MANHATTAN, Kan. – No one even touched him.

When Taylor Martinez gored the Kansas State defense with an 80-yard quarterback draw that put the Huskers up three touchdowns, he did so without one Wildcat hand grazing his jersey.

And by the time the redshirt freshman glanced over his right shoulder, he was just deciding whether the final yards of his third-quarter score required an all-out sprint.

“I looked back to just gauge how fast I needed to run,” Martinez said.

Thursday’s 48-13 Husker win at Bill Snyder Family Stadium marked a high point in Martinez’s already impressive debut season. With five total touchdowns – including four on the ground – Martinez helped the No. 7 Huskers improve to 5-0 on the season by tearing through a previously undefeated Kansas State team that was considered a contender in the Big 12 North.

After South Dakota State held Martinez to the lowest rushing total of his young career last month with 75 yards, Martinez went from Heisman contender to solved riddle in some circles. On Thursday, the soft-spoken 20-year-old’s 241 rushing yards made him the conference’s leading rusher in yards per game and recaptured the “T-Magic” that had defined his first three outings.

Martinez, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said, was embarrassed by his performance against SDSU. After rushing for 75 yards in a closer-than-expected win over the Jackrabbits, some wondered whether SDSU had found the key to slowing Martinez by simply assigning two defenders to spy him.

Watson said his response against K-State showed the struggles against SDSU were just a matter of his young quarterback maturing. An example of that, he said, was the fact that his 80-yard touchdown draw came after that same play went nowhere earlier in the game.

“The first time, he chose to go the wrong direction instead of following his lead back,” Watson said. “The beautiful thing is, you can correct him and you can load him up and make you pay.”

But there was more to Martinez’s performance than his 80-yard run. A 79-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyler Reed later in the third quarter showcased Martinez’s throwing arm – although nitpickers might point out that Reed had to turn around and slow down to make the catch.

NU coach Bo Pelini said his young quarterback will avoid letdowns like the South Dakota State game and replicate his performance against the Wildcats if he continues to focus on the game at hand.

“If he keeps developing and stays humble and learns from his mistakes,” Pelini said, “he’ll keep from happening what happened two weeks ago when he didn’t play very well. He’s just got to stay with it.”

Martinez wasn’t the only Husker runner starring on offense, as running backs Roy Helu Jr. and Rex Burkhead also took advantage of a K-State team that entered Thursday ranked 102nd nationally in run defense. Nebraska’s 451 rushing yards were their most this season, with Helu dissecting the Wildcat defense on a career-long 68-yard touchdown run and Rex Burkhead chipping in 57 yards on the night.

Offensive line coach Barney Cotton said the triple threat in the running game has made it easy for his players.

“We’re fortunate,” Cotton said. “It’s not just Taylor, it’s Roy and Rex and anyone else who carries the ball for us. They all can put their foot in the ground and go.”

Thursday’s game marked the second straight season the Huskers opened Big 12 Conference play with a road win on a Thursday after they beat Missouri in 2009. It was also Nebraska’s last matchup with Kansas State before it joins the Big Ten Conference next year, with the Huskers taking a 78-15-2 lead in a series that stretches back nearly a century.

With an unblemished record heading into an Oct. 16 home game against Texas, Pelini said he’s pleased by the position his Huskers are in entering the rematch of last year’s Big 12 title game.

But for Martinez, his conference debut Thursday was just another chance to play football. And, as Watson said about the third of his four runs to the end zone, the only question was when he would get to the end zone.

“I knew once he got into the second level, into the third level, he was gone,” Watson said. “It was perfect.”

It doesn’t make any sense, it’s illogical and if taken to a vote, probably unfair. Yet it somehow comes as no surprise that the Oregon Ducks jumped the Boise State Broncos in the latest AP and USA Today Coaches’ rankings.

Allowing zero trips to the red zone, forcing three turnovers, gaining more than 600 yards of offense and having seven different players score eight touchdowns spells out a 59-0 win for the Broncos at New Mexico State. NMSU is a cupcake, and to say otherwise is foolish. Despite the contrast of talent between these two teams, 59 points and 600 yards of offense are stats that shouldn’t be ignored.

