Hi-Plains Drifter

Buy, Buy, Buy!

2008-07-24T10:40:00.002-04:00

You Say Coincidence, I Say Fate

2008-07-08T20:51:00.003-04:00

I'm not afraid to admit it: I frequently like to start my summer days by listening to this song:

A good friend of mine named Steve Goodman wrote that song. He also wrote this one:

Why I didn't make that connection sooner, I'll never know, but now that I have Steve Goodman is officially one of my favorite people on earth.

Let me, let me, let me!

Drifting

2008-06-30T20:59:00.003-04:00

First Will Leitch leaves Deadspin and now this (indulge me with a brief bout of self-importance):

As of this post, I'm officially joining the crew at the Big Red Network.

OK, so maybe it's not that momentous, I didn't feel the Internet shake, but it does mean a couple of different things:

1) All of my Nebraska football content will now appear over there.

2) I will still be here at HiPlainsDrifter.com but in a more general sports/personal blog format.

I have a couple of reasons for doing that, which I will now letter to avoid confusion:

a) Writing this blog (for free) makes me feel like I'm utilizing my graduate degree (not free).

b) I have to fight the urge to not write about the worst thing to ever happen to me--the Chicago Cubs--daily. Now I'll have the freedom to do that and it's something I used to do a lot of. The timing for this really couldn't be better as the injury-riddled Northsiders are starting to come back to the pack which is good for me. I don't possess a vocabulary deep enough to write about the Cubs when they're good but over the years I have developed a sharply-honed arsenal of ways to say essentially the same thing: the Cubs suck. Hopefully I'll get to work on my weakness here but, if not, I'm ready to write them off about 300 times in the next three months.

c) I'm still going to kick the crap out of Trace Adkins this season. Despite the fact that I can't pick games worth a damn, I like doing it. Perhaps naively, the point-spread represents just about the most objective college football data out there to me and I'm going to keep looking at the game from that angle.

d) Shameless self-promotion. If anyone decides to pay me to write something, I assure you, I'll link it here.

Honestly, I don't know what this blog will be going forward outside of those few general ideas but I do know this: In financially dire, environmentally distressing times such as these what the world needs now is another navel-gazing, general sports blog so that's what I'm going to aim to provide.

But more than that, the reason for the move was driven by the opportunity to contribute to a site I read and respect. I won't be writing about the Huskers any less or any differently than I have been, it will just be at a different location.

I know most of the people who happen across this site day to day come here for the Husker talk and if it doesn't interest you outside of that then, sincerely, thanks for coming by and you know where to find me.

And if, by chance, you do find yourself back here, well, thanks for that too.

Meet the Broncos

2008-06-24T22:45:00.002-04:00

Maybe it's a bit early to be thinking about Western Michigan but that extra time will be useful because the New York Times preview of the Broncos is just about as thorough as you can get without reverting to Phil Steele-like abbreviations.

The gist of the analysis is this: W.M.U. is a live longshot come August 30. Very live.

If you like that NYT style, here's the preseason look for the rest of Nebraska's opponents who have been revealed so far: San Jose State, New Mexico State, Baylor, Iowa State, and Kansas State.

Nebraska has yet to show up on this bottom-to-top list, meaning that, in the estimation of the NYT bloggers, the Cornhuskers are better than these six teams. And, as superior teams never lose to inferior teams, that means we're going bowling.

Great!

How Lucky Are We?

2008-06-24T07:01:00.003-04:00

As you probably noticed Monday on HuskerExtra, Marlon Lucky is one of the ten players most likely to win the Heisman Trophy according to HeismanPundit.com.

Now, this is just one person's opinion but it is the opinion of the one person who probably spends more time researching and writing about the Heisman race than anyone in college football, mainstream media included. But more interesting than Lucky's inclusion on the list is that you're unlikely to find a Nebraska fan who would've placed their own starting running back on it.

Why is that? Lucky's undeniably Nebraska's best returning offensive player. His stats from 2007 stack up with just about anyone in the country: 1000+ yards rushing, 4.9 yards per carry, 700+ yards receiving. He's on everyone's preseason All-Big 12 team and the leading returning rusher in the conference. Pro scouts love him. Every pass he's ever completed has gone for a touchdown.

Yet, despite all of these things, heading into 2008 it feels like a lot of Nebraska fans are more excited about Roy Helu than they are Marlon Lucky. Again, the question is why?

I think the answer lies below. Here's a highlight reel of Lucky's 2007 season (odds are always good that online football highlights will contain some objectionable lyrical content...this one is no different):

Now, by way of comparison, here's an unfortunately titled compilation of Noel Devine's 2007 highlights:

What's the difference? Devine can make a 7-yard gain off a toss look spectacular (and last seven seconds, going sideline to sideline). Lucky doesn't make anything look spectacular. He doesn't run over, around or away from people. There is no quintessential Marlon Lucky highlight. If you had to name the most memorable play of his Nebraska career what would it be? The touchdown pass against Texas? Granted it's hard to compile much of a highlight reel running stretch plays and catching screen passes for three years straight but the simple fact is Lucky just isn't very flashy. He gets the job done, quite well I might add, but quietly.

There used to be a time in Nebraska football history where quietly getting the job done as a running back was just about the best thing you could do. But Marlon came along at a difficult time. He was the first big recruit the new regime reeled in, everything that Frank Solich had failed to do wrapped in one very highly touted package.

And now, four years later, Lucky is still trying to live up to that lofty Rivals ranking. When you get the #3 ranked running back in the country you almost instantly expect your jaw to start dropping. You expect to be floored early on and then more often after that.

But Marlon's not that kind of back. It doesn't seem like any Nebraska fans think to themselves, when facing an Oklahoma or a Missouri, "But we have Marlon Lucky." He's not that kind of back either.

He is, however, a Heisman contender according to the one guy who makes it his business to evaluate such subjective matters and, in the end, isn't that just about what you would expect out of a blue chip running back four years later?

A Quickie Heisman Watch [Heisman Pundit]

Screw Chimney Rock, It Shoulda Been Osborne!

2008-06-18T11:48:00.003-04:00

According to the staff of ESPN.com, Tom Osborne is the face of the Nebraska program and probably should've gotten the coveted Nebraska state quarter real estate as well. (Okay, that's my opinion, but somehow I feel like putting Dr. Tom on our quarter really would've pissed off Alabama fans. "If anybody's gettin' a ball coach on their quarter, it's fixin' to be us!")

But just because ESPN has had their say doesn't mean it's all said and done. The fan vote is ongoing and your nominees, contrary to some of the vote tallies I had last week, are:

Bob Devaney
Tommie Frazier (all frazie)
Tom Osborne
Sea of Red
Walk-ons (helmets from hamlets)

And in case you're interested, ESPN has yet to release the final third of the list but the faces o' the Big 12 thus far are:

Baylor - Worm Eatin' Grant Teaff
Colorado - Ralphie
Iowa State - Jack Trice (the man, not the stadium)
Kansas - Mark Mangino (please people, vote for Gale Sayers)
Kansas State - Bill Snyder (the man, not the stadium)
Missouri - Don Faurot (the man, not the stadium)
Oklahoma - Bootlegger's Boy Barry Switzer
Oklahoma State - Barry Sanders

Secretariat Sold for $12.05

2008-06-17T06:52:00.002-04:00

I was THIS close to owning a piece of Doug DuBose.

