BALLWIN — In the very spot they began making their own for their three sons' Parkway West football games more than 30 years ago, Martin and Mary Lou Gabbert sat bundled Friday for an autumn chill to watch grandson Tyler play for the Longhorns on homecoming against Webster Groves.

Behind them roamed fidgety Chuck Gabbert, their son and Tyler's father, who actually was more or less in one place for a day between perpetual work travels.

Shortly after kickoff arrived Tyler's mother, Bev, carting son Brett, 9, from soccer after a stop at home for a hand-warmer for Tyler — who had spent the day in bed with the flu. Then Brett disappeared for pickup football, the typical routine of perhaps the best athlete in the family.

Finally, Tyler's older brother, Blaine, made it, initially fuming after being snarled in traffic en route from Columbia, Mo.

In many ways, the scene and circumstances were remarkably ordinary, ones that might play out similarly for any number of families on a fall Friday night.

But the broader view was anything but.

Instead, the setting was a sort of launch pad for Mizzou-Nebraska week and a landing strip for a helicopter carrying MU coach Gary Pinkel on a recruiting trip that may ultimately lend more spice to the rivalry.

Blaine Gabbert, of course, is thriving as the sophomore starting quarterback for Mizzou (4-0) as it prepares to play host to Nebraska (3-1) on Thursday in the Big 12 opener for both schools.

Nebraska is the school to which Blaine Gabbert committed before changing his mind amid the meltdown of the Bill Callahan regime and where Tyler Gabbert has made a nonbinding oral commitment.

Emphasis on nonbinding.

As is customary in college football culture, Mizzou is among the schools continuing to recruit Tyler Gabbert, and the Tigers did it with a flourish Friday.

When Blaine Gabbert arrived, among the first people he saw was Dave Yost, MU's offensive coordinator. The two embraced, then watched much of a game in which Tyler Gabbert made several notable throws only for Webster to score 34 straight points to win 41-14.

Then came Pinkel, accompanied by MU assistant and St. Louis recruiting ace Cornell Ford, swooping in for one of several area stops Friday.

Just before halftime, the helicopter made two passes over a field of play featuring several potential recruits before landing nearby.

"Little too much Hollywood for me," Pinkel said, joking that his late mother would object to the flashy move and might "come down and hit me in the head."

Pinkel excused himself to "roam" and later exchanged brief greetings with Chuck and Bev Gabbert, among others. Under NCAA rules during what is known as an evaluation period, even such superficial contact normally is impermissible.

But this wasn't normal, since the Gabberts are parents of the current MU quarterback, a matter Pinkel emphasized when he saw each.

"'I want to say hi to the mother of my starting quarterback,'" was how Chuck Gabbert recalled Pinkel's words.

After the game, Tyler Gabbert said he heard the helicopter but that it didn't distract him. But while reaffirming that he remains committed to Nebraska, he clearly is conscious of the dismissal from MU of freshman quarterback Blaine Dalton — to which he referred as a changing numbers situation there.

And for the second time this week he used the term "for now" as he discussed his commitment to Nebraska. In a phone interview Wednesday, he said he wasn't sure how to answer when asked if the commitment was a certainty.

Perhaps reflecting mixed feelings, he describes Nebraska's presence in his room as only mildly stronger than Mizzou's.

"I have a couple Nebraska banners and blankets, but I still have my Mizzou gear that I wear down to the games and stuff," he said, adding, "I don't have, like, Nebraska wallpaper."

Naturally enough, he is conflicted about rooting interests on Thursday, a game he'll watch from home as he prepares to play the next night.

"Obviously, I want both teams to do well," he said. "But it comes down to family first. I definitely want (Blaine) to have a really good game."

For their part, Tyler's parents are trying to stay out of the way. If they have a preference, they aren't saying.

After all, as much as the family embraces Mizzou, they also have had a decades-long relationship with Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson ... as they had had with Callahan.

So they've done what they can to lead Tyler to an informed decision but stopped short of trying to tell him what to do.

"Because that never works out," Chuck Gabbert said. "Even if you weren't in a sport, it's a very individual decision."

The Gabberts learned that through the hysteria surrounding the recruitment of their oldest son, rated a rare 5-star by rivals.com.

Tyler has been widely recruited but is considered a 4-star, perhaps mostly because he is about five inches shorter than his 6-foot-5 brother.

But Tyler Gabbert, whom Chuck Gabbert said was a Punt, Pass and Kick national champion at age 9, has arm strength and mobility seemingly on a par with Blaine, who has thrown for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions to be ranked ninth in the nation in passing efficiency.

And Tyler may have one thing on his brother.

"He'll burn a hole through your eyes, he's so intense," said Coach Hammer of Hammer Bodies, who attended Friday's game along with others who've worked with the Gabberts from the Elite Football Academy.

That intensity often is at its peak in competitions with his brothers, so much so that the parents occasionally have to reel them in.

That would make for an interesting dynamic if Tyler joined Blaine at MU, where they probably would only compete against each other directly for one year if the younger redshirted in 2010.

"Coach Yost would have his hands full," Chuck Gabbert said, laughing.

Tyler Gabbert said: "We've been (competing) our whole lives. It would make us each that much better."

Then again, they'd also be competing, in an entirely different way, if Tyler ends up a Cornhusker.

"We told (Nebraska coach Bo Pelini), 'Whoever's on offense, that's who we'll root for,'" Chuck Gabbert said.

Amid all the complications and questions ahead for the family, though, the foundation and constants remain.

After the game, Blaine hurried to the dejected Tyler, marveling at the hard hits he took and praising his spunky play.

"You looked good," he told him, even adding, "You look bigger."

Calling Blaine his "best friend," Tyler said he looked forward to hanging out all night with him. Blaine always is about "what's best for me," he said.

Like any good brother in any strong family on another ordinary night.