• Video: Husker tight end Mike McNeill speaks at the team's weekly press conference Monday:

LINCOLN — At this time last week, Nebraska's Mike McNeill wasn't sure he'd be healthy enough to join his teammates on the field as they played for a Big 12 North Division title.

McNeill had absorbed a vicious hit on a third-down catch against Kansas in the previous game, a helmet-to- abdomen shot so violent that it actually cracked one of the junior's ribs.

But Saturday night in Memorial Stadium, as McNeill extended to pull in Nebraska's go-ahead touchdown pass, pain was the last thing on his mind.

Of course, the numbing medications were doing their job. But for the record-setting tight end, nothing feels better than directly contributing to his team's score.

“It's nice to be a factor,” said McNeill, who had gone six weeks without a touchdown grab. “I felt like, for a couple weeks, it was tough ... so it's been nice the last couple weeks to get my hands on the ball.”

He had just 17 receptions before catching seven against Kansas and Kansas State. Last season, McNeill set a school season record by catching 32 passes. He also had six receiving touchdowns.

But his numbers were down through nine games this year. McNeill's 18-game streak with at least one reception was snapped Oct. 31 at Baylor.

That doesn't mean McNeill wasn't contributing, though, tight ends coach Ron Brown said. McNeill can do more than tally receiving numbers, something Brown is telling him every day.

“He's a guy that a lot of people concentrate on,” Brown said. “These teams know that the guy can run and catch the football. There's a lot of things that Mike McNeill does, just with his presence out on the field. I want him to be the complete football player.”

What Brown has been trying to convey to his talented pass-catching tight end is that receptions don't necessarily define success.

The Huskers are embracing a more run-oriented approach offensively, playing under center and in power formations more often. McNeill and his teammates at tight end won't complain about the philosophy change since it guarantees them more playing time. But now they have to readjust their goals. Knockdowns and cut blocks are statistics that matter, too.

“Coach Brown, he kind of told us the last couple weeks that we need to redescribe to everyone how our success has been this year,” McNeill said. “I think we've been pretty successful, taking advantages of our opportunities in the pass game, but also just blocking well. ... We just have to look at it a little differently.”

It's not an easy concept for McNeill to adjust to, especially considering his achievements last season and the expectations for this one. He was expected to be a go-to target for quarterback Zac Lee.

McNeill has totaled 24 catches for 237 yards and four touchdowns so far, though those numbers have come in spurts.

“I don't want him defining his success on the passing yardage and those kinds of things because you can't control that,” Brown said. “Those guys have to block, they've got to run routes, they've got to catch — just what the offense calls them to do.”

Contact the writer: 402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com

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