Big 12 Opener Draws Near for the Huskers

Lincoln- The Nebraska football team practiced at the Hawks Championship Center and Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields Monday afternoon for 2 1/2 hours with blaring artificial crowd noise, in order to prepare for Thursday's Big 12 opener against Kansas State.

Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson was asked what he thought about Kansas State's defense going into the mid-season matchup.

"They're good," Watson said. "They're what you expect out of K-State. They are what I have learned to expect out of them over the years. They are well coached. They have talented players and play very good unit defense. They get to the football. They'll bend but they won't break."

Watson was also asked about the impending status of junior offensive tackle Marcel Jones.

"He has gone all week," Watson said. "It is good to have him back. He will be ready to play. We don't know how much he will play, but he will play. We will see how that works out."

It has been nearly a week and a half since the Huskers have seen action on the field and Watson was asked how the team has used the bye-week to their advantage.

"It was beneficial," Watson said. "We were able to use it as a chance to get back to the basics. We were able to get back to the fundamentals and get to where we are playing good-on-good. We had some good, fast practices. From that standpoint, I think it is always a benefit, along with a little longer preparation for K-State in advance of what we would usually have."

Watson was also prompted to talk about if he fears Kansas State throwing the kitchen sink at quarterback Taylor Martinez due to his youth.

"We always expect that," Watson said. "We are always preparing for that and we just adjust from there."

The Huskers have their final practice Tuesday afternoon before Thursday night's 6:30 pm matchup against Kansas State. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN HD.