Stanford’s Stepfan Taylor ran the ball into the end zone Saturday to eventually give the Cardinal a 21-3 lead. The then No. 4 ranked Ducks looked as if they were lost. Stanford’s quarterback Andrew Luck was phenomenal in his passing and running in the first half. Something clicked for the Ducks because they went to the locker room down by one touchdown and then broke away from the Cardinal for a 52-31 win. It took longer than expected but the Oregon Ducks showed why they truly are one of the best teams in the nation.

Now, the debate begins as to why Oregon jumped BSU in the rankings.

The Broncos didn’t lose, they posted a shutout and did what everyone asked and expected them to do. The score of the Duck’s win doesn’t tell how close the game really was. Despite that, the Ducks beat the then ranked No. 9 Cardinal by almost three touchdowns. Headed into their games, BSU and Oregon were ranked No. 3 and No. 4, and it makes sense for both to stay that way. So why did the Ducks get a boost?

Who knows why, because there is not a logical answer. The rankings and its voters are losing credibility, while the rankings themselves are losing strength. They’ve become so weak it makes NMSU look like a juggernaut.

If it was the intention of voters to squeeze BSU out of the picture, they’re doing it in the least subtle way possible. It would have looked better if the Ducks made the jump late in the season after beating Stanford and assuming they’ll beat USC and Arizona. It’s not even funny anymore. The lack of respect for Boise State is so thick you couldn’t cut it with a chainsaw.

At the end of the season, when all the work has been done and Oregon has gone undefeated, the people who vote in the AP, who truly think that Oregon is a better team, will have all the reason and the right in the world to vote Oregon ahead of the Brocnos.

Credit is deserved where credit is due. Oregon deserves credit for being No. 4 in the country only because credit is deserved to Boise State for being No. 3. It’s unknown what kinds of criteria poll voters use to make their decisions, but whatever it is, it has birthed a lot of questions. The quantity of questions might be the result of a flawed system other than the BCS.

The only thing the Broncos can do is play football and win. We are all familiar with what the coaches and players look forward to each week. It’s not their ranking or what people are saying about them. They are strictly focused on who is next on the schedule. The Broncos have no other choice.

The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide is getting set to take on the No. 20 South Carolina Gamecocks, the first of six straight SEC opponents with a bye week before they play Alabama.

The Gamecocks’ last game was a loss to the Auburn Tigers in Auburn. After having a week to prepare for the Crimson Tide, the Gamecocks look forward to hosting Alabama in Columbus, S.C.

While Alabama has faced some stiff competition this year already, head coach Nick Saban expects this game to be one of the most difficult of the season.

“This is probably the game that will define us more than any other game this year,” Saban said. “This will be a great opportunity for our team. They have a great team.”

However, the Tide has had a solid week of practice and is looking forward to the upcoming meeting Saturday. Junior wide receiver Darius Hanks noted the team’s preparation this week.

“[Preparation] is going real well,” Hanks said. “We try to teach it like any other week. We got to go out and execute every week.”

Hanks also noted the pressure of going into an SEC opponent’s stadium as the first-ranked team in the nation.

“We’re away, in a big stadium, loud stadium,” Hanks said. “Just gotta stay humble. Every game we go into it like we’re down.”

S.C.’s physicality

One of the main things coming up this week while preparing for the Gamecocks is their physicality on offense and defense. South Carolina has established a reputation for being very aggressive and physical this year, and the Alabama players feel the Gamecocks match up well with them.

“I feel like they’re a real run-first defense,” Hanks said. “I feel like we gotta throw a lot, get it over their heads. I don’t see any challenges. They’re gonna try and stop the run, so we gotta pass a lot.”

Of course, many players are taking the South Carolina threat very seriously.

“I think South Carolina’s a very physical team,” junior center William Vlachos said. “We’re gonna have to bring our A game for these guys.”

McElroy’s leadership

Fans might not have noticed anything was off with the Alabama offensive players during Saturday’s game against Florida.

That’s just the way senior quarterback Greg McElroy likes it.

McElroy had been playing hurt ever since a scramble in the third quarter of the game, when he hit his head. Of course, he didn’t let anyone on the Alabama or Florida sideline know.

“I think that when you’re a leader, everybody expects you to set the example on how to respond to pressure,” Saban said. “[McElroy’s] actually so poised and so good, he got hurt in the second half, and nobody noticed it.”

