It’s 94 degrees at 5:43 p.m., and practice is winding down.

Sweat drenched and achy, the Husker football team perseveres, hoping to end practice on a high note.

While tight ends, quarterbacks and wide receivers perfect their technique on the field, U. Nebraska-Lincoln freshman Mike McGuire works to perfect his skills as a videographer.

“I just like the whole thought of recording what happened and then being able to watch it later,” McGuire said. “Getting experience shooting everyday, and especially shooting in a very particular way, will help me learn to be a more versatile cameraman.”

McGuire works for the program’s video department on a crew of seven other students. Each week, five students join video director Mike Nobler and assistant director Matt Schilling in capturing Nebraska’s games and four practices.

Games and practices are shot from two different angles on each field &- one is a side angle of the field and end zone view that is recorded on scissor lifts, while another operator films from the ground.

Afterward, the film is digitally stored. This is set up so coaches can access recordings of practices and games, with back-to-back views of the same play from two angles.

It isn’t an easy job, McGuire said, but it sure beats some of the jobs he did during his time at Omaha North High, like filming several “A Christmas Carol” productions.

“There’s a lot of work to break the game down and get it ready to watch,” Nobler said. “I’m a tech geek and a sports fan, so that’s like the best combo for that.”

Nobler and Schilling each work 65 to 70 hours a week to help coaches prepare for each game. Because the Huskers have a limited number of practices, it’s important for the cameramen to be attentive and accurate.

“If something happens or a computer isn’t working correctly or it isn’t loading, then that’s just time they’re losing in a week,” Nobler said.

The film is intended specifically for coaches and advisors, but players also have access. In an attempt to learn from their mistakes, many team members take advantage of this privilege.

“The players kind of select their own level of interaction with us, some more than others if they know the technology,” Schilling said. “Some guys are in here more because they’re looking for more video (of opponents or themselves)”

NU starting I-back Roy Helu Jr. is one of those players. Schilling said the senior frequently looks at film of how other top-notch running backs are performing.

“I don’t know exactly what he looks for, but he’s always trying to make himself better in that way,” Schilling said. “If we don’t have it, we always try to find it.”

While the work is rewarding in many ways, it isn’t always glamorous for McGuire.

Last week, a tornado watch began in the middle of practice. Wild winds and rain followed with McGuire high in the air in a scissor lift.

“I noticed the lift started shaking vigorously, my hat flew off, and things started flying out of my lift,” McGuire said. “I was afraid I was next.”

But the drill wasn’t over. He had to finish shooting.

Once it was over, Schilling radioed for him to come down. McGuire gladly grabbed his tripod and prepared to make the descent.

“Around this time,” McGuire said, “the north goal post next to me blew over, and a fence behind it was ripping off the posts

“It was a wild ride to the ground, but I was glad to be there.”

Nobler knows his crew is irreplaceable because of the training they have been through.

“Everyone thinks that anyone can stand there with a video camera,” Nobler said. “Usually, you’ve gotta find a football fan with interest in the job who is somewhat passionate.”

Husker fans like McGuire, Nobler said, are the perfect people for the job because they care about what they’re doing.

“It’s nice to know that for the next three or four years, we’ll have him around,” Nobler said.

Washington isn’t even in the Big 12, but beating the Huskies might be the single biggest step Nebraska will take towards a conference title.

Of course, knocking off a Pac-10 Conference opponent doesn’t count in the Big 12 standings.

But it does make a statement.

And on a weekend when Missouri and Texas A&’M both failed to impress, Oklahoma eked out a win against Air Force and Texas looked vulnerable at times against Texas Tech, Nebraska was dominant.

The Huskers controlled the game on offense, defense and special teams.

Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez showed he wasn’t just a runner with 150 passing yards, Eric Hagg and his fellow defensive backs sent U. Washington quarterback Jake Locker sliding down the draft board, and a medley of kick returners made the Huskies coverage teams look amateurish.

And this wasn’t Western Kentucky U.

Sure, the Huskies lost to Brigham Young U. and didn’t make a bowl game last season. But with Locker considered by many to be the nation’s best quarterback (at least before the game) and Steve Sarkisian leading a renaissance in the Washington program, a win in Seattle was hardly a sure thing.

Still, it wasn’t so much that Nebraska won but rather how they won that made Saturday so important.

With three prolific rushers (Rex Burkhead, Roy Helu Jr. and Martinez), three front-line receivers (Brandon Kinnie, Mike McNeill and Niles Paul) and a defense that might even be better than last year’s, the Huskers showed Saturday that they should be the favorite to win the Big 12. And by at least one measure they are, with Nebraska taking over the No. 6 spot in the AP Poll by leapfrogging both Texas and Oklahoma.

