At some point, players have to lead -- not just Pelini

As Nebraska football begins spring practice Saturday in preparation for the 2012 season (Year No. 5 under head coach Bo Pelini), I can’t help but keep coming back to a column that Tom Shatel wrote about a week ago in the Omaha World Herald:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120306/BIGRED/703069868

It was an excellent story on the scuttlebutt about what is going on in the program to hopefully get Nebraska that elusive conference title that has been missing since 1999 and BCS Bowl appearance since 2001. The Huskers have flirted with both statuses on a couple of occasions but people are hungry for a return to the glory years. While such a feat is no more likely to happen this year, the fact that the team is making changes that Shatel addresses is a good sign.

Shatel focuses on how players are being given more latitude to show leadership and take ownership of the program. The story focused on a players meeting that was held after the team returned to Lincoln following their 30-13 Capital One Bowl loss to South Carolina. You know the particulars of that game. Nebraska outplayed the Gamecocks in the first half but staggered worse than a drunken sailor when it came time to take control of the game.

In addition, the story also addressed players being given more latitude to voice those concerns to Pelini, something that reportedly was not the case in the past. It certainly makes sense for Pelini to do so because he has led the program for five years. These players are exclusively his and were recruited exclusively in his time. Translation, no more even slight remnants of the Bill Callahan era. Pelini has built this car and hired the drivers.    

Is this a sign that Pelini himself is growing more as a leader? Well, talk is cheap and March is always full of optimism but something had to change. Pelini has a persuasive personality but at some point players tune out the coach. I’m not suggesting that Nebraska players have done that to Pelini but if you have vocal leaders that are preaching the same message as the coach, then the coach’s message carries that much more weight.

You can’t help but think back to the Tom Osborne days and the constants that were the heart of the program, this gives me hope that this staff realizes what is lacking today. Osborne said himself that having that upperclassman leadership was vital when playing on the road. When keeping a team sharp after big wins. Paraphrasing, he said to Bob Costas, it was what was missing before that run in the 1990s. Having special players that took control was as big a reason as any why Nebraska went 60-3 from 1993-1997 with three National Championships.
 
Having the same offense and coaches intact back then, was a much easier proposition than the past decade’s attempts. Osborne always said it was those little things that tripped you up. Starting a freshman at quarterback and underclassmen in the lines, meant that the little things were bypassed for expediency. It showed in the penalties and missed assignments too often. Teaching the underclassman was a problem, but having to teach a young coaching staff a new system every season wasn’t a recipe for excellence.

Leadership/ownership from players is exactly what I’ve been hoping for out of this team for years. So far, running back Rex Burkhead and linebacker Will Compton appear to be leading the charge. While neither one of these guys will be mistaken for the Peter brothers (Jason and Christian) or Grant Wistrom, opening up the communication and clearing up any conflict is absolutely essential for these guys to really function as a unified team.

What was said is immaterial but I’m glad the players feel comfortable with their coaches and their teammates to step up and say the things that most likely need to be said. It could create some resentment but hopefully it will lead to unity. So maybe this will be a good step forward for Pelini and the team.

There is plenty of reason to be skeptical until the approach works but I agree with the crux of Shatel’s message. Players have to be the ones to decide how they’re going to play. If I may use an old cliché, coaches can only show players the door, but the players have to open it. The Hail Mary play from Connor Shaw to Alshon Jeffrey at the end of the first half of the Capital One Bowl is the perfect example. I know the coaches told the players, right before that play, to get behind Jeffrey and not let him behind them. What happened? Nobody gets behind him and they score a touchdown.

Mental errors, miscommunication, etc., the focus just wasn't there on a Hail Mary - the most basic of defensive schemes. It’s one thing if a players leaps in the end zone and makes an amazing catch, but to straight up not get behind a receiver and let him just fall into the end zone is unacceptable. Since college football pass interference penalties are only 15-yards as opposed to spot foul penalties, you given the receiver a subway-style mugging before you let him catch the ball.

I realize that feel good stories are nice this time of year because this team has far to go. However, at least they are trying to figure out how to get better. That cannot hurt.

Bad losses happen for a reason, not just because "things snowball"

Former Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan made national headlines in 2003 while coaching the Oakland Raiders. After a 22-8 home loss in 2003 to the Denver Broncos during a season that saw Oakland go from Super Bowl participant in 2002 to a 4-12 disaster the following year, Callahan erupted with, “We’ve got to be the dumbest team in American in terms of playing the game.”


Callahan, who has been an assistant coach with the New York Jets since 2008 after being dismissed by Nebraska, could very well be referring to the Huskers of right now. There were penalties (10), ejections (cornerback Alfonzo Dennard) and just an overall lack of discipline in the Huskers season-ending 30-13 Capital One Bowl loss to South Carolina.