Vlachos noted his quarterback’s mental and physical toughness.

“If something’s bothering him, he’s not gonna let anybody know,” Vlachos said. “If Greg can walk, and he’s able to throw a football, he’s gonna be there.”

Vlachos also commented on McElroy’s mentality when in the huddle.

“He’s very smart,” Vlachos said, “but on the field, it’s all business.”

Erin Merryn made Oprah cry.

There were not just a few tears. Oprah, the seemingly invincible media guru, had tears pouring down her face, and so did the audience.

“Now that Erin has me and all of you in the audience crying, I need my make-up team out here,” Oprah said during a commercial break.

Merryn, whose appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show will air at 4 p.m. today, spoke to Oprah and her viewers about being sexually abused as a child, triggering the emotional response. She also recounted how Oprah’s reaction on a similar show 20 years ago helped her overcome her abuse.

“I was told that crying was for babies,” Merryn said. “I was so impacted that this woman, a public figure, could cry about her abuse. If Oprah can cry about this on national TV, then it must be okay.”

Like Oprah, Merryn, who graduated from Western Illinois U. in 2008 with a degree in social work, suffered abuse from people close to her while in grade school. To facilitate the recovery process, she penned two books, “Stolen Innocence” and “Live for Today,” and traveled around the country to speak about her experiences.

But recently, Merryn has begun a crusade to educate children on sexual abuse.

“We teach kids drills,” Merryn said. “We have the D.A.R.E program where we teach kids the eight ways to say no to drugs. Where are the eight ways to get away from sexual abuse? I didn’t have to run away from a tornado. I didn’t have run away from a burning building. I knew how to say no to drugs when I was approached in college. Where was the message of safe touch and unsafe touch? Where was the message on safe secrets and unsafe secrets?”

Merryn’s educational campaign began with Erin’s Law, a piece of legislation that, if passed, would allow schools to adopt curriculum to inform children, parents and teachers how to prevent and cope with sexual abuse. The law also proposes a task force, which would create strategies to decrease sexual abuse throughout the state of Illinois.

“We need to incorporate education on sexual abuse, not just stranger danger,” Merryn said.

On May 7, 2010, Merryn addressed the Illinois Education Committee at the state capitol. All 13 members of the committee voted to pass the bill. That same day, members of the Illinois State Senate passed the bill unanimously, 54-0. Now, the bill is waiting to be reviewed by the House in November.

Until then, Merryn is trying to generate as much support as possible, including garnering the support of Oprah and her viewers.

“I wanted more than anything for Oprah to hear about this law,” Merryn said.

And Oprah was impressed. According to Merryn, before hugging her after the show, Oprah told her that she is an inspiration, even after doing shows for years on sexual abuse.

Although she has the support of a national figure, Merryn also wants the people of her alma mater to contact Speaker of the House Michael Madigan and urge him to introduce the bill.

“I hope people from Western will show their support to educate kids by reaching out to Mike Madigan,” Merryn said.

If passed by the House, Merryn will continue to advocate Erin’s Law until it becomes federal. Nevertheless, she is still focused on her original cause: helping sexually abused children break their own silence.

“While I have endured a lot of painful tragic events in my childhood, which I describe in ‘Stolen Innocence’ and ‘Living For Today,’ the sexual abuse and rape I suffered helped me discover my purpose to protect the innocence of children from what I was not saved from as a child,” Merryn said. “I have turned tragedy into triumph and helped give a voice to the voiceless.”

For more information about Merryn’s spot on Oprah, her books or Erin’s Law, visit www.erinmerryn.net.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his concerns with college graduation rates, FAFSA and the economy Oct. 4 during a teleconference with student journalists from across the country.

“Just one generation ago, we led the world in college graduates,” Duncan said, echoing President Barack Obama from a week earlier. “In just one generation, we have dropped to 12th.”

Duncan then named several programs the Obama administration had put in place, such as the loan forgiveness program for those that work in public service and restructuring of school loans, to help ease student’s financial strain.

He was joined by Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, and Jason Rzepka, vice president of MTV public affairs.

The teleconference was to promote the “Get Schooled College Affordability Challenge,” which offers $10,000 for any college student that can come up with a better way to navigate through FAFSA’s “maze” of a website, as Duncan referred to it.

