So what got into the Huskers in the fourth quarter?
I will probably wonder for days. Thursday’s 27-12 come-from-behind win over the Missouri Tigers was like exorcising a demon considering that Missouri had won four of the last six head-to-head meetings over Nebraska, mostly in dominating fashion with two 35-point wins the last two years (41-6 in 2007 and 52-17 in 2008).
Honestly, Nebraska won because they are the better team. Is this a landmark win or a signature win? Well, too early to say. We have to see where Missouri, which entered the contest rated No. 24 in the Associated Press poll behind Nebraska’s No. 21 rating, finishes the season. However, psychologically this is a huge win for the Huskers considering the Tigers recent dominance.
Next Saturday’s game at home against Texas Tech is big for the same reason. The Red Raiders have won the last three meetings. First there was the 70-10 debacle in 2004 and next there were two hard luck losses (34-31 in 2005 and 37-31 in 2008).
Granted, Thursday’s game was played in crappy conditions – wet field and it was raining for much of the night. This is also a huge win because two years ago when Nebraska endured loss after loss, mostly in convincing fashion, as fans we kept saying how we wanted a team that played with effort and resolve. Well, effort and resolve don’t always mean style points but those two elements give a team a chance to pull a game out of the fire when things go against them.
Nebraska trailed 12-0 entering the fourth quarter, looking like it had no chance to win. Sure, the defense was outstanding. The tackling was much more secure. The pressure was on Blaine Gabbert all night. However, the Nebraska offense couldn’t move the ball six feet. Next thing you know, two touchdown passes from Zac Lee to Niles Paul. One more to Mike McNeill. Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead salt the game away with timely runs.
This game also showed exactly why athletic director Tom Osborne hired Bo Pelini to be Nebraska’s head coach. Offenses have become all the rage in the Big XII. Pelini is a defensive minded coach. The Huskers were playing lifeless football, especially on defense. They needed a guy like Pelini to light a fire in them.
You know the old phrase, “Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships.” With the way rules have been made to favor offenses, that theory is not quite as true as previous times but let’s not kid ourselves, defense still matters.
The current Husker defense might not totally remind us of the days of yore just yet but any defense that allows just 40 points through five games is definitely doing something right. While the conditions were raw, Nebraska stifled an offense that can still score in Missouri.
We saw a defense that beat the crap out of Missouri. Those teams in the 90's played like they were mad. As Jason Peter said in his book and .I'm paraphrasing "Peyton Manning was a good guy but I wanted to hurt him."
Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong seemed the same way. There were a couple times he could have just wrangled Gabbert to the ground. On the play were Gabbert got hurt he seemed to be giving him a little extra -- not dirty just trying to throw him around. Gabbert is lucky his leg didn't get snapped. On the bogus horse collar play he ended up coming down fully on top of Gabbert. And then on another pass play...a short pass he absolutely destroyed the receiver.
I don’t know that I’d quite call this a signature win. That would be a Big XII title game or BCS bowl game.
Nonetheless, thanks to a punishing defense, this win is a huge step in the right direction.
Showing posts with label Roy Helu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roy Helu. Show all posts
Friday, October 9, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Huskers show many positives in opener that will need to continue
Nebraska will certainly face more stringent tests throughout the 2009 than the one it faced in Saturday’s 49-3 season-opening route over the Florida Atlantic Owls.
The next game, which is Saturday’s home contest against Arkansas State, might not tell us any more before the rubber truly meets the road one week later on Sept. 19 when Nebraska visits Virginia Tech.
Arkansas State routed Mississippi Valley State 61-0 Saturday but keep in mind it has been 25 years since Jerry Rice suited up at the college game. Then again, Arkansas State went into College Station and upset Texas A&M 18-14 last season, sending the Aggies reeling to a 4-8 season. Plus, College Station is on par with Nebraska as far as tough environments for a visiting club. The Red Wolves lost 35-0 at Alabama, also a hostile environment, later that season.
One game does not a season make but we learned a few things from Saturday and still need to learn.
-- The good news was that the Blackshirts had far fewer assignment busts that plagued them at times last season and also made the Owls settle for a field goal after reaching the Husker 3-yard line. Not recording a sack was a bit disturbing but producing three takeaways was encouraging. Nebraska faced a strong quarterback-receiver combo against Florida State. Arkansas State, meanwhile, will try to be more physical. To be fair, Nebraska was pretty basic in its game-plan Saturday and probably will be this week too before unveiling a few wrinkles for VaTech.
