Now that Lane Kiffin has been named head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, speculation grows about his staff.  Much centers around his father, legendary defensive guru (and former Husker) Monte Kiffin returning to the college ranks to assist his son.

But he might not be the only former Husker coach on the Volunteers staff.  WRCB-TV and the Nashville City Paper are reporting that Bill Callahan is a candidate to join the coaching staff.

It's unclear what the position would be, but I'd speculate that it would be as offensive coordinator.  (Volunteer fans are real excited about that possibility.)

It presents an interesting dynamic of a young offensive genius as a head coach, combined with a micromanaging tyrant as his offensive coordinator.  Anybody else see the sequel to a clusterfool?

Also rumored to be on the list to join the Volunteer staff is former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron, who was the subject of Bruce Feldman's great book "Meat Market".

With a 57 yard field goal, Alex Henery pulled victory from the jaws of defeat, set off seismographs on the UNL campus, and got Bo Pelini off the hook for the dumbest coaching decision this decade (yes, dumber than Bill Callahan's Cotton Bowl fake punt).  So while we celebrate a victory over the Colorado Buffaloes, the report card is a little more sobering.

Offensive Line:  B  If it was just run blocking, it would be an A.  The running game almost consistently churned out 4 or 5 yards every snap.  Pass protection was a little rough though, giving up 4 sacks.

Running Backs:  A  Where would Nebraska be today if not for Roy Helu?  166 yards rushing, 5 catches for 49 yards (leading rusher).  Helu more than made up for the absence of Marlon Lucky, who missed the game with his turf toe.

Wide Receivers:  C-  Nate Swift made a nice catch of an overthrown pass for Nebraska's opening score.  Mike McNeill is becoming an explosive weapon at tight end.  But this group was rather quiet today.

Quarterback:  D+  The stat sheet looks good today; 19 for 26 passing for 229 yards.  But there was a fumble in the red zone and a near disasterous sack that nearly took the Huskers out of field goal range with two minutes left in the game.  Definitely not one of Joe Ganz's finest games.

Defensive Line:  A+  Zach Potter swats down two passes today, including the game clincher that Ndamakong Suh returns over and through Cody Hawkins to pad the margin of victory.  Ty Steinkuhler was rather disruptive in the middle as well.

Linebacker:  C+ Tyler Wortman had an interception for this green bunch.  Hopefully Phillip Dillard will be ready to play in the bowl game.

Secondary:  D  Rickey Thenarse led the team in tackles today, but some blown coverages in the opening minutes of the games put Nebraska in a 14 point hole.

Coaching:  D  Bo Pelini is a man and admits that the fake field goal call was "boneheaded."  But Pelini deserves credit for pulling the defense aside and making the necessary adjustments.  CU offense the first 5 minutes:  148 yards.  Last 55 minutes:  143 yards.

Overall:  C- It's a win, and one for the memory banks.  But too close for comfort.

Elsewhere in College Football

Hey...that's the problem with these Friday games.  Not much else to compare to.  Rather than hold things until the end of the weekend...

Texas Fans:  D   38-33.  65-21.  Those count too.  And in the case, that 65-21 says a heck of a lot more than 45-35.  Glad to see that Tech fans are going to fly their own rebuttal over Stillwater.  Here's the big question these rich Texans have failed to consider:  will anybody be able to read these banners in the dark night sky?

MAC defenses:  F  108 points in the Central Michigan/Eastern Michigan game?

The dreaded opponent:  BYE.  Never been defeated, let alone scored upon, they never get the respect other teams get.  Never chosen for television, fans show disinterest.  Undaunted, we'll press on with our usual coverage here at CornNation.

Offensive Line:  C  No running room this week, though they didn't allow a sack either.  In addition, offensive lineman Andy Christensen will miss the bowl game after being sentenced to three weeks in jail for a criminal mischief charge resulting from an incident that got him suspended from the team.