At this point, avenging last year’s heartbreaking conference title game is a matter of avoiding a letdown.

After finishing their non-conference schedule this week against South Dakota State, every team the Huskers play will be as good or better than Washington.

Next month’s rematch with Texas has been circled on every fan’s calendar since December, and of course every team would be thrilled to spoil Nebraska’s final jaunt through the Big 12.

But unlike recent years in which Nebraska entered games against marquee opponents as an underdog, they’ll now have to play the role of favorite.

Last season’s loss to an overachieving Iowa State team showed what can happen when the Huskers try to glide through a game on cruise control. Perhaps that’s why NU coach Bo Pelini was so horrified with his offense’s second-half performance this year against Idaho.

But if Saturday was a test of how well the Huskers would respond to the role of favorite this season, they passed it with gusto.

It’s hard to gauge a team’s abilities in matchups against lesser opponents like Western Kentucky and Idaho. But with 56 points against a Pac-10 team, it’s safe to say that this year’s Nebraska team is the best since Frank Solich left town in 2003.

Nebraska needed a big win to justify its top-10 ranking. Saturday did more than that, establishing the Huskers as an elite team and exposing the fragility of the rest of the Big 12.

If the Big Red can avoid a collapse, they might have already taken their biggest step toward winning their first conference title since 1999.

No matter where someone is from, language is an important part of life. Whether people are reading it, writing, hearing or speaking, language is all around them. And most of the time, they can understand it.

But learning new languages poses a challenge. People trying to learn a new language can read about it in textbooks, or practice while doing homework. However, there’s not always an opportunity to practice orally.

Hui Xu, a volunteer for the Confucius Institute at the U. Nebraska-Lincoln, started the Chinese Conversation Corner last spring. This biweekly event gives students and faculty members a chance to practice their Chinese verbal skills outside of the classroom. Members of the community who either speak, are learning or beginning to learn Chinese also attend the Conversation Corner.

Tamar Harrington, an attendee of a recent Conversation Corner, said meetings are more informal than a class. Instead, it’s just a conversation, and attendees have to find a way to participate and learn in any way they can, he said. Harrington is now working for a company in China and said Chinese conversations outside of class helped him maintain fluency.

“It’s really hard to develop fluency in any language simply from attending a class,” Harrington said. “You need to speak it with other people on a regular basis.”

Xu agrees, as she knows that learning a new language can be intimidating. Chinese is her first language and English is her second. Xu said that language takes a lot of practice and can quickly be forgotten without it.

“I really have the sympathy for those people who are learning a foreign language,” Xu said.

There are many things that make the Chinese language difficult to learn. For instance, Chinese uses characters as opposed to the Roman or Latin alphabet. This means that you can’t “sound out” the pronunciation of a Chinese character like you would an English word.

Plus, grammar and the tense-usage differ as well. Even though Chinese is the main language at the Corners, explanations about the language are in English.

The Conversation Corner also gives students an opportunity to meet new people. Since many people are there to learn a new language, or help others, it gives students a chance to get to know someone from the Chinese culture.

Language is a gateway to culture. Xu said some expressions and humor don’t necessarily translate into other languages. Sometimes, misunderstandings can be interpreted as rude.

Harrington also said when he practiced Chinese with his friends in Lincoln, they would explain some Chinese expressions and the meaning behind them.

But Xu stressed that even though the language seems difficult, the atmosphere at the Conversation Corner is all about learning. Even if it’s nerve-wracking, making an effort will make learning a new language a little easier.

“Nobody will be there to judge you,” Xu said. “We’re just trying to help you.”

The structure built near the U. Nebraska-Lincoln Union Plaza has green tarp for its walls, with garlands of leaves hung along the sides. The top is made from branches, but there are gaps in the roof. When a person goes inside the structure, he or she should be able to see the stars.

The structure is a sukkah, a structure built for Sukkot, a week-long Jewish holiday. The sukkah was built by UNL Hillel, a group dedicated to allowing Jewish college students or students interested in Judaic studies to connect.

UNL Hillel is also hosting a Sukkah Open House on Sept. 28, where students can come and learn about Sukkot. The Open House starts at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.

Sukkot is a harvest holiday, sometimes called the Jewish Thanksgiving, said Spencer Davenport, UNL Hillel member and a senior business administration member. The holiday signifies the 40 years that the Jews wandered around the desert, having to make temporary structures to survive.

