NU STAR

Hard to find one, really. Chris Brooks caught five passes for 66 yards, both career highs. On an afternoon when the Nebraska receivers largely failed to show up, Brooks, at least, appeared to play hard. Four of his five receptions went for first downs. The senior from St. Louis played as much as anyone at his position and may slide into an even bigger role as NU moves forward. His 13 catches this year are third on the team behind Mike McNeill and Niles Paul.

HIGHLIGHT

Backup quarterback Cody Green rifled a 13-yard touchdown pass into the belly of Khiry Cooper on a third-and-5 play with 8:40 left in the game. It gave the Huskers a brief moment of hope, down 24-10, and provided perhaps a glimpse of the not-so-distant future as a true freshman connected with a redshirt freshman.

BUSTED PLAY

So many to consider, but the biggest Nebraska bust of all produced a Tech touchdown. With the Huskers down 7-0 and driving after Paul's punt return to the Tech 33, the junior receiver dropped a cross-field lateral from Zac Lee. Daniel Howard scooped it from the turf and jogged 82 yards for a score as NU failed to pursue. Lee got within 20 yards of the Tech defensive end on his TD return.

OUR TAKE

Nebraska has issues to resolve at quarterback, running back, receiver and on the offensive line. Many more questions persist about this unit than two weeks ago as Big 12 play opened. Bottom line, NU has managed one productive quarter of offensive play out of 12 against BCS conference foes. Nebraska might win with its defense for the next two weeks, but if things aren't in much better shape offensively by Nov. 7 when NU hosts Oklahoma, forget about the hopes and goals for this season.

— Mitch Sherman