SCHAEFER: Huskers show physicality against Cajuns

There was a joyous celebration on the field Saturday after the Cornhuskers' 55-0 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

The fans stayed and cheered and fireworks were shot off concluding the game. NU head coach Bo Pelini then graciously accepted the Sun Belt Conference trophy.

Wait, I'm mistaken. This is still nonconference play. The fireworks must have been for something else.

Through three games against the woeful Sun Belt, Nebraska only allowed one touchdown and 12 total points. It's pretty apparent the Huskers would be able to hang with conference favorite Troy.

Instead , the Huskers will have to turn their attention to Missouri and the rest of their Big 12 conference foes.

"Now the season starts," Pelini said. "That's the way we look at it — that's the way I look at it."

For Pelini, the nonconference was a series of glorified exhibition games. He knows the schedule and level of play will pick up immediately.

"It's time to put the foot on the gas pedal and go because we have a long season ahead of us and a lot of challenges coming up," Pelini said.

The first challenge of the "real season" comes on October 8. The Huskers will travel to Columbia, Mo., to take on an undefeated Missouri team. Oh, and it's also the Thursday night prime-time game on ESPN.

Are the Huskers ready to play in front of the eyes of the sports nation? After the first four games, the answer is a resounding "Yes" from tight ends coach Ron Brown.

"Yeah, we're excited about it," Brown said. "In the last two years, we've been tested and challenged to the point where we'd like to play anyone in the country."

There is a different feel surrounding this group, a confidence that comes with having one whole year to learn the Pelini system.

Brown said the change for the Huskers is based on forging an identity.

"Last year we had to grow," Brown said. "We're way ahead of the game this year in that realm. Offensively, we are more consistent, and we know who we are."

At a time when the rest of the conference has put up less than stellar efforts in nonconference play, Nebraska has physically asserted itself on its opponents. Nebraska may be running a West Coast offense, but this is a physical football team.

This isn't the timid zone-blocking or 10-yard bubble coverage of a few years ago. This team is willing to get dirty to make plays. There's no better example than watching sophomore offensive tackle Marcel Jones hunt for his next victim during toss plays or screens. There's no better reason to why Nebraska elects to send running back Roy Helu Jr. to the right so often. It puts Helu behind Jones, the 310-pound freight train who looks for a reason to derail from the tracks, crashing into some unsuspecting member of the defensive secondary.

Nebraska's physicality isn't limited to its Sun Belt foes either, as the Huskers preformed admirab ly in their only test of the nonconference: a bitter 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech. NU took the crowd out of the game with a dominating defense and a consistent effort to physically establish a running presence. In the end, the Huskers faltered and took their foot off the Hokies' throat. Don't expect this team to make the same mistake twice.

If each new game is to be a building block over the course of the season, then the Huskers just sent a message to the rest of the Big 12. Against Lafayette, NU surrendered just 222 yards of total offense. Compare that with the first game of the season, when Florida Atlantic rolled up 358 yards. This unit has taken steps every game.