WACO, Texas — Pound two stones together just right and you'll get a spark.

If only it was that easy for Nebraska to ignite its offense.

Nothing, it seems, comes easy anymore for this unit.

The NU offense this month has appeared about as clunky as, well, the pounding of two stones.

And so as NU visits Baylor at 11:30 a.m. today, much of the game's allure is seeing what the Huskers will do to shake the offense out of the doldrums.

A new quarterback? It might happen. Want to bench a receiver or two? Go for it. Try a new running back? Already been done. Make a shift on the line? Ditto.

Anything goes today. All in the name of creating a spark.

Coaches and players agree it's unlikely that one player, one move, one moment can correct all that ails the offense.

A spark, though, might just get Nebraska moving in the right direction.

It's the hope that unites the Huskers, who, at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, must find something soon to preserve any chance left to fulfill the once-lofty expectations for this season.

“Yelling at you is not going to do it,” receivers coach Ted Gilmore said.

Gilmore's men have been plagued by dropped passes and mental mistakes. He sent two starters to the scout team this week. At least one freshman, Khiry Cooper, will start at receiver today.

“You've got to find your way through this,” the coach said. “This is part of becoming a man, part of becoming a complete football player.”

His message applies to nearly everyone on the offense.

The linemen have committed errors, both physical and mental. The running backs, decimated by injuries, lost fumbles last week. The quarterback play has not met Nebraska's needs.

On cue, the quarterbacks remained a hot-button topic after last week's 9-7 loss to Iowa State.

NU committed eight turnovers in the defeat, including three interceptions thrown by Zac Lee. Lee, a fourth-year junior, has started every game this season.

Freshman Cody Green appears in line to play against Baylor. The Huskers, no doubt, have considered moving him into the starting role.

Maybe that's the spark.

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson knows what he wants to see.

“You look for it in personnel,” Watson said. “Maybe it's a younger player stepping up. You try different combinations. You send a message what's acceptable and what isn't acceptable. And you give younger guys opportunities.”

According to coach Bo Pelini, NU will not hesitate to examine every option — even moves that don't conform to the offensive structure established this fall.

“Absolutely,” Pelini said. “You need to do that. You need a spark. You need to find some things. You can sit there and continue to try and pound a square peg into a round hole, but at times you have to think outside of the box.

“You have to look at what your personnel is, what they have been able to execute and continue to look for the best way to utilize their talents as you move forward. That always has to be the case, even when you're hitting on all cylinders.”

Both quarterbacks are convinced one player won't fix the offense.

“It may be one guy who makes a big play that shows everybody else, ‘Let's just get on the bandwagon. Let's go,'” Green said. “But one person getting in there and making a difference, I honestly don't think that can happen. You need all 10 other guys around you to help you make that play.”

Lee said he'd like to see the offense protect the football and score points. It's that simple, he said.

All this talk about a spark, Lee said, would diminish if Nebraska properly executed the fundamentals.

“I know that's not a very glamorous answer,” Lee said. “But I think that's the answer — just focus on not shooting ourselves in the foot in key situations. I think that will lead to numerous sparks, hopefully, not just one thing to get us going.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9587, mitch.sherman@owh.com

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