It’s a good time to pause and give thanks, Davenport said.

Two years ago, he and other UNL Hillel members got permission to set up the sukkah on the UNL campus. They were able to build the structure after finding a company that made sukkah materials, which they still use two years later.

People recognize Jewish holidays like Hannukah and Passover, said Kelsey McCormick, UNL Hillel’s vice president and a senior advertising major, but not as many people know about Sukkot.

Building the sukkah was also beneficial for the group, McCormick said. UNL Hillel is about eight years old and is still fairly small. Building the structure allowed the group to reacquaint with each other.

The group will also host an open house, which goes with the tradition of having a meal in the sukkah. Snacks will be provided at the open house. A custom is to also sleep in the sukkah, however, that is becoming less common, McCormick said.

People see it and that sparks interest, McCormick said. It’s nice for the community.

While grades, references, a well-written resume and internships are certainly key, perhaps nothing is more helpful in finding a job after college as networking.

Female students at the U. of Nebraska-Lincoln looking for opportunities to network with successful alumnae need look no further than Cather Circle.

“Cather Circle is a mentoring and networking program for women,” said Shelley Zaborowski, associate executive director of the program. “It brings together outstanding alumnae with current students.”

Cather Circle was started in 1999 by the Nebraska Alumni Association.

There are two official meetings per year, which are more like conferences with discussion groups, speakers, tours and mentoring activities. The meetings are meant to be opportunities for personal and professional development and for members to spend time with one another. Alumnae are asked to attend at least one of these two meetings per year. Students are encouraged to participate as actively as possible.

Becky Gailey, a junior news-editorial and international studies major, said the meetings are extremely useful.

“You pick up a piece of information here, a piece of information there,” Gailey said. “It’s all really helpful.”

Student members are also paired with a professional mentor through the program, who they are expected to meet with if possible to learn from and keep in contact with throughout the year. Zaborowski said it is mainly up to the participants as to how the mentoring relationships go.

“It’s a great way to meet female alumnae of the college out in the working world who are successful and have great experience,” Gailey said.

She also said networking with such women inspires her to achieve her own goals.

“They’ve gone to the same school I have, graduated from the same place, and had success,” Gailey said. “It makes me think maybe I can do it too.”

From the alumnae standpoint, Zaborowski said, it is a service the alumnae can do for their alma mater.

“Many people think the Alumni Association is just asking for money all the time, but that is a myth as far as Cather Circle goes,” Zaborowski said, who is also an ancillary with the Nebraska Alumni Association. “We see this as an opportunity for them to give back to the university through their time and talents.”

Students interested in applying to be in Cather Circle simply must do so before May 1 each year in order to get admittance for the following fall. Applications can be found online at cathercircle.com.

Zaborowski said Cather Circle looks for women who exhibit leadership potential and who have the desire to participate actively in their community. As long as members meet the participation requirements, they do not have to reapply for any subsequent years of involvement.

Gailey said it is a program where each individual essentially decides what she may get out of it. Members can either be merely a participant, someone who attends the mandatory meetings and occasionally contacts her mentor, or they can choose to be really involved to get more out of the experience.

“It’s really what you make of it,” she said.

Gailey herself is involved in one of Cather Circle’s various committees, as a part of the marketing team.

“Cather Circle is about being an active member of your community,” Gailey said. “And it means doing the best for yourself and for those around you.”

Senior Erica Watson (18:04) and junior Rachel Velarde (18:05) finshed eighth and ninth respectively.Both teams will compete next in the Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.

Saint Mary’s broke even this weekend at the Manchester Invitational, winning a pair of opening matches on Saturday before losing the final two matches on Sunday.

The Belles (3-8) beat Franklin College, 3-1 (26-24, 25-10, 22-25, 25-19), to open the tournament. victory for Saint Mary’s (3-8). Sophomore Autumn Nelson led the team with 15 kills, while contributing five digs and two service aces.  Sophomore Stephanie Bodien added eight kills, five digs and four aces. Freshman Hailee Leitz served a team-high eight aces.

“We really served aggressively against them, which allowed us to get them out of their system and help us run our offense really well,” Belles coach Toni Kuschel said.

The next match for the Belles was on Saturday against Milikin University White squad. Prior to the tournament, Milikin split into white and blue squads to accommodate the absence of a previously committed team. Saint Mary’s earned a 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 24-26, 25-23, 16-14) victory over the Big Blue.

“In our match versus Milikin, again our outside hitters really did a wonderful job for us — Autumn Nelson having 15 kills and Stephanie Bodien having 16,” Kuschel said.