Running Back:  C-  Running room was tough to find this week, as the offense was essentially shut down.  Marlon Lucky was observed with his foot in an orthopedic boot this week, trying to recover from a turf toe.

Wide Receiver:  C  An uncharacteristic quiet week from this group.

Quarterback:  C-  Joe Ganz underwent an MRI, which revealed a bruised shoulder.  The positive aspect of that is that backups Patrick Witt and Zac Lee got valuable time this week. But no...don't worry, Ganz is expected to be ready to go on Friday against Colorado. 

Defensive Line:  C  No sacks, no pressure on the quarterback. 

Linebackers:  C  Cody Glenn is still suspended, with no word as to when (let alone if) he'll be reinstated.  Good news is that Phillip Dillard might be ready to return for the Colorado game.

Secondary:  C  Well, no long gains this week because of busted coverage!  On the other hand, no turnovers forced either. 

Coaching:  D-  One of the things that I thought Bo Pelini was going to take care of is ensuring that coaching football would take precidence over recruiting.  So why are they dropping the ball and leaving the team to recruit?  It showed this week.

Overall:  C  Well, it's not a loss...and nobody's defeated "BYE" yet.  So we'll take it.

Elsewhere in College Football

Oklahoma:  A+  Anybody else hoping to see an Oklahoma/Florida championship game in the BCS?  It's going to take some work for it to happen, but as far as I'm concerned, they're the two best teams in the country.

Notre Dame:  F  Sorry Charlie.  If you coached any other team in the country, you'd be battling for a Weed-Eater Bowl bid, rather than being in the discussions for a name bowl game.

BCS:  F  Any system that matches Cincinatti and Boston College in the Orange Bowl is fatally flawed.  And now they've sold the broadcasting rights to ESPN, so this disaster shows no signs of ending anytime soon.  Paging Jack Kevorkian...

The Omaha World-Herald is reporting that Nebraska assistant head coach Ted Gilmore will interview for Wyoming's head coaching position on Tuesday.  The job opened up today when Lincoln native Joe Glenn was fired.

Gilmore played for Wyoming in 1988 and 1989, and started his coaching career as a graduate assistant (1994-96) and assistant coach (1997-98) for Wyoming.

Currently, Gilmore is wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for the Huskers, as one of the two coaches retained from Bill Callahan's staff.

With Corn Blight is pursuit of four legged animals, I'm posting this week's cobs.

Josh Freeman
It's bad enough to only complete 7 of 18 passes for 114 yards...but to lose 49 yards on four sacks as well?  NFL?  Not F'in Likely.

Bill Byrne
Yes, Baylor is improved.  But for your football program to trail Baylor 41-7 at the end of the third quarter?  Between Fran and Sherman, it's starting to look like you're better at building buildings than programs.

Dan Hawkins
....whom I think is a good coach, but it's his third year, and Colorado is showing improvement? Where is it? He's in danger of being heated up, and it isn't helping matters that his son is mixed up in all of this. If this isn't a reason for the coaches kid to go somewhere else besides where daddy is coaching what is?

Elusive Deer
Come out, come out, wherever you are!  Corn Blight has seen fewer deer this fall than defensive stops by the Blackshirts last fall.

Now that Nebraska is bowl eligibile, it's not a question of "if" as much as "where" and "who."  So here's some "expert" prognostications about bowl scenarios for the Big Red and the rest of the Big XII.

