It's not that Nebraska coach Frank Solich particularly needs starting I-back Dahrran Diedrick to beat TCU on Saturday. The Huskers are 28-point favorites in their season opener at Memorial Stadium. However, Solich's program does need an infusion of credibility given a recent rash of player arrests.

In the last two months, four Huskers have been arrested. A fifth, linebacker Randy Stella, was kicked off the team for violating unspecified team rules.

Dahrran Diedrick(AP)

Tony Tata(AP)

Diedrick and backup linebacker Tony Tata, both juniors, are the latest Huskers to get in legal trouble. Both were arrested on misdemeanor charges Saturday night after separate incidents at the same Lincoln bar. Their status for TCU will be determined later this week, Solich said Tuesday.

"I stated to the team, 'We're in a situation where we cannot have anything else happen,'" Solich said. "Right or not, regardless of whether there was an injustice, you cannot let it (legal problems) happen.

"I don't believe there is a segment of this football team that is out of control. We have everybody that does the right thing every day. Ninety-five percent or higher operate the way you want them to operate every day of the week."

But a minority has caused considerable embarrassment for Solich and the program this summer. Kicker Josh Brown was convicted of assault after fighting in a bar with a man who was on a date with his former girlfriend. Brown was fined $350 by a judge.

Backup I-back Thunder Collins was charged in June with assaulting his live-in girlfriend. The charges were dropped when Collins entered a pretrial diversion program. Solich ordered Brown and Collins to undergo anger management counseling.

Collins is back practicing with the team and is currently backing up Diedrick.

The arrests might harken back to the mid-90s when Tom Osborne was criticized for running what some viewed as an outlaw program. During that dark time former Huskers Lawrence Phillips and Christian Peter were both accused of assaulting women.

Time will tell whether Solich's Nebraska program, ranked No. 4 in the preseason Associated Press poll, will be judged in a similar fashion. In the highest profile case of Solich's head coaching career, linebacker Mark Vedral was acquitted in September of raping a woman in May 2000 while she slept.

According to police reports, Tata and Diedrick were seen arguing with the bar's owner. The arrests came 20 minutes apart.

"Probably the most unfortunate thing is that he had a chance to leave (the premises)," Solich said. "Alcohol was not involved in the incident with Dahrran. There was nothing in regard to punches thrown. Diedrick had his chances to leave and did not. Apparently he put himself in position to have some things go wrong."

Diedrick continued to practice with the team this week. Tata is injured and has not been practicing.

It should be noted that Solich, in his 22nd year on the coaching staff, has been consistent with his discipline in his three years as head coach. He usually waits for court proceedings to play out before punishing a player.

Solich might have to make a tough decision this week with the season opener five days away. Legal proceedings with Tata and Diedrick aren't likely to be finished. Diedrick has a Sept. 12 court date. Tata's court date is Sept. 14. A decision on Diedrick's playing status "should come in a short period of time," Solich said Tuesday.

Diedrick's situation might be especially gut wrenching for Solich. Solich was in Diedrick's Scarborough, Ontario home recruiting him the night before he was named to succeed Tom Osborne on Dec. 10, 1997.

"I felt like I needed to tell him that," Solich said. "Before leaving his home, I pulled him aside and told him that tomorrow I'd be named the new coach. Dahrran smiled at me and said, 'Coach, I think that's great. I feel like I've got an in with the head coach.'"

Diedrick eventually became Nebraska's first scholarship player from Canada. At a time when Solich is attempting to replace Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter, Diedrick is a key component to the 2001 Huskers. They have been searching for a go-to I-back since Ahman Green ran for 1,877 yards in 1997. Diedrick, who has yet to start a game, has rushed for 538 yards in two seasons.

"I know we have good people in our program in terms of coaches and players," Solich said. "An incident occurs and you react to it, you discipline it and you move on ... It's unfortunate that they were involved in some incidents that puts a mar on your program."