One who got away and one who didn't

This was not planned, but we have an interesting MSU-Nebraska dynamic in the pages of the LSJ today. Denny Schwarze tells us about little-known Kyler Elsworth -- MSU's next big walk-on, one of the key performers against Wisconsin and a guy who could be wrestling on scholarship elsewhere. Meanwhile, one of the greatest coaches in college football history told me yesterday how he nearly became MSU's coach in 1999.

    Among many interesting items from Osborne, he walked me through the Nebraska offense's changes. It started with the full-house unbalanced line -- straight from Duffy Daugherty to Bob Devaney. Osborne switched to the I-formation in 1969 and had great success with that for more than a decade. But after struggling to stop Oklahoma's wishbone so often in the 1970s, he changed to option football (NOT WISHBONE, as many Nebraska fans have told me in no uncertain terms) in 1980 and played off of that -- "tweaking it every year," he said -- until he retired. He agrees that the current Nebraska offense has some of the classic elements, but he credits Urban Meyer and his spread option as the primary inspiration.

    Also today:

    * From Nebraska, we have a well-done look at Kirk Cousins, a review of Taylor Martinez's tendency to shred blitzing defenses, word of another injury up front and an opinion I share about the key to this game.

    * If you missed the chat this morning, you can read it here. And there's some good stuff in this chat  from Steven M. Sipple and Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln Journal-Star.

    * The NCAA has moved quickly on the cost-of-attendance issue.

    * MSU RB coach Brad Salem talks backs, and Chris Solari is in Chicago with some men's and women's hoops news.