http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=3918...;u_sid=10527848
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Deep inside some defensive meeting here in Florida or perhaps back home at Memorial Stadium, Carl Pelini talked about this hunch of his.
A hunch that Clemson wouldn't stop Nebraska nose tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive tackle Ty Steinkuhler.
"I played it down all week," said Pelini, the Huskers' defensive coordinator, "but I knew they could have big games. I told those guys they had to take this game over, and they did. They were all over the place. That's one of the best games two interior tackles have ever had in my career."
Suh, the All-Big 12 junior from Portland, Ore., and Steinkuhler, a fifth-year senior and recently crowned captain out of Lincoln Southwest, formed a formidable duo Thursday at the Blackshirts' core in a 26-21 win over the Tigers in the Gator Bowl.
Unstoppable at times, Suh led NU with eight tackles, including 3½ behind the line of scrimmage. He added two sacks to his team-high total, now 7½. He blocked a field goal. He chased down running backs. He harassed Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper mercilessly.
Steinkuhler contributed six tackles. Two came behind the line. One was a sack. He also forced a fumble.
They were everywhere for Nebraska, which held Clemson to 4 yards rushing, an average of 0.2 per carry, and 210 yards of total offense. The Tigers managed one scoring drive of longer than 13 yards, and that came on one play — a 41-yard pass from Harper to Jacoby Ford in the third quarter.
"Those guys were just men up front," linebackers coach Mike Ekeler said.
Pelini suspected Clemson's guards and center would struggle with Suh and Steinkuhler. The coach said he thought it ranked as the weakness of the Tigers' offensive unit. He was right.
"It's just a great feeling," Steinkuhler said. "We didn't change anything. We just stuck to what we do, and we did it."
Linebacker Blake Lawrence saw it up close.
"They came out and controlled the tempo and made it known the Blackshirts are working their way back, if we're not back already," said Lawrence, who started and intercepted a third-quarter pass. "They imposed their will on Clemson."
As for Suh, could this have served as his final performance? If so, it was some show. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound star recently submitted his name for review by the NFL's advisory committee on the league's draft in April. Suh has said repeatedly he planned to return to Nebraska for his final season.
Again on Thursday, he said, he wants to return. But it's not a done deal.
"I'm not 100 percent sure," he said, "but my mindset right now is that I'm coming back to school. I've got a year of school left, barely a year. I want to come back and play ball. I love playing for these coaches."
Underclassmen must declare for the draft by Jan. 15.
Suh said his manhandling of Clemson would not affect the decision. Some draft analysts have already listed him as a borderline first-round pick, and the Gator Bowl only figures to bolster Suh's stock.
"I expect that out of myself every single game," Suh said. "I want to go to a BCS bowl. That's what I want to go to. Hopefully, that's a national championship with the great players we've got coming back."
I hear stories like this every year. We'll see at the combine.
I hear stories like this every year. We'll see at the combine.
I hear stories like this every year. We'll see at the combine.
I hear stories like this every year. We'll see at the combine.
some of us get the joke here . 