Stewart Mandel, Sports Illustrated

• Sun:  Nebraska vs. Arizona, El Paso, Dec. 31st, 1 pm CST, CBS
• Championship:  Texas Tech vs. Florida, Miami, Jan 8th, 7 pm CST, Fox
• Fiesta:  Texas vs. Ohio State, Phoenix, Jan 5th, 7 pm CST, Fox
• Cotton:  Oklahoma vs LSU, Dallas, Jan 2nd, 1 pm CST, Fox
• Holiday:  Oklahoma State vs. Oregon State, San Diego, Dec 30th, 7pm CST, ESPN
• Alamo:  Missouri vs. Northwestern, San Antonio, Dec 29th, 7pm CST, ESPN
• Insight:  Kansas vs. Minnesota, Tempe, Dec 31st, 4:30 pm, NFL Network
• Texas:  Western Michigan vs. Rice, Houston, Dec 30th, 7 pm, NFL Network
• Hawaii:  Buffalo @ Hawaii, Honolulu, Dec 24th, 7pm, ESPN

Cary Estes, NBCSports.com

Note:  Either the Gator or Sun Bowls will take a Big XII team, so these prognostications are definitely faulty.

• Insight:  Nebraska vs Iowa
• Championship:  Texas vs. Florida
• Fiesta:  Oklahoma vs. Utah
• Cotton:  Texas Tech vs. LSU
• Alamo:  Missouri vs. Northwestern
• Holiday:  Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
• Texas:  Kansas vs. Rice
• Independence:  Buffalo vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
• Hawaii:  Western Michigan @ Hawaii

CBS Sportsline

• Sun:  Nebraska vs. California
• Championship:  Oklahoma vs. Florida
• Fiesta:  Texas Tech vs. Ohio State
• Cotton:  Texas vs. LSU
• Holiday:  Oklahoma State vs. Oregon State
• Alamo:  Missouri vs. Northwestern
• Insight:  Kansas vs. Wisconsin
• International:  Buffalo vs. UConn
• Hawaii:  Western Michigan @ Hawaii

Mark Schlabalch & Bruce Feldman, ESPN

• Championship:  Texas Tech vs. Florida
• Fiesta:  Texas vs. USC or Utah
• Cotton:  Oklahoma vs. LSU or Georgia
• Holiday:  Missouri vs. Oregon or Arizona
• Alamo:  Oklahoma State vs. Northwestern
• Sun:  Nebraska (MS) or Kansas (BF) vs. California
• Insight:  Kansas (MS) or Nebraska (BF) vs. Minnesota
• Hawaii:  Buffalo vs. Hawaii or Nevada
• International:  Western Michigan vs. UConn

College Football News

• Alamo:  Nebraska vs. Iowa
• Championship:  Oklahoma vs. Florida
• Fiesta:  Texas vs. Utah
• Cotton:  Missouri vs. LSU
• Holiday:  Oklahoma State vs. Oregon State
• Sun:  Texas Tech vs. Oregon
• Insight:  Kansas vs. Minnesota
• Hawaii:  Buffalo @ Hawaii
• International:  Western Michigan vs. UConn

So what's your preference?  Are you looking for the best matchup?  Best perceived bowl?  Best destination, because you're thinking about attending?  Best date/time, because you don't want to have to take vacation to watch a Husker game?  Best TV coverage because your cable company doesn't carry the NFL Network?

In the first half of Saturday's game anyway, the Blackshirts were bad.  Second half, maybe not.  A little lack of motivation, and a lot better play from Kansas State's backup quarterback made the second half a little more competitive.  Combine that with an interception and kickoff return both returned for a touchdown, and you've got a score that masked the domination on both sides of the ball.

Offensive Line:  A  When you consider the injuries to Lydon Murtha and now Javario Burkes, the 310 yards rushing, and only one sack allowed, that was a fine performance yesterday.

Running Backs:  A  Solid performance by all.  If you shelled out the $29.95 for the pay-per-view, did you hear Quentin Castille blast into KSU cornerback Otis Johnson?  Owww!  Helu had 2 touchdowns, and even Marcus Mendoza got into the act as well.

Wide Receivers:  B+  Another solid performance, though they weren't needed to do as much yesterday.  Mike McNeill is quietly becoming a very productive weapon.

Quarterback:  B+  Want more evidence that Husker football is getting back to evidence?  The Huskers score 56 points on K-State, rush for 310 yards, and the leading rusher is the starting quarterback.  Only downgrade is the 1st quarter interception, which was thrown well behind Nate Swift and picked off.  Can't get an A after that.  Still another solid game from Joe Ganz.

