We’re still a full day away from the season’s first kickoff inside Memorial Stadium. So close! … but not close enough. If your Friday’s dragging, trust me, you’re not alone.

Assuming you’ve finished thoroughly scanning through our Big Red Today blog (lots of good posts today!) — perhaps these Husker stories will keep you occupied long enough to make it through the rest of the morning…

>> Alonzo Whaley had some academic issues so he was left off the 105-man roster for a week last month. Now he’s thrilled to be back in good standing, writes Max Olson.

>> Dirk Chatelain talked to several college coaches about the importance of the quarterback position, and the difficulty of finding a good one.

>> Alfonzo Dennard is likely out for Saturday. Not a real surprise, but it leads Friday’s notebook.

Some more links, of the national variety, are below …

>> The Omaha World-Herald’s Lee Barfknecht was in Madison Thursday night. He says quarterback Russell Wilson solidifies Wisconsin as a Big Ten favorite.

>> A look at Tennessee-Chattanooga here: Watch out for safety D.J. Keys, a play-maker who’s emerged this fall.

>> The Longhorn-Aggie Network??? Texas AD DeLoss Dodds told the Associated Press that A&M could have partnered with UT on a television network.

> >Ohio State has suspended three more players for accepting improper benefits, rule violations that are apparently separate from the tattoo scandal.

>> More details are emerging in tragic story of OU linebacker Austin Box, who died last spring because of an apparent drug overdose. The Oklahoman’s Travis Haney wrote about the motivational letters Box’s father, Craig, wrote weekly to his son over the last 11 years before football games.