Callahan Previews the Cyclones

Lincoln - The Nebraska football team continued preparations for this weekend’s road matchup at Iowa State with a two-hour workout in half pads inside Memorial Stadium on Tuesday. The Huskers face ISU at 1 p.m. Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

Earlier in the day at his weekly press conference, Head Coach Bill Callahan complimented the Cyclones for turning their season around by winning their last two games.

"I look at Iowa State as a team that’s ascending in every respect," Callahan said. "If you look at their last three games and you look at the way they performed, they have really taken on a new identity. I look at their defense, and they’re giving the opponent an average of only (17) points per game. They’ve had 11 turnovers in the last three games, so they’re very opportunistic. There’s a lot of confidence brewing up there. I know Coach McCarney will have them all riled up for Saturday, make no doubt about that."

Playing with emotion like NU did against Missouri last weekend will be key for the Huskers against Iowa State, said Callahan.

"We’re going to need more emotion on the road," Callahan said. "We’ll need to manufacture that by any means - through communication, dialogue, through the on-the-field repetition, through the constant encouragement of our coaches, and the positive approach we’ve been taking with our players. Let’s face it - every now and then, as a coach, you have to tweak your team. You have to tweak your ball club and how you elect to do that, you have to do it very delicately. There’s a very fine line."

Callahan also announced Nebraska’s players of the game for last week’s contest against Missouri. Linebacker Barrett Ruud earned defensive player of the game honors for the second week in a row after recording 17 tackles, four of which were for a loss, against the Tigers. I-back Cory Ross gained recognition as offensive player of the game for his performance, which included a career-high 194 yards rushing, while free safety Andrew Shanle collected special teams honors for recording a blocked punt and fumble recovery. Quarterback Zach Miller and defensive end Trevor Neemann earned offensive and defensive scout players of the week, respectively.

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