er.Each time he saw the formation, Nebraska special-teams coordinator Bruce Read said it evoked emotions.I thought it was hard, Read said. It was sad. This is a tight-knit group. We all mis

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Without it, Nadia Comaneci is just another gold-medal winning gymnast from Eastern Europe.The Perfect 10 made the Romanian superstar more than a champion. It made her a legend.Yet four decades after her barrier-shattering uneven bars routine in Montreal -- the one that ended with Comaneci and coach Bela Karolyi initially staring at the scoreboard in confusion when it read 1.00 because it wasnt outfitted to put up the first 10.0 in Olympic history -- perfection is harder to achieve.The International Gymnastics Federation abandoned the 10-based system a decade ago in favor of a more complicated formula designed to better separate the best in the world. Yet something seemed to get lost even as gymnasts like American Simone Biles -- heavily favored to win the all-around title on Thursday night -- pushed the sport to unprecedented heights.The scores Biles puts up are astounding. Its just that the 16s that Biles regularly posts on vault -- a level her peers seldom match -- dont translate. Yes, theyre awesome. Theyre just not perfect. And 28 years after the last 10 in Olympic gymnastics, Comaneci wonders if that needs to change.I think it would be nice to see something that everybody can understand, said Comaneci, who posted seven 10s in Montreal. We are gymnastic family and we kind of know whats going on but everybody who loves gym and kids who are new to sport and they are fans, they dont quite understand the changes in the sport.The new system divided scoring into two parts. One -- the `D score -- is based on what you do. The other -- the `E score -- is how well you do it. Gymnasts build their `D score throughout the routine by connecting one element to the other. The more connections, the higher the score. Yet the more you do, the more likely you are to get sideways at some point, dropping your execution score.A little complicated, right? At the elite level, a good `D score starts at 5.0 and can reach 7.0. The `E score is set on a 10.0 format. Technically perfection is attainable. Its just that no routine has been awarded a 10.0 since the new system was introduced.The closest the sport gets these days is Biles on vault, where her Amanar -- a round off onto the block followed by 2 1/2 twists -- is unequaled. During U.S. Championships last spring, she landed it dead center of the mat with an almost imperceptible hop. The judges gave her a 16.3, including a 9.9 for execution.What exactly was the problem? Well, U.S. national team coordinator Martha Karolyi has a theory.Guts, Karolyi said with a laugh. Perfection is really very hard but I think on the other hand that the FIG a little bit intimidates the judges and educates them in a style that they are afraid to give higher scores.Biles wont quite go that far. Asked if she remembers where she might have erred and she shrugged her shoulders and laughed.My toes might have been crossed maybe, she said, her tone making it sound more like a guess than a fact.Longtime judge Kittia Carpenter was on the floor that afternoon in Indianapolis while serving as then coach for defending Olympic champion Gabby Douglas. She watched Biles soar. Was it worthy of a 10? Carpenter thinks it was as close as shes seen. Seeing it, however, and writing it down on a card is another matter.It is kind of in our minds as a judge that there must be something in there that I didnt quite catch, Carpenter said. And you think that I couldnt possibly give a 10 or the whole world will come yell at the US.Nellie Kim, a five-time gold medalist for the Soviet Union and the president of the FIGs womens artistic gymnastics technical committee, insists there is no mandate to keep judges from giving out a 10. Shes also not about to apologize for making it near impossible. In the end, its a subjective sport. At last falls world championships, Kim likened gymnastics to a piece of art. What one person sees as beautiful, the other might not.Gymnastics is not the only judged Olympic sport where the notion of perfect is rare. Its much the same in diving and figure skating, leaving the athletes to create an inner scoreboard of their own. They know when theyve maxed out, even if the scores dont reflect it.I think you know it when it happens, American diver David Boudia said. You know when you hit a dive because everything feels fluid.The FIG created the new code to help continue to push gymnastics forward.Youre always striving for something more, said four-time Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson. Before, if you hit it (perfect marks), there was nowhere else to go. Now it is endless.Maybe too endless. Germanys Fabian Hambuechen took the code to task after Frances Samir Ait Said broke his left leg while vaulting during Olympic qualifying on Saturday for putting the focus on risk-taking rather than precision.It was like everyone had the chance to get the high score of 10.0 with different ways, said Hambuechen, a four-time Olympian. Now everyone knows if you want to have a high D score you have to do these skills and these skills are sometimes too dangerous for some people.Theres another factor at play too: the 10 