College Board claims that 2 million college students do not apply for federal loans. The three men attributed the problem partially to the confusing FAFSA application process.

“The (FAFSA) form was a barrier,” Duncan said. “It was way too long. So we eliminated questions. And I am thrilled with progress made, but we have to go further.”

The three also answered questions on the state of education on every level. On that topic, Caperton spoke honestly.

“I am going to be very blunt with you, the difficulty is that we have lived beyond our means,” Caperton said. “We’ve under-saved compared to other people across the world.

“I think it is very important we are blunt. It is a tough thing. I think people will have to pay more taxes and rebalance budgets that have not been balanced in a while.”

The Nintendo DS has been nothing but a success since its release six years ago. With three different iterations improving and enhancing the portable gaming device, there’s almost no excuse not to own one — especially with the recent announcement of Nintendo’s next groundbreaking handheld: the 3DS.

Make no mistake, the upcoming Nintendo 3DS is by no means another iteration of the well known DS handheld, as the DS Lite and DSi were. The 3DS is meant to be the next brand new child of Nintendo’s famous handheld line, building upon the successful DS design but adding one revolutionary feature, synonymous with its name: 3-D technology. And before you complain, there are no lame 3-D glasses involved; the 3DS produces good quality 3-D visuals with no strings attached, and you can even switch the 3-D effects on and off, just like you can control the volume level. Since the handheld’s announcement at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this past summer, the enthusiasm in the video game industry has been wild, and the patience thin. And don’t think for a second that 3-D is all Nintendo has up its sleeve. With full backwards compatibility, Virtual Console downloads to buy original Game Boy games and an added analog stick, Nintendo is making sure you get the bang for your buck. If you somehow have yet to own any DS system, or you simply enjoy handheld gaming, then save that cash now because the 3DS will be here in March.

And for those of you who have the current generation of the DS and are looking for something to satiate your handheld gaming desires, look no further than Super Scribblenauts, releasing this Tuesday. Super Scribblenauts is the sequel to the innovative sans adjective game from last year; Scribblenauts enabled users to solve puzzles with creativity, the player’s best weapon. The main attraction of the game was the ability to type a noun into an input box, and voila! The item appears on screen. For example, if the puzzle requires finding buried treasure, typing in “shovel” would create an in-game version. In Scribblenauts, the sky is the limit, as virtually the entire dictionary of nouns can be used to solve the hundreds of puzzles stored in the game. In Super Scribblenauts, developer 5th Cell fine-tuned clunky game mechanics from the earlier incarnation and expanded the vocabulary at the player’s disposal tenfold, along with the ability to add adjectives to any noun that could be used in the first game. Is that handyman not useful enough? Make him “zombified” or “telekinetic.” That apple pie too bland? Make it “pickled” or “explosive.” Not until pigs fly, right? Well, there are “winged pigs” to solve that problem.

5th Cell has said that with the sequel, it wanted to emphasize the puzzle-solving, rather than the more action-oriented sections of the first game. There’s still plenty of room for humor, and with that kind of package, there’s no doubt that this game will keep you entertained until your eyes feast on some 3-D visuals next year. Super Scribblenauts hopes not only to inject some more liveliness back into the series but also to give the mechanics the refinement they desperately need.

On the bus, in between classes, no matter where you are, handheld gaming is popular because it’s convenient. Entertainment is highly valuable when you’re swamped with work and meetings, so give your brain a fun workout with Super Scribblenauts this fall. And by the time you’re done, your brain will get another workout absorbing the breathtaking 3-D that Nintendo can’t wait to release.

A recent poll conducted by the Associated Press and Stanford U. found that the majority of Americans now think that attending a public two-year college is just as valuable for preparing students for the workforce as attending a public four-year institution.

The poll, conducted by ABT SRBI Sept. 23-30, found that of the 1,001 individuals interviewed, 62 percent believe two-year public colleges are “excellent” or “good” at preparing students for the workforce, and 68 percent feel the same of four-year public colleges. Nearly three-fourths said it is better for some students to pursue a diploma or certificate from a two-year school than enter a four-year college, and two-year schools also rated nearly as highly in giving young adults the practical skills they need to survive and providing a high-quality education.

