Things I know, and things I think I know:
Some Nebraska football fans will fixate on Michigan safety Josh Metellus' assertion Saturday that Husker players "wanted to give up" following Adrian Martinez's tipped-ball intercepted pass on the opening series.
“You could just see it in their eyes,'" Metellus told reporters following Michigan's 56-10 triumph at Michigan Stadium.
His comment seems a bit reckless. There exists a sizable gap between feeling let down temporarily and actually wanting to "give up" for good. Besides, there were other comments Saturday — by first-year Nebraska coach Scott Frost and Husker starting safety Tre Neal — that were better indicators Frost has a lot of work left before a championship-level culture is established.
For instance: Although it's alarmist to think Nebraska (0-3) has players preparing to jump ship, it apparently has too many players unwilling (or unable for whatever reason) to fully commit to being the best they can be.
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"I haven't seen that from a lot of guys yet," said Frost, who also acknowledged the reason for his obvious frustration following Thursday's practice — he was salty during the post-practice media session — was that too many players were "missing on details" in the workout.
Mind you, that practice was two days before Nebraska's Big Ten opener, which was a golden opportunity for the Huskers to reset their season, or at least gain a measure of momentum.
Where's the urgency?
"Guys knew their assignments, but they were hesitant," said Neal, a graduate transfer from Central Florida. "By Thursday, you have to know it. We've gone three days, four days, watching film by then. As soon as you're asked a question, you should answer. Seeing that kind of stuff, that's where you get iffy. You can't go into a game with those sorts of doubts, period."
Frost sounds increasingly open to personnel changes.
"Guys are either going to have to figure it out, or we're going to have to get some guys who want to do it," he said Saturday.
He was asked an excellent question, one that gnaws at fans: At the start of the season, did he imagine such a sizable gap between where his team is now and where he wants it to be?Â
"Yeah, I knew we had a lot of work to do," he said. "We're not giving up. They brought us in here to get it right, and we're going to get it right. But we knew it was a big job because there is just so much that had to be fixed and changed."
If last week were any indication, practice habits still need work.
* Nebraska obviously has several players on whom you can count to keep fighting. Sophomore cornerback Dicaprio Bootle strikes me as one of them. One week after Troy essentially avoided throwing his way, he broke up five passes against Michigan.
"I keep saying we didn't expect to be in this position," he said. "But this is the start we've been dealt. All we can do is get better."
* Nebraska's biggest concern from the loss to Michigan?Â
Yeah, the offensive line is an obvious issue, as usual.
There's also this: Nebraska entered the game ranked 21st nationally in rushing defense but came out ranked 68th after allowing 285 yards on the ground (6.3 per carry).
Get this: Michigan managed only 58 yards on 33 carries (1.75) against Notre Dame.
"We weren't gap sound as a team," Neal said. "We probably had eight guys in the right gap, and the ninth guy wasn't there. Those are good backs. It's a really good offense. They're going to find those holes and weaknesses. When you dedicate so much to the run, and you're not gap sound, you're going to give up long plays."
He's right about everything except Michigan having a really good offense. It's an OK unit.
* Purdue, coming off a 30-13 victory against then-No. 23 Boston College, will be the more confident team Saturday at Memorial Stadium. If you're a Nebraska fan, you hope the Boilermakers aren't the hungrier team.
Many Husker fans will be on edge. It'll be an interesting environment, to say the least. A psychologist would have a field day with this fan base right now.
* I leave you with a statistic to mull: Alex Hornibrook is 23-4 as Wisconsin's starting quarterback. People keep saying he's average, but the bottom line suggests otherwise.