we be concerned?

Not for now.

A dive into the Husker books, kneejerk analysis, and why you should not always believe everything the numbers are trying to tell you.

Hopefully you all know the drill by now. This is not an advanced stats article. All I am doing here is looking at basic stuff and seeing how the Huskers stack up across FBS. Advanced views or basic, this has been a much more fun year to examine than 2015.

We have also reached the halfway point in the season. While I am ecstatic about where the Huskers are relative to my early expectations, I am also a little sad that the season is half over. A difficult stretch awaits Nebraska, but this team seems to thrive under difficult conditions.

Numbers from Brian

Our own Brian Towle found some interesting numbers on the Huskers in 2016 compared to the first half of 2015.

• Halfway through 2015, Nebraska had 58 accepted penalties against them. In 2016: 37. That has made a difference of 131 yards.
• Compared to the first half of 2015, the Huskers have scored 33 more points and have allowed 33 fewer points.
• In 2015, the team scored 27 points off turnovers. This year: 49.
• Opponents in 2015 scored 23 points off Husker turnovers compared to 15 this year.
• Tommy Armstrong, Jr. has 26 more rushes this year than last year at this time. He also has 65 fewer pass attempts. Part is the commitment to the run game, but part is that Nebraska is not trailing in games as much as last year.
• Nebraska’s third leading ball carrier in 2016 is Devine Ozigbo with 77. Last year was Andy Janovich with 19.

Numbers - Statistics - Lies

Number: One. Tommy Armstrong was sacked once against Indiana’s rapidly improving defense (the intentional grounding penalty).

Statistic: The Huskers are allowing an average of 0.67 sacks per game which is good for the 5th best rate in FBS and 1st in the Big Ten.

Lie: This offensive line is one of the best in the business.

Well, the big fellas have been showing up when they are really needed (i.e. the fourth quarter, especially in the run game) but some of the pass protection has been bafflingly bad at times. Part of that is opposing teams knowing Tommy is hobbled so they can send extra pressure rather than spy him. The rest is probably a combination of inexperience, injuries, and the poor execution that comes at times with shuffling players in and out of the lineup.

Mark Philipp deserves a round of applause for strength and conditioning. There is no way the Husker line performs like they do in the fourth quarter if he isn’t doing his job well. After watching both lines tend to get blown off the ball the last two-ish years Pelini was coaching, I feel better about what I am seeing this year. At the same time, I recognize there is still a long way yet to go.

Numbers - Statistics - Lies II

Number: 29

Statistic: The Huskers are the only FBS team whose net punting is below 30 yards per attempt, ranking them 128th out of 128 teams.

Lie: Chalk it up to a true freshman punter who was put into an incredibly difficult spot replacing a beloved, deceased teammate.

Caleb Lightbourn has been a bit shaky, no doubt, but the two most terrifying jobs in football have to be punt returner and punter. He has a gross punting average of 39 yards. Sam Foltz averaged 44 yards per punt in 2015, but was the best punter in the Big Ten. At this point in his career, it might be more fair to compare Caleb to Tyson Broekemeier, who filled in for Foltz for a couple games in 2015. In that comparison, Lightbourn holds his own compared to Broekemeier’s 37 yards/punt. I fully expect to see Lightbourn get better as time goes on—assuming he gets some protection.

The punt return defense and protection have been the most disappointing part of this equation. While I want to blame it all on Bruce Read, I found it interesting that Mike Riley mentioned something about leaving the defense on the field several times when Indiana punted as Nebraska was worried about fakes.

The punt return defense is allowing an average of 14 yards per return (good, err bad, for 113th in FBS). On top of that, only four teams in FBS have allowed more than one blocked punt (Nebraska, Oklahoma St., and Vanderbilt have each allowed two and UNLV has allowed three). Ninety-six teams in FBS (out of 128) have not allowed a blocked punt in 2016. The Huskers are in a “special kind of awful” category and it could end up costing them a close game if not cleaned up. If you are wondering, blocked punts are charged to team yardage totals (scored as a zero yard punt), but not to the individual punter.

When you add it all up, I think we know why Mike Riley has been much more willing to go for it on 4th down than what I remember from 2015.

Obligatory Pile of Numbers

The defense is chugging along, with the rush defense continuing to improve statistically. Part of the jump in rankings for the rush defense this past week (from 55th to 44th in FBS) is the linebackers showing up in a big way for the first time this year. It is also nice to see the youngsters along the d-line, especially Carlos Davis, developing.

