Jared Crick continues to be a pleasant surprise at defensive tackle for Nebraska. Going into his fifth career start, the sophomore from Cozad, Neb., has 16 tackles, 1½ sacks and three quarterback hurries.

Q: Being the new guy, what's been your role in helping the defensive line be a strength again?

A: “All four of us, our jobs are critical to the scheme of the defense. We all know that. But it's been great knowing that I have Ndamukong Suh to my left and Barry Turner to my right. It's a huge boost in confidence.”

Q: What's it like when all four cylinders are firing on the defensive line?

A: “When we're all playing well, it's amazing what we can do. We just do our part, and that's all we can really do.''

Q: With a lot of talk about Missouri's run game struggling, is this an opportunity to take it away and dictate some things defensively Thursday night?

A: “Every game our goal is always to stop the run. The run comes first. We're going to stop that and make them pass. No matter if they're having a great running season or if they're down in the dumps, we're still going to take the same approach to it.''

Q: How did the Virginia Tech game prepare you for Thursday?

A: “It was a good taste of it. They have a good crowd, a great atmosphere, but we're not intimidated by anywhere we go. Two-hundred thousand people screaming against us, it wouldn't faze us at all. We're going to go in with the same mind-set, the even keel. That's all we can do.''

Q: How do you feel about the road atmosphere?

A: “It's fun going in and having the crowd yell at you. Some people are funny. Some people are dumb. I love going on the road and beating teams on the road. There's no better feeling.''

Q: Are you bothered by losing seven straight on the road to ranked teams?

A: “We haven't won an important road game for so long, but we can't think about it. Otherwise, it's going to be in the back of our mind the entire game. We've got to go in knowing we can win and we are going to win.''

— Rich Kaipust

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