AMES, Iowa — In case you were out enjoying the first day of pheasant season Saturday and missed the big killing here — let me throw out this reminder …

Nebraska is still in this thing.

OK. Not funny.

Also, not true.

It's why Bill Callahan and his cast of Huskers didn't attempt to sugarcoat their 34-27 loss to Iowa State by pointing out they're still tied with the Cyclones for first place in the Big 12 Conference North Division.

No more denial. These guys know they're cooked birds.

Granted, Nebraska displayed enough heart to avoid a third straight blowout Big 12 loss on the road. After giving up the most points they've ever allowed Iowa State in a half — to a team that ranked 106th nationally in scoring — the Huskers regrouped in time to keep the majority of the 45,022 fans in Jack Trice Stadium sweating to the finish.

Only after Joe Dailey's lone interception with 2:55 to play could the masses head for the exits knowing the outcome was safely at hand.

Sad thing is, Nebraska used to rattle them into that frame of mind by halftime. The fact that Callahan's team was forced into a desperation mode against a spirited, but underwhelming group of Cyclones, doesn't bode well for the rest of the season.

Anything short of a miraculous act in Norman, Okla., next Saturday will leave Callahan and his staff with an arduous task of piecing together a plan for a Nov. 26  contest against Colorado that will determine whether the Huskers become bowl-eligible for a 36th straight year.

Just like Dailey's final throw here Saturday, a perfect strike into the arms of Iowa State middle linebacker Tim Dobbins, that might be a car accident waiting to happen.

After all, Nebraska proved Saturday it had no business being in the driver's seat, and I expect it'll take all of Callahan's coaching experience to keep his team on the right side of the road.

Callahan was right when he said the Huskers failed to match Iowa State's passion and precision at the start of Saturday's game.

While the first part of that formula carries a team into battle, it's the latter that allows it to finish.

What Nebraska should have discovered long before Saturday is that NU no longer carries the awe factor that once let it beat opponents before the opening kickoff — because it no longer plays with meticulousness.

"Energy is not the problem," said senior fullback Steve Kriewald. "Execution is."

Kriewald's circus-like catch that got NU on the board early in the second quarter was probably the best example of the Huskers completing a tough play. But those kinds of efforts were too few and far between, and left the Cyclones in the enviable foot-on-throat position.

Iowa State got to that point, in large part, because quarterback Bret Meyer and wide receiver Todd Blythe were playing what Meyer said amounted to a simple game of backyard football. In the first half alone, the two hooked up eight times for 188 yards to help the Cyclones grab a 24-7 lead.

Blythe's final contribution was a layout grab at the back of the end zone, good for a 14-yard TD with five seconds left in the half.

Indeed, he and the redshirt freshman Meyer (345 yards passing) had the games of their brief careers. But it was the manner in which Nebraska flung the ball around in the kicking game that did the most damage to the Huskers' psyche.

Had Sandro DeAngelis been true on field goal tries of 24 and 33 yards, rather than 24-7 it's probably 17-13 at the break and NU has renewed life.

Today, the Huskers must feel like one of those unlucky pheasants that got flushed out of the prairie Saturday.

Crashing helplessly back to Earth.

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.