I saw his autograph on ebay and immediately bid. This was no ordinary autograph on a helmet, jersey or compact mirror. No, it was on a 3x5 card. This was from the patron saint of my own corner of the web and it was thorough, very thorough:

Buoyant double-d's leading the way, Doug offered this autograph hound both his Huskers number and his 49ers number, just to be safe and not alienate any potential buyer of course. But he wasn't through yet.

As tickled as the fan must have been to have a DuBose signature in his hot little hand, I like to think that as he walked away DuBose called out, "Hey, kid!" (Whether or not the autograph seeker was actually a kid or not is irrelevant. You always call people who want autographs kids.) "Come back here, I got another one for ya."

Confused, autograph seeker slowly walked back to DuBose's corner of the universe and handed over the card. DuBose grabbed it and then made the autograph seeker turn around so he could use his shoulder blade as a desk. He could feel DuBose writing something more than just his name, which made sense because, well, he already had his name on the other side of the 3x5 card.

This perturbed autograph seeker. What is he writing? My back is starting to hurt. Why is Doug DuBose offering to sign MORE autographs than I requested? It's not a sharp pain, more an annoying pain.

Finally, Doug Dubose finished, turned the autograph seeker around and handed him this:

Again, the buoyant double-d's led the way but this time there was a new message: "#22 in your Program, #1 in your Heart." That old chestnut.

The autograph seeker read it and looked at Doug.

Doug shrugged.

Autograph seeker shook his finger at Doug jokingly and then both laughed hearty, chest-heaving, Japanese animation from the 80's, laughs.

The moral of the story is that I almost bought that experience last night, but I forgot that I had bid.

If Mt. Rushmore was in Nebraska...

2008-06-11T19:54:00.004-04:00

This being the off-season, ESPN.com is doing off-season things like asking college football fans (and trolls) to select the "Face of the Program" for every team in the Bowl Championship Subdivision.

Lacking something better to do--or a life in general--here are some highlights from the 232 posts to date on Nebraska's board, some commentary and the results.

eric_couch (1 month ago)
Tom Osborne the face of Nebraska football. Heck, he's the face of the state.

The voters of Nebraska, respectfully, disagree. Respectfully.

brickonite (4 weeks ago)
the face of the cornhuskers is the option eric courch and ahomin green and and all frazie and all the famous rb and Qb and the Blackshirt D and the tricks plays. (All, sadly, Sic)

I think the best thing to come from this comment is the term "all frazie." I think I'll use it anytime Ganz breaks a big run. For example: Facing 3rd and 19 in the shadows of the south end zone, patient Joey Ganz dropped back against the gold rush of the Missouri Tigers. The pocket collapsed, he pulled it down and 87-yards later Husker fans were left shaking their heads. There was only one way to describe what they had just seen. Joe Ganz had just gotten all frazie on preseason favorite Mizzou.

mcarthur323232 (1 month ago)
Dorothy Lynch.

It's orange. It's gloop. It can flavor ANYTHING.

fbplayer_78 ( 2 weeks ago)
Johnny Rodgers...at a gas station.

You have to respect trolls who know their history.

lclbb1188 (1 week ago)
Tom Osborne was close to being elected governor because he was a good football coach...Definitely him.

Tom Osborne was close to being elected guv'nah because he could coach ball but I'm not sure how that bolsters his argument.

nlthed (4 days ago)
"Lawrence Phillips...presented by (Classless) Tom Osborne. He sold the whole University out."

Tom Osborne? Classless? He's not the classless coach, that'd be Devaney. The man never saw a young blonde he didn't like.

Now that sounds like a politician. I vote Devaney!

chris larsen in cabo (1 day ago)
1. Herbie Husker premakeover. Hard core, blue collar farm boy type. A lot like a walk-on.
2. The red N in block on the white helmet. When our boys are playing you don't see a face.

Obviously my favorite. An undying love for old Herbie and he's writing from Mexico. Chris, call me, we'll wax poetic about overalls, fish for some marlin and drink pulque until we go blind. It'll be great.

When determining the final tally, I certainly took some artistic license. A number of people just couldn't nominate one person so I typically took the first listed or the most original/intriguing nominations. I didn't throw out any vote. The results shouldn't surprise you:

Tom Osborne - 85
Bob Devaney - 14
Lawrence Phillips - 9
Tommie Frazier - 8
Sea of Red - 6
Johnny Rodgers - 5
Herbie Husker - 3
The Helmet - 3
Eric Crouch - 3
Brook Berringer - 3
The Blackshirts - 3
Bill Callahan - 3
The Option/Kicking Ass - 2
Dave Rimington - 2
The '95 Huskers - 2
The Tunnel Walk - 2
Tom Novak, The Pipeline, Dorothy Lynch, Trev Alberts, I.M. Hipp, Scott Frost, Steve Pederson, Jamaal Lord, Curt Dukes, Joe Dailey, Larry the Cable Guy, Pat Ricketts, Thunder Collins, Christian Peter (but they meant Jason), Bo Pelini, Turner Gill, Will Shields, & Walk-ons - all 1

Personally, I'd just go with Bob Devaney, in a Blackshirts t-shirt, watching Dr. Tom, wearing bib overalls, diagram the option on a chalkboard in front of 80,000 people.

As Fonner Gently Weeps

2008-06-11T10:57:00.004-04:00

Sad news for the Fonner Park faithful such as myself back in the college days: the ageless Newil Wall has passed on to the great winner's circle in the sky.

Wall spoiled many an exotic for me during those halcyon spring days spent at Central Nebraska's finest gambling and cheap hot wing emporium. Of course, we never really minded because it was Newil. There was always the fact that a jockey in his mid-50s (but looking much worse for the wear) could still saddle up on a random Thursday afternoon and ride in front of 30 or so degenerates. Old punters, stupid college kids, tattooed members of MS-13, they all loved Newil.

I could never really curse the guy for the damage he dealt to my bank account because I would always think of his knees. They had to be shot. Just bone on bone. You don't ride a horse 300 days a year for 30-plus years and come out unscathed. You just don't.

So, like Teddy KGB, I just resigned myself to getting Newiled from time to time. "He beat me. Pay that man his money."

And in an equally sad note, Fonner Park might be just off Newil's pace according to this AP article that--absurdedly--appeared in the Boston Globe in late April.

We'll save the gambling debate for another venue but, as a horse racing fan, the outlook is certainly dire for the sport in Nebraska (the first state in the US to legalize parimutuel wagering):

Horse wagering in Nebraska, from its peak in 1985, has dropped 76.8
percent, according to the Nebraska State Racing Commission.

In 1985, there were 233 racing days in Nebraska, $214.6 million
dollars--that's $418 million in today's dollars--was wagered.

There are now just 103 racing days in Nebraska...

I haven't been to Omaha since Aksarben was demolished, but driving by the old track when I did live there always made me wistful for the Cornhusker Handicap, a race that now takes place in Iowa. (Iowa! Dammit!) Sinatra played there and so did Nirvana and now it's nothing.

Let's hope that in four years Fonner is still kicking around and the Gus Fonner Handicap isn't being run in Kansas. (Kansas! Dammit!)

Thanks Trev. No Really!