Anyone who thinks the team wasn’t playing well because Husker head coach Bo Pelini had to restrain himself need to look no further than Monday. Sorry, you people in the, “You go Bo!” camp every time he blows up at referee or has a tense press conference moment with a media member, you are in serious need of a reality check. He has had three 15-yard penalties in his career, enough said. Say no more. Being fiery is all well and good but at some point it reaches diminishing returns.

You have an offense that can’t get out of its own way thanks to five yard penalty after five yard penalty. Not to mention you have receivers dropping catchable balls. See Tim Marlowe. See Brandon Kinnie. See Kyler Reed. It’s bad enough that quarterback Taylor Martinez has issues throwing the ball but when you add receivers dropping balls, that’s no help either.

Including the bowl loss, the Huskers finished the season 9-4 with three double-digit losses. The optimists characterized those three games the exact same way: The games would have been close but a mistake was made and “things just snowballed.”

Which is a load of BS but before I get into that, those people reason this:



Martinez threw a couple picks against Wisconsin. Nebraska led that game 14-7 early in the second quarter. The Badgers retook the lead 20-14 late in the second quarter but the game turned into a 48-17 route. Otherwise NU was right in there, so the reasoning goes. Nebraska had Michigan pinned deep and roughed the kicker, trailing just 31-17 late in the third quarter on. After that, “things just snowballed. We could have just as easily won,” but lost 45-17. Against South Carolina, Nebraska led 13-9 but Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw throws a Hail Mary touchdown pass to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery as South Carolina takes a 16-13 lead into halftime, “and then things just got away from us. NU was the better team.”



Seriously?



At some point, you just face the fact that quality teams overcome mistakes. They don’t let them “snowball.” The team should not melt down under pressure or let one mental mistake turn into a half dozen.

Though some Husker fans sipped the Kool Aid thinking the team was conference champion material in 2011. I honestly was not surprised at the team’s 9-4 record: New league, first year offensive coordinator, and lots of staff turnover. What I didn’t expect is for mental errors - turnovers, penalties, missed assignments and even an ejection - to continue to bedevil the Huskers.



The fact that one NU mistake is commonly compounded by several more speaks to leadership. Does Pelini’s temperament impact the team? Would it be helpful if he remained more composed on the sideline? Might not be the only reason but it would sure heck help. Lose a hard-fought and well-executed game. Fine. Lose when your seniors are committing stupid penalties and getting ejected from games. Not so fine.



All that said, I think Pelini has done more good than bad in his four years as Nebraska’s head coach. At the core, I think that he cares a great deal about the youngsters who play for him. He wants them to succeed both on and off the field, and I think they will all be better men after four-years in the program. On the field, Pelini is winning games at a clip equal to all but a handful of coaches at this stage in their careers and doing it at a school with some obvious recruiting disadvantages. If he continues to run a clean program, graduate the kids and win nine-plus games per year, he will stay at NU as long as he wants.

In year four of the Pelini era, however, Nebraska fans are left with a disturbing sense of déjà vu. Once again, Nebraska ends the season with four losses, as they have in each of Pelini’s four seasons. In each of the last three seasons, Nebraska’s season has been derailed by an inexplicable home loss to a mediocre team (Iowa State in 2009, Texas in 2010 and Northwestern in 2011).

As someone who lived in Lincoln, NE during the glory years, I did not necessarily expect National Championships by Year No. 4. However, I expected to be flirting with one by being Top Ten material but continued mental mistakes won’t even guarantee Top 25 finishes.

Huskers lack of poise disturbing in Capital One Bowl loss

Well, where do we begin? For the second time in as many seasons, the Nebraska football team is headed into the offseason with a bowl game loss. This time a 30-13 loss to South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl. The Huskers entered the game ranked No. 20 and finished the season 9-4. They may still finish in the Top 25 but it’s not a two-inch putt.


Many Husker fans would look at the 9-4 record and call the season a disappointment then and there. However, a man named Bill Soliday, whom I had the opportunity to get to know while covering the Oakland Raiders as a freelance writer, once strongly suggested to me that you cannot give too much credence simply to records. Soliday is a retired sports reporter from the Oakland Tribune having covered both the Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. Soliday understood the late Al Davis (who was the Raiders owner from 1966 to 2011) better than most people I know. Soliday added that Davis added that records are as much a matter of what a team does to achieve their record with what the team had.

Going 9-4 in 2008 felt like a success for the Huskers because it was Bo Pelini’s first season as head coach coming off the Bill Callahan years of going 27-22 and bowl-less in two seasons. The 2011 edition of 9-4, however, would qualify as a disappointment because the team had goals of winning the Big Ten Legends Division if not winning the Big Ten Conference. Losing the Capital One Bowl game that was there to be won in the early going only adds to that disappointment. The Huskers led 13-9 at halftime and were still within striking distance in trailing 16-13 after three quarters.

