SCHAEFER: Neither Husker quarterback can change an overall weak offense

No coach has directly said it. Most players have avoided the exact phrase but have alluded to the idea several times.

It doesn't matter who plays quarterback.

Zac Lee or Cody Green? Please, Ron Kellogg Jr. could take snaps for Nebraska, and the offense would be the same: conservative, plodding and not a hint of throwing the ball more than 15 yards, even with eight defensive guys in the box.

Of course, NU head coach Bo Pelini will say otherwise.

"There's always going to be a conservative aspect to the game," Pelini said. "But there also has to be one where you have to open up pretty quick in case things aren't going the way you want on the other side of the football. I think we're ready to adapt to anything that we need to do."

Read that last sentence again.

This offense hasn't adapted since the Missouri game. It's only toiled – in its own futility, scoring four offensive touchdowns in the last four conference games. That's between starting, benching and mid-game switching both quarterbacks.

Clearly there isn't much that separates the two.

"The offense doesn't change according to who's in there or who's the starter," Pelini said.

There's no comeback to that. Neither Lee nor Green will have to try and win a game themselves now that running back Roy Helu Jr. is healthy. The Cornhuskers will once again rely heavily on Helu. He nearly won the Virginia Tech game and carried Nebraska to seven first downs against Oklahoma and kept the Sooner offense off the field.

That will be the recipe again.

Not because the coaches want to, but because that's the only way Nebraska can win, regardless who starts at quarterback. Neither player's presence is going to open up running lanes. Why would a defense plan to do anything other than shut down Helu and the running game?

Of the two quarterbacks, Lee throws the better deep ball, but his opportunities are going to be limited, and he's probably just encouraged to hold onto the ball and take a sack. Against Oklahoma, Green was willing to display his strong arm but didn't have any accuracy as he sailed passes way out of bounds. Nebraska is then forced to throw into the flats and other short passes.

Pelini said he won't give up on passing.

"You have to be able to throw the football, too," Pelini said. "Exhibiting the ability to pass the football is going to allow you to run the football and vice-versa. If they don't think you can run the football, you're going to be running the ball against eight, nine, or ten-man fronts."

So Pelini will again have to watch a week of practice to make a decision. But in the end, it probably won't matter because both quarterbacks will get in against Kansas. That seems to be the trend for Nebraska.

"There's a chance you could see one of them," Pelini said. "There's a chance you could see both of them."

At this point, fans don't want to see either. A wild-cat offense would be more appealing.

Players and coaches seem annoyed by even answering questions about the situation. It is no longer interesting but a frustrating situation that everyone would rather just avoid, but the competition continues because there is so much at stake. Maybe that's why offensive coordinator Shawn Watson sounded like he was pleading for media members and fans alike to have patience while everything plays out.