BY MITCH SHERMAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
LINCOLN - We interrupt the normal path of this column to try bringing a morsel of sensibility to the perception of football recruiting at Nebraska.
In the wake of Southern California's disposal of the Huskers on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium with a couple of dozen recruits on hand to watch as NU continued to sit many of its most promising prospects on the bench, there seems no better time to ask: At what point is it fair to say the bubble has burst on recruiting hype at Nebraska?
Going on 45 months now, we've heard about the ability of coach Bill Callahan and his staff to lure superior talent to Lincoln.
Presumably, that talent was going to make a difference on the field.
Sure, the Huskers look more athletic. They run faster in practice. But why, on a night like Saturday when NU trailed 42-10 after three quarters, did Rickey Thenarse, Keith Williams, Quentin Castille and Niles Paul continue to sit?
In the stands Saturday night sat running back Jonas Gray, another high-profile NU recruit. Gray, from Southfield, Mich., accepted the Huskers' scholarship offer in August.
He offered an intelligent analysis of the game, saying the Huskers lost it in the trenches. Two third-quarter interceptions killed momentum, Gray said, and the disparity in rushing yards (313-31) secured victory for USC.
Still, he said he enjoyed his visit.
"If anything, I came away from it higher on Nebraska," he said. "I'm excited about the future. Seeing what I saw, it makes me like the school and the team that much more. The atmosphere at Nebraska is definitely the best."
Gray said he's planning to come back - if not this weekend, then next month for the Texas A&M game and in December for the team banquet.
As for next year, Gray remains optimistic about his chance to play, even with Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn scheduled to return as seniors.
"They told me the best player will start," he said, "and the best players will be on the field."
Sounds logical. Look across the field, where USC on Saturday played plenty of freshmen and sophomores, including true freshman center Kristofer O'Dowd. O'Dowd, an all-everything recruit last year, seemed to do just fine.
The past four years would indicate Gray may not get the same opportunity. Particularly at running back, since the start of last season, playing time from week to week for young players has proven erratic.
And consider this: The top five Callahan-recruited players, based solely on performance at Nebraska, are Zac Taylor, Terrence Nunn, Brandon Jackson, Maurice Purify and Cortney Grixby.
Taylor was less touted than another NU quarterback recruit, Harrison Beck. Nunn didn't get as much recruiting attention as Chris Brooks. Jackson's commitment received smaller headlines than Marlon Lucky's. Grixby was less touted than Zack Bowman and Andre Jones.
Aside from Grixby, a serviceable cornerback who's started 30 games, no defensive player recruited by Callahan out of high school has started more than three.
Somewhere along the way at Nebraska, a disconnect developed between potential and performance.
NU may cry foul here, but wrongly so. The Huskers fuel the propaganda by enabling those who operate recruiting Web sites to trumpet their recruiting success. Essentially, Nebraska wants the hype.
At some point, though, there comes a time when performance is all that matters. Maybe Saturday was a start.
We now return to regularly scheduled recruiting hype.