2008-06-08T22:46:00.004-04:00

For better and worse, Trev Alberts isn't afraid to speak his mind and you can never really fault that. While I've taken exception with some of his statements over the years the following quote about the Sandhills for this excellent Rany York piece is pretty damn excellent:

The Sandhills have a way of chaning your perspective. You feel so small out there. The Dismal golf course we played goes on forever. You can't see civilization. You can't see the hole. You can't see people. You can't see houses. You can't see anything but beautiful, rolling hills and a sky that doesn't quit. You feel a little vulnerable. It would humble almost anybody. You realize how dependent those people are who live out there with the weather and the conditions. At night, it's the quietest place I've ever been, and the darkest place I've ever seen. I'd describe that golf course as pure, unspoiled serenity.

"You can't see people."

"At night, it's the quietest place I've ever been and the darkest place I've ever seen."

Yep, that pretty much describes it.

Well done, sir. Well done.

Steele Speaks: Nebraska 2nd in Big 12 North

2008-06-06T16:31:00.006-04:00

Just got my copy of that bible o' footbaw Phil Steele's College Football Preview 2008. Immediately I flipped to the Nebraska portion and, in a mild surprise, saw that he had the Cornhuskers slated for second in the Big 12 North, one spot behind Missouri and one ahead of Kansas.

Here's a snippet--in that abbreviation heavy, waste no words, maybe chop up a few sentences into fragments voice we've come to love--from Steele's final analysis for the 2008 Huskers:

"...Pelini steps into a good situation. Despite having just 11 returning starters and 28 letterman lost. Switching the offense to more of a run-based attack means the D should be on the field less and therefore be much improved. The Huskers play 5 teams that were in Jan bowls last year but they make my Most Improved List which means they should go from a losing season to a bowl."

As for that Most Improved list, Nebraska checks in at #12. (For the record: Notre Dame is Steele's #1 Most Improved team.)

Big 12 Unit Rankings? They are as follows: QB 8, RB 1, REC 7, OL 4, DL 3, LB 11, DB 8, ST 6, CH 11.

Overall, Nebraska checks in at #43 on the preseason rankings list, behind Missouri (#7) and Kansas (#30).

Now that my weekend is shot, I'll probably be back with more from the great bible o' footbaw once I have a chance to actually digest some of the information.

Good for Khiry. Bad for Nebraska.

2008-06-06T11:18:00.002-04:00

Three-star, whippet-quick wide receiver/centerfielder Khiry Cooper was drafted yesterday by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 5th round, meaning his chances of becoming a Husker just got a whole lot slimmer. (Cue the Carl Crawford remorse here.)

For the superficial and easily impressed (i.e. myself), Cooper offered a lot to like when it comes to young men who have yet to play Big 12 football. He was fast, already clocking a 4.5 in the 40. More than any other Pelini recruit, he passed the "pissing match" test when he chose Nebraska over fellow big swingers like Arkansas and Michigan. KOLN called him "Nebraska's Deion Sanders," which I perceived as a race-based slight for Darin Erstad, but it's a favorable comparison nonetheless.

And now, in all likelihood, he'll spend the next four years kicking around places like Rancho Cucamonga and Cedar Rapids rather than catching passes in Lincoln. Of course there's no guarantee that any prospect will ever make the show but if Cooper is as talented as has been predicted, the allure of a pro baseball career is infinitely more alluring than that of a professional gridder.

Your average career is probably double the length, you can make more money sooner and, as evidenced by the Wells, Kruks and Becks of the world, you don't really have to be athletic or in shape to succeed at baseball. Of course, Cooper was drafted because he is athletic and in shape but your chance of staying that way through your late 30s is a lot more likely on the diamond (see: Kenny Lofton).

Unless the Angels seriously lowball the kid--and he possesses a heart of pure gold--I don't see him in scarlet in cream come August.

Required Reading

2008-06-04T12:08:00.001-04:00

Adventures in Time with Lil' Red

I Am Corn. Hear Me Roar.

2008-06-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

It's very easy to stereotype football fans of any particular school (See: Clay Travis v. the University of Florida). Nebraska fans know this as well as anybody thanks to the antics of one T.J. Simers over the past two years. We're hicks who travel well due to a lack of other compelling options on the vast, corny plains.

I don't have a problem with that but some do. If you're one of the latter bunch you probably shouldn't purchase this shirt:

Nothing against the great Husker Hounds, but please don't buy this. If you do I can't help you. I frequently check on the state of Cornhusker merchandising in hopes of finding pieces that are appealing and/or wearable. I've let some egregious offenses slide from time to time, but this? "This ain't no sweet corn?" All derision, finger pointing and snickering will be entirely justified.

Don't get me wrong, I love corn. I love the way it tastes, I love the alcohol it makes and I love that it is the de facto symbol for all things Nebraska. In fact, it's tough to do corn wrong unless you make it look like a snarling, football-toting octopus.

In hopes of preventing any future offenses to good taste, allow me to provide a brief primer on acceptable graphical usage of this great plant:

Corn as dirigible = GOOD

Snarling, flexing corn = BAD

Corn as babe-toting rocket/phallic symbol = GOOD

Corn as foam chapeau that always tears right about the temple area = BAD

The real lesson here is that anthropomorphizing corn is always a bad idea. Corn isn't ill-tempered. It isn't strong. It doesn't have muscles or carry footballs. It isn't big enough to fit on your head.

Corn does, however, fit perfectly in the back pocket of your overalls. It is delicious. It did help the pilgrims populate our country. It is Nebraskan.

Isn't that enough?

Nebraska TE Arrested Again

2008-06-03T20:03:00.003-04:00

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Hunter Teafatiller fights the law. The law wins.

The senior tight end was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving over the weekend, blowing a 0.2 which we are required to note is twice the legal limit. This marks Teafatiller's third arrest for such charges making it safe to say that Pelini will strike here with great vengeance and furious anger.

I'll be awfully surprised if Hunter is a Husker much longer.

And to think, Nebraska had nearly fallen off the board in the Fulmer Cup. I hope the kid gets himself straightened out.

Finally, Trace Adkins Will Pay for Honky Tonk Badonkadonk

2008-06-02T10:12:00.002-04:00

I’m going to beat the hell out of Trace Adkins this fall. Thanks to Athlon Sports, I may finally get retribution for “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” and I’d be lying if I were to say it hasn’t totally brightened my outlook for the fall.

I picked up a copy of Athlon’s 2008 preview the other day--not because it’s any good but because it was there and Phil Steele’s wasn’t—and there was Trace Adkins pointing at me with a football in his hand. He seemed to be saying: “Hey, you, I played football at Louisiana Tech and am responsible for some of the worst music videos ever released. Despite all that, I bet I can pick college football games better than ya’ll.”

I refuse to believe this. Now, I had my ups and downs in terms of overall record last year in my various pick’em leagues but if I can’t beat a man who is responsible for this then, to borrow the title from the best Waylon Jennings song nobody likes, I think I’m gonna kill myself.

I’m passionate about a number of things but my two areas of particular fervor are college football and real country music. When Big & Rich open College Gameday each Saturday I take it as a personal offense, my brain says rage. In less than two minutes, week in and week out, they’re able to desecrate not one but two of my sacred cows and I’m powerless to stop it.

Previously, Trace Adkins had just offended my country sensibilities but now he’s walking on the fightin’ side of me. As we learned in Hoosiers, there's two kinds of dumb: a guy who gets naked and runs around in the snow and barks at the moon, and the guy who does the same thing in your living room. First one don't matter. The second one you're kinda forced to deal with.