Continuing the tournament on Sunday, the Belles fell in a close match against Purdue North Central (15-4) by a score of 3-1 (25-13, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22. Contributers included Leitz with 33 assists and seven digs, senior Meghann Rose with a team-high 20 digs and senior Ellen Huelsmann with 10 digs.

“We were pretty close with Purdue North Central and went point-for-point,” Kuschel said. “We just made some critical errors.”

Saint Mary’s faced the Milikin Blue team for the second and final match on Sunday and lost by a score of 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-15). Freshman Christi Wyble had five blocks and Rose made 11 digs.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to learn from our errors and come back strong this week in conference play,” Kuschel said. “We have some big matches coming up this week. This weekend has definitely helped us see what we need to work on tomorrow at practice before Tuesday’s match against Kalamazoo.”

Against the top 10 teams in the country, the No. 5 Belles currently sit in fourth place in the O’Brien National Invitational at the Warren Golf Course, the home course for Saint Mary’s.

The Belles shot 324 collectively and are trailing Methodist (316), DePauw (317) and Wisconsin Eau-Claire (318).

Belles coach Mark Hamilton liked the way his team played late in the day, but admitted that they got off to a slow start.

“We bounced back well,” Hamilton said. “We had a rough beginning, but we had a good back nine.”

If anything needs to change for the Belles to climb into the lead today, Hamilton believes that the Belles just need to stay relaxed from the start.

“I wasn’t expecting that we would be quite that tense,” Hamilton said. “But we’ve got young players and we’re playing the best teams in the country so it’s quite natural that we would be a little tense.”

Freshman Marin Beagley handed in the lowest score of the day with a 74. Senior Mary Kate Boyce shot an 80, which was good for a share of 12th place on the day. Freshman Doyle O’Brien had an impressive outing, shooting 84, and freshman Paige Pollack shot an 86.

Hamilton seemed confident that if the Belles shake away some of that early-round tension, they can make a run at winning the tournament and show that they are the team to beat both regionally and nationally.

Play will resume at 8 a.m. today at the Warren Golf Course.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Whenever U. Notre Dame’s offense was moving Saturday, it seemed sophomore receiver Theo Riddick had a hand in it.

Riddick, who totaled four receptions for 16 yards in Notre Dame’s first two games, led all players with 10 receptions and 128 yards at Michigan State U.

His 15-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, which tied the game 21-21, was the first score of his career.

“He broke out,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said. “He’s an exciting player. We knew that he was going to be able to add to our offense. It was just a matter of time.”

Riddick, who spent his freshman year as a running back and transitioned to receiver in the spring, opened the season on top of the depth chart at the slot position. But he caught just two passes against Purdue, with a long of seven yards, and two more against Michigan with a long of three yards.

“[Those games] weren’t frustrating at all,” Riddick said. “Just a learning experience.”

Against Michigan State, Riddick’s longest catch was a 24-yarder in the third quarter, which brought the Irish to the Michigan State 10-yard line and set up a Kyle Rudolph touchdown on the next play.

Riddick was involved in all but one of Notre Dame’s scoring drives.

“That’s what we’ve been seeing out of Theo every day in practice,” Rudolph said. “I kept telling everybody, ‘We’ll see that on Saturday one of these weeks.’ He really came out and played well today.”

Riddick said the offense didn’t stray far from the original game plan, but some of his catches resulted from junior quarterback Dayne Crist finding him unguarded in the Spartans’ zone defense.

“They just gave me opportunities,” he said. “I would say my number was called more, but at the same time I was open a lot also.”

Michigan State’s defense concentrated mainly on Rudolph and junior receiver Michael Floyd, who had 80 and 81 receiving yards, respectively. That made Riddick an easy third option.

“Now he gives us that third weapon we had been looking for to balance off Rudolph and Floyd,” Kelly said.

Though Riddick caught six passes for 43 yards as a freshman, including a long of 16, he had struggled to be at ease in his new role.

“I guess the game showed I was very comfortable,” Riddick said. “Finally getting used to my position.”

He said he never doubted the switch, however.

“I always thought I could do it. That’s why I moved to this position,” Riddick said.

But in a way, Riddick isn’t through with his old position. He used his running back skills to evade defenders in open space on more than one carry, often turning a short pass into a long play.

“Once I got the ball in the open field I turned into a running back,” Riddick said. “Before the play I’m a wide receiver. After the catch I’m a running back.”

EAST LANSING, Mich. — As Michigan State U. kicker Dan Conroy lined up to attempt a 46-yard field goal to send the game into a second overtime, he was preparing for his first field goal try of the night. He never got that chance.

