Bevo's Roundup - More fun with the Cornhuskers and some other stuff.

They are men. They can handle it.

Yes, one of us did go down.

Everything is right in the world.

With one big win over Nebraska, Texas' season has been rejuvenated.

That's after two straight losses had the Longhorns teetering on the brink of disaster.

"This team the past two years has only lost two games, one in the regular season,'' quarterback Garrett Gilbert said. "It's been a different kind of season for us. Tough times bring out the true character, and you're starting to see this team's character.

Prepare yourself for a sentence you never thought you would see. The offensive line deserves a lot of credit for the win on Saturday.

The line opened up and allowed Texas to run, even when Nebraska knew the Longhorns were going to run. The line gave Gilbert plenty of time to throw, although he completed just 4 of 16 passes .

Saturday's season-altering win wasn't about passing, though. It was about the running game and doing what Texas (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) said it were going to do all season.

"We talked about the running game all offseason," Huey said. "We talked about being aggressive. We talked about running downhill. We talked about being able to do what we wanted to do, when we wanted to do it. This was what we were talking about. We finally showed what we were able to do."

No trickery involved.

"They just ran their defense," offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. "They ran what they do. They ran heavy fronts (five linemen). At the same time, when we made some adjustments we were able to chink it, too. They’re a talented group."

Great coaches live for this.

Great coaches live for these moments. Great programs are defined by them. You didn't think Texas was going to roll over for Nebraska, did you?

Did you expect the Longhorns not to answer a challenge? If you thought that, you haven't been paying attention to all Texas has accomplished these last seven years. (The Horns are 73-11 if you're keeping track.)

I'm guessing Mack Brown has loved these last two weeks in a bizarre way only another coach would understand. Amid the criticism and doubt, there was opportunity.

Nice prediction.

"I think we can win the rest of the games if we play well each week," said Brown, whose team meets Iowa State (3-4, 1-2) Saturday in Austin. "But we're not a 'gimme' team. We are not at a point where we can play poorly and beat anybody. We're going to have to play well each week to win."

That Longhorn Network will be here soon.

Longhorn Network will agree to a television partner soon - probably, but not definitely — Fox. DeLoss Dodds told me he still expects it to be up and running by next fall and thinks Texas will have the rights to show one Texas football game and several basketball games.

Nice.

"The Texas offensive line is garbage. In fact, the Texas offense is garbage." - 
Former Cornhusker defensive tackle Jason Peter

They just didn't see it coming.

I didn’t see it coming. I figured Nebraska would defeat Texas in a hard-fought game Saturday and carry considerable momentum into games at Oklahoma State this week and against Missouri next week in Lincoln.

First off, Texas took a sledgehammer to Nebraska’s momentum. Talk about a buzz kill.

What did we learn this week?

Nebraska had a chance to make a final statement to Texas and failed. With their impending move to the Big Ten next season, the Cornhuskers had a prime chance to take a parting shot to a team that has owned them since their introduction into the Big 12 in 1994. But missed tackles and dropped balls led to the Longhorns winning for the ninth time in 10 games against Nebraska.

This isn't the Nebraska of old.

But seriously, with no disrespect to Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne and the wishes and wants of the Cornhusker Nation, how big and bad is Nebraska?

We're talking this Nebraska, not the Nebraska of Johnny Rodgers and Grant Wistrom and Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch.

Amid the rush by the national media to declare the Cornhuskers back among the elite, there's one key element missing from said status: requisite credentials.

You owe Mack Brown for this one. There was one bright spot for Nebraska.

"Coach (Bo) Pelini had told me to watch for a fake field goal or something like that," Hagg said. "I just picked it (the ball) up and started running. It just worked out."

The Cornhuskers will try to leave the loss behind them. But what else will they live for?

Now it’s time to move on, senior guard Keith Williams said. He and his teammates had better not carry over any feelings of regret or disappointment into this week. Nebraska enters Saturday’s game at undefeated Oklahoma State with a chance at a Big 12 championship, and NU could play itself out of the race if it lacks proper mental focus.

"We’re not going to stay in the dungeon and cry about this," Williams said. "We’re going to put it behind us and come out and play, start to practice."