I now have to deal with Trace Adkins. The good news is that we all have a chance to knock him off. We can humiliate him they way Kansas will his alma mater in week two.

I don’t know yet if we’re picking against the spread (hopefully) or straight-up (lame), but I do know that I will beat Trace Adkins this season. I have to beat Trace Adkins. Everything I believe on depends on it.

For those of you actually interested in the Nebraska content of the Athlon preview I picked up, they have the Cornhuskers ranked as the 41st best team in the country, picked to finish 4th in the Big 12 North behind Mizzou, KU and CU. In terms of schedule, they predict wins against WMU, SJU, New Mexico St., ISU and Baylor; losses against Va. Tech, Mizzou, Tech, OU and KU. That puts Nebraska at 5-5 heading into the final two games of the season which are “swing games” against KSU and CU.

Here’s what they had to say about the hiring of Bo Pelini:

“While there are plenty of examples of big-name schools hiring coaches without
experience (Mark Richt at Georgia, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma), it’s a bit of a
gamble for a school like Nebraska to hire someone who has never run his own
program. Pelini might end up being a great hire, but Jim Grobe, who has enjoyed
tremendous success at Wake Forest, or former Husker star Turner Gill, who is
doing a fine job at Buffalo, seemed to make a bit more sense.”

Huh? Everything else pertaining to Nebraska you've already read a thousand times over.

Which is the Best Bar in Lincoln?

2008-05-28T20:14:00.002-04:00

Ten or so days ago The Wizard of Odds kicked off the great sort of theme post that can only occur in the off season: Thirst & 10. It's more than a search for the best college bars in America, it's a search for the best bars to fully experience a football Saturday at said school.

To put it another way: If you were to go to, say, Clemson what bar would you absolutely have to hit? That's what they're looking for.

The criteria:

Has to be within walking distance of the stadium.
Drinks should be so cheap that when you're local politico makes a move to ban promotions providing such cheap hooch you're sad but know that it's probably a good idea.
The staff should be attractive.
No chains.

In addition to the Tigers the only other schools to be represented thus far are LSU and Arizona, so it's still early but I'd be devastated if Nebraska didn't have a horse in this race.

Problem is, I feel woefully unqualified to offer an opinion on the Lincoln night/game day life. I never spent that much time on O Street in general and prefer to do my pregaming on Saturdays from plastic cups in the parking lot.

So which is the most Cornhuskerian watering hole? If you've got a strong opinion, I urge you to submit it to The WOO lest we lose our reputation as a drinking town with a football problem.

God Bless Alabama - The Best 3 Minutes in Sports Talk Radio

2008-05-24T23:31:00.007-04:00

When I saw that Orson from EDSBS.com was going to be on Paul Finebaum's radio show to talk about blogging and Buzz Bissinger yelling, I made a point to go and download the podcast of that interview. While I was interested in the discussion at hand I was probably more interested to hear Finebaum, the noted Alabama provocateur in Warren St. John's Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, actually rile some people up. (Supposedly, that's what he does.)

I was not disappointed, but it wasn't Orswon Swindle who was on the end of the prod, it was a man by the name of Charles, or rather Chawles, and it just might be the best call to a radio show I've ever heard.

Here are some out of context quotes from my new favorite football fan in the US to entice you to listen:

"Hey, Paul...you know what you need?"

"Forget that point, I got another point now."

"I got more class in my redneck than you got in your whole body."

"Awww, man, you couldn't handle it."

"Oh, you'll remember it. You WILL remember it."

"Ya'll done got me stirred up now."

"I ain't got no wife, Paul."

Here's the clip:

There aren't a lot of places that take their football more seriously than Nebraska. Alabama is one of those places.

Nebraska's Blue Book Value

2008-05-22T22:44:00.003-04:00

This is a question for the displaced Nebraskans: What is the societal value of Nebraska football?

I ask because of this post on thebiglead.com detailing "The Fall of College Football's 1990 Dynasties." Here's an excerpt:

Does anyone remember the last time Notre Dame, Nebraska, Miami and Florida State all had back-to-back poor seasons? Yeah, neither do I. The age of a true dynasty is long gone as there has not been a legit back-to-back BCS title winner since it was created 10 years ago (before you start, spare me USC fans).

The post was good but I found the comments much more interesting. They centered largely around the fact that Notre Dame--winning their last title in 1988--wasn't really a 90's dynasty. (Fair enough.) There was some grousing about USC's AP/BCS back-to-back feat and the comments pertaining to the Cornhuskers were were about three things: 1) the option, 2) the '96 Fiesta Bowl beatdown of Florida or 3) how Penn St./Michigan should've won the title in '94/'97.

This was interesting to me because as someone who has lived outside the state for nearly six years now, those first two responses used to be about the only two I received upon revealing my birthplace.

Now, Boston might not be the best measuring stick for this as nobody here cares about college football. Boston College has its little cadre of supporters on its little campus on the hill but by and large this is a pro sports town.

Because of this, when I'd say "I'm from Nebraska" half the people would respond with "I've never met anyone from there," the other half "a Cornhusker!" People in the first group likely didn't care about sports and people in the latter did. This second group of people would almost always say something about how they were Husker fans because they loved watching the option or say something about the '95 team being the best they'd ever seen.

In the minds of these people, who I loved meeting for obvious reason, the entire state of Nebraska was associated with a dominant football team running an old-fashioned (but still lethal) offense and, at least where I live, I'm not sure that perception has changed much in the WCO era. But, again, this is Boston where people don't watch college football. If anything, it was always me who, after being greeted with a glowing appraisal of the option, started offering up explanations for losing seasons and coaching changes.

So, transplants, what have you found the cultural currency of Nebraska football to be? Is Nebraska still a fond memory of that crushing ground attack of the 90s or is it one of the fallen kings mentioned on The Big Lead?

Bowling on the Bayou?

2008-05-20T22:06:00.002-04:00

College Football News released their "Way Too Early Bowl Predictions 2009" last week and at this point they have Nebraska slated to face Arkansas in the Independence Bowl in gorgeous Shreveport, Louisiana. (Yes, yes. Premature and ludicrous but it's something to talk about.)

According to the conference tie-ins, this would mean Nebraska got in as the seventh selection from the Big 12. This got me to thinking about which six teams from the conference were going to "better bowls."

The top of the charts was easy:

1. Oklahoma
1a. Missouri
2. Texas
3. Texas Tech

After that, however, it gets pretty jumbled. Kansas is a pretty solid next best after Tech but then what? Colorado? Kansas State? Oklahoma State? A&M?

Here's where CFN had the Big 12 teams going:

Oklahoma - Cotton
Oklahoma State - Insight
Kansas State - Sun
Texas - Holiday
Kansas - Alamo
Colorado - Texas
A&M - Nowhere

Where are Missouri and Tech? In the BCS bowls, of course.

Wait...of course? A Tigers-Raiders Big 12 title game? Since I don't consider Nebraska a contender for the division title at this point, I'm all for it. I desperately want Texas Tech to win the south and take the next step. I'm also extremely skeptical that it can happen, but I'll be hoping. They have a ton of returning talent but I still wouldn't put them ahead of Texas right now, much less Oklahoma.

