Pre-Game Jitters

The Week that Was in Cornhusker football...

Steve Octavien is Strong...Octavien turned heads this summer by bench-pressing a grizzly bear. Twice. The Naples, Fla. native set the school record in the bench press for linebackers with a 2-rep lift of 455 lbs and he's got his sights set on the all-position record after the season is over (thankfully).

I have a feeling that Mr. Octavien is going to make himself a lot of money this year. We've only seen glimpses of his raw talent due to injuries the past two years but this year I'm predicting he'll not just reach his potential but blow by it like a rest stop on I-80.

I'll be shocked if he's not All-Big 12 this year.

What's wrong with Cody Glenn?...Two weeks ago Glenn was still gimpy from a foot injury he had sustained against A&M. His 10-month, on-going recovery made me wonder if he had sustained the worst foot injury in bipedal history, if maybe his foot was actually just a fleshy bag of bone chips and shredded muscle.

But now it's much worse: he's hurt and nobody seems to know why. Here's running backs coach Randy Jordan in the LJS yesterday after being asked the nature of the injury:

"I wish I knew. One minute I'm thinking it's the hammy, one minute I think it's the foot. I just know he's banged up."

Really? That's the best information we have? As confident as I am in Octavien this year, I'm equally confident that Glenn won't be much of a factor and that's a scary proposition.

The big question with Lucky is whether or not he's an every down back but he might not have a choice. With nothing but a converted DB and freshmen behind him, the running game is starting to become an area of concern. We've heard some good things regarding Culbert and Castille, but, across the country, sunshine pours out of fall camps so I'll take the wait and see approach.

Nebraska's offensive line should be a strength this year but what good are holes if there's no one to run through them? The goal for next week? Find a cure, or at least a proper diagnosis, for Glenn's Mysteritis.

eBay Item of the Week...A really good week on the vintage Cornhuskers front. There's a sweet satin jacket, a great t-shirt featuring Herbie, an 'N' AND an ear of corn, and the usual smattering of decanters and cool tailgating fare. But undisputed champ is this killer Big 8 clock featuring Harry Husker. You will not find a better way to count down the hours to kick-off, I guarantee it.