Instead, holder Aaron Bates rolled to the left and threw a touchdown to back-up tight end Charlie Gantt, propelling the Spartans to a 34-31 overtime victory over the Irish in Spartan Stadium.

“I saw the placeholder go up to No. 24 and tell him something, and something clicked in my head,” sophomore linebacker Manti Te’o said. “When does the holder ever go up and talk to somebody? But I just went down and tried to block a field goal.”

The fake field goal capped off an offensively driven game that saw over 900 yards in total offense between the two teams. Despite the back-and-forth scoring, though, the game came down to one play.

“It’s a difficult loss obviously,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said. “It came down to one play, and Michigan State executed that play. We did not. It was a hard fought game that went back and forth, and we came up short.”

Junior quarterback Dayne Crist carried the offense, completing 32 of his 55 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Theo Riddick pulled in 10 of those passes for 128 yards and a score.

“[Crist] did some good things,” Kelly said. “What he has to work on — some of the ball control, taking care of the football. We turned the ball over three times, twice in the red zone, one time on a fourth down situation when we’re trying to pick up a first down.”

Notre Dame got on the scoreboard first, capping off an 80-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Crist to junior receiver Michael Floyd. Floyd had six catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns against the Spartans.

“I think [the offense took another step this week],” Crist said. “I think that when we watch it tomorrow, that will be one of the positives. But we’re always going to look back and think ‘What if we made a play here or there, or executed a little better, what would have happened?’”

After an interception in the end zone by sophomore safety Zeke Motta, the Irish drove down the field, only to have their drive cut short when Floyd fumbled in the red zone.

“I was just disappointed,” Floyd said. “Disappointed with myself sometimes. I let the team down with my fumble and that was a play during the early part of the game I think it affected the team. You can’t do stuff like that.”

The Irish defense was able to force another three-and-out on Michigan State’s next series, and Notre Dame took over on Michigan State’s 27-yard line. They were unable to capitalize, however, as Crist’s pass on the first play of the drive was intercepted by sophomore Johnny Adams.

Michigan State took advantage of the change in momentum, driving 94 yards down the field and scoring on a Kirk Cousins pass to Keshawn Martin, which tied the game at seven. The Spartans rushed for 46 yards on the drive, including three straight runs by Bell which moved the Spartans from Notre Dame’s 42 to the 6-yard line.

“We hung in and we kept playing,” Spartan coach Mark Dantonio said. “Sometimes it wasn’t perfect but we ran the ball effectively. I don’t know how many times we have had three 200-yard rushing games in a row. So, we made quite a statement.”

The Spartans started the second half where they had left off, scoring on the second play when sophomore Edwin Baker ran 56 yards for the score, putting Michigan State ahead 14-7.

Crist then came out and completed five of his first six passes, finishing a 74-yard scoring drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Kyle Rudolph.

Not to be outdone, Michigan State responded with its own 73-yard scoring drive which gave the hosts a 21-14 lead. Cousins completed every pass of the drive, and Le’Veon Bell finished off the drive with a 16-yard scamper, his lone score of the game.

Notre Dame responded once more, driving 77 yards on 11 plays to tie the game. Riddick caught three passes for 42 yards on the drive, including a 15-yard grab for a touchdown.

After the Irish defense forced another three-and-out, Notre Dame scored again on a 24-yard Crist pass to Floyd to give the Irish their first lead since the first quarter. After trading punts, though, Michigan State responded with a four-play, 56-yard scoring drive, which tied the game at 28.

The Spartans won the overtime coin toss and chose to defend first. After an incomplete pass and an Armando Allen run for seven yards, Crist completed a pass to Rudolph, but he came up just short of the first down marker.

“I was definitely at the stake,” Rudolph said. “I had the point in the corner of my eye and I thought I was right there when I caught the ball. But you know, they marked it short and we’ve just got to make plays.”

The Irish settled for a 33-yard field goal, and gave the Spartans their opportunity. Notre Dame’s defense forced the Spartans backwards four yards in three plays, when Michigan State lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt. Instead, Dantonio called the fake field goal, and seconds later the Spartans were celebrating their third win of the year.

“We actually put it in on Wednesday,” Dantonio said. “It worked every time. We looked at all the different looks that they would have and felt like it was about timing. They lined up and tried to block it, and they had the first option covered. It was a great job by Conroy distracting the corner as he was coming up the field. To be honest, we made the call … and I said a little prayer. I said ‘Let’s go.’”