Associated Press

Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee prepares to hand the ball off against Florida Atlantic in the first half of their game in Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday, Sept. 5. Nebraska defeated Florida Atlantic 49-3.

BLACKSBURG -- Rewind the clock to the 1996 Orange Bowl in Miami.

Nebraska, the biggest and baddest bully on college football's block at the time, had just put up-and-coming Virginia Tech to bed by scoring 17 fourth-quarter points to seal a 41-21 plow job.

"I thought they taught us what it took to be big time that night," Tech coach Frank Beamer recalled. "That game showed us that you need to develop depth. I think we hung in there with our first group, but that second and third group that Nebraska had ... they kinda just keep pounding you and wear you down, and then they get you."

Well, times have changed since. The program that would win its third national title in four years the next season is no longer your daddy's Nebraska.

Meanwhile, Tech's operation has continued on the rise. A 16-point underdog to mighty Nebraska on that New Year's Eve in Miami 13 years ago, the Hokies are the favorites today when the Huskers make their first trip to Lane Stadium.

It's a statement game for both sides.

Under second-year coach Bo Pelini, 19th-ranked Nebraska (2-0) is working hard to get back to where it once was in the program's glory days under Tom Osborne. A win today in the southwest Virginia mountains would be a major coup for the midwestern flatlanders.

Consider these facts: Nebraska hasn't beaten a team ranked in the Top 20 the past eight years, losing 11 straight such matchups since beating No. 2 Oklahoma in 2001. Also, a victory over No. 13 Tech would mark the highest-ranked team that Nebraska has beaten away from Lincoln since a win over No. 6 Tennessee in the 2000 Fiesta Bowl.

Meanwhile, the Hokies (1-1) are looking to shuck the Huskers for a second straight year.

Last Sept. 27, a touchdown-underdog Tech squad went into Lincoln, jumped out to a 21-point lead and held on for a 35-30 victory in front of 85,831 fans, the largest crowd ever at storied Memorial Stadium.

"All my life I watched Nebraska on TV and I just seen a big sea of red," Hokies senior linebacker Cam Martin said. "Coming out of there with a victory was big for us. And to have them coming here -- we're both ranked -- it's a big game for us. It's going to be crazy around here."

Despite their season-opening loss to Alabama two weeks ago, the Hokies are still convinced they can become a factor in the national title chase before it's over. They recognize a victory today, parlayed with a win over visiting Miami (2-0) next Saturday, will thrust them back into the top 10.

"This game is a chance for us to shine," said Tech senior cornerback Stephan Virgil, who is questionable today with a bruised left knee. "We're going to give Nebraska our best game. They've played two Sun Belt teams. They're not Virginia Tech."

Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster is calling on the home crowd to supply the Hokies with a huge 12th-man edge.

"We feel like we've got a tough place to play," Foster said. "Lane Stadium is a pretty good home-field advantage for us. We need our fans to be here in full force and with their game face on, too."

Which side can perform the best rush job? It will be key. Tech outrushed Nebraska 206-55 last year in Lincoln. Last Saturday in a 52-10 crushing of Marshall, the Hokies piled up 444 yards on the ground -- the third-highest total in the Beamer era.

A pair of freshmen -- Ryan Williams (164) and David Wilson (165) -- combined for 329 rushing yards in the rout. Williams, who had three touchdown runs, broke 11 tackles, and Wilson shedded 10 tackles, plus scored on a 36-yard run.

"Me running early and doing some good things, it did open some holes for the running backs and they took advantage of it," said Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who ran for a team-high 87 yards and threw for 171 yards last year in Lincoln.

"[Williams] can break open a long run at any time of the game. You never know what's going to happen when he cuts back across the field ... he can outrun everybody. Same thing with Wilson ... he's very explosive."

Taylor said the Hokies' dangerous overland weapons should help open up the team's air attack today.

"They're going to have to put more people in the box and we're going to throw the football," Taylor said. "I think the game plan going in is try and stretch the field. It's going to open up some holes for the passing game."

Nebraska's defense, which has allowed only 12 points in its back-to-back routs of Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State, sounds anxious for the challenge it faces in one of the nation's toughest road venues.

"I've seen some games there [on TV]," said Ndamukong Suh, the Huskers' star senior defensive tackle. "I'm eager to get in there in person and see what their stadium's like. ... When we're on defense [at home], our crowd is loud. And they're [the Hokies] going to be on offense, so I don't expect them to be yelling too much.

"I love playing on the road. It's a lot of fun for me. If I'm doing something correctly, we won't have that crowd into the game too much."

Defensively, Foster's bunch will be facing an offense that has produced 30 or more points in 15 of the past 18 games.

The Hokies must prevent the big plays that killed them in the Alabama loss. Tech has allowed seven plays of 40 yards or longer in the first two games.

Foster is counting on a big game from his standout rush end, Jason Worilds, to help slow down hot-throwing Nebraska QB Zac Lee.

"[Worilds] played a helluva game last year," Foster said. "He played one of the great games that I've seen one of our ends play. He was just relentless and we need him to do that again."