is relatable and marketable. A nice, firm round number, one that Comaneci made synonymous with greatness. They are still given out in the U.S. at the NCAA level and send a jolt through the arena and the athletes when they pop up.We took away the most iconic symbol of our sport, said UCLA womens coach Valorie Kondos Field. It would be like taking away the Hail Mary when its caught in the end zone. If youre a gymnastics fan and you see a 10, you talk about it the rest of your life.Biles plans to put on a show Thursday night as she bids to become the fourth straight American to win the Olympic all-around title. She doesnt think too much about creating a historic moment by getting an ever-elusive score. Besides, even if she did, it might only generate more debate.Someone out there will say `Simones vault isnt perfect, Biles said. If Im happy with it, thats what I think matters the most.---AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Rio de Janeiro and Sports Writer Mike Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska honored fallen former punter Sam Foltz in the first quarter of its season-opening 43-10 win Saturday at Memorial Stadium by lining up in formation without a player at his position.The Cornhuskers, in a scoreless tie with Fresno State, took a delay-of-game penalty on their first possession after just 10 players took the field to punt from their own 32-yard line with 13:30 on the clock.The sellout crowd of more than 90,000 responded with a roar as Foltzs family looked on minutes after an emotional pregame ceremony.It was an incredible feeling, Nebraska quarterback?Tommy Armstrong Jr. said, knowing how much he meant not only to us, but to the community and the fans out there.Fresno State declined the penalty before freshman Caleb Lightbourn delivered a 29-yard punt.Foltz, a 22-year-old senior named in 2015 as the Eddleman-Fields Big Ten Punter of the Year, died July 23 in a car crash in rural Wisconsin after attending a kicking camp. Former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler also was killed. LSU kicker Colby Delahoussaye survived the accident.Several hundred people attended Foltzs July 29 funeral in Grand Island, Nebraska, and his legacy continues to grow. A former walk-on, Foltz was known for his dedication to community service and academics.A sign with Foltzs last name and No. 27 jersey hung Saturday at field level from the student section in the southeast corner of the stadium. Another sign in the stadium Saturday read A Season for Sam.Before kickoff, many fans entered the stadium in T-shirts that displayed Foltzs number.Just to honor him, said Sheri Leffler of West Point, Nebraska, who traveled to Lincoln with her husband, Dann Leffler, and grandsons, Preston Johnson, 15, and Creighton Johnson, 12. Hes a role model for these kids. They look up to him for the things he did, just a small-town Nebraska guy.The season opener marked the first game for Creighton Johnson.He worked hard, and he made it, Dann Leffler said about Foltz. Any child out there has got to follow his steps, his footprints. I really appreciate what he did for our program. Were here to honor him.Before the game, Foltzs parents, Gerald and Jill Foltz, presented Nebraska kicker Drew Broown with the Sam Foltz Memorial Scholarship, to be awarded annually to a member of the football program who embodies Foltzs leadership traits -- a commitment to service and an ability to encourage and empower others.ddddddddddddIts just quite an honor to afford Drew with an honor that exemplifies what Sam was on and off the field, Jill Foltz said.Brown and Foltz were close friends. Foltz doubled as Browns holder. Brown also attended the July camp in Wisconsin. He led the Huskers onto the field before kickoff in step with Foltzs two young nephews, both of whom wore their uncles jersey.Brown and kicker Spencer Lindsay carried Foltzs jersey from the locker room to the field for warm-ups two hours before kickoff. After that moment, Brown said, he planned nothing. It all happened naturally.Sam was a guy I would do anything in the world for to model myself after, Brown said. He was my best friend. Im never going to forget this night.Nebraska used a swinging-gate look on extra points Saturday, a formation it added in spring practice to capitalize on Foltzs athleticism. He was replaced as holder by Zack Darlington, who scored on a two-point conversion out of the new set in the fourth quarter.Each time he saw the formation, Nebraska special-teams coordinator Bruce Read said it evoked emotions.I thought it was hard, Read said. It was sad. This is a tight-knit group. We all miss Sam.Jill Foltz said her family has been overwhelmed by the support offered nationally and in Nebraska.Sam Foltz also was featured Saturday in the Huskers pregame tunnel-walk video shown on the scoreboards at Memorial Stadium. Additionally, receiver Alonzo Moore and offensive guard Sam Hahn served as captains against Fresno State in honor of Foltz.Hahn announced his hometown as Small Town, USA in recorded introductions, echoing the words of Foltz from past seasons.Nebraska coaches wore patches with the SF27 logo Saturday. The same emblem will adorn the Huskers helmets all season.In April, 27 student-athletes at the school will be presented with the Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award. ' ' '