-- The Nebraska offense seems to be in solid shape with Zac Lee at the controls. Lee complete 15-of-22 passes and very easily could have had three more completions if not for dropped passes. Lee looked a little tentative early, which is to be expected from someone making their first Div. I-A but otherwise showed veteran-like poise. However, the question becomes, will he maintain that poise if Nebraska finds itself in a tight game be in this Saturday’s home game or in a hostile road environment?
-- Running back Roy Helu, who carried 16 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns, looks like Lawrence Phillips – minus the disgraceful baggage of course. Another difference too is that Phillips played behind an offensive line that was so good he was often 10 yards into the secondary before even being touched. In Helu’s career, Nebraska has had some good individual linemen but chemistry among that unit is still a work in progress. Point being, Helu is a slasher and can get eight yards when there’s only four.
-- Nebraska’s depth seems a lot better than last season. So much so that the team can probably survive an injury in some spots. Not that we are wishing of course. Don’t be surprised if senior Phillip Dillard is a factor at some point. Dillard slid on the depth chart after falling out of favor with the coaching staff but appears to be back in the staff’s good graces. Nonetheless, since the Husker linebacking unit is chock full of redshirt freshmen and sophomores, those individuals might have bumpy roads at some point.
-- Last season, the Huskers were a largely experienced club in that numerous seniors play key roles, which could be a plus or minus. Plus, because they were experienced but a minus because they were coached a lot of bad habits by the previous coaching staff. This year, the Huskers seem to be taking on a youth movement in that only six seniors are playing significant roles. Again, that can be a plus or minus. The plus side is that the players have potential. The downside, young players will make mistakes you have to live with. Another plus, the coaching staff will groom them their way from the beginning.
-- Speaking of two of those young players, quarterback Cody Green and running back Rex Burkhead got plenty of snaps, most of which were after the Huskers gained control of the game. However, both flashed some serious ability. Could that mean snaps with the game in the balance in the future?
Again, many positives out of the first game, they’ll need to continue.
The next game, which is Saturday’s home contest against Arkansas State, might not tell us any more before the rubber truly meets the road one week later on Sept. 19 when Nebraska visits Virginia Tech.
Arkansas State routed Mississippi Valley State 61-0 Saturday but keep in mind it has been 25 years since Jerry Rice suited up at the college game. Then again, Arkansas State went into College Station and upset Texas A&M 18-14 last season, sending the Aggies reeling to a 4-8 season. Plus, College Station is on par with Nebraska as far as tough environments for a visiting club. The Red Wolves lost 35-0 at Alabama, also a hostile environment, later that season.
One game does not a season make but we learned a few things from Saturday and still need to learn.
-- The good news was that the Blackshirts had far fewer assignment busts that plagued them at times last season and also made the Owls settle for a field goal after reaching the Husker 3-yard line. Not recording a sack was a bit disturbing but producing three takeaways was encouraging. Nebraska faced a strong quarterback-receiver combo against Florida State. Arkansas State, meanwhile, will try to be more physical. To be fair, Nebraska was pretty basic in its game-plan Saturday and probably will be this week too before unveiling a few wrinkles for VaTech.
-- The Nebraska offense seems to be in solid shape with Zac Lee at the controls. Lee complete 15-of-22 passes and very easily could have had three more completions if not for dropped passes. Lee looked a little tentative early, which is to be expected from someone making their first Div. I-A but otherwise showed veteran-like poise. However, the question becomes, will he maintain that poise if Nebraska finds itself in a tight game be in this Saturday’s home game or in a hostile road environment?
-- Running back Roy Helu, who carried 16 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns, looks like Lawrence Phillips – minus the disgraceful baggage of course. Another difference too is that Phillips played behind an offensive line that was so good he was often 10 yards into the secondary before even being touched. In Helu’s career, Nebraska has had some good individual linemen but chemistry among that unit is still a work in progress. Point being, Helu is a slasher and can get eight yards when there’s only four.
