Filed by Mitch Sherman at 9:44 p.m.
Iowa State played Saturday without the Big 12's leading rusher and its veteran starting quarterback, so it seems illogical to lament the absence of the backup I-back for Nebraska. But I'll do it anyway.
Would the Huskers have beaten Iowa State if Rex Burkhead was healthy? Probably, yes.
Fellow freshman Dontrayevous Robinson rushed 15 times for 77 yards with a touchdown and a fumble in the red zone. Robinson played well, but he's not at the level of Burkhead, whose loss has been magnified by Roy Helu's two bad shoulders.
Burkhead, before breaking a bone in his right foot on Oct. 12, had developed into a versatile weapon for the Huskers. He's mature beyond his age, and strange as it sounds to say about a freshman, Burkhead may have provided the glue for Nebraska to avoid many of these offensive problems.
You could surmise that the Huskers' 27-point fourth quarter to beat Missouri would not have occurred without Burkhead's nifty third-down conversion just before the first NU touchdown.
And while it's a stretch to say NU would have beaten Texas Tech with the freshman in the lineup, he could have changed the complexion of that game, too.
OK, enough of that. Injuries happen in football. And there's no word about the return of Rex anytime soon.
A couple other items:
- Look for a story in The World-Herald Monday on the immediate future of the Nebraska offense.
The quarterbacks will remain on centerstage this week. But the issues involve more than just the QB picture.
Left tackle Mike Smith said he thinks the recent woes amount to “bad luck.”
“It just seems the luck's not going our way right now,” Smith said. “There's nothing really we can do about that.
“What else could happen to us, you know?”
- Iowa State linebacker Jesse Smith was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Huskers. Smith made 12 tackles, including two for losses, forced a fumble and intercepted Zac Lee's final pass to clinch the ISU win.
Smith also tipped a second-quarter pass for Mike McNeill, which went through the hands of the tight end and Helu before it was intercepted by David Sims -- the first of four NU turnovers within 5 yards of the goal line.
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