The game was a prime example of a team lacking discipline and it starts with Pelini. The third quarter was especially inexcusable. After a three and out, Nebraska managed a drive that featured 25 yards in penalties. Then after back to back poor calls by the officials, Pelini lit into the Big East officiating crew. For the entire second half the Huskers gained 64 yards, they lost 58 in penalties. That’s six net yards if you’re scoring at home. Well, gross is more like it.

Then there was the disgraceful behavior of Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard and South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, two outstanding players that are potential first-round draft picks. The serious indictment against Nebraska was that the incident took place right in front of its bench and not one time did a player or coaches try to prevent the situation from escalating.

Throw in four drives in South Carolina territory with zero points and you have a Nebraska team that can’t get out of its own way.

When I think of Husker teams with poise, I hearken back to the 1995 Orange Bowl when they beat Miami 24-17. Remember head coach Tom Osborne’s halftime speech when he told the players that the Hurricanes would try to get into their heads but it was important not to retaliate. Nebraska keeping its poise and focus was as big a reason as any why it won that night and the lack of it is why it routinely comes up short in crucial games. Being fiery is all well and good but a team simply cannot lose its poise and expect to execute.

So the question begs, what is the current state of the program? I have no idea after watching this very strange season. The way the Huskers collapsed in several games this year, just makes me believe that something is missing. Not sure what it is.

The optimist in me thinks this year was a combination of being in a new league with a different style combined with a new offensive coordinator and massive losses to the NFL on the defense. The pessimist in me thinks this might be indicative of poor recruiting combined with a coach that can't teach his team to be disciplined.

The current state of the program is that the Huskers consistently are not one of the 25 best teams in the country. Some people are quite satisfied with being at that level. They will tell you how the Huskers are better than we were under Callahan. Yes, they are right about that but the program is not close to being elite and no, I’m not implying that Nebraska should always win the national championship or go 60-3 during each five-year stretch (which happened from 1993-1997). The pessimists think it impossible to ever compete for championships in Lincoln. They are wrong. If it happened before, it can happen again and don’t feed me this nonsense of “different times.”

For Nebraska, 9-10 win seasons have always been the minimum standard. Well, from 1961 forward. If you maintain that level you'll get the occasional year or years where good defense coincides with good offense. I would think if 9-10 win seasons are the minimal standard over the course of decade having those two coincide more often would be logical because success breeds success and that means more success in recruiting.


That said, being a fan of the Huskers today was very frustrating. I should have stayed in bed. Now I am tired and frustrated.

I'm not 100% convinced that Pelini is the guy that will lead us back to a national title game, because I'm no fortune teller. However, I’m not willing to suffer through one or two more Bill Callahans and sit at home in December and January wishing I could watch my Huskers play in a bowl game.

As for the lack of poise, Pelini constantly preaches how important “the process” is but routinely losing poise is a huge reason why this team routinely comes up short in key games. In that respect, the Huskers have become the Dallas Cowboys of college football, great past but not much of a recent one.

Final thoughts before the Capital One Bowl

The moment of truth is almost here for the Capital One Bowl. It’s either tinkle or get off the pot.


No. 21 Nebraska (9-3) meets No, 10 South Carolina (10-2) in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 2. Though it is time for good old fashioned football we still have time for some final thoughts before ringing in the New Year.

Husker fans remember the last time their team took on a squad coached by Steve Spurrier was the 1996 Fiesta Bowl as Nebraska crushed the Spurrier-coached Florida Gators 62-24 for the National Championship. However, that game will zero bearing on the outcome of Jan. 2, 2012. For all of his success as a college head coach (196-75-2 overall record), Spurrier’s teams have had a checkered history in bowl games going 7-10 while Nebraska’s Bo Pelini is 3-1 with the one loss coming in last year’s Holiday Bowl 19-7 to Washington.

The extra time to prepare certainly plays into Pelini’s hands especially since Nebraska is essentially running a new system. That extra preparation will be crucial because if the Huskers young offensive line gets overwhelmed early and has to abandon the running game, it will be a long day. The biggest key to the game and will probably be a requirement for Nebraska to win is to rush for 200 yards. South Carolina is second in the nation in pass defense but 44th against the run (135.9 yards per game). Nebraska averages 223.9 yards per game (good for 13th in the nation).

Defensively, both teams are in the same boat in that they both head into the game having lost their coordinator. Carl Pelini (older brother of Bo) is now the head coach at Florida Atlantis. Defensive line coach John Papuchis has since been elevated to replace Carl Pelini. For South Carolina their defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, Ellis Johnson, has since been hired to become the new head coach at Southern Mississippi. Lorenzo Ward has since replaced Johnson. Ward was the defensive coordinator by title but Johnson actually ran the defense.

