Nebraska week got off to a rockin start last night when the 5th ranked Gregory Gazelles swept #1 ranked Nebraska 3-0 in a near-flawless match in Austin. To put the win in perspective, the Huskers hadn't lost a game - let alone a match - in their last 17 contests. If you're looking for the next freaky female athlete to succeed Cat Osterman, maybe it's time to start a Destinee Hooker watch. She's won the NCAA high jump national title as both a freshman and sophomore and, if you watched last night, is one ridiculous volleyball player. She's up waaaaay over the net slamming balls down. It's practically unfair.

Reader RF emailed me this story from Bob West at the Port Arthur News about Jamaal Charles and his usage at Texas. The gist of it is that the peanut gallery in Austin is unappreciative of what a special talent they have:

I have no idea whether this is referring to BON or not, but if it is? The article's a gross mischaracterization of the conversation. Recall what I said when trying to diagnose why Texas' running game was so average:

I went on to say that the problem was Texas' scheme, which is looking more and more like one ill-suited to what Jamaal Charles does well. Looking at Charles in isolation is fun, but uninstructive. Like it or not, all the factors have to be taken into account - Texas' offensive line, offensive coordinator, and quarterback. We are where we are; if Mr. West wants to get riled up about Jamaal Charles, he'd be wiser to turn his ire towards those who are actually responsible for getting the most out of him. And that ain't the chattering class.

By the way, it does little good to yelp about how great Jamaal Charles is while wagging one's finger angrily at those who say something about it when there are headlines like this in the Houston Chronicle: "McCoy Slowly Becomes Longhorns' Top Rushing Threat."

Nope, there's nothing to be disappointed about.

I really wish it didn't take so long to compile the "Under The Hood" posts, because there are at least a half dozen games this weekend worth looking at closely. Since I've only got time to do one, maybe two, of these things before the weekend, let's just put it to a vote. Which game would you be most interested in seeing broken down statistically to open up for discussion?

Update [2007-10-25 16:43:54 by HornsFan]: USC-Oregon and Kansas-A&M are the runaway winners here, so I'll do both before the weekend games. For those who plan on watching the big Boston College-Virginia Tech game tonight, I'll be around as well with an open thread.