-- Nebraska’s depth seems a lot better than last season. So much so that the team can probably survive an injury in some spots. Not that we are wishing of course. Don’t be surprised if senior Phillip Dillard is a factor at some point. Dillard slid on the depth chart after falling out of favor with the coaching staff but appears to be back in the staff’s good graces. Nonetheless, since the Husker linebacking unit is chock full of redshirt freshmen and sophomores, those individuals might have bumpy roads at some point.
-- Last season, the Huskers were a largely experienced club in that numerous seniors play key roles, which could be a plus or minus. Plus, because they were experienced but a minus because they were coached a lot of bad habits by the previous coaching staff. This year, the Huskers seem to be taking on a youth movement in that only six seniors are playing significant roles. Again, that can be a plus or minus. The plus side is that the players have potential. The downside, young players will make mistakes you have to live with. Another plus, the coaching staff will groom them their way from the beginning.
-- Speaking of two of those young players, quarterback Cody Green and running back Rex Burkhead got plenty of snaps, most of which were after the Huskers gained control of the game. However, both flashed some serious ability. Could that mean snaps with the game in the balance in the future?
Again, many positives out of the first game, they’ll need to continue.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Finally some football
Without further adieu, it’s time to start the college football season. In Lincoln, Neb., it starts at 6 p.m. local time against Florida Atlantic.
I never know for sure what to expect, especially in a season opener. I always caution that in August, pretty much everybody is full of optimism. The fact of the matter is, when the games are actually played, somebody's going to go away disappointed.Nebraska could, and probably should, win decisively but I would not be shocked if the Huskers are tested early in the contest. We have an unproven OL and an unproven QB. These are key question marks. FAU has a great talent at QB.For Nebraska, the rubber will truly meet the road on Sept. 19 when it visits Virginia Tech, which enters the season rated No. 7.
One thing we have to take into consideration is that this Nebraska team is a pretty young one. There are about 11 redshirt freshmen, 11 sophomore, and 16 juniors that will play key roles but as of now only about six seniors that figure to be starters. There will be some bugs to work out.
With the running back rotation, I see the top three guys as being Roy Helu, Rex Burkhead and probably Lester Ward with Marcus Mendoza being the situational back. Much will depend on the game situation but I see Helu getting about 20-25 carries with Burkhead (a true freshman) getting about 10-12.
The biggest concern for Nebraska on offense is definitely the line, which I think will at least be satisfactory. Individually, you have some pretty good players but it’s a matter of finding the right combination. Then, there’s the question of how does quarterback Zac Lee respond to adversity? Not just from a game score standpoint but how does he react the first time he gets hit? Then also, while there is talent at wide receiver, who becomes that No. 1 guy?
No worries at all for the tight end position with Mike McNeill figuring to be Lee’s go-to man but don’t be surprised if Dreu Young or Kyler Reed becomes a factor.
Defensively, Nebraska should be just as good if not better up front thanks to Ndamukong Suh opting to stay in school for his senior year. Suh will face his share of double-teams that will free up opportunities for guys like Barry Turner, Pierre Allen, Jared Crick and Cameron Meredith.
Allen is a definitely star but with Turner coming off a torn ACL, it’s doubtful he’s an all-Big 12 player but if he can be solid that would be a huge boost for Nebraska.
Linebacker and secondary should be an upgrade even with several new faces.
Florida Atlantic’s offense will test the Huskers from time-to-time. Rusty Smith is a legit quarterback. FAU has some size and speed at receiver and their head coach (Howard Schnellengberger) is a bright offensive mind). However, FAU has a suspect running game and Nebraska’s D-Line should dominate.
The Husker offense has some new faces but the good news is that so does FAU’s defense, which lost eight starters.
I never know for sure what to expect, especially in a season opener. I always caution that in August, pretty much everybody is full of optimism. The fact of the matter is, when the games are actually played, somebody's going to go away disappointed.Nebraska could, and probably should, win decisively but I would not be shocked if the Huskers are tested early in the contest. We have an unproven OL and an unproven QB. These are key question marks. FAU has a great talent at QB.For Nebraska, the rubber will truly meet the road on Sept. 19 when it visits Virginia Tech, which enters the season rated No. 7.
One thing we have to take into consideration is that this Nebraska team is a pretty young one. There are about 11 redshirt freshmen, 11 sophomore, and 16 juniors that will play key roles but as of now only about six seniors that figure to be starters. There will be some bugs to work out.
