RUNNING GAME (A): Nebraska did a solid job of establishing the run, with Brandon Jackson and Cody Glenn leading the charge. Last year against the Cyclones, the Huskers had 25 rushes for 36 yards. This is what Bill Callahan meant when he said you needed to run the ball to have a chance to win the Big 12 North.

PASSING GAME (C): Maurice Purify needs more catches. He only has 11 this season, and 10 of them have gained first downs. Good idea to utilize the tight ends given ISU’s injury situation at SAM linebacker. Too much pressure on Zac Taylor. The Huskers were lucky some of those sacks weren’t more damaging, namely the two deep in Nebraska territory.

AGAINST THE RUN (A): Containing Bret Meyer on the run was Nebraska’s biggest challenge, and the Huskers did a sound job. Great play by Barry Turner to chase down Meyer from behind on third-and-long in the first quarter, and another solid stop by Ndamukong Suh on a second-down draw play before halftime. Meyer, though, had a 17-yard gain on a draw to set up ISU’s first touchdown. Huge stop on third-and-1 late in the third quarter.

AGAINST THE PASS (B): Much improved. A couple of well-executed safety blitzes. A few new looks at defensive back. The pressure was lacking early but picked up late. Rickey Thenarse made a great play on a third-and-15 pass, batting the ball away. One major snafu in the first half: The Huskers let Iowa State off the hook on third-and-19, as Meyer found a wide-open Austyn Flynn for a 23-yard gain. Barry Cryer made his presence known in the first half, sacking Meyer and also batting a pass.

SPECIAL TEAMS (A): ISU punt returner Ryan Baum was a non-factor because of Dan Titchener’s sky-high punts that meant Baum called for a fair catch almost every time. Why kick deep on the kickoff before halftime? Squib it.

GAME MANAGEMENT AND PENALTIES (A): Great game management before halftime. The Huskers, who wisely used their final two timeouts on defense, were set to go after the clock started on change of possession. The pass over the middle to Matt Herian, with no timeouts, was questionable at best, but no harm. Yes, a very conservative plan in the second half. But given the field position, the score, and the fact the defense was playing well, not a bad plan.

PLAY CALLING (A): What a gutsy call to go to the end zone on the final play of the first half, but when you’ve got a guy like Maurice Purify … great play all around. Nebraska needed to implement the USC game plan with 6:05 remaining in the first half, and did just that, trying to run the ball. Would’ve worked better with another first down, but still, a good idea.

OVERALL (A): Breathing any easier? This is what Nebraska needs to win on the road — a good running attack and a solid defense. The results Saturday night? A stadium that began emptying after three quarters. Haven’t seen that happen here in a while. Now, what about Manhattan?