1. Are the coaches worried that the secondary isn’t having to defend the pass? It will be a big leap from not getting thrown at one week and then facing USC’s receivers next week.

Bill Callahan admits that’s the only downside to playing on option-based team, and sure enough, Nicholls State attempted just three passes. Next week, Southern Cal might have that many on its first possession.

“We still did our passing against the offense, still had teamwork against our offense,” defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “We do every week, no matter who we play, so we got a lot of work in that area.”

As cornerback Andre Jones noted, “We still practiced for ‘just in case’ — just in case Nicholls State came out with four-wide.”

2. The cohesiveness that is beginning to establish itself between Zac Taylor and the rest of the skill position players on offense is nothing short of amazing when you look back to one year ago. What has the coaching staff done to help establish, encourage and foster an environment where the team has learned to lean on and trust each other through those trying times?

Let’s let Mr. Taylor — who’s completed 41 of 56 passes for 489 yards and seven touchdowns with just one interception this season — handle that one.

“I think when you’re screwing up like that, you just get back to the fundamentals, get back to basic throwing and catching and working on the basic stuff,” he said. “Once you feel good about that again, the other things start to come and they kind of ascend to that. It’s that simple, I really think so.”

3. Where was Nate Swift?

No catches for No. 87 on Saturday. He’s still three receptions and 42 yards ahead of his team-leading pace of 2005. Besides, it looked like Swift and Nicholls State free safety Kareem Moore were having fun enough keeping things lively away from the ball. Lively as in, “You got me on that play. Good job. But the next one you’ll be on your butt.”