Posted: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 6:00 pm
Forgive Jared Helming if his head's spinning a little this week.
Listed all season at No. 2 on the depth chart at offensive guard, Helming this week switched to defensive line because sophomore Brandon Teamer (knee) is doubtful for Friday's home game against Colorado.
"We can utilize Jared's size, strength and girth because we're going to need some run-stoppers," Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan said Wednesday. "Colorado runs the ball extremely well."
The Buffaloes (6-4, 3-4 Big 12) rank 84th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 127.1 yards.
Colorado tailback Bobby Purify, despite battling a slew of injuries, ranks seventh in the Big 12 in rushing at 88.0 yards per game.
Helming, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound junior from Springfield, Mo., came to Nebraska as a defensive lineman before switching to offense last spring.
Helming this week has joined juniors Le Kevin Smith and Titus Adams and senior walk-on Jeff McBride in the interior defensive line.
In addition to Teamer, sophomore wideout Isaiah Fluellen (foot) also is listed by Callahan as doubtful.
BAD MEMORY: Nebraska senior place-kicker Sandro DeAngelis said, in his opinion, Colorado is the Huskers' fiercest rival. "I'm kind of biased because I remember 2001," he said, referring to the Huskers' 62-36 loss in Boulder. "I remember what a terrible, terrible feeling that was." However, DeAngelis plays down the notion of rivalries in the college game. "Rivalries kind of go out the window when you're playing major college football because every team's good these days," he said. "It's not like in high school where one or two teams are good everybody's good, so everybody's kind of your rival. But I'd have to say the game I'm most passionate about is Colorado."
PRACTICE REPORT: Nebraska (5-5, 3-4) practiced in sweat clothes Wednesday at Memorial Stadium. Callahan apparently misspoke when he said, "It was the last practice for our seniors." Of course, with a win Friday, the Huskers would become bowl-eligible. "It went well," Callahan said of the workout. "It was a short and quick practice. We did a lot of red-zone and situational things. We're ready to go."
RECRUIT WATCH: Callahan's eyes widened and a smile came to his face Wednesday when he was asked if it was a big recruiting week for Nebraska. "It's a huge recruiting week," he said. "Any time we can get our recruits into Lincoln for a game, it's a big benefit." A total of 10 prospects are expected to be on hand, including three defensive linemen James McKinney of Louisville, Ky.; Lorenzo Jones of
McKinney, Texas; and Barry Cryer of Dodge City (Kan.) Community College.
Steven M. Sipple