However, since Pelini is a defensive oriented coach and Spurrier is offensive oriented, this scenario will seem to affect Nebraska less. The Huskers, however, will have their challenges even though South Carolina lost star running back Marcus Lattimore for the season with a serious knee injury in Game Seven. The Gamecock offensive line has done a serviceable job run blocking, but their pass protection is a question of “what gives” because it has been suspect but so too has the Husker pass rush. Nebraska, however, at least needs to generate enough pressure to make quarterback Connor Shaw throw a fraction of a second too soon.

While in theory special teams is one-third of the game just like offense or defense, this is where the Huskers have an advantage and if they are to become victorious, the edge needs to manifest itself. The Huskers are ranked sixth in kickoff returns, 23rd in net punting and 60th in punt returns. South Carolina is ranked 70th in punt returns, 72nd in kickoff returns and 93rd in net punting. They do not necessarily need returns for touchdowns but a few extra yards on a return or a great punt can be the difference between being within field-goal range or having to kick the ball away on fourth down. Sometimes, it is little things like field position that can give the edge to one team.

The field goal kicking game also falls into Nebraska’s favor as Brett Maher has made 19 of 22 field goals for the Cornhuskers, and his only misses on the season came from 50 yards or further. South Carolina’s Jay Wooten is 7-for-10 with three misses between 40 and 49 yards.

The TV analysts might say that South Carolina has the speed advantage but I’m not as certain. Keep in mind, Pelini has been recruiting speed since he became Nebraska’s head coach in 2008.



I think the Huskers motivation will definitely be better than last year’s bowl game. Could it be worse? Just a matter of do they make the necessary plays to win? As I stated on a previous blog entry, win or lose, I don't look at the season as a huge success but it's about "how do want the season to be defined?" You know as well as I do, you remember your last one the best. What makes college football different from say the NFL is that if you win your bowl game (even you are 8-5 like say Texas) you can still go into the offseason feeling good on some level. Whereas in the NFL, if you go 14-2 and lose in Round One the season suddenly becomes a major failure.

I think it comes down to the type of game - if NU never trails by more than seven, I think they'll be able to wear down South Carolina.

Ecomonic times need to be considered in bowl game ticket sales

According to a Lincoln Journal Star report on Monday morning, the Nebraska athletic department had sold 8,100 Capital One Bowl tickets out of its 12,500-ticket allotment.


The secondary market is probably taking a toll on UNL sales, among other reasons (prices of airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, etc.).

Ticket sales have slowed considerably since the first-day rush. The Husker athletic department sold about 6,500 tickets on Dec. 5; the day after the bowl matchup was announced.

South Carolina has sold about 10,000 tickets from its allotment, according to a school spokesman.

In reading that brief bit of information, I could only hearken back to the only two Husker bowl games I went to in person. For the record, I am a native of Northern California (Napa, CA to be exact), who graduated the University of Nebraska in 1997 with a BA in journalism. I moved back home in 1998 and have been to five Nebraska football games in person (1998 at California, 2000 Fiesta Bowl vs. Tennessee, 2001 vs. TCU in Lincoln, 2007 Cotton Bowl vs. Auburn and 2008 vs. Western Michigan in Lincoln).



For the first three games, I was single. For the last two, I was married. I went to the Cotton Bowl because at the time I viewed it as my last chance to go to a Husker game in person before my first child was born. Juliette was born in March 2007. Little did I know that the 2007 season would bring the horrendous wreckage of the end of the Bill Callahan years. Fast forward to August 2008 with my wife and me expecting twins (now 3-year old Tommy and Danielle), I decided, “Well, I haven’t been back to Lincoln in seven years and we have the start of the Bo Pelini era. Maybe I’ll buy tickets to see us play Western Michigan. I’ll be a while before I can travel to a Husker game.”



When you factor in game tickets, plane tickets, hotels, food and other entertainment, you’re looking at a trip that gets over one thousand dollars.



You see, us Husker fans are a very self-congratulatory lot about being the classiest and travelling well. However, does going to the game and buying tickets make you any more diehard fan than one who watches the game at home or a watering hole?



Another thing you have to take into account is the present state of the economy. I know that’s an oversimplification but it’s true. We are facing unprecedented lows in the United States, at least anyone of my generation (39 years old). You have people losing their homes, losing their jobs and living on reduced wages. Even if you don’t have these issues, bills are not going away.



I remember the aforementioned Cotton Bowl trip where tickets were $90 a piece and that was on the cheap end. The question then becomes, where do you draw the line? Granted, we are all going to budget some money for entertainment whether we have jobs or families or otherwise.



So before anyone casts aspersions about ticket sales, just remember the times we face.

