A year ago, Purdue upended Nebraska, being the Cornhuskers 55-45 in Ross-Ade Stadium.

But whereas that Nebraska team couldn't win close games, this one is. And we talked about that, plus other Cornhusker-related news items, with HuskerOnline.com publisher Sean Callahan.

GoldandBlack.com: The Cornhuskers are coming into this game at 6-0 by finding ways to win. Is that what they have done best?

Callahan: "Yeah it is really the opposite of last year. You go back a year ago and look at their seven losses, and Purdue was their worst loss in terms of margin of defeat. This year, they are just finding ways to finish drives and finish games. That was never more evident than against Indiana. They were really struggling to move the ball in the second and third quarters against Indiana. In fact, they only had around 85 yards of offense combined in those two quarters.

"Then suddenly, they were able to put together a 15-play, eight-minute drive to kick a field goal to ice the game and give Indiana the ball back with only 40 seconds left. They have been able to do those types of things this year, whereas last year they couldn’t get a first down against BYU and then BYU scores on a Hail Mary. They couldn’t get a first down against Illinois and gave Illinois the opportunity to score. They needed a first down against Wisconsin, but then Wisconsin kicks a field goal to beat them. That is what is interesting, is being able to complete the game physically and kill it off, and have those 4-6 minute drives at the end of the game that can finish off games."

GoldandBlack.com Has the personnel improved, or have they just learned from last year and applied that to those moments this year?

Callahan: "Honestly, last year’s team probably had more talent. The difference is that this year’s team is more bought in as a team. They lost Maliek Collins to the Dallas Cowboys and Vincent Valentine to the Patriots on the D-Line, and they had Kevin Williams transfer to Michigan State where he starts. Also, Sam Foltz passed away and he was going to be an NFL punter. Left Tackle Alex Lewis got drafted and plays for the Ravens, so they lost a lot of good professional talent.

"I think it is a better understanding of this personnel. The coaching staff gets what they have and they know how to use it better, and the players have bought in. I think last year there was a group of senior guys who were just there to play football, and they didn’t really buy into the change like they should. I am sure Purdue is going to go through that as well. It is not easy for a lot of the veteran senior guys. It is tough for the coaching staff because they don’t want to just unseat all the seniors for younger guys because then you disrupt your whole locker room. Last year, there were a lot of issues they dealt with and after the Purdue loss, they figured it out. They have been 9-1 since that loss in West Lafayette."

GoldandBlack.com: Tommy Armstrong is healthier and playing well, right?

Callahan: "The health is still a question. He didn’t run the ball that well against Indiana despite having a couple of good (single) runs. His foot bothers him, and he loses that explosion and push he can get. He is not Vince Young, but he is almost like a running back. He is 6-foot-1, 220-pounds, and is really physical. They will play the numbers game a lot.

"Surprisingly, Indiana played with two high safeties a lot in the fourth quarter, and Nebraska just played the numbers game and ran Tommy Armstrong with that one- or two-man advantage. That is how they got that final drive going."

GoldandBlack.com: It seems like Armstrong has more weapons around him despite Jordan Westerkamp being out. True?

Callahan: "They return everybody on the offensive weapons side. Alonzo Moore and Brandon Reilly are really good players. Brandon Reilly lead the Big Ten last year in yards per catch. He had a minor injury at the beginning of the year, but he is a guy that can make a lot of plays with his feet. He is the fastest guy on the roster.

"Stanley Morgan is a good player, and he will be their No. 1 receiver next year. The guy they are missing that a lot of casual Big Ten fans don’t know about is their tight end Cethan Carter. He is their top NFL prospect, but he dislocated his elbow in the game against Illinois. He is out at least a few more weeks, and they miss him not only on those third-and-sevens, but also on the edge with blocking. The blocking he would provide was maybe the best you would see in the conference. On sweeps he would completely dominate his guy. Against Indiana, they didn’t have that, and struggled with the jet sweeps and edge runs where he would usually be there to dominate his man."

Goldandblack.com: This year’s Cornhuskers don’t give up a lot of points. Are they better this year defensively, not like the 55 they gave up to Purdue last season?

Callahan: "Going back to that day, it might have been the worst 22 Nebraska has put out in a game, as far as injuries go. They were missing a starting quarterback, starting running back, their leading tackler, Vincent Valentine didn’t play, one of their starters transferred to play FCS ball, so looking back not a lot of guys played. I think only a total of 15 defensive players played in the game. Unofficially, that might be the least I have seen in Nebraska history, only 15 guys on defense. It was really the perfect storm.

"Of course, Demornay Pierson-El got injured after scoring a touchdown. Brian Stewart, Nebraska's secondary coach and former defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, said it was just one of those days. It was Halloween, it was dreary and the stadium was half empty, and everything went wrong. It was the low point maybe in the last 20 or 30 years of Nebraska football to lose to a team like Purdue."

GoldandBlack.com: Is there any danger in looking past Purdue with Wisconsin the week after? What will we see on Saturday?

Callahan: "I think the danger is that Ross Els has a huge advantage in his understanding of the personnel. He knows who guys are and what they are capable of. I know a lot of Purdue fans might chuckle at that, but it is something that Purdue can use to its advantage. The offensive line situation really worries me for Nebraska on Saturday. Nick Gates, their best player, probably an NFL player, but he didn’t practice earlier this week. There is a chance he doesn’t play due to his ankle. David Knevel, their starting right tackle, a 6-9 guy out of Canada, has been bothered by an ankle injury from the Oregon game. He played one play against Indiana and was removed from the game. So their tackles could be to walk-on kids from small Nebraska schools. It is not ideal when you are running a pro-style system. If Purdue really wants to bring pressure and test lineman, that it their ticket to making it interesting. They really struggled with that against Illinois and Indiana."

GoldandBlack.com: Will the Purdue defensive line be able to challenge the offensive line?

Callahan: "They have Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C, where if Gates doesn’t play, then they will move Sam Hahn to left tackle, move Corey Whitaker to left guard, and if Knevel doesn’t play then Cole Conrad, the walk-on, will play at right tackle. Conrad can play guard and center, and they have three guys that can pretty much play all of the positions. It has bailed them out a little bit since those guys have that versatility."

Goldandblack.com: Does Nebraska think it can take advantage of Ross Els in some respect, since they know what he kind of likes to bring?

Callahan: "Yeah and like I said, they like to play the numbers game. They might personnel you and spread you out a little bit. They do a lot of running out of the shotgun, so it will be interesting to see how they do against two high safeties. Nebraska in the shotgun is going to run really well since Tommy can go unaccounted for at some points."

GoldandBlack.com: Any concern or uncertainty by Nebraska about what it is going to get since Purdue has an interim coach?

Callahan: "I think there is always concern that they will bring new things, play more free, and bring that 'nothing to lose' mentality. It will be interesting. For a guy coming in to his first game as a head coach and having to do that in Memorial Stadium, that won’t be easy either.

GoldandBlack.com: How well does Nebraska bring pressure up front?

Callahan: "They get creative. They run some 3-2-6, so they will have linebackers come in off that. Last week they really brought the safeties a ton. As far as defense goes, the players told me that last week’s Indiana game was the most complete defensive game they have played in under this coaching staff. The defense is playing really well. They held Indiana to under 80 yards rushing and 250 yards passing. They had a 75-yard drive near the end of the game, but before that, Nebraska held them to around 250 yards of offense."

GoldandBlack.com: What is your prediction for Saturday?

Callahan: "I would say like 41-21. With Nebraska's situation up front, I don’t think they will cover the spread. They’ll be ready."

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