The offense has stalled out a bit. They aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but a running quarterback with a bum wheel is a limiting Danny Langsdorf’s options. Indiana’s defense deserves some credit (did I really just type that?) for holding the Huskers to their lowest yardage output of the season. They also held them to the lowest point total (27) of the season outside of Northwestern (24), but if you remember, NW is the game where the Huskers fumbled away two touchdowns at the goal line.

Realistically, this was the worst performance by the Husker offense of the season. Injuries didn’t help given that the RT1 (Knevel) went down on the first play (probably will play this week), QB1 (Armstrong) is playing on one leg, our best third-down threats, Westerkamp (starting WR) and Carter (TE1) were out (and both expected to not play this week), center Dylan Utter dislocated a finger during the game (returned to the game and should play this week), starting WR Alonzo Moore did not register a catch (shoulder), RB1A/1B (Ozigbo) only made a token appearance (and might be the same this week), LT1 (Gates) was injured during the game (he finished but a decision on this week has not been made), and I’m sure there are more. This is a beat up offense.

If you read Ryan’s piece breaking down the plays, he attributes a some of Indiana’s defensive success to the linebackers. I probably don’t need to tell you that Wisconsin’s linebackers are even better than the Hoosiers’. Seeing his assessment that Danny Langsdorf adjusted and dialed up some good plays against aggressive linebackers makes me feel better (although not yet good) about the game against Bucky.

Husker Haiku

Revenge game coming
How far the mighty do fall
Can’t lose to Purdue

• Riley stated that Sr WR Brandon Reilly will be ‘questionable at best’ with a hamstring injury he suffered against Wyoming last week. DL Mick Stoltenberg should be back after a knee issue. WR Alonzo Moore is battling a shoulder issue, but should play as well.
• Riley stated that Freshman CB Lamar Jackson practiced full speed & will be able to help out in the Nebraska Secondary Saturday. Jackson injured his quad early vs. Wyoming.
• Zach Darlington, the Huskers ‘emergency Quarterback’ at 4th string, has gotten to play the role of Oregon starting QB Dakota Prukop this week in practice.
• The officials for the game will be brought in by the Pac-12, something that Riley did bring up. An officiating crew set with the speed of the Oregon offense is not the most favortable matchup for the Huskers, but Riley will meet before the game with the crew.

The Huskers & Ducks meet up at 2:30 central in Lincoln Saturday. You shoukd watch!

I was going to mention how it’d seemingly been a healthy camp so far. And now, I’m glad I wasn’t the jinx breaker.

There is better depth in this case on the Linebacking crew, but MRI losing time to any injury is bad again, so let’s hope that things are alright.

For many, hopes are that Tommy Armstrong gets it clicking and can be the game manager that many hope can get the Huskers over the hump. However, today was probably not one of his best days of the Fall.

As we mentioned above, it’s the first full day of pads. So, it could be a little bit of difference with some different folks in the fray for both sides. But... there was some “good things” as coachspeak likes to say.

So, we pride that whole #Wideouts stuff, so it could be a spell that some of the youth on the DB side (Jackson, Anderson, Bootle, Dismuke, etc) was just getting it handed it to them. It is the first week of camp, so I’m not going to sweat that too much.

There was not much Offense vs. Defense the first few days of camp, so I wonder if these were the 1’s going on each other. If it was the 1’s, we would all like to know how much was “a few”.

It sounds like the Huskers hit a big time heat wave, and there was only really one heat related issue with Jones, so that’s not a bad thing at all compared to last season’s issues.

Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf did have some things to say after practice. Riley on the workout:

“This was the first day of extended interaction between our offense and defense, resulting in probably some obvious give and take,” Riley said. “But it was good for us -- it was a little hot, but…I thought overall it was a good start in full gear. We put spent a lot time just putting in plays and practicing individual skills so it was good to do this.”

While Langsdorf talked about backup Ryker Fyfe, who is battling AJ Bush and Patrick O’Brien this season to stay behind Tommy Armstrong.

“I love how he worked through the winter,” Langsdorf said. “I think he’s in the best shape of his life. He brags about it. He feels good about it. I think he looks good, and he’s throwing the ball well. I think he’s doing a nice job through the spring. I think he’s lot more comfortable calling the plays, executing the play, getting guys lined up right. He looks a lot further along. ”

With their only being one football on Gamedays, Langsdorf knows that spreading the ball out to the multiple playmakers the Huskers have, both on the ground & in the air, is vital for success.