Pelini right on Twitter ban

When Nebraska wide receiver Brandon Kinnie told an Omaha based sports radio show (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) on Wednesday that head coach Bo Pelini has banned Nebraska football players from using Twitter in the coming weeks, I could only think of one thing.


When I was a 22-year old college kid at the University of Nebraska, our idea of text messaging or tweeting was passing a note in class or sliding it underneath someone’s door.

That time frame Kinnie is referring to happens to coincide with the two-week break Nebraska has remaining before the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 2 against South Carolina.

Pelini’s actions came just a few days after a rough Sunday, Dec. 11 for Nebraska. In a 36-hour span, three Huskers were cited for various crimes.

Junior defensive end Eric Martin and junior fullback Collin McDermott were cited for leaving the scene of an accident in separate offenses. Senior center Mike Caputo was cited on the suspicion of DUI.

Pelini has not made any comments about any of the crimes or the Twitter ban.

While the ban from Twitter will not likely affect the Huskers’ play negatively, it surely will lessen the connection some fans feel with certain players but that can’t be at all bad because it's too easy to say something you shouldn’t have said. Once it's out there it's out there. Teenage kids say a lot of things without thinking them through completely. Heck, there’s plenty of 50-year olds that say things without thinking them through.

The way the world works twitter isn't much different then calling up reporters, a team has enough trouble controlling the message without trying to deal with what players say. As much as I don’t agree with everything as far as how Pelini controls the message I understand, it is how any big time organization works.
This is not a heavy handed move by Pelini, although some may interpret it that way. This is a difficult problem. Twitter is a distraction, and I am 100 percent behind Pelini taking this stance on it. Players’ general awareness about tweeting is absurdly low.

The cynics would say that Pelini is old school in the mold of Woody Hayes or Bear Bryant and that such a move would negatively effect recruiting. Part of that cynicism stems from the at time brusque relationship Pelini has had with members of the local media that covers the team regularly. Keep in mind, another root of the fans angst toward Pelini is that he has yet to name a defensive coordinator in the wake losing older brother Carl Pelini, who was recently named the head coach at Florida Atlantic. Though Bo Pelini has said that he has a pretty good idea of what he’s going to do. I can interperet that message in one of two ways. The first is “name the damn replacement and move on” or “the deal is not done until the ink is on the paper.”

OK, I can do without Pelini’s secrecy on injuries but the twitter ban I completely support. There are so many ways twitter will just make people look bad. Twitter is great for college kids...if you're not under the microscope like that. Unfortunately, they are.

The argument of banning twitter while preparing for a bowl game being a bad move is a very weak argument. Let’s face it, last season Nebraska laid a big, fat egg in its 19-7 Holiday Bowl loss to Washington. They need to be focused.

Plus, if recruits care more about twitter than playing football, there's another program down the road.
Personally I think twitter is a total waste. If you have friends you need to say something to, text or call them. If you don't have anything worth sharing with a specific friend, what makes you think anyone else cares? And if you're following the twitters of people you don't really know, you probably need to get a life.

Unlike last year, bowl game motivation not likely an issue

Much was made about the Nebraska football team’s motivation for last season’s Holiday Bowl. Well, lack thereof would be a better description.


There are many reasons why the Huskers showed a lack of pizzazz in their 19-7 Holiday Bowl loss to Washington: 1) Nebraska was returning to a bowl game it played in one year early in which it blew Arizona’s doors off in a 33-0 whitewash; 2) The Huskers were facing a Washington team that it throttled 56-21 three months earlier; 3) Nebraska had set preseason goals of winning the Big 12 conference, beating Texas and achieving a BCS bowl bid. The Huskers achieved none; and 3) Washington was playing in its first bowl game since 2002 and was getting a rematch against a Husker team that lambasted them three months earlier. In hindsight, all of those things were a recipe for the Huskers lacking motivation and Washington having motivation that was sky high.

So what will be the motivation for South Carolina and Nebraska when they meet in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 2? South Carolina certainly won’t lack for motivation as the Gamecocks are 10-2 entering the game and have a chance to record 11 wins for the first time in school history. Considering that South Carolina plays in the shadow of traditional SEC powerhouses like Alabama and most recently LSU and Florida that opportunity is significant.

Nebraska enters the game with a 9-3 record and fell short of its goals of winning the Big Ten Legends Division as well as the Big Ten conference title. For the Huskers, however, this game represents the chance to beat an SEC team. Yes, by virtue of Alabama and LSU playing in the BCS Title Game, the SEC is guaranteed to win its sixth straight crown. While the ESPN talking heads are going to continue to kiss the SEC’s butt, a win over an SEC team certainly looks goods. Plus, after having the humble pie of last year’s Holiday Bowl loss, Nebraska is not likely to want a second straight bowl loss.