Defensive Line:  A  Suh and Potter spent so much time in Kansas State's backfield yesterday, they'll have to file a Kansas state tax return next spring.

Linebackers:  A  After Blake Lawrence left the game with a concussion, Nebraska was left with walk-ons Tyler Wortman, Colton Koehler, and Matthew May to finish the game at linebacker.  Kansas State still was held to 247 yards.

Secondary:  B  Josh Freeman didn't (couldn't?) test these guys much, and they generally held up pretty well.  Even on that 64 yard 2nd quarter bomb, Anthony West wasn't so much out of position as much as the ball was nearly perfectly placed.

Overall:  B+  I almost gave an A-, but the bottom line is they gave up 28 points.  Yeah, they dominated the statistics, but the score was a lot closer than than the game indicated.

Amy & Greg Sharpe:  A+  Congratulations to the Husker play-by-play announcer and his wife on the birth of their daughter.  Amy went into labor just in the morning, and Sharpe left Manhattan 45 minutes before kickoff and made it back to Lincoln in time.  Sounds like Lane Grindle did a fine job as the emergency play-by-play announcer.

Elsewhere in College Football

Schedulers:  F  What a ho-hum week of college football.

Florida:  A+  Nobody...and I mean NOBODY... wants to play the Gators right now.

Baylor:  A  Baylor led Texas A&M 41-7 at the end of the third quarter.  If Bill Byrne isn't feeling some heat for his coaching hires, something's not right down deep in the heart of Texas.

LSU, first three quarters:  F  Oh my goodness.  Trailing Troy 31-3 at home?

LSU, fourth quarter:  A++++  OH MY GOODNESS!  30 points in the fourth quarter?

LSU fans:  F  Hope some of you at least listened to your team's incredible fourth quarter comeback on the radio as you drove home last night.  Tiger Stadium looked strangely vacant last night, when it probably should have triggered the seismographs again.

While Corn Blight is chasing four legged animals somewhere in western Nebraska, I'm filling in until he gets a chance to get online.  Hopefully he doesn't have a Dick Cheney moment out there!

• Now, not only bowl eligible, but also an assurred winning season at 7-4 with two games to play.
• Nebraska will play in either the Gator, Alamo, or Sun Bowl.  I think Nebraska and Notre Dame are the two leading candidates to play in the Gator Bowl, which is played New Years' Day on CBS.  Depending on who you talk to, it's not clear which is the preference for the Gator Bowl:  an 8-4 Nebraska or a 7-5 Notre Dame.  Navy could have helped the Huskers' chances if they could have pulled off the upset yesterday.
• I'm going to disagree with Corn Blight about Josh Freeman.  No, it's not over whether the guy is someone you can root for.  He is, for the most part.  But I've got to tell you, I don't see an NFL draft prospect in the making.  Yeah, he's got the measurables.  But unless the opponent is Texas, it just hasn't materialized on the field.  Even before he left yesterday's game with an apparent concussion, he was having another rather mediocre game.  Truth be told, of the two quarterbacks Kansas State played, I was more impressed with Carson Coffman, the two-star little brother of Missouri tight end Chase Coffman.
• In the first half, was that Blackshirt defense, or what?  Except for a 64 yard bomb from Freeman, Kansas State was rendered impotent in the first half.
• In the second half, was that a lack of focus after the first half, or Carson Coffman?  Anyway, Pelini still has some work to do with this defense.  He even told reporters that this team isn't even close to "living up to my standard."
• Nebraska had to insert yet another freshman walk-on into the game at linebacker.  Matthew May moved from safety to linebacker, and entered the game after Blake Lawrence suffered a concussion.  So now we've seen walk-ons Tyler Wortman, Matt Holt, Colton Koehler, and May (not to mention converted I-back Cody Glenn) all having to fill the void created by bad recruiting.