“I think we have to have a good menu for each guy. We have to make sure we get Cethan [Carter] the ball and this is how we’re going to get it to him. Same with Brandon [Reilly], same with [Alonzo Moore], you got [Stanley Morgan Jr.] in there [and] the backs. I think that’s a good problem. I just think it’s being organized, making sure you have a good menu for each player and how it fits in the game plan. ”

The Huskers will practice closed tomorrow, and will be available to the media after Thursday’s workout.

Moving forward, one of the 85 football scholarships will be designated the "Sam Foltz Memorial Scholarship"; at the start of the season, one player who embodied Foltz's traits of leadership, excellence in the community and in the classroom will be awarded this scholarship. The first recipient will be recognized on the field prior to kickoff of the Fresno State game on September 3.

Also, the "Hero Leadership Award" is being renamed the "Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award" and will now be awarded to 27 student-athletes across all sports who exhibit strong leadership qualities, commitment to service and ability to encourage/empower peers. Foltz was one of the recipients of the 2016 Hero Leadership Award for his community outreach work.

2018 York DL Masry Mapieu has been offered and has committed to Nebraska after FNL camp tonight. #Huskers pic.twitter.com/uRyN0qQw1T

— NebraskaHSFootball (@NebHSFootball) June 18, 2016

The Huskers have gotten the commitment of York, Nebraska Defensive End Masry Mapieu.

Mapieu has not been ranked by any recruiting service yet. He has offers from Iowa, Iowa State, UCLA, and South Dakota State as well as the committable offer to the Huskers.

Mapieu is obviously a guy that a few schools have come into town and gotten good looks at, and the fact that he's a Junior this coming year and you're watching him dominate Class B action in his Sophomore year is something.

Here are a couple videos after Mapieu committed, discussing why the time was right.

Part 1 of Masry Mapieu on why he chose Nebraska. #Huskers pic.twitter.com/pP2KdsGQ2M

— NebraskaHSFootball (@NebHSFootball) June 18, 2016

Part II of Masry Mapieu on why he committed to Nebraska. #Huskers pic.twitter.com/jhQbPPAKZ0

— NebraskaHSFootball (@NebHSFootball) June 18, 2016

He has the size to grow into a monster. That alone must make John Parrella and Mike Riley happy.

Mapieu joins Cameron Jurgens as the two 2018 commits in the Nebraska fold. Will more come this weekend? Find out soon!

It was great day to be a #Husker, some great new additions to the family! Join the movement! #GBR

— Mike Riley (@Coach_Riley) June 18, 2016

We're All N in Nebraska!!!

✅ Camp
✅ Earn a War Daddy Offer ☠
✅ Commit
✅ Watch @Coach_Parrella celebrate#GBR ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/yMTfgwKeQ9

— Todd McShane (@TheToddMcShane) June 18, 2016

This means it's only a matter time before the world as we know it comes to an end. I’m not sure what it will look like, only that it will be scary, with Nebraskans walking around looking at their shoes. Some will look at other people’s shoes, but we will shun them as not being sad enough and exile them to another state like Minnesota where it’s perfectly reasonable to look at other people’s shoes as long as you don’t try to talk to them.

It’s most likely the sellout streak will be saved by the "friends of the program", as it has in the past. Perhaps if the Nebraska athletic department would drop their donation levels, this wouldn’t be a problem. Fans would snap those tickets right up and there wouldn’t be a need for "Friends of the Program".

YOU FOOL!

Did you not see the recent news where Nebraska is behind Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan in terms of gross revenue from their football programs? Are you unaware that there is an arms race going on in collegiate sport, the very same arms race that’s been going on since the 1890s, the very arms race that Nebraska cannot afford to lose?

Where would Nebraska be without Cornhusker football? On what else would the state hang its pride? (This is the subject of an entire series of articles for July, so don't go down this rabbit hole just yet unless you’re going to forget it all until July.)

The "Friends of the Program" can’t save us from our lazy ass selves every time this issue rolls around! Get out there and get a couple season tickets! You can’t just go around puffing out your chest and telling other fans how YOUR athletic department doesn’t take taxpayer money or university subsidies without having some skin in the game!

We need to all rally together to avert this crisis! Don’t make me quote the fight song!

DO NOT FORGET THAT THE "Nebraska Makes Delicious Beer" campaign begins today!!!!

Please help us spread the word on that if you love delicious beer.