Breaking down matchups is not just about who has the position-by-position edge; it is often decided by motivation. Granted, showing up ready to play is something that should be done before every game, not just a bowl game. Some people point to South Carolina’s 10-2 record and their SEC membership as rock solid proof that they’ll beat Nebraska but a close look reveals more.

The Gamecocks had five games decided by less than a touchdown this year; Nebraska had two. And while a 45-42 win against a scrappy Georgia team looks impressive, some too-close wins over Florida and Vanderbilt do not. South Carolina also plays in the comparatively weaker SEC East, and their play against the more dominant SEC West was terrible. They also had a 44-28 loss to Arkansas. They escaped with a 16-13 win over a mediocre 7-5 Auburn teams, and had a 14-12 win over a 6-6 Mississippi State. Absent from the schedule were Alabama and LSU, which would have easily been two more losses.

Looking at the statistical angle, quarterback Stephen Garcia was dismissed from the team and replaced by Connor Shaw, who has completed 65% of his throws and has thrown 12 TD passes. As a unit, South Carolina has rushed for almost 2400 yards (NU: 2700) and passed for another 2100 (NU: 2000).

However, the receiving game has not always clicked for the Gamecocks as they’ve had 15 interceptions stolen against Nebraska’s seven. All things being equal, both teams are putting up similar total numbers on offense. South Carolina is probably split 60/40 towards the pass, while Nebraska is about 60/40 run.
Defensively, the Gamecocks fair well against the pass, but their inability to stop the run has been well documented. If Nebraska can get 100 yards from Burkhead and another 100 from everyone else, the Huskers will be in a great position to close out the game.

Special teams might be the deciding factor in this one, which tips in Nebraska’s favor. If punter Brett Maher can keep the Gamecocks pinned deep, Nebraska will have a good chance at winning this game.
I don’t think this will be a high scoring affair; if I had to pick today, I’d say that the score would look something like 24-17.

Perceived SEC dominance over Big Ten exaggerated

Just two days before Nebraska defeated Iowa 20-7 in the regular season finale on Black Friday, I addressed how the Huskers needed to finish the season strong.

Keep in mind, five days earlier the Huskers got their doors blown off in a 45-17 loss at Michigan to fall to 8-3. That loss eliminated any chance Nebraska had at winning the Big Ten Legends Division.

In the waning moments of that loss, ESPN commentator/turned Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said something to the effect of “don’t underestimate Nebraska’s ability to finish strong and if they do that it will help recruiting.”

That statement I find somewhat debatable because by the time bowl games come around, a high school kid has generally decided where he’s going. Coaching staff changes might alter a kid’s decision (see Blaine Gabbert in 2007). Gabbert was heavily courted by former Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan’s staff. Gabbert verbally committed to Nebraska initially but after Callahan was fired, he went to Missouri instead. That decision set off a vitriol of responses from a segment of Husker fans. Some would argue that a youngster commits “to a program not a coach.” That statement might be true in theory but is also laughable because high school seniors are still at an impressionable age; they develop a rapport with the coaching staff that actively recruits them.

Lincoln Journal Star columnist Steve Sipple wrote a column on Saturday stating the importance of Nebraska beating South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl for a different reason: to help alter the perception that the Southeastern Conference is vastly superior to the Big Ten. I would agree with Sipple that it’s important to finish the season strong, just not necessarily for the reason he suggests.

The SEC is going to win its sixth straight BCS championship given the fact that the game pits LSU against Alabama. Therefore, Nebraska can beat South Carolina by 50 or more points but the influential national media types are still going to kiss the collective rear ends of the SEC.

However, the idea of SEC speed beats Big Ten brawn is overstated. It’s as if the SEC invented football and is the only place in the United States where fast athletes exist.

The SEC is 42-30 all-time in bowl matchups against the Big Ten, which is not the huge edge some would have you believe when you factor in 72 games. Nebraska is 12-5 all-time against the SEC in bowl games. However, those two numbers are irrelevant when trying to extrapolate the outcome of the Capital One Bowl.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the perception of the SEC being vastly superior to the Big Ten is because Ohio State got beat handily in consecutive title games, 41-14 to Florida in 2006 and 38-24 to LSU in 2007. Last season, the SEC went 3-0 against the Big Ten in bowl games (Alabama thumped Michigan State 49-7; Mississippi State hammered Michigan 52-14; Florida defeated Penn State 37-24). However, since the BCS era began, the SEC’s head-to-head advantage in bowl games is only a slight 18-16.

Even beyond the argument of Nebraska playing for a greater cause given that it just finished its first regular season in the Big Ten, finishing strong is very important. Remember the saying, “You’re only as good as your last game?” Think about it for just a moment, the Huskers went 10-4 in both 2009 and 2010 but the perception of those two seasons could not be more opposite.