Those black shirts might want to pick up some extra credit next Saturday. The weekly Cornhusker report card is out.

AGAINST THE RUN (C)

The problems Nebraska had bringing down the Texas running backs were surprising. Nebraska had been a sound tackling team this season before Saturday, but Cody Johnson and Tre' Newton were churning for extra yards throughout the game, and Texas rushed for 209 yards. Garrett Gilbert hurt Nebraska early with his feet, which was rather surprising, considering he'd rushed for 14 yards all season before Saturday. With the quarterback draw working, he ran for 71 yards against the Blackshirts.

Actually, you need to be very careful what you wish for.

If the 'Horns intend to tell this kid, "Go ahead and try to beat us with your arm," they may want to be careful what they wish for.

At least one person will miss Nebraska.

We need to keep a close watch on Corn Nation. There seems to be some kind of meltdown happening over there.

The Pokes got an upgrade this season.

Want to know how Oklahoma State has elevated its program? Facilities matter, and Boone’s money was a life-saver, and the offensive knowledge infusion of first Larry Fedora and now Dana Holgorsen was a godsend. But the bottom line is this. The Cowboys have upgraded their talent.

And if you don’t believe it, just look at the areas where us earthlings — fans and media — can know the difference. Ballhandlers.

OSU has better ballhandlers than Texas and Nebraska. Think about that.

It is going to be a special season In Stillwater.

Watch out. All limits are off this OSU squad. The Cowboys, picked by some to finish sixth in the Big 12 South, instead are 6-0 overall and tied with the Sooners for first place in the South Division.

Dana Holgorsen's offense has blossomed in his first year on staff, and Bill Young's defense was plenty stingy against the ghosts of Mike Leach, and suddenly, the 6-0 record takes on a new meaning.

The Cowboys are more than bowl eligible. They are thinking big-bowl eligible.

Nebraska is next on OSU's schedule.

And we thought it couldn't get any worse for the Aggies. Well, it has.

Meanwhile, the Aggies (3-3, 0-2) are headed toward another forgettable season, and it's hard to remember that, before the season, there was plenty of optimism. Johnson was a chic preseason pick as the Big 12's offensive player of the year (OK, he was my pick, anyway, in SI.com's preseason package). Johnson remains wildly talented -- and wildly inconsistent. As A&M struggles for bowl eligibility, we can cue the grumbling and the speculation about Mike Sherman's future.

Even that esteemed journalistic publication wants Mike Sherman out.

Get ready for it, Aggies. This program is a perennial doormat of the Big 12. This program is irrelevant. And under Sherman, this program has gone absolutely nowhere.

Don't throw out excuses. Do not talk about progress. Do not argue that Sherman is a good guy or that he "gets" A&M.

Because the only thing A&M "gets" is winning and right now, the man in charge has shown he is incapable of doing so.

In over two years, Sherman is 13-18 - the worst start to a coaching career since A&M began allowing women into the University. Sherman is now 3-15 against teams with winning records.

At least the Aggies have their tailgating.

The stage is set for Missouri.

He's taken his team to the top of the polls and helped send his quarterback to New York City as a Heisman finalist. His teams have won the Big 12 North twice. They've also won 30 games in three seasons entering 2010, in which they sit 6-0.

But -- and this won't be the last time you hear this during the week -- Pinkel has never beaten Oklahoma or Texas. Under Pinkel, Missouri is 0-11 against the Big 12's resident powers, and his 12th opportunity to knock one of them off will come Saturday.

The Tigers couldn't ask for a better stage.

But have they actually played anyone this season?

The Tigers' "quality" win came against San Diego State, and that required a late-game miracle.

Give the Tigers credit. They played nothing, but at least they beat nothing.

Just don't be surprised when they lose at home on Saturday against Oklahoma, and the next week at Nebraska.

The Tigers can easily finish 10-2, which means Missouri should stop building the statue of alum Jon Hamm and begin construction on a Pinkel bronze.

The Bears are just one win away from the Holy Grail.

Same song, just another verse. The Buffs want a new coach.

Well, crude. That's all I plan to say about the Land Thieves today.

And finally...

Flying 12 Timezones from BFE to Omaha - $3,000 (or just not paying your bills for a month) 

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