Although most Americans agreed that both types of institutions perform well in preparing America’s students, Michael Kirst, a professor emeritus and researcher with the School of Education at Stanford U., said the poll results give no indication that one type of institution is better than the other.

“It’s like apples and oranges,” Kirst said.

Institutions prepare students in different ways, Kirst said, and community colleges have many functions that are different from those at four-year schools. For students considering a technical degree or who have aspirations to work in a field requiring only an associate’s degree, a two-year program would be more appropriate, he said.

Kirst noted, however, that the poll’s results may cause trouble for those advocating community college reform because the poll seems to indicate that community colleges across the country are in good shape.

“Polls of K-12 education have shown that the public thinks public K-12 schools are not doing a good job. However, they think higher education is doing a good job, therefore there isn’t the pressure to reform in higher education,” he said.

The Obama administration, though, has put resources toward improving the nation’s community college system and aims for America to have the highest number of college graduates in the world by 2020, he said.

Sarah Gast, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Department of Education, said the goal is to encourage students to pursue higher education in a variety of ways, including both two-year and four-year institutions.

“Obama’s goal applies to all types of degrees — certificates, associates, bachelors,” she said. [They are] all part of goal — he realizes two-year colleges can play a big part in having the highest proportion of educated students.”

Just six weeks into the college football season, it may be too early to talk about the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy.

But, of course, it’s always fun to speculate.

Conference play has just begun in most cases, and a lot can happen over the next two months that will determine who will win college football’s most coveted award.

That being said, let’s take a look at who has set themselves apart from the rest of the field just one-third of the way into the season:

Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan

There is no doubt Robinson has been an early surprise for the Wolverines as he leads the nation with 905 rushing yards, while passing for 1,008 yards and seven touchdowns.

He has looked like Pat White 2.0, and he has piloted Michigan to a 5-0 start.

All of this is good, but I won’t be sold on Robinson until the Wolverines play the heart of their Big Ten Conference schedule.

Games against Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State will go a long way in either helping or hurting Robinson’s Heisman chances.

Odds: 5:1

Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State

One of the most highly recruited players in college football history, Pryor has never really lived up to the hype that was attached to him coming out of high school.

This season, though, Pryor is putting together one of his best campaigns, all while leading the Buckeyes to a 5-0 start.

Pryor has been involved in 16 of Ohio State’s touchdowns (12 passing, three rushing and one receiving) including six against Eastern Michigan.

Just like Robinson, a solid performance in conference play will dictate where Pryor lands.

Odds: 8:1

LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

The Oregon offense is ridiculous this season, scoring 42 points or more in every game and averaged an NCAA-best 56.6 points per game.

James has been one of the key cogs of the offense, as he has run for a total of 712 yards and seven touchdowns while playing in just four of the team’s five games.

If the Ducks keep up the same pace offensively, James is going to have a huge year statiscally.

Odds: 12:1

Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

It would be fair to say that until this season, the Broncos were not viewed as a national title contender.

Many saw them as a Cinderella of sorts.

One of the key ingredients to Boise State’s success is Moore, who should have merited a little more attention for the Heisman last season.

Moore is on pace to have a repeat of his 39-touchdown and three-interception 2009 season, as he currently has 11 touchdowns and one interception.

Odds: 18:1

Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama

If winning the Stanley Cup two years in a row is the toughest achievement in sports, then winning the Heisman in back-to-back years is close behind.

Ingram’s season got off to a bit of a rough start as he had knee surgery and missed his team’s first two games.

Last year’s Heisman winner regained his form in victories over Duke and Arkansas with more than 150 yards rushing in each game, but it may already be too late for Ingram.

Another national championship run in the SEC may make him a sleeper pick.

Odds: 25:1

Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia

Heading into the 2010 season, it was no secret the Mountaineers were going to run their talented senior a lot, and if Devine capitalized, he would be in store for a big year.

Through four games this season, Devine has a total of 391 yards rushing and two touchdowns, but he has yet to rip off his trademark long scampers.

WVU may end up being the favorite to win the Big East Conference heading into conference play, and Devine may get a boost if the Mountaineers run the table from here on out.

If Devine is to get back in the Heisman picture again, he must be the key factor in his team’s success.

Odds: 65:1