After a long journey to Aggieland, A&M javelin thrower is just meters from dreams - My Aggie Nation: Aggie Sports

Those 63 meters might seem improbable when considering an injury Malone suffered as a child in Geneva, Nebraska, which caused her to spend weeks in a wheelchair.

Ross-Ade Stadium Needs An Actual Train - Hammer and Rails

When looking for architectural inspiration look no further than Eastern Europe.

SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE SEA: TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS - Off Tackle Empire

THE ONLY WAY I CAN JUSTIFY THE FOUNDING OF THIS CITY IS THAT A LOT OF FOLKS DESPERATE TO LEAVE THE DEEP SOUTH BUT TOO STUBBORN TO COME TO THE MIDWEST RAN INTO THE EXACT SAME WAGON TROUBLE IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT.

B1G 2016 // What should Maryland do with the Big Ten Money? - Off Tackle Empire

Maryland has already started renovating Cole Field House. What is next?

Minnesota Gophers: 1893 First Field Meet--Bike Races! #TBT - The Daily Gopher

Bike racing was hugely popular in the 1890s when the U of M got together for its first Field Meet. The grand prize? A match up with Wisconsin, Michigan and Northwestern in Chicago (this was 3 years before the start of the Big Ten Conference).

Von Miller should sit out 2016 to expose the NFL's unfair franchise tag rules | FOX Sports

In March, the Broncos slapped Miller with a franchise tag —€” an antiquated quirk of the NFL's CBA that's long past its logical expiration point —€” and despite the fact that he's one of the top players in the NFL, there's nothing Miller can do about it.

When I saw this headline, my immediate reaction is that we’re very quick to write about anything we consider "unfair".

Mississippi State’s lenient Simmons penalty sends troubling message | SI.com

One game against South Alabama. That’s the suspension Mississippi State announced for incoming freshman defensive end Jeffery Simmons, who was caught on tape punching a woman as she lay on the ground in March. Unless an evaluation reveals warning signs that inspire Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin to lengthen the suspension, the Bulldogs’ top-ranked incoming recruit basically will serve the same penalty as a player flagged for targeting in a game.

I believe that Andy Staples is the best college football writer out there today.

Steele predicts major strides for Huskers

"They had five last second losses last year", said Steele. "That means they were five plays away from being an 11-2 team last year. I think they are going to be way under the radar heading into the season and I think you are going to see a much improved Nebraska this year."

Define "much improved" you bastard.

Thinking About Third-and-Short | Hail Varsity

Third-and-short situations would go on to be a season-long problem for Nebraska. The Huskers converted 54.9 percent of their third-down attempts of 3 yards or less, which ranked 77th nationally and 10th in the Big Ten.

Brandon Vogel actually writes about football in June!

A Good Deal: The Full Details of UCLA's Deal with Under Armour - Bruins Nation

It took a few weeks for us to get, but Bruins Nation has obtained the full contract between UCLA and Under Armour.

I don't follow this whole uniform thing, or the contracts they inspire, but this is for those of you who do.

The MLB Draft shows the hypocrisy of the NFL's collusion with college football - SBNation.com

Pay attention to how often you hear analysis of these teenagers' academic performance as they're drafted into the pros. (You won't hear a single word.)

I'm not sure I agree with this. Football, baseball - two completely different sports, different structures, different business models. Maybe the best solution would be for MLB to stop drafting players out of high school instead of the NFL to allow itself to do so.

I would guess that the vast majority of high school players who tried to make the jump from high school to the NFL would fail miserably not because of physical acumen, but because the skill and the speed of the game between those levels is so HUUUGEEE that it would be difficult to make the leap.

Paramus Catholic president calls police over car magnets and a teddy bear - On the Banks

This childish prank is being treated as vandalism and Paramus Catholic president James Vail called the police. Yes, he called the police over a teddy bear and chalk. While The Order of Bulls Blood should not have done this, there is clearly an over reaction on the PC side of things.

This whole thing is rather weird.

Jim Harbaugh: "Many Secret Orders Have Brought Our Country Great Shame" - Maize n Brew

Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh has responded to the Order of Bulls Blood, the Rutgers secret society that vandalized Paramus Catholic HS before Wednesday's satellite camp.

Harbaugh has to be the poster child for ADD, doesn’t he?

How one phone call can prevent a Texas football rape scandal - Burnt Orange Nation

An open letter to Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong.

I tend to hate anything labelled an "open letter", but this is well done. If you’re only picking one thing out of this to read today, this should be it.