NU's Smith has plans for Wildcats
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Nebraska starting defensive tackle LeKevin Smith is rarely at a loss for words.
Smith, with little prompting, on Sunday made his disdain for Kansas State clear during a meeting with a handful of reporters at Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) face the Wildcats (2-4, 0-3) at 1:10 p.m. Saturday at Wagner Field in Manhattan, Kan.
"They are a team we want to beat and beat badly," Smith said, noting Kansas State's lopsided wins against Nebraska in each of the last two seasons.
Smith said Nebraska shouldn't have lost last year's game, although the final score — 38-9, the Huskers' worst home loss in 45 years — accurately reflects that the Huskers never had much of a chance in the final 10 minutes.
The teams were tied 7-7 at halftime.
"I felt we had control of the game, pretty much," Smith said Sunday. "Then again, toward the end, we gave up big plays on defense. The offense sputtered just a little bit.
"But I think this year, it's going to be a whole different story. We plan to go down there and just lay into them with a big stick."
Nebraska had long dominated the series, winning 29 straight games, before Kansas State prevailed 40-30 in 1998 at Manhattan. Since that point, K-State has forged a 3-2 edge in the series.
Kansas State's triumph in Lincoln last November eliminated Nebraska from Big 12 title contention.
Smith also remembers the 2002 loss, a 49-13 decision in which Kansas State outscored Nebraska 21-0 in the fourth quarter.
"I've pretty much heard the stories," said Nebraska offensive coordinator Jay Norvell, one of seven first-year Husker assistants.
Smith, in his second season as a full-time starter, said he anticipates a difficult challenge on Saturday despite Kansas State's struggles this season.
Smith said he instructs teammates to ignore the Wildcats' record.
"I tell them, ‘Don't even think about it,' " Smith said, noting Texas Tech's ordinary record (3-2) before the Red Raiders' 70-10 victory over Nebraska on Oct. 9. "If you go into a game thinking, ‘OK, we're going to automatically defeat this team because we're better,' you'll get beat.
"I've been telling guys, ‘Think like they're going to show up and play us like they played Oklahoma, or better.' "
Kansas State led the second-ranked Sooners on three occasions Saturday before falling 31-21 in Manhattan.
Norvell expresses admiration and respect for Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder. Norvell played defensive back at Iowa from 1982-85, a period during which Snyder served as the Hawkeyes' offensive coordinator.
Norvell later served as a graduate assistant on an Iowa staff that included Snyder.
"I know Coach Snyder and know what he's about, and I know the great rivalry that's kind of come up over the last couple of years (with Nebraska)," Norvell said. "I kind of know what happened last year. I kind of know what the deal is.
"The big thing we're talking to our players about right now is that we've worked very hard over the last few months to get into a position like this. And now we have to focus and prepare to do what we're capable of doing."
Nebraska rebounded from the Tech defeat with a 59-27 win against Baylor on Saturday in Lincoln. The Huskers are tied with Missouri atop the Big 12 North Division.
"Last week, we didn't show up," Smith said of the Tech loss. "This week, we showed up. We stepped up our game. We tried to focus in on making plays. The offense definitely showed up — they had a big game."
Nebraska's defense, though, allowed Baylor to gain 400 yards — nearly 120 above its season average entering the day.
"I don't think the defense necessarily has a big problem," Smith said. "We just need to focus in and do our jobs."
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