In 2009, the Huskers were 4-3 at one point but won six of their last seven games including a season-ending 33-0 Holiday Bowl drubbing over Arizona. In 2010, the Huskers started the season 5-0 and were a Top Five team but went 5-4 the rest of the way including a season-ending run of three losses in the final four games. The last game was an uninspired 19-7 loss to Washington.

In 2005 and 2008, Nebraska was 5-4 at one point. In 2005, the Huskers closed the season with three straight wins including a 32-28 Alamo Bowl win over Michigan. That was what most people remember as the high point of the Bill Callahan era. In 2008, which was the first of the Bo Pelini era, Nebraska finished the season with four straight wins including a season-ending 26-21 Gator Bowl win over Clemson.

In 2000 and 2001, Nebraska finished 11-2 but the legacy of those two seasons could not be more opposite. In 2000, the Huskers finished the season with a 66-17 win over Northwestern. In 2001, Nebraska was 11-0 but finished the season with back-to-back embarrassing losses to Colorado (62-36) and Miami (37-14).

Point being, the last game is the one you often remember most. From 1987-1993, Nebraska never had a record that was worse than 9-3. However, every one of those seasons ended with a loss in its bowl game.

Considering that Nebraska entered its maiden voyage in the Big Ten Conference with visions of a conference title, the season will not be viewed as an overwhelming success even if the team wins its last two games and goes 10-3. There was no conference title. Heck, there wasn’t even a Legends Division title.

So for the Huskers, the outcome of the Capital One Bowl is an issue of “how do you want the season to be perceived?” Losing the bowl game and going 9-4 would classify as the minimum of what Nebraska should achieve. However, beating South Carolina and going 10-3, the season could at least be considered a borderline success.

College football is so much different from every other sport. I know the cynics would bemoan the fact that there is no playoff system. However, the benefit of having the current system is that a team can win its bowl game and whether its final record is 12-2 or 8-5 can still, on some level, feel good about its season.

In the NFL, however, it is not uncommon for a team to go 13-3 and lose in the first round of the playoffs. In which case, the season goes from being a success to a colossal failure.

Granted, the NFL is such where only one team is going to end its season victoriously and feel good (the Super Bowl champion) but while 13-3 is an impressive record, a team with that mark should at minimum reach the conference title game.

Point being, if the Huskers want the season to be viewed as even a borderline success, beating South Carolina is important regardless of whether the SEC gets its rear end kissed by the media.

Initial impressions of the Capital One Bowl

My initial reaction of No. 20 Nebraska facing No. 9 South Carolina in the Capital One bowl on Jan. 2 in Orlando was “Man, I just love the thought of beating the hell out of a Steve Spurrier team again in a bowl game.”


Remember the Fiesta Bowl of 1996 when Nebraska crushed the Spurrier-led Florida Gators 62-24 to repeat as National champions? Don’t we all. Of course, this Nebraska team isn’t even in that Husker team’s galaxy but before the bowl selections were made Sunday, Nebraska would have assuredly faced a Southeastern Conference foe whether it was South Carolina, Georgia or Arkansas. South Carolina has opened as an early four-point favorite but of those three foes, this is the SEC team Nebraska matches up with best.

The Gamecocks’ offense and the Nebraska defense have both been hot and cold. The good news for Nebraska is that South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw isn’t exactly a statue but he’s not going to be mistaken for Braxton Miller (Ohio State) or Dennard Robinson (Michigan) when it comes to mobility either. South Carolina’s offense is also weakened by the loss of running back Marcus Lattimore, who tore a knee ligament on October 15 for a season-ending injury against the Mississippi State.

Defensively, it would behoove the Huskers to keep Shaw in the pocket and blanket wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (easier said than done). The other receivers aren’t bad, but they won’t wow you either.

The good news for Nebraska is that South Carolina is not a team that will spread teams out with great speed. Yes, Spurrier is a master of the run-and-gun, but it’s not the same type of run-and-gun that Northwestern used to foul up the Blackshirts and is not remotely close to the Florida teams Spurrier had.

Nebraska has looked stellar at times on defense, and has looked horrible at other times. The defense we saw in the Michigan State and Iowa games must show up, or Shaw and the Gamecocks will run all over them.

Defensively, the Gamecocks are a very solid group, especially the front four, and like most SEC teams, they will bring speed.

While Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez’s arm will be important and the receivers must hang on to the ball, it will be very important for Nebraska to stick to its running game, even if it falls behind early. The Huskers are at their best when they play a smash-mouth brand of football. Plus, South Carolina will wear down over time.

Last year’s 19-7 Holiday Bowl loss to Washington aside, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini has a history of preparing his team well for bowl games (where he is 3-1). Last year’s loss, however, was more reflective of an unmotivated Nebraska team taking the field against a Washington club that the Huskers blasted 56-21 in the season’s earlier meeting. Couple that with the fact that many of Nebraska’s preseason goals were shot and that Washington hadn’t been to a bowl game since 2002. Therefore, it was very motivated to beat a team that blew its doors off three months earlier.

