Wednesday notebook: With Lee still in doubt, O'Brien ready to go

As Nebraska reaches the midway point of the week, signs are still pointing to Patrick O’Brien making his first career start at Penn State on Saturday.

Junior Tanner Lee suffered a concussion in the second quarter at Minnesota last week and has yet to practice as he goes through concussion protocol. That’s left O’Brien, who played the entire second half vs. the Gophers, to take all of the first-team reps this week in practice.

The redshirt freshman completed 12-of-18 passes for 137 yards, led a touchdown drive, and was sacked six times during the most extensive action of his young career.

It remains to be seen what Lee’s official status will be by the time NU makes it way to State College, Penn., but for the time being O’Brien is preparing himself to be the guy.

“I’m preparing as a starter right now, taking all the first reps during practice,” O’Brien said. “Preparation like in the film room doesn’t change really; I just try to prepare every single day and try to get better.”

Riley said it’s been a fairly seamless transition from Lee to O’Brien with the top offense in practice, and much of that has to do with the jump O’Brien has made since arriving on campus 22 months ago.

“I think Patrick has had the benefit of time being in the room, and I think Patrick has really stayed the course as far as his work, weight room, football, and meeting room,” Riley said.

“I think it’s kind of natural growth for a kid who has redshirted and then come into a backup role a pretty young age to be the No. 2 quarterback. It’s a pretty decent shape for a guy positioning for the future.”

- Robin Washut

Through 10 games, Nebraska has the 41st-ranked strength of schedule in 2017. If the college football data pundits ranked strength of running backs faced, the Huskers might be No. 1.

Within a daunting pool of backs that have gashed the Blackshirts this season, Oregon’s Royce Freeman, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins, Northwestern’s Justin Jackson, and Minnesota’s Rodney Smith all posted 100-plus-yard days against Nebraska.

On Saturday, the Huskers face not only the best back on their schedule, but quite possibly the best runner in the country.

Penn State junior Saquon Barkley has amassed nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards on the season to go with 16 total touchdowns, and NU's coaches regard his abilities as elite.

“He is the total package,” defensive coordinator Bob Diaco said. “He’s got contact balance, great speed, great vision, powerful runner, thick-body guy, breaks tackles, makes you miss, jumps over you … One of the best backs that’s been in the league for some time.”

Barkley is far from the break the Huskers needed after surrendering 409 yards on the ground to middling Minnesota.

Just three of Nebraska’s opponents are averaging more than 200 yards per game on the ground, but the Huskers rank 105th in rush defense, giving up 200.1 yards per game – a figure that equates to dead last in the Big Ten.

Barkley, meanwhile, has built a Heisman case behind his versatility. The junior has three receiving touchdowns and two kick return scores on the season and has been a walking highlight reel all year, leaping over defenders and sending would-be tacklers flying by with lethal jump cuts.

“I don’t know enough about all the other players to say that he is the best player in the country, but I would like to see better,” Riley said Monday. “He is certainly in that conversation and belongs there, as far as I know.”

But even with their biggest challenge ahead, Diaco said the Blackshirts have taken the right approach to close the gaps in practice and won’t fold under pressure.

“As they get ready to battle, they have shown up with energy and excitement and they want to get better,” Diaco said. “Everybody is straining to get that done.”

- Matt Reynoldson

Mick Stoltenberg gave a passionate speech in the locker room following Nebraska's loss to Minnesota, and the junior nose tackle's message was clear.

“I just wanted to keep the guys together,” Stoltenberg said. “After something like that, the easy way would be to just give up and let the season end, but I want this team to stay together and for us to work hard.”

Stoltenberg hasn’t had the season he had hoped for, 29 tackles without a quarterback sack on the year. Even so, the Gretna, Neb., native has emerged as a vocal leader for the defense.

“I’ve always tried to be a leader,” Stoltenberg said. “The more you’re here, the more guys respect you and the easier it is to be vocal.”

The Husker offensive line didn’t give up a sack in the first half, but when O’Brien came in they allowed six sacks in the second half alone, including three straight to end the game.

Offensive guard Jerald Foster was asked about the team's effort following Saturday's loss, and the junior stressed the performance had nothing to do with the team's will to win.

“We care too much,” Foster said. “We want to win every game. We are a program that people expect to win. Times like this, it’s hard. Most of us are all on the same page.”

When asked about the people that aren’t on the same page, Foster responded: “We’ll get them there. That’s what leadership is. That’s when you get behind the guys that might have a little doubt and you push them forward and tell them that we are still going to do something with ourselves.”

- David Eickholt

As if the odds weren’t stacked up against Nebraska enough on Saturday, the Huskers will also have to combat what should be one of the most imposing road environments they’ve faced all season.

It will be Senior Day at Penn State, and also Barkley’s final game as a Nittany Lion assuming he chooses to go pro at the end of the year.

The Nittany Lions have also coordinated this weekend to be their annual “Stripe Out” game, where the 110,000-seat Beaver Stadium sections will alternate with all blue and all white shirts.

On top of all that, the game is set for a later start, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. Eastern. That means the sun will have long gone down by the time the second half rolls around.

Needless to say, communication and preparation couldn’t be any more important for NU as it gears up this week in practice.

“We are working on some stuff already,” offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “You aren’t going to be able to hear things, so you need to have a great understanding of what this defense is doing. It’s pretty complex. You’re not going to hear much.”

Running backs coach Reggie Davis said that need for great communication goes for the rest of the offense as well, as the backfield, receivers and tight ends all needed to be in sync to make plays work in that environment.

“It’s huge,” Davis said. “If guys aren’t on the same page, it’s going to look pretty bad. It’s going to be huge for us to make sure we are all on the same page… When communication starts breaking down, that’s when things get ugly.”

O’Brien has obviously never played in a setting like what Nebraska will see on Saturday, but he’s still familiar with the challenges Beaver Stadium presents.

“They’re going to be loud,” O’Brien said. “My dad’s from Philadelphia, so I have a lot of family members coming to this game. I’ve been there a few times and I really know what to expect. It’s just football at the end of the day, so just go out there and play.”

- Robin Washut

***Wide receivers JD Spielman and Stanley Morgan Jr. are both nearing 800 receiving yards. The pair needs 66 and 73 yards, respectively, this week to hit 800 yards. Nebraska has never had two 800-yard receivers in the same season.

***Senior kicker Drew Brown is set to make his 50th consecutive start on Saturday at Penn State. Brown would become one of only four players in Nebraska history to start 50 career games and the first since kicker Alex Henery started 53 games in his NU career from 2007 to 2010. Drew's brother, Kris, made 51 career starts at kicker.

***Nebraska and Penn State both rank in the top 10 in the FBS ranks in all-time victories, combining for 1,768 wins between them. Nebraska is fifth with 893 all-time wins, while Penn State ranks eighth with 876 all-time wins.

***Nebraska holds a 3-0 advantage in the series since joining the Big Ten in 2011, including a 2-0 mark at Beaver Stadium.