Sept 19, 2001

By DOUG ALDEN
AP Sports Writer

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A little blue will join Nebraska's red and white at Memorial Stadium.

Before Rice and No. 4 Nebraska help bring major college football back to the national sports scene, a few moments will be taken for the victims of last week's terrorism that led to the game being rescheduled.

"I think everybody is happy that we're looking at our country as being priority," Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch said. "I think everybody truly understands the significance of the events that have taken place."

Even in Nebraska, where football outranks just about everything, the game will have to wait. Several pregame events are planned to honor the victims and rescue efforts.

Nebraska's Scarlet and Cream Singers will lead the crowd in "God Bless America," and about 1,500 fans in the east stands will hold up red, white and blue cards that spell "USA."

A moment of silence will precede the national anthem, and color guards from the Lincoln Fire Department, Lincoln Police, Lancaster County Sheriff and Nebraska State Patrol will join Nebraska ROTC students in presenting the flag.

Donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Fund will be taken outside the stadium, and 40,000 bumper stickers that say "United We Stand" will be distributed.

"There were so many people affected by this," Nebraska tight end Tracey Wistrom said. "It would have been difficult to put that behind you and try to play a football game. Hopefully, this has given everybody a chance to get back into their daily routine."

No. 18 South Carolina and No. 17 Mississippi State will be the first NCAA Division I-A teams to resume playing. The Gamecocks and Bulldogs start at 7:30 p.m. EDT, one hour before Nebraska and Rice.

"I don't think there was realistically any way in the world that we could have been at our best playing last weekend," Rice coach Ken Hatfield said.

Nebraska (3-0) hasn't played in a Thursday night game since 1995 at Oklahoma State. Nebraska has never played at home on a week night, which prompted the kickoff to be pushed back an hour to allow more time between afternoon classes and give downtown traffic a chance to clear.

The Huskers are coming off a 27-10 win over Notre Dame on Sept. 8 and were hoping another victory over the Owls (2-0) would carry them into a weekend off, then the Big 12 opener at Missouri next Saturday.

That all became secondary on Sept. 11.

"You try as best you can to get your focus on your practices and get your focus on your games, with the understanding that the events that have taken place are much more important," coach Frank Solich said. "There's no comparison, but you still go on with your lives and you try to do the best you can."

The Owls were wary of traveling right after the attacks, but Hatfield said they would be ready for the game. He said regrouping was a long process for everybody.

"If we learned anything last week, it was the great spirit of the way to live and the way to play the game, too," he said. "If you do that and don't get distracted by outside things, you'll be ready to play."

With all the talk of the attacks and patriotism, nobody has forgotten that this is a football game. The Owls are off to their best start in 10 years and rank seventh nationally with a 254-yard rushing average, more than 30 yards better than Nebraska.

The Owls run a wide variety of offensive schemes, including the rarely seen wishbone, which none of the Huskers has faced since high school - if then.

"At first, when we went in there last week, we watched some of the stuff they were doing, and people were just like 'What are they doing?"' linebacker Scott Shanle said. "You can see guys are more comfortable with it now."