With the running back rotation, I see the top three guys as being Roy Helu, Rex Burkhead and probably Lester Ward with Marcus Mendoza being the situational back. Much will depend on the game situation but I see Helu getting about 20-25 carries with Burkhead (a true freshman) getting about 10-12.
The biggest concern for Nebraska on offense is definitely the line, which I think will at least be satisfactory. Individually, you have some pretty good players but it’s a matter of finding the right combination. Then, there’s the question of how does quarterback Zac Lee respond to adversity? Not just from a game score standpoint but how does he react the first time he gets hit? Then also, while there is talent at wide receiver, who becomes that No. 1 guy?
No worries at all for the tight end position with Mike McNeill figuring to be Lee’s go-to man but don’t be surprised if Dreu Young or Kyler Reed becomes a factor.
Defensively, Nebraska should be just as good if not better up front thanks to Ndamukong Suh opting to stay in school for his senior year. Suh will face his share of double-teams that will free up opportunities for guys like Barry Turner, Pierre Allen, Jared Crick and Cameron Meredith.
Allen is a definitely star but with Turner coming off a torn ACL, it’s doubtful he’s an all-Big 12 player but if he can be solid that would be a huge boost for Nebraska.
Linebacker and secondary should be an upgrade even with several new faces.
Florida Atlantic’s offense will test the Huskers from time-to-time. Rusty Smith is a legit quarterback. FAU has some size and speed at receiver and their head coach (Howard Schnellengberger) is a bright offensive mind). However, FAU has a suspect running game and Nebraska’s D-Line should dominate.
The Husker offense has some new faces but the good news is that so does FAU’s defense, which lost eight starters.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Castille dismissal shows Pelini will make tough choices
Say one thing for Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini. Well, there are many things you can say but none the least of which are his willingness to make a tough decision.
Running back Quentin Castille has been dismissed from the football team for what Pelini said Saturday was a clear violation of team policies according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
"We have guidelines, we have policies that we have set up here, we have a culture we have set up here," Pelini said. "It's pretty black and white my expectations and what we lay out as a staff, and if somebody doesn't follow those policies or guidelines, they're no longer going to be with the program. That's the case with Quentin. I wish him luck. He's a good kid. He's just not going to be with our program anymore. I wish him luck in the future. The book is closed on that."
Pelini addressed the matter following Saturday's practice. It marked the third day Castille was not with the team.
"It's black and white," Pelini said. "It's not tough the way I go about running this football program."
What stands out the most (to me anyhow) about the decision was that it did not involve the Unity Council, which Pelini reinstituted after becoming the head coach.
The Unity Council, which was in place from 1991-2003, is a group consisting of players selected by their fellow teammates on the football roster of that specific year. At least one player comes from each position on the football team so the voice of other players in that position can be heard. The idea enjoyed great on-field success initially, as Nebraska rolled off three national championships within the next 10 years.
The council dealt with internal discipline. It worked under a point system for troubled players -- those who got into trouble received points for infractions such as missing classes or practices, as well as criminal charges. The more points a player received, the harsher the discipline.
“If there's a violation and people go against the rules and the guidelines that we've set up, it's black and white,” Pelini said. “We'll show you the door. No one is above the football team. I got a program to run, both short term and long term. Like I said, end of story.”
So what does this mean for the running back position? Keep in mind; Castille and Roy Helu were slated to be Nebraska’s running back tandem in 2009 much like the ’08 season with Marlon Lucky.
Pelini added that true freshman Rex Burkhead has emerged as the No. 2 back behind Helu but don’t rule out Collins Okafor, Lester Ward, and Austin Jones. For that matter, don’t rule out Marcus Mendoza. Keep in mind, Okafor is a big back like Castille at 6-1, 225-pounds. Although I think Burkhead would have seen the field at some point this season anyhow despite Pelini’s tendency to redshirt freshman players.
Castille’s dismissal is a tough blow but Pelini is right to stick to his standards, which is what happened. I trust the reasons (unknown at this point) were legit. Pelini is proving he can make the though choices. Again, I am very curious about the reason for the dismissal. Was it drugs? Drinking? Breaking the law? Or heaven forbid violating the NCAA rules?
