By BRIAN C. HEDGER
State News Sports Writer

The stories of success on the field are widespread for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program, but the off-the-field exploits continue to roll.

Just one week before the start of Nebraska's 1996 season, Cornhusker head coach Tom Osborne announced his starting weak side linebacker, senior Terrell Farley, will miss Saturday's contest with MSU, at the least.

The decision to bench Farley for the game stems from a violation of team rules, allegedly because Farley was caught driving while intoxicated.

"(The Farley) incident hurts, because he was a hard worker and a play maker," Osborne said. "I think we're a little hurt depth wise at that position anyway."

Last season, former Nebraska I-back Lawrence Phillips was suspended from the team for eight games, following an incident where he physically assaulted his former girlfriend while in the apartment of junior Husker quarterback Scott Frost.

Farley, a first-team preseason All-American in many college football magazines, was a transfer from junior college in 1995. He also helped lead the vaunted "Black Shirt" defense of the Huskers in the 1996 Tostito's Fiesta Bowl victory over Florida.

Osborne said he is up in arms about what to do to control his players' actions off the field.

"We've talked, and (the team) has talked with each other, and we've done just about anything we can do to make sure it doesn't happen again," Osborne said. "But, if some guy does not want to be policed, then he is not going to be policed."

It has yet to be determined how long Farley will be held out, but he will definitely miss the MSU game, Osborne said.

MSU starting quarterback Todd Schultz does not think losing Farley will be that big of a deal for the Huskers.

"It doesn't make a difference," Schultz said. "They got kids eating their corn right now when they are three and four years old, getting ready to play football."

TO KICK OR NOT TO KICK: BOLD Osborne said he would go the way of former U-M coach Bo Schembechler when it comes to kicking and punting to Spartan senior wide receiver/return specialist Derrick Mason this Saturday.

"I guess I got a little Bo in me," Osborne said. "Not so much that I'm bull-headed, but in that sometimes you try and kick away from a guy, and you hurt yourself even more. We'll probably kick it to him."

Schembechler decided to kick to Raghib "Rocket" Ismail when U-M played Notre Dame in 1989 and was burned. The Wolverines kicked to Ismail twice and the Golden Domer returned both for touchdowns.

Whether Mason will even be available to attempt running one back Saturday has yet to be decided. Mason has a pin in his right wrist, which was fractured in the Spartans' 52-14 romp over Purdue this past weekend.

FAB FROSH: BOLD MSU might not be the only team experiencing a lack of depth at certain positions on defense, as Nebraska might play or start five freshmen.

"I think we have a lack of depth at spots, and we have an unusually good group of freshmen this year," Osborne said of his young team.

Among the freshmen slated to play for the Huskers on Saturday are defensive backs Ralph Brown, Mike Brown and Eric Johnson, receiver/defensive back John Gibson and I-back DeAngelo Evans.

Evans, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds, will complement sophomore I-back Ahman Green in Nebraska's patented option ground attack. Evans averaged 206.7 yards per game in high school.