BIG GAME PREVIEW.(college football)(Brief Article)

Notre Dame at Nebraska 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC

Why you should watch: Forget that Irish coach Bob Davie is angry that the Cornhuskers will be playing their third game of the season, and the trip to Lincoln is his club's first in 2001. The Irish will be ready. At least they had better be--Nebraska has won 54 of its last 55 in Lincoln, and no nonconference opponent has won there since 1991. The Cornhuskers, meanwhile, get the chance to prove their worth against a formidable opponent after wins over rebuilding Texas Christian and I-A newcomer Troy State.

Notre Dame game keys:

* The Irish have three fine tailbacks in Julius Jones, Tony Fisher and Terrance Howard. They will need all of them to establish a running game against Nebraska's front seven, which held Troy State to minus-25 yards rushing last week.

* QB Matt LoVecchio made few mistakes last year as a freshman, but he didn't have much success throwing the ball down field, either. With a deep, experienced group of receivers at his disposal, LoVecchio must use them.

Nebraska game keys:

* QB Eric Crouch is dangerous on the run, but he must prove more deadly throwing the ball--particularly on early downs, the better to avoid some third-and-long situations. The Irish's ...