The new head coach calls him "Shans."

Maybe it's no big deal. Maybe it means absolutely nothing. Or maybe it's yet another sign Andrew Shanle has become more than a relatively obscure Nebraska backup player.

"It's nice to be on a personal level (with the head coach)," said Shanle, a sophomore free safety. "Coach is pretty good about knowing everyone. He's shocked a couple of us."

Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, upon greeting players at South Stadium, on occasion will toss out an interesting fact about their lives, a bit of knowledge that would require at least a modicum of research.

"You're like, ‘Where'd he get that from?' " Shanle said. "He's in good with everyone on the team."

While many Nebraska fans gnash their teeth over recent subpar outings by the Big Red, Shanle sees no reason for alarm. It's a tight-knit team, he said. Contrary to speculation, coaches and players have bonded well, he said. The coaches devise "great game plans," he said, and everything soon will fall into place.

That's what Shanle tells his brother, Scott, a former Nebraska outside linebacker who's now playing backup strongside linebacker for the NFL Dallas Cowboys. The Shanle boys, of St. Edward, talk on the phone at least a couple times a week, Andrew said.

Scott tells his brother "to stay positive, have fun with it, always enjoy what you're doing," Andrew said.

"Anything that happens in practice, I call and let him know," Andrew said. "We talk about good and bad."

Of course, the Shanle boys had much to discuss last week. Andrew, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound defender, replaced regular Nebraska starting free safety Josh Bullocks early in the second quarter of Saturday's 45-21 loss at Kansas State.

Bullocks, a junior, had suffered a dislocated shoulder early last week. Although Bullocks started the contest, it became apparent he was playing with hesitancy, said Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.

Said Callahan: "We had to back Josh down and put Shans in the game. It was an opportunity for him to go ahead and make his mark. I thought on several occasions, especially in our pressure package, he made some great plays."

Early in the third quarter, with Kansas State facing third-and-9 at its 25-yard line, Shanle bolted untouched into the Wildcat backfield and sacked quarterback Allen Webb for a 10-yard loss, highlighting Shanle's seven-tackle performance.

"It was just an opportunity I was fortunate to have," Shanle said of his first brush with sustained playing time at NU. "I think I made the most of it. I mean, I just went out there and had a good time. I know that's something we have to focus on as a team, just having fun playing football. And that's what I tried to do Saturday."

This week, as Nebraska (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) prepared to face Missouri at 11:10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium, Shanle dutifully moved back into his reserve role behind Bullocks, the preseason top-ranked safety in the nation by The Sporting News.

"It was a very good taste (of action) against Kansas State, but I realize I'm now back to being a role player and if I'm needed, I'm needed," said Shanle, who had nine tackles last season while playing mostly on kickoff coverage.

This season, Shanle is among Nebraska's top special-teams players. He plays the role of "missile" on kickoff coverage and "gunner" on punt coverage. The "missile" often tries to annihilate the return team's wedge of blockers. The "gunner" streaks down the field like a kamikaze. Both spots require speed and athleticism.

Shanle's also on the kickoff return and punt block units.

"He's as critical to us on special teams as any player we have," said Bill Busch, NU's special-teams coordinator.

Scott Shanle told his younger brother it'd be that way, that he would have to prove himself on special teams, and later there'd be bigger opportunities for him — opportunities like the one that occurred against Kansas State.

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.