Huskers Look Ahead to Missouri

Lincoln - The Nebraska football team continued preparations for this weekend’s home matchup against Missouri with a two-hour workout in half pads inside Memorial Stadium on Tuesday. The Huskers face the Tigers at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Earlier in the day at his weekly press conference, Head Coach Bill Callahan conveyed his excitement about the upcoming clash between Big 12 North Division title contenders.

"We find ourselves in the midst of a divisional run and a quest for a potential championship, so this game takes on increasing significance," Callahan said. "We are really looking forward to the opportunity to play Missouri this weekend. I always look at the positive side of things, and I’m really encouraged that our players are excited about this upcoming weekend. I talked to a lot of them on Sunday and yesterday, and I get the feel that they want to rectify the errors we had on Saturday."

The much-improved Missouri defense was also a topic of conversation.

"Missouri’s defense is the No. 1 defense in the conference right now, and as you watch them perform on film, they’re excellent in every area on every level," Callahan said. "They’re coordinated very well. That’s what I see on film, and I see a defense that plays the pass extremely well because they pressure you so many different ways. It’s a complex system they’re operating. They have several years now behind their system, so you see that emerge on film. You see their players run hard, close to the ball, and they define themselves as well as any defense I’ve seen."

Callahan also announced Nebraska’s players of the game for last week’s contest against Kansas State. After compiling a career-high 19 tackles, including a school-record 16 solo stops, linebacker Barrett Ruud earned defensive player of the week recognition. I-back Cory Ross received offensive honors after accumulating 106 all-purpose yards against the Wildcats, while linebacker Lance Bradenburgh was named special teams player of the game. Running back Kade Pittman and defensive tackle Nate Krug earned offensive and defensive scout players of the week, respectively.

NU will continue its preparations for the Tigers with an afternoon practice on Wednesday.