As for Nebraska and Shreveport, ummm, I'm looking longingly at K-State's slot in the Sun Bowl. I want that game. I want to spend New Year's Eve watching football on the side of a mountain in El Paso and then spend the early hours of 2009 drinking tequila in Juarez.

You can't tell me that it's not the best little bowl available.

BOrnography?

2008-05-15T22:51:00.004-04:00

Is anyone else starting to get nervous about the depth of glory restoring that's dominated this off season? It was nice early on. Bo fulfilled all of the immediate needs for most Nebraska fans right away with his simple man approach. The spring game was a giant success if not terribly interesting. The unity council is back and Frank Solich shouldn't have been fired.

While I appreciated the honesty out of Bo in regards to the short ball coach, his comments did elicit an eye roll out of me. Everything is starting to seem a little too easy at this point, too neat and tidy. You can't just come back, do everything the old way and succeed, right?

That's the question I've been wrestling with lately.

Today I may have found an answer: BOrnography. Ladies and gentlemen, "A Return to Tradition":

"A DVD compilation of the historical events marking the move back to Nebraska Football Tradition in 2008. See the full footage of the 1997 Championship reunion banquet featuring Charlie McBride, Jason Peter and Coach Osborne. It was the middle of the '07 season when the banquet took place, and things were looking tough for the '07 Huskers. hear the amazing insights and heart warming reflections offered by the former coaches and players, including some hilarious comments from the always entertaining Jason Peter. See the imploring request from coach Osborne for the '07 players to show their support and encouragement to the embattled 2007 Huskers. Also see the entire Bo Pelini introduction press conference and hear Bo set forth in his own words his vision for bringing tradition back to NU. And finally see highlights from the 2008 Spring Game, complete with the post game comments from coach Pelini and select players. 2007 was a tough year, but the future looks bright! DVD video, Husker Vision footage, 140 minutes."

See a banquet! Hear Tom tell the '97 team that, hell, high water, or embarrassing home beatdown, they're gonna get down there on the sidelines and CHEER, dadgumit! Watch Bo Pelini do that thing where you crane your neck and pull against the collar of your shirt with your index finger because you hate wearing ties!

OK, now there's no question about my level of concern. There is no Bill Callahan era video and that's fine, but Bo getting one before a game has even been played? It's much worse than I thought.

But then again, if the devil exploded and all evil in the world vanished, what sort of video would you want?

Catching Up

2008-05-15T00:04:00.003-04:00

Been on the road the past two weekends which, when combined with the dearth of Husker news and some general business at work, has resulted in the dark period here at HiPlainsDrifter.com.

My apologies. Hope to be back in the swing of things soon.

In the meantime, here's a story about Texas barbecue that I just posted over on the Everywhere website.

Peter's Memoir Looks Heroiny

2008-05-07T21:28:00.004-04:00

Was poking around online today and noticed that we now have a cover shot for Jason Peter's upcoming memoir detailing his ultimately fruitless chase of the dragon.

Look interesting or just menacing?

Here's what PW had to say:

"Peter, a star at the University of Nebraska’s storied football program in the late 1990s and a first-round NFL draft pick, details his short, frenzied life as a drug user and veteran of the treatment center circuit. It started with painkillers in college, which turned into a full-blown addiction as he battled an array of injuries that ended his career by his late 20s. With plenty of money and time available, Peter’s partying escapades eventually led him to freebasing cocaine and turning his upscale New York City apartment into arguably the world’s most expensive heroin retreat, complete with a live-in junkie stripper girlfriend. Avoiding self-help urgings and self-congratulations, Peter (who is now clean) and O’Neill have crafted an unflinching look at the dark side of a life devoted to pleasure. Peter’s recollection of his college glory days is a little overbearing, but the book’s power lies in his honesty in detailing the depths of his despair from seeking the next high."

A live-in stripper? I can believe that. World's most expensive heroin retreat? Even with the "arguably" qualifier, I'm almost certain that the world's most expensive heroin retreat was always, and remains to this day, Nikki Sixx's shaving kit, but either way I'm intrigued.

The book is out July 8, but I'm going to see if I can corral an advance copy to get us through these long off-season months.

And in case you're interested, Peter's co-author on this book, Tony O'Neill, is a recovered crack and heroin addict as well. His website includes the following blurb for the book from author Jerry Stahl:

"HERO OF THE UNDERGROUND gives us a portrait of red-blooded jock as monster dope fiend. It's a savage, unsparing, eye popping ride through the dark soul of big money, endless drugs, American manhood, and our national past time--self destruction. Ex-Cornhusker Jason Peter writes like a soulful badass, and we're lucky he lived to tell the tale. Had Hunter Thompson been a football player, instead of a fan, this is the book he'd have written. Flat out, mash-your-face-in-the-dirt-amazing."

You can pre-order the book right here and purchase the domain name soulfulbadass.com right here.

Casey At the Bat

2008-05-06T20:42:00.003-04:00

As a brief sidenote to Sammy Vegas' recent post regarding some racy pics of Casey Connelly (aka Sam Keller's girlfriend) originally found on barstoolsports.com, the whole thing turned into quite the brouhaha when Connelly emailed the guys at Barstool Sports and pleaded for their removal then offered a vague threat of ugliness if they were not.

I'd excerpt one of the emails here but I sort of feel bad for the girl...then I remember she had nearly naked pictures of herself on the Internet.

C'est la vie. Click over if you want to.

God bless the offseason.

BBQ, Breaking Down and Bandera

2008-05-05T21:21:00.003-04:00

Indulge me for a moment as I try to get back in the Nebraska football swing of things. Got back from Texas on Sunday, here's a recap/assorted thoughts.

BBQ - I've eaten barbecue in the Carolinas, Kansas City and, now, all over Texas. I've smoked about every meat you can think of and there's nothing better for me than making my own sauces and sausages on a random Saturday afternoon. While I should probably withhold judgment until I've hit Memphis, I'm ready to call the Lone Star state's barbecue the best. The sausage sandwich at the Taylor Cafe was otherworldly. I'd have more to say but I'm hoping to get some paid writing out of this aspect of the trip so I'll save it for now.

Breaking Down (i.e. Eight Belles) - I didn't win big betting the Derby. It was sort of an atypical week in terms of my normal preparation but, after a brief mid-week bout of uncertainty, I did go with Big Brown against the protests of most of my handicapping friends. I was confident enough to key him on top of every exotic I played. That, along with tossing out Colonel John and Pyro, was the good handicapping I did.

Also tossing out Eight Belles and placing a shoot the moon win bet on Cool Coal Man was the bad.

Needless to say, seeing a horse break down is no way to end the first Saturday in May. Not to downplay the situation but Big Brown's race was more impressive than Barbaro's Derby and that's barely been a story. For good reason.

This is a tough time for horse racing. A number of columnists who are not necessarily horse racing fans are ripping the sport. The fans and industry insiders are giving it the usual tragic shrug. I'm not sure where I fall. On the plane back Saturday I read William C. Rhoden's column in the New York Times and felt it was poorly executed. (No bull has ever survived a bull fight, for the record.) Jane Smiley's was better.

It's a particularly tough issue and all I really know at this point is that horse racing is probably at it's lowest point in recent history in terms of general public favor. If there was ever a year for a Triple Crown winner--and Big Brown certainly looks like one--this would be it.

