Nebraska 2011 can you feel it

McCarty: Suzie always told us at the beginning of the season, it's not about who's playing well in August, it's about who's playing well at the end of the year. We had some success that season, but we also had a few games that slipped out of our hands. Rush: As we got further and further into matches, the training that we did and the heart that we had as a team just kind of allowed us to stick some of those matches out.

Donahue: Suzie would help us celebrate the big wins, and I know the kids don't say this anymore, but she encouraged us to walk around with some swag and know that we had earned everything we had done so far.

But there was also this side of her, she expected us to walk into the gym and be ready to work. There was never this sense of, "Ok, you did it, you're good now.

When we looked at our games that season where we were able to make it to five sets, Suzie was like, "When you guys are losing, it's usually in three to four games, but if you can make it to five sets, you win those games. But unless K-State could improve its record against the rest of the Big 12, it wouldn't matter.

Doller : Going and playing at Texas was always the one game that we were always like, let's go in and actually get them this year. That was always a big goal: Go to Austin and really compete. That year, we didn't actually play well against them. I remember being so frustrated.

I thought we were really good that year and we were going to go in and fight — I think it kind of motivated us because we weren't quite there yet. We were like, "OK, it's not just going to come because we've been winning. Being the first Hawaiian player there was pretty cool, but it was also challenging. I almost went home at one point. Overall, the experience was amazing, but that first year was very hard for me.

Sooter : The language was the biggest challenge. Ciante Evans is already a well-known commodity among fans of the Big Red, but outside of Lincoln, few know his name.

While many think Nebraska's secondary will be significantly worse in with the losses of Prince Amukamara, Dejon Gomes and Eric Hagg, Evans is one reason to believe otherwise. As a true freshman in , Evans was thrown into the fire against Missouri when Alfonzo Dennard went down with a concussion.

The Tigers offense predictably went right at the perceived weak link, but Evans, literally, didn't budge. After breaking up two long passes, Evans denied the much bigger Blaine Gabbert a touchdown by stoning him at the one-yard line on fourth and goal.

So begins Evans' career, who could follow in the footsteps of Amukamara and Dennard as Nebraska's next great cornerback. Dennard even went so far as to say he's learned more from Evans than he did from Amukamara. That's all I have to hear to say with confidence that Ciante Evans is a legitimate breakout candidate for His all-purpose yards were more than anyone else on the entire team.

The jury may still be out on Turner, but his spring performance makes it really, really hard not to get excited about his potential impact. The 6'0", pounder displayed wonderful route-running ability, as well as soft hands at receiver, while looking natural and decisive as both a kick and punt returner.

Jamal Turner has already proven that he has the skills. Now all he has to do is put in the work, and he'll take the country by storm. Enjoy our content? Join our newsletter to get the latest in sports news delivered straight to your inbox! Kelly hired him in for the staff that -- at least offensively -- revolutionized college football. The success starts to explain why Frost can name all countries on earth in five minutes.

He can rattle off about of those countries' capital cities. He had a brother who was a three-time champion on "Jeopardy. We have to think quick around here. I kind of have that kind of brain. I have to have something going on. I don't know if I'm ADD, officially. Slow blinkers don't function very well in our scheme. Two years ago, I went to Orlando, Florida, and interviewed Frost before his first year as a head coach.

That assured, slow-burn confidence came through even then. So did Frost. The Knights led the nation in scoring last season. They beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl. They proved they could play with anyone. Frost does it all living life on a different plane. This is a guy who has played 18 holes of golf in two hours. Two days after getting married two years ago, he coached his first spring practice.

The honeymoon had to wait. Consider how quickly the Nebraska deal all came together. Frost maintains other jobs weren't even considered until late November. Even after deciding on Nebraska, "there were a couple of other meetings. In Orlando, they called the culture UCFast. Here in Lincoln, they tend to put their heads down and get to work. There was a hint Saturday of how things could go offensively. The winning Red team snapped the ball 80 times in 31 minutes of possession.

That's a swift 2. Frost is pure of heart in his job. He knows there will be a much longer honeymoon period here than if he had landed at Florida or Tennessee. A "long enough runway to build it the right way," he calls it.

They won the football game. They deserve it. I give Northwestern a lot of credit. We didn't respond. The loss to the point underdog Wildcats , dropped Nebraska , into a second-place tie with Iowa and Michigan in the Big Ten's Legends Division.

Michigan State moved into sole possession of first place with its win over Minnesota. The win was Northwestern's first over a top team since a road victory over then-No. Persa injured his left shoulder in the second quarter when he was slammed to the ground by defensive end Eric Martin. Persa tried to play a couple more series, but he was on the sideline with his left arm in a sling after halftime.

Colter, who typically shares playing time with Persa at quarterback, took all but four snaps in the second half. He ran for 58 yards and completed four of six passes for yards. Third-string quarterback Trevor Siemian came in and went 3 of 4 for 67 yards.