After last year’s debacle, Pelini’s club still has to prove something, and I have no doubt the team will be ready to go.

I’ll have more thoughts as the week the month progresses. South Carolina certainly deserves respect. You don’t go 10-2 by accident; however, the Gamecocks’ top-10 ranking and 10-2 record are a bit misleading. The Gamecocks didn’t face LSU or Alabama (the two BCS title game foes). They also played Georgia, which reached the SEC title game, the week after the Bulldogs’ 35-21 loss to Boise State.

This game has the potential of being similar to the 2007 Cotton Bowl (which Nebraska lost 17-14 to Auburn) or the 2009 Gator Bowl (which Nebraska beat Clemson 26-21). Hopefully, the outcome will be in Nebraska’s favor this time. This should be one of the more compelling non-BCS bowl contests.

Reflecting on Year One in Big Ten

One commonly believed notion why No. 20 Nebraska had a more inconsistent season than its 9-3 record would suggest is that the team made a conference from the Big 12 to the Big Ten.


With that change came new opponents for which to prepare which then adds to the learning curve. However, the same thing could be said in reverse as well. This was the first time that Big Ten clubs had to prepare for the Huskers.

Nebraska, like everyone else, will know of its bowl game destination Sunday. The most rumored candidates are either the Capital One or Outback Bowl. The rumored opponents are from the SEC: South Carolina, Arkansas and Georgia. The Huskers are likely to be an underdog no matter whom they face but that’s another discussion for Sunday. The scenarios mostly come down to what happens in the SEC (LSU vs. Georgia) and Big Ten (Michigan vs. Wisconsin) title games. I’m not going to go into what has to happen because I’d be better off trying to explain Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

As I look back on this year, however, I guess I wanted more. I really wanted to see the Huskers play in the inaugural B1G Conference but it just didn’t happen. I thought the team would finish 10-2 with a chance to accomplish that goal but I didn’t count on losing to Northwestern at home (28-25). Strange is a good word to sum up the Huskers first season in the Big Ten.
It didn’t take long to figure out that this wasn’t the Blackshirts we have come to expect on Saturdays under a Bo Pelini coached team. By the time the final seconds drained the clock on the Washington game (which Nebraska won 51-38); it was obvious that the Huskers were in for a roller coaster ride this season defensively. Pass rush or lack thereof most of the season was tough to watch. Linebacker play improved as the season went on, especially from Will Compton. The secondary seemed to improve as well especially if you have the Michigan game erased from your memory.

The coaches have mandated that quarterback Taylor Martinez become more of a game manger but I simply do not buy the notion of that approach hindering his ability to make the big plays we were accustomed to seeing early in 2010. Seriously, is there anything in Tim Beck’s playbook that says, “OK, Taylor gain ten yards and if you see open field just go down. When Martinez got blasted with a series of leg injuries beginning against Missouri last year, he lost a step off of his 10 yard burst. Some would point to his increased penchant for sliding or running out of bounds to preserve his health as the biggest reason for the coaches encouraging more of a “game manager” (whatever the hell that means) approach.

At which point I say, have you seen the backup quarterbacks led by Brion Carnes? Backups are backups for a reason. They are not ready. Some would say, get the backup more playing time in games already decided. That’s fine but where were those games? True, Carnes could have gotten a few snaps in Nebraska’s 45-17 loss at Michigan. However, he did get snaps against UT-Chattanooga (40-7 win), Minnesota (41-14) and Wisconsin (48-17 loss). If I’m not mistaken, those were the only games Nebraska played this year where the game was not somewhat in doubt going into the fourth quarter.
The most disturbing thing is that for as amazing as Rex Burkhead’s season was, you have three true freshmen (Ameer Abdullah, Aaron Green and Braylon Heard) have wasted seasons. None of them carried the ball over 40 times this season.
Looking ahead to next year, I think wide receivers Quincey Enuwa and Kenny Bell will be better. With Brandon Kinnie graduating, maybe Enuwa can be a bigger part of the team’s plans. I felt like Kinnie was on the brink of being a star and then he would vanish for stretches during the season. Without question I think the 2012 offense will be the best of the Pelini era.
I am anxious to watch the young talent on offense continue to develop. Defense will be interesting to say the least. There will be three huge holes to fill and Nebraska is going to need some young guns to step up and improve their games greatly. I still see the defense as a work in progress in this new conference. I don’t think they have the beef up front to control games and they are going to have to find some linebackers to contribute very quickly. The secondary should be better across the board but losing Alfonso Dennard is going to hurt. I think next year’s growing pains on defense will continue and it will take time before we can hope to have a dominant defense again.