We'll never know unless either Castille discusses it, or the NCAA comes sniffing around and we hear about it on ESPN. Since it was for a “clear violation of team rules,” I seriously doubt it's an NCAA violation. Also, if Nebraska even suspected Castille violated NCAA rules he would have been suspended immediately (a couple days ago). About the only streak we've got left besides the sell-out streak is no major NCAA violations in the football program and I'm quite sure Nebraska wants to keep it that way. Also, I doubt it was the law. If it was, we would have heard about it because the police can't keep arrest reports from reporters for long. Defensive tackle Kevin Dixon's issues we knew about within hours of his arrests. Pelini dismissed Dixon before the start of last season and linebacker Cody Glenn late in the season. The speculation is already out there as to the reason for it but I doubt we ever get it confirmed. Pelini isn't going to throw a player or a former player under the bus under any circumstances. He referred to Castille as a “good kid.” Keep in mind, he never talked in specifics about what Dixon and Glenn did, and he's not going to talk about this one either.
It is a sad day for Castille but he is the only one who should be sad. The pattern of consistency in the area of discipline has been established. The only way to maintain the respect of the players in your program is to apply the consequences for the breaking of rules fairly and consistently regardless of who you are or how good you are.
Castille made mistakes and it cost him and for that you hope that he can overcome these hardships but for the good of the whole Pelini represents what is best in sports, character and principles, which someday will influence others choices to come to Nebraska for the right reasons.
Not that I need to know every time someone violates team rules but Pelini and his staff have demonstrated that they are completely fair with their players, and have their best interests at heart. So when he says someone can no longer be on the team, that's good enough for me. I also think that he deserves praise for keeping these things “In House,” letting the young men keep their dignity to whatever extent that is possible.
Running back Quentin Castille has been dismissed from the football team for what Pelini said Saturday was a clear violation of team policies according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
"We have guidelines, we have policies that we have set up here, we have a culture we have set up here," Pelini said. "It's pretty black and white my expectations and what we lay out as a staff, and if somebody doesn't follow those policies or guidelines, they're no longer going to be with the program. That's the case with Quentin. I wish him luck. He's a good kid. He's just not going to be with our program anymore. I wish him luck in the future. The book is closed on that."
Pelini addressed the matter following Saturday's practice. It marked the third day Castille was not with the team.
"It's black and white," Pelini said. "It's not tough the way I go about running this football program."
What stands out the most (to me anyhow) about the decision was that it did not involve the Unity Council, which Pelini reinstituted after becoming the head coach.
The Unity Council, which was in place from 1991-2003, is a group consisting of players selected by their fellow teammates on the football roster of that specific year. At least one player comes from each position on the football team so the voice of other players in that position can be heard. The idea enjoyed great on-field success initially, as Nebraska rolled off three national championships within the next 10 years.
The council dealt with internal discipline. It worked under a point system for troubled players -- those who got into trouble received points for infractions such as missing classes or practices, as well as criminal charges. The more points a player received, the harsher the discipline.
“If there's a violation and people go against the rules and the guidelines that we've set up, it's black and white,” Pelini said. “We'll show you the door. No one is above the football team. I got a program to run, both short term and long term. Like I said, end of story.”
So what does this mean for the running back position? Keep in mind; Castille and Roy Helu were slated to be Nebraska’s running back tandem in 2009 much like the ’08 season with Marlon Lucky.
Pelini added that true freshman Rex Burkhead has emerged as the No. 2 back behind Helu but don’t rule out Collins Okafor, Lester Ward, and Austin Jones. For that matter, don’t rule out Marcus Mendoza. Keep in mind, Okafor is a big back like Castille at 6-1, 225-pounds. Although I think Burkhead would have seen the field at some point this season anyhow despite Pelini’s tendency to redshirt freshman players.
Castille’s dismissal is a tough blow but Pelini is right to stick to his standards, which is what happened. I trust the reasons (unknown at this point) were legit. Pelini is proving he can make the though choices. Again, I am very curious about the reason for the dismissal. Was it drugs? Drinking? Breaking the law? Or heaven forbid violating the NCAA rules?