Bandera, TX - After the Derby at Retama Park my brother and I headed to Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar Saloon. This was cowboy country. Sawdust on the floor, real hitching posts out front. I needed to hear Arkey Blue sing "Fraulein" to lighten my spirits. If you are ever in the San Antonio area, I can't recommend a side trip to Bandera highly enough. Just remember to tuck your jeans into your boots. That's how it's done.

Aside from the photo in this post which was taken at Gruene Hall during a break in the four-hour Dale Watson set, I'm still editing a bunch more that might eventually find their way on-line. As you may have noticed in the sidebar, there's a JPG Magazine link to one of the photos from Arkey's. It looks a lot better when it's bigger. Please click away.

After I catch up on the week that was we'll try to get back to some normal Nebraska talk.

HiPlains on Hiatus

2008-04-29T23:53:00.002-04:00

Normally I'd be spending much of this week detailing the Derby. This year I'm taking a mini-vacation deep in the heart of Texas.

There will be barbecue.

There will be David Allan Coe.

There will be horse racing.

If you're in the neighborhood of Retama Park in San Antonio, feel free to join us on Saturday and contribute your coin (and possibly your picks) for the Derby superfecta.

There's still a chance that I'll get some Derby picks up later this week but that might be it until Sunday.

Woodhead speaks, joins Jets, all without leaving North Platte

2008-04-27T20:31:00.003-04:00

Chadron State running back Danny Woodhead didn't get drafted this weekend, but he certainly made an impression on the talking heads during an interview Sunday:

It didn't take long for Woodhead to find a home in New York where, finally, he'll get the chance to play for Bill Callahan. (Memo to NFL Network: An entire state will pay $19.95 to see their first meeting live.)

Congratulations to Danny and congratulations to Chadron State. The school got the obligatory Dan Beebe reference in the above piece but what about fellow Eagle and the pride of my alma mater, Joe Planansky? He spent a few years on the practice squad in Miami and reportedly went to a party hosted by Dan Marino, featuring Hootie & the Blowfish.

That's the life of a professional football star, Danny. Enjoy it.

ESPN's take on the Red-White game

2008-04-24T22:25:00.002-04:00

I'm a few days late on this but I was waiting for the fine people at Red Lasso to hook me up with an account.

What follows is the Nebraska portion of ESPN's College Game Day Final from last Saturday. If, like me, you weren't able to make it Lincoln of were out of the country (DT, Jeff), here's what they were saying right after it happened...

I felt like their post-spring assessment of Nebraska was pretty spot on. Ed Cunningham foresees "7-5ish" which seems about right and he cuts right through the feel good aspects of the Cody Glenn story to point out that a converted running back would probably start at linebacker if the season started today. While intriguing, that's typically not a good sign. (No pressure, Will Compton.)

Tom Luginbill, on the other hand, seems a bit more enamored with the Cornhuskers, specifically Joe Ganz. The irony here, of course, is that Luginbill is one of those professional star givers and Joe Ganz, out of high school, was not much of a star getter.

If you had to rank the signal-callers in the suddenly QBgasmic Big 12 heading into 2008 where does Ganz fit in? I'm thinking the 7, 8, 9 range is fair depending upon your opinions of Freeman, McGee and Hawkins.

The Backs of Husker Nation Need Your Vote

2008-04-22T21:42:00.004-04:00

Huskers.com is taking your vote right now for the official t-shirt o' 2008.

Option #1 - TRADITION

Not bad. It bothers me that we couldn't come up with our own catch phrase and instead used something from an ESPN/ABC Sports ad campaign but the photo is intriguing. Now if it just wasn't so...umm...rectangular. Looks like we had it printed up at CVS and got a free photo creations mug in the process.

Option #2 - POWER

I like the simplicity. "Husker Power" has never been my favorite phrase--and always my least favorite cheer--but at least it's ours. The vaguely vintage line drawing of Memorial Stadium on the back is a nice touch. Looks quite a bit like a collectible plate. Kitschy-cool.

Neither really suits your fancy? Allow me to offer my newest ill-conceived, limited-toolbox design, a tribute to thousand-yard rusher and rumored coke-head, Doug DuBose.

Fabian Washington. Subtle.

2008-04-20T22:34:00.002-04:00

Anyone who reads this site knows that Doug Dubose's 'SECRETARIAT' necklace is my all time favorite piece of Cornhusker bling. It can't be topped but Fabian Washington is certainly trying:

It's not that the necklace says "LOOK AT ME!" No, it's more like it backhands you across the face, grabs your cheeks between its icy fingers and pulls your eyes down around the navel. I'm entirely convinced that this is a very clear plea to Jerry Jones to get Fabian the hell out of Oakland.

The photo is but one of many great ones from the spring game that you can find at Husker Faithful. Additionally, Corn Nation, Husker Mike and Big Red Network were all in attendance and snapped photos as well.

I'll defer to their firsthand experiences because, as I suspect a number of Nebraskans outside the state discovered on Saturday, the spring game doesn't really translate to radio and video coverage was spotty at best.

We do know this, however: Nebraska's home jerseys are 10 points better than their road jerseys heading into Fall 08.

Meanwhile, in...

2008-04-16T21:19:00.002-04:00

As spring practices wrap-up we're starting to see more substantive features popping up in the mainstream media. Nebraska got one in SI the other day but I thought we'd take a break from Cornhusker talk and take a look at other stories happening around the country that piqued my interest as a Nebraska fan.

Sure, there are Red-White game rosters to digest and we're still curiously waiting for someone in the Nebraska MSM to address the Bo/Daily Nebraskan tiff but meanwhile in...

ATLANTA -- Paul Johnson is answering questions about the relevance of the triple option. Is there any team that Nebraska fans will watch with more interest than Georgia Tech this season? I'm just glad we've got a coach that we're all, mostly, excited about because if Johnson had even a modicum of success at GT while Callahan was still the coach I think the state would have officially imploded. Still, this will be an interesting experiment in modern-day, major college football.

STILLWATER -- It took a while but we're finally getting Bobby Reid's side of the story regarding Mike Gundy's infamous "I'm a man" rant. I felt like the "feeding the kid chicken" angle was bullshit back when the article was written and this does nothing to change that feeling. Still, Reid's assertion that Gundy's rant "basically ended my life" is just a tad overwrought. His life isn't over. In fact, his career isn't even over. Reid will suit up this season for Texas Southern University in a move eerily reminiscent of Smash Williams fall from grace at the makeshift end of the never-to-be-ended second season of Friday Night Lights.

TUSCALOOSA -- Paul Finebaum, the noted button-pusher of a columnist that he is, asks if Nick Saban has become bigger than Bear Bryant. No, really, he does. Problem is he doesn't do much to answer the question except for offer some stellar spring game attendance figures. You know why Bryant didn't draw as many people to his spring games? Because there was nothing to see, no questions to answer. 'Bama was gonna be good again, don't you worry about it. Call me when Saban shows up in a Drive-By Truckers song, then I'll entertain this question.

Bo v. The Daily Nebraskan - Damn Opinions Dragging Me Down

2008-04-15T18:42:00.008-04:00

Two commonly held beliefs:

1) Grown men shouldn't yell at "kids" for not behaving like adults.

2) "Kids" will sometimes have confusing, poorly communicated opinions.

The kids in question here are actually the student staff of The Daily Nebraskan. In an editorial Monday, the staff of the DN called into question Pelini's handling of recent off the field incidents, saying:

"While his actions to keep players out of trouble are commendable, it's how he has handled players once they are in trouble that is problematic to say the least."

