The Bye Benefit

The fact that Nebraska is coming off of a bye week on their schedule before playing Virginia Tech is important. I realize this may be more of a topic from last week when NU was actually idle. But, I'm kind of surprised it isn't being discussed more. You can make a lot of valid arguments for why it may be better to have a bye week later in the season. But, in the case of the 2008 season I think this one is perfectly timed for the Huskers, and provides three potential advantages to NU on Saturday.

Getting Healthy
First and foremost, the Huskers are fully healthy again. NU got nicked up (and then some) in their first three games. The Huskers have never had the full compliment of their starting defensive backfield healthy at the same time...until now. Corner Anthony West should be good to go after missing the last game against New Mexico State. Safety Ricky Thenarse - a player many believed was critical to NU's defensive success in 2008 - is finally 100%, and coaches are speaking positively about his practices this week. While losing defensive end Barry Turner for the season was a tough blow to NU, when his backup Pierre Allen went down with a foot injury two weeks ago, you could almost hear a collective grown from Husker fans. Guess what? Allen - who subbed superbly for Turner when he was healthy - is healed up after a week's rest. Nebraska will have their full personnel available for the most important game of the season so far and hopefully for the tough stretch to follow (Missouri, Texas Tech).

Game Planning Matters
Don't kid yourself; coaches love to have an extra week to prepare. Bo Pelini is an absolute defensive wonk. He's in the film room breaking down defensive tendencies and strategies, learning team's habits and tells. Not only that, but he is familiar with what the Hokies do because of his time at LSU. The Tigers played Virginia Tech last year.

I'm sure Pelini focused on other things in the week off, like getting his team better, and maybe popping in a tape of Missouri or two to watch. But, I'm also sure he's had ample time to prep for the Hokies. Does that mean there won't be any surprises in store for Saturday? Of course not. Frank Beamer and his staff get paid too. But I'm confident NU will be plenty prepared.

An Andy Appearance?
There is one final (and potentially uncomfortable) benefit the bye week. It gave formerly suspended guard Andy Christensen an additional week to knock the proverbial rust off and get prepared to play. I'm not going to make any statement about whether I think he should or should not be allowed to play for NU. That's a whole other topic. The point is that he is, in fact, on the team right now. And, I'm pretty confident the coaches intend to use him. Will he play a major role on Saturday? Probably not. But, I wouldn't rule out an appearance. And again, it provides a player who is arguably the team's best offensive guard an additional week to prepare for the rigors of conference play.

The Only Downside
The problem with taking a week off is that a team coming off of being idle might start a little slow, or play sloppily. Nebraska can not afford that against the well-coached Hokies. The only counter point is that a jacked up night crowd and environment in Lincoln will keep the kids from being anything but complacent. As far as sharp play and execution, that is on the coaches. I imagine they are harping on it all week.

By no means does having a bye week before a game ensure a win. And against a team like Virginia Tech it may not actually as a huge advantage to NU. But, all things considered, you have to consider the well-timed week off as something that benefited the Huskers.