"I think, by and large, it wouldn't affect the game that much," Brown said. "I think it would help the Minnesotas — teams with injuries. They could line up and have people to play.

"Other than that, I don't know that it would add a whole lot, because I think most coaches are tuned into the mind-set that if you have a talented guy, you had better play him."

It's not always that cut and dried. Take the case of Thomas Brown, the Nebraska freshman, who clearly was talented enough to contribute this season. NU coaches were set to unleash him in the second game, against UCLA, to bolster the pass rush.

However, "He sprained his ankle that week on his second practice rep with the varsity group, and that idea was kind of foiled from there because he wasn't full-speed for about three weeks or so," said Husker defensive coordinator John Papuchis. "By the time he was back to full-speed, we were kind of down the road of moving on with other guys.

"It would've been too much for him to learn in the back half of the year."

Brown, though, would be ready for action now — at least for spot duty as a pass rusher. Nebraska could line him up wide on third-and-long and let him try to wreak havoc.