The piece actually goes on to cite Pelini's indefinite suspension of Andy Christensen as an exception to his "policy of inaction." Patrick Witt's arrest gets a mention, but the real sticking point in this editorial seems to be the recent arrest of Husker recruit Josh Williams. Pelini has yet to comment publicly on the matter and that sticks in the collective craw of the DN staff. The piece goes on to say:

"Players should not be invited to our university and given the benefit of a full scholarship if they have a history of violence. If players on the team violate the trust of the community through violence, they should be removed from the team immediately."

Fine. That's an opinion. In my opinion there's quite a bit of gray area here. The player's not on campus--I'm not sure how you stop a robbery in Denton, TX from Lincoln--so I guess we're faulting Pelini and his staff for not unearthing this potential character flaw in Williams during their blitzkrieg recruiting session. Okay, it's not my case but there is a case to be made there. That said, it's tough to criticize a decision that hasn't been made yet.

Bo Pelini, of course, had his own opinion. In another editorial today, Pelini was reported to have "berated a board member" with "choice phrases," claimed the "tone and conclusion of the article was unfounded," and banned the publication from practice. The ban has since been lifted, but the temporary damage has probably been done. (Key word: temporary.)

Make no mistake this was a stupid, stupid decision on Bo's part. He'll make many more as a first time head coach, but I fully expect it will be resolved and forgotten within a week. These are students learning to be journalists and part of learning to be a journalist is emulating the work you aspire to produce. That's the way the editorial read to me, aspiring journalists trying to have a take, rousing some rabble just like Tom Shatel might do. You can't jump down anyone's throat for doing that and Bo will have to make amends for his reaction.

But do I think it signals the start of an alarming trend? Nope. On his radio show today Matt Perrault made a joking reference--I presume--to Communist Russia (audio here), but he was legitimately up in arms, going so far as to say that if this is going to be the nature of Pelini's dealings with criticism that he is sure to be banned at some point.

He won't be. To assume that this is the first step in a vast silencing of the media is ludicrous but I understand the talk radio gig. Have a take, stir the pot, but let's just call it what it was: A bad choice. Lesson learned.

The question of player discipline is probably the trickiest issue in all of sports and it doesn't matter if you're in your first year as a coach or your 37th, there is no right answer for all cases when you're the guy who has to pull the trigger. Osborne dealt with it. Callahan dealt with it. Bobby Bowden could probably right a thinly veiled but best-selling business book about it. (Everything can be turned into a business book, you know. All you need is an ordinal number's worth of "principles.") You do the best you can.

To date, we've seen the best out of Bo Pelini and if this incident is the worst, then I'm still confident we'll be just fine.

That's my opinion.

UPDATE: Jeff from DXP details the incident for the Fanhouse here and in doing so uncovered a gem of a link: Tom Osborne also suspended Daily Nebraskan reporters during the 1995 season. Aha! The plot thickens.

Everyone assumed that Dr. Tom was the calming influence here, but now I like to think that when a seething Bo Pelini flipped a copy of the editorial onto Tom's desk, the good doctor--after a brief, rage-inducing flashback--responded simply with: Let's call those bastards right now!

Pelini's defense poised to succeed?

2008-04-14T21:40:00.004-04:00

Over the weekend on Yahoo! Sports, Terry Bowden released the aptly titled "Terry's Top 10 Analysis." I'll let former coach Bowden explain it in his own words:

"Basically, it is a chart of last year’s final top 10 teams and all of the various factors and statistics that I believe (sometimes mistakenly) are important in building a championship team. I want to see what exactly it is that the 10 best teams in college football are doing to be so successful."

Here's the chart(PDF here):

According to Bowden, any statistical category with seven or more teams finishing in the top 25 is deemed "critically important." In order of critical importance, that gives us: rushing defense, scoring defense, total defense, turnovers gained (i.e. takeaways) and turnover margin.

Feeling good about hiring a defensive head coach yet? It gets better.

In his five years as a collegiate coordinator, Bo Pelini has never had a defense finish lower than 20th (Neb. '03) in rushing defense. In terms of scoring defense, his worst performance--17th in the nation-- was actually last year at LSU. In 2003, his Blackshirts squad finished 6th in this category. Total defense? Pelini's never finished lower than 13th in that category and has spent the past three seasons with the 3rd-ranked unit in the nation each year.

Turnovers are a bit dicier. In his lone season as Nebraska's defensive coordinator, Bo set a school record with 47 takeaways, a total that lead the nation. Last year LSU had 36, good enough for third, but in the three seasons in between Pelini's defenses were merely average to below-average with 21, 14 and 22. Accordingly, turnover margin follows the same pattern. Two great seasons in '07 and '03 sandwiching three average years.

Overall, Pelini's track record looks pretty good when up against the metrics that won games last year. Based on his past performance, Pelini seems like he can consistently churn out defenses that will rank high in Bowden's "critically important" categories. That's the good news.

The bad news is that Pelini's never faced as vast a reclamation project as he does with this 2008 squad. In 2003, Bo made a college ball name for himself by taking Nebraska from the 55th ranked defense in '02 to the 13th best squad in '03. When he went to Oklahoma in 2004, his defense actually faired worse than the previous year, going from the best unit in '03 to the 13th in '04. From there it was on to LSU where he inherited the third-best defense and kept them there for the next three seasons.

Last year Nebraska ranked 116th in rushing defense, 114th in scoring defense, 112th in total defense, 118th in takeaways and 117th in turnover margin. It's a miracle we were 5-7.

For a conference comparison, here is Sunday Morning Quarterback's statistical analysis of Big 12 conference games last year. Teams that allowed fewer rushing yards in Big 12 games won 81% of the time, fewer total yards 77%. Turnover margin tops SMQ's list with the highest correlation to winning on a game-by-game basis so let's hope were getting one of Pelini's nasty, ball-hawking defenses rather than just one of his nasty defenses.

So what do we know? Defense wins football games and Bo knows defense but our defense has a long damn way to go.

The Glorious History of the Cornhuskers and SI - The Losses

2008-04-10T17:25:00.008-04:00

Two weeks ago, I started combing the newly opened SI Vault for all the Nebraska covers in the magazine's history. With no practice Thursday and therefore no Cody Glenn updates or former rival coach sightings to report, I figured now was as good a time as any to dive back in but this time we're going to take a look at the memorable losses from Huskers' history (1980-2007), the times where Nebraska probably just missed the cover or got there in dubious fashion.

Let's start from the top...

2007 USC

The Cover: John David Booty handing off. This was a good strategy.

The Article: Ground Rule by Austin Murphy

The Gist: I'll let Murphy take this one himself: "Nebraska, which under fourth-year coach Bill Callahan has taken baby steps in the direction of its former glory, still has a long way to go." Oh, there's some stuff about the Pac-10 being good in there as well but who cares about that?

Saddening Quote: Pete Carroll, "Let's knock'em off the football and go have some fun." It really was that easy.

2001 Colorado

The Cover: Some Washington Redskins.

The Article: Run to GLORY by Austin Murphy

The Gist: By rushing for nearly 200 yards on the 6th ranked defense in the country, Chris Brown made Northwestern look stupid for trying to convert him into a receiver.