We'll never know unless either Castille discusses it, or the NCAA comes sniffing around and we hear about it on ESPN. Since it was for a “clear violation of team rules,” I seriously doubt it's an NCAA violation. Also, if Nebraska even suspected Castille violated NCAA rules he would have been suspended immediately (a couple days ago). About the only streak we've got left besides the sell-out streak is no major NCAA violations in the football program and I'm quite sure Nebraska wants to keep it that way. Also, I doubt it was the law. If it was, we would have heard about it because the police can't keep arrest reports from reporters for long. Defensive tackle Kevin Dixon's issues we knew about within hours of his arrests. Pelini dismissed Dixon before the start of last season and linebacker Cody Glenn late in the season. The speculation is already out there as to the reason for it but I doubt we ever get it confirmed. Pelini isn't going to throw a player or a former player under the bus under any circumstances. He referred to Castille as a “good kid.” Keep in mind, he never talked in specifics about what Dixon and Glenn did, and he's not going to talk about this one either.
It is a sad day for Castille but he is the only one who should be sad. The pattern of consistency in the area of discipline has been established. The only way to maintain the respect of the players in your program is to apply the consequences for the breaking of rules fairly and consistently regardless of who you are or how good you are.
Castille made mistakes and it cost him and for that you hope that he can overcome these hardships but for the good of the whole Pelini represents what is best in sports, character and principles, which someday will influence others choices to come to Nebraska for the right reasons.
Not that I need to know every time someone violates team rules but Pelini and his staff have demonstrated that they are completely fair with their players, and have their best interests at heart. So when he says someone can no longer be on the team, that's good enough for me. I also think that he deserves praise for keeping these things “In House,” letting the young men keep their dignity to whatever extent that is possible.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Big 12 Media Day in Big D
The Nebraska football team (well not the entire team) took center-stage in Dallas on Monday for Big 12 Media Day.
Head coach Bo Pelini, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, offensive guard Jacob Hickman and running back Roy Helu represented the Huskers. I did not have a chance to listen to any sound bites due to my work schedule at my regular job. However, I did have a chance to read the quote transcription from Pelini.
There are four things that Pelini addressed that stood out to me:
“I think right now our football team now understands what it means to put a good hard day's work in.”
What I take out of that sound bite is that any time a new regeme comes in and asks players to work harder than they did under a previous coaching staff, there is going to be resistance at first. Pelini admitted as much. On the other hand, those that are not on board are thrown overboard rather quickly. Granted, no football coach is going to outright say to the media, “Our team is a bunch of lazy asses.” On the other hand, you just get the sense from Pelini that this team understands that to achieve success (short term or long term), there are no shortcuts.
“Zac Lee came out in the spring. No one's won a job yet. We still have a whole camp ahead of us before we play the first game. Zac came out as the clear-cut favorite. He'll go into fall camp as a starter.”
Pelini said this in reference to the starting quarterback job as the team looks to replace the graduated Joe Ganz. This approach is quite the departure of Bill Callahan in 2007 when Sam Keller transferred from Arizona State. Callahan said over and over that Ganz and Keller were competing for the job when everyone in their right mind knew that Keller would be the starter. After Keller got injured, Ganz showed why he should have the starter. I like the fact that Pelini stated explicitly that the job belongs to Lee until he proves he is not worthy of being the Huskers starting signal-caller. On the other hand, it’s good that Pelini said, “No one has won a job yet” if for no other reason than to not give Lee a false sense of security. The real question is how the No. 2 position shakes out between Kody Spano, LaTravis Washington and Cody Green.
“Our players don't feel Nebraska's back. Our expectations in the program are very, very high. I think (the team) is starting to feel the momentum from last season.”
While there is every reason to think the Huskers are “on their way back” after a 9-4 season in 2008 that included winning six of their last seven contests, there’s a difference between “being back” and “on your way back.” I’ve stated numerous times on this blog (some postings come with Kool-Aid sipping, others do not) that going from 5-7 in 2007 to 9-4 in 2008 was the easy part but going from 9-4 in 2008 to say 11-2 in 2009 will be the hard part. Since two of Nebraska’s four defeats came by less than seven points (a 35-30 loss to Virginia Tech and a 37-31 overtime loss to Texas Tech), an argument can be made that the Huskers could have been 11-2 last year. Well, coulda, woulda, shoulda but didn’t. Therein also lies the issue, the higher a team shoots up the ladder, the smaller that margin for error becomes.
