Nebraska running back Cody Glenn (34) fumbles the ball as he is brought down by Iowa State's Rashawn Parker. The Huskers have averaged just 115 rushing yards in the past four games.

Lincoln, Neb. ? As long as the points come, coach Bill Callahan doesn’t care how Nebraska scores them.

The past four games, the Cornhuskers’ best route to the end zone has been through the air.

Since they ran for 413 yards in the opener against Nevada, the Huskers averaged just 115 yards on the ground, and nine of their 15 touchdowns have come on passes.

The Huskers are underdogs as they go on the road to Missouri this week, so they’ll need a credible running game to help keep the Tigers’ high-powered offense off the field. Right?

“That’s the question I keep getting asked,” Callahan said Monday. “To be perfectly honest, it really doesn’t matter as long as we score points.”

Callahan talks often about his love for a physical running game.

As offensive coordinator in Oakland in 2000, Callahan and the Raiders led the NFL in rushing while reaching the AFC championship game.

As Nebraska’s coach, he’s said folks have it wrong if they think the West Coast offense is all about passing. In each of his first three years in Lincoln, the Huskers have had a running back among the top six in the Big 12.

This season, Marlon Lucky leads the conference with 113 yards a game. Take away the career-high 233 he had against Nevada, and his average is 83. Take away Lucky’s longest run in each of the past four games, and his per-carry average slips from 5.2 to 3.1.

A year ago, the Huskers had run-pass ratio of 61-39 through five games. This year it’s 51-49.

But a year ago at this point, the Huskers had three blowout wins and a seven-point win to go with one loss.

This year, they have one blowout win, two wins by a combined four points and an 18-point win to go with one loss.

“Each game is different in how it unfolds,” Callahan said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to win.”