LINCOLN, NEB. ? Nebraska’s coaches and players know it’s important to get off to a better start Saturday against Kansas University.

The football team practiced for 21â2 hours in Memorial Stadium on Tuesday.

Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said he loved the way the Huskers had been able to fight back after the team falls behind, but he’d rather not be in those situations.

“We talk about it every week,” Cosgrove said. “It seems like we play our best football when we’re behind the eight ball. We need energy. We need energy from the get go.”

Offensive Coordinator Jay Norvell said the coaches and players felt like this year’s team was better than last year’s, but it hadn’t shown up in the win-loss record.

“We have to go out and prove it,” Norvell said. “It’s proven on Saturdays. We are at a critical point in the season. November is the most important month and when you need to be playing your best football.”

Norvell said running the ball well would be particularly important this weekend.

“We need to go and be balanced, run consistently and be able to mix it up and be more balanced offensively,” Norvell said. “That’s one of our goals this week.”