NEW YORK — Ndamukong Suh peered out in awe Friday over Manhattan from a top floor of the 45-story Marriott Marquis.

Suh raved about the little Italian restaurant he visited for lunch. He looked curiously through the windows of the MTV studios in Times Square. He rode to the top of the Empire State Building and asked nearly everyone he met if they could visit the former site of the World Trade Center.

Suh will return to the Big Apple, likely in April for the NFL draft. But by then, the innocence will be gone. For one day, though, Nebraska's star defensive tackle found a force that truly knocked him off his feet.

And what a reversal that is.

The grandest stage yet arrives today as Suh takes his spot on Broadway at the Nokia Theatre as a Heisman Trophy finalist for the 7 p.m. ceremony.

Some projections suggest he could finish in nearly a dead heat with running backs Mark Ingram of Alabama and Toby Gerhart of Stanford. Colt McCoy of Texas and Florida's Tim Tebow are finalists, too, though Suh's wrecking-ball act against McCoy last week in the Big 12 championship game may have derailed the quarterback's bid.

It certainly bolstered Suh's. He'll find out tonight if that 4½-sack, 12-tackle performance did enough to make him the first lineman ever and the fourth Husker to win the Heisman.

Friday was all about the buildup — and the city that makes the Heisman experience so unique.

“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Suh, hours after arriving for his first visit to New York. “I mean, this is something that doesn't get to happen for the typical college football player. I'm going to soak it all up.”

The finalists' evening included a bus tour of New York to view the city bathed in holiday lights and the giant Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

“They're pretty much laying out the red carpet,” Suh said.

Suh's father, Michael, mother Bernadette and sister Ngum remain along for the ride. They've been at his side all week, though Michael Suh made a quick trip home to Portland, Ore., Thursday, missing the College Football Awards Show at which Suh added the Bednarik Award and the Outland Trophy to his historic list of honors.

He also won the Lombardi Award and Nagurski Trophy this week, the first player to pull that four-trophy sweep.

“Every time, our mouths kind of drop a little bit more open in complete awe,” Ngum Suh said.

Kind of like Friday in New York.

Suh arrived on the flight from Orlando with three-time finalist Tebow, who suggested Suh push forward and do his best not to get swamped by the crowds.

The attention is great, Suh said, but New York can get overwhelming.

“He's mellow about stuff,” Suh's sister said. “That's Ndamukong, but you could tell he's pretty excited to be here. It's all new to us. So he put his hood on like he does, hiding a little bit, and he did a good job.”

There's more on the Suh schedule today before the ceremony. He's set to tape an interview with CBS to air during halftime of the Army-Navy game.

“Poor thing,” Ngum Suh said. “I know it's been exhausting.”

Don't feel too sorry for him. With or without the Heisman, the events of the past week have earned Suh a spot among the all-time Nebraska greats. And he's had his share of fun.

Suh slept four hours Thursday night in Florida, sharing a room with his mother and sister.

Wednesday night in Houston after he picked up the Lombardi, Suh didn't sleep at all. He went out to play pool with his new buddy, Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma, Jerry Hughes of TCU and a few others, he said, including Miss Texas.

Suh returned to the hotel for a middle-of-the-night workout and stopped by Whataburger en route to the airport.

Yes, he's enjoying himself.

“Seeing my mom's face and my dad's face and my sister being able to be with me,” Suh said, “that brings me the most enjoyment.”

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini arrives in New York today for the Heisman ceremony. Pelini flew back to Lincoln from Orlando early Friday to attend the Huskers' team banquet.

Suh missed it, of course, regretfully. He said he's kept in touch from the road with his teammates, who are set to practice without Suh today as work for the Dec. 30 Holiday Bowl continues.

“I don't like missing practice,” Suh said.

Amid all this, he's set to graduate next week with a degree in construction management.

If he wins tonight, Suh said, he's got no speech prepared, taking the advice of Pelini and his brother, NU defensive coordinator Carl Pelini.

“I've always been told by two great people that you don't want to have a planned speech,” Suh said. “You want to speak from your heart.”

Contact the writer:

402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com