“Well, I've only been back in the league for a year. But I don't – my expectations aren't going to change.”
Pelini said this in reference to the Big 12 offenses producing basketball like scores and the fact that he is a defensive minded coach. Pelini has coaching dominant defenses wherever he has been and is cocksure in his ability to do the same at Nebraska. The Huskers improved last year defensively from 112th to No. 55, enough to where they didn’t lead the world in crappy defense. With another year of seasoning under Pelini’s system, there’s every reason to think this team will get better. In 2007 when teams went through the Husker defense quicker than a pizza at a Weight Watchers convention, there was often a lack of passion, fire and purpose. Last year’s team played hard but not always smart. To that end, Pelini added: “Part of that is coaching. Part of that is players being accountable.” Even in the era of high scoring Big 12 offenses, part of slowing them down is executing assignments.
Head coach Bo Pelini, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, offensive guard Jacob Hickman and running back Roy Helu represented the Huskers. I did not have a chance to listen to any sound bites due to my work schedule at my regular job. However, I did have a chance to read the quote transcription from Pelini.
There are four things that Pelini addressed that stood out to me:
“I think right now our football team now understands what it means to put a good hard day's work in.”
What I take out of that sound bite is that any time a new regeme comes in and asks players to work harder than they did under a previous coaching staff, there is going to be resistance at first. Pelini admitted as much. On the other hand, those that are not on board are thrown overboard rather quickly. Granted, no football coach is going to outright say to the media, “Our team is a bunch of lazy asses.” On the other hand, you just get the sense from Pelini that this team understands that to achieve success (short term or long term), there are no shortcuts.
“Zac Lee came out in the spring. No one's won a job yet. We still have a whole camp ahead of us before we play the first game. Zac came out as the clear-cut favorite. He'll go into fall camp as a starter.”
Pelini said this in reference to the starting quarterback job as the team looks to replace the graduated Joe Ganz. This approach is quite the departure of Bill Callahan in 2007 when Sam Keller transferred from Arizona State. Callahan said over and over that Ganz and Keller were competing for the job when everyone in their right mind knew that Keller would be the starter. After Keller got injured, Ganz showed why he should have the starter. I like the fact that Pelini stated explicitly that the job belongs to Lee until he proves he is not worthy of being the Huskers starting signal-caller. On the other hand, it’s good that Pelini said, “No one has won a job yet” if for no other reason than to not give Lee a false sense of security. The real question is how the No. 2 position shakes out between Kody Spano, LaTravis Washington and Cody Green.
“Our players don't feel Nebraska's back. Our expectations in the program are very, very high. I think (the team) is starting to feel the momentum from last season.”
While there is every reason to think the Huskers are “on their way back” after a 9-4 season in 2008 that included winning six of their last seven contests, there’s a difference between “being back” and “on your way back.” I’ve stated numerous times on this blog (some postings come with Kool-Aid sipping, others do not) that going from 5-7 in 2007 to 9-4 in 2008 was the easy part but going from 9-4 in 2008 to say 11-2 in 2009 will be the hard part. Since two of Nebraska’s four defeats came by less than seven points (a 35-30 loss to Virginia Tech and a 37-31 overtime loss to Texas Tech), an argument can be made that the Huskers could have been 11-2 last year. Well, coulda, woulda, shoulda but didn’t. Therein also lies the issue, the higher a team shoots up the ladder, the smaller that margin for error becomes.
“Well, I've only been back in the league for a year. But I don't – my expectations aren't going to change.”
Pelini said this in reference to the Big 12 offenses producing basketball like scores and the fact that he is a defensive minded coach. Pelini has coaching dominant defenses wherever he has been and is cocksure in his ability to do the same at Nebraska. The Huskers improved last year defensively from 112th to No. 55, enough to where they didn’t lead the world in crappy defense. With another year of seasoning under Pelini’s system, there’s every reason to think this team will get better. In 2007 when teams went through the Husker defense quicker than a pizza at a Weight Watchers convention, there was often a lack of passion, fire and purpose. Last year’s team played hard but not always smart. To that end, Pelini added: “Part of that is coaching. Part of that is players being accountable.” Even in the era of high scoring Big 12 offenses, part of slowing them down is executing assignments.
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