Annoying Quote: "My God! Wow!" Shawn Watson's response to watching film of his offensive line. Yes, that game film was like torture porn for our current OC.

1996 Arizona State

The Cover: Ali v. Frazier.

The Article: Devil of an Upset by Tim Layden

The Gist: See ya unprecedented third consecutive national title. Later that year, in an article entitled "Three-Peat Threat", SI would talk about how Nebraska was now back in the hunt.

Pop Culture Quote: "Like Mike Tyson in the ring, Michael Johnson in the 400 meters and NBC on Thursday night, Nebraska football was an unbeatable constant."

Good ol' days Quote: "I've never played in a loss," Wistrom said. "I've never been on the field when we lost a game." That was obviously before this game.

1994 Orange Bowl

Cover boy: An unnamed Seminole celebrates with some cheerleaders and clump of grass.

The Article: Wide Left by Rick Reilly (yup, before the cheesy column days.)

The Gist: Wasn't Notre Dame the best team in the country that year?

Dated Quote: "Forcing the football world to pick a national champion this year is like asking a woman to pick her favorite Baldwin brother."

Good ol' days Quote: "It sailed too far left. Now it really was over, and in the tumult only one thing in the whole spectrum of college football was clear: Nobody in the free world is 17½ points better than Nebraska." (Ed: Sigh)

1987 Oklahoma

Cover boy: Steve Taylor getting sacked.

The Article: Boom and Doom by Rick Telander

The Gist: You probably shouldn't talk trash to the 1987 Oklahoma Sooners.

Stupid Quote: "I hate Oklahoma, I really do," said Taylor..."THE FLATOUT TRUTH IS OKLAHOMA CAN'T PLAY WITH US. THE SOONERS AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH. LET ME TELL YOU, IT MIGHT NOT EVEN BE CLOSE, AND I MEAN THAT." (Their caps, not mine.)

Smart Response to Stupid Quote: "Why they think they're going to beat the snot out of us, I don't know," Switzer said. "They ain't scored but three touchdowns in three years on our defense." After this game, it would be four in four. That's consistency.

1984 Orange Bowl

Cover boy: Canes HB Keith Griffin eluding a tackle.

The Article: No Team was Ever Higher by John Underwood (Sadly, this title never went on to become the official title of Miami's glory days as a program, fitting as it would've been.)

The Gist: Miami was high.

Fun Out of Context Quote 1: "The only thing that worries me," Schnellenberger said, "is that they're so high. I have to walk among them like a zombie so they won't get any higher. I mean they are high." Zombies. Always harshing.

Fun Out of Context Quote 2: "It's unlikely that any team in the history of college football ever got higher for a game than Miami did for Nebraska..."

1982 Penn State

Cover Boy: Todd Blackledge, presumably throwing a pass out of bounds.

The Article: O.K., Time to Fasten Those Seat Belts by Jack McCallum

The Gist: He was out of bounds! The refs blew it! This actually isn't the gist of this article at all but, as we all know, it should be. Here's video evidence.

Damning Quote: "I skidded my feet a little, trying to get them down," said McCloskey. "For a second I thought I was out, but it's in the record books now, right?" (Ed: McCloskey then went on to say, off the record, "I was definitely out and I'm sorry for defrauding thousands of college football fans across the country."At least that's how my copy of this issue reads.)

1982 Orange Bowl

Cover Boy: Clemson's Perry Tuttle and his 3/4 length jersey.

The Article: Year of the Tigers by John Papenek

The Gist: Clemson? Really!?

Thanks Coach Quote: From Clemson coach Danny Ford: "...before the game I saw us getting behind by a lot of points early. When it started I saw us staying close all the way and them blowing us out in the fourth quarter. Then when the fourth quarter came I saw them winning by one point with a two-point conversion in the last minute. I saw everything. From what I had been hearing and reading I figured there were more ways for us to prove we didn't belong on the field with Nebraska than to prove that they didn't belong on the field with us."

Dancing Quote: "I could tell they were taking us lightly," said Jeff Davis, "just being around them during the week, around town, at discos, the hotels, the stadium. You could feel it, as if they were saying, 'We're from the Big Eight and you boys aren't of the same caliber.' There's the problem. Who let Dave Rimington lose in a disco the week before a game?

There you have it. The best of the worst. Honestly, given the regularity and brutality of the losing in recent years, I found the process to be uplifting, almost life-affirming.

Remember when a Nebraska loss was truly a story?

"I don't have a whistle, I just say whistle."

2008-04-08T22:37:00.003-04:00

How good is USC? So good that their walk-on tryouts seem to be viewed largely as a joke, merely an entertaining way to spend an afternoon for Trojans Tight Ends coach Brennan Carroll. Yes, Pete's son. Language contained in the video is probably NSFW:

Five of those guys made the squad? Maybe it's just me but I didn't see anyone who'd even classify as a white chip prospect and USC doesn't really gain interest unless you're brown (aka "chocolate") chip level. I highly suspect that USC held walk-on tryouts simply as entertaining fodder for their program sanctioned blog. (This idea is BRILLIANT, by the way. Pulitzers were announced yesterday and I can't believe Pete Carroll didn't win one for allowing such access.)

Of course, treating the walk-on program with such indifference is damn near sacrilege in Nebraska. Those guys can and will work hard and become contributors. Seen it a thousand times and this leads me to believe that Nebraska's walk-ons would crush USC's with all the efficiency and embarrassing ease that the Trojans displayed against our varsity squad last year.

Sharp Dressed Men

2008-04-08T10:11:00.003-04:00

It's going to be a good day.

Nebraska takes center stage on the UniWatch Blog, and opening day at Fenway Park is happening right beneath my window.

Was there ever really any option?

2008-04-07T22:34:00.003-04:00

Let the deification of Bo Pelini commence (or continue depending on your POV). THEYRANTHEOPTION! Yesterday! In practice!

"We got a lot of things going in the offense. That's part of it," Pelini said. "That will be part of the offense. How much? We're not sure yet. But we know it's going to be an element to our offense."

It's just that easy, isn't it? Bo Pelini hasn't coached a game yet for Nebraska but in terms of public favor I'd say he's undefeated so far. Get back to basics, do things the right way, recruit in-state and/or ask the homegrown talent to enlist, rebuild the Blackshirts by eliminating tag from practice and now run the option.

Is there any way Nebraska doesn't win nine games next year? Those are all the things we used to do and we always won at least nine games back then.

If you can't tell, I'm ready for some games to start. Only five months to go.

Naming rights...We don't really know what Watson's offense will look like next year. Everyone assumes it will be a little West Coast offense with a nostalgic nod to the option offense of yore with a modern spreadtastic twist.

In other words, The Sandhills Offense. At least that's what 40+ readers of this blog decided to call it in the poll from last week. I like the choice.

There's a handy acronym--The SHO--and not only can you pronounce it, it also evokes fireworks, massive scoring outbursts and getting called up to the majors. All good things.

Geographically, it's pretty fitting as well. The Sandhills are in Nebraska (there's your option) but closer to the Pacific Ocean than Lincoln (there's your West Coast).

Well done, voters.

The Morning Line favorite...In addition to the option quote from Monday's practice, I think we also may have found Pelini's catchphrase. Bill Callahan had "they're a good football team." Tom Osborne had silence. Bo Pelini? He has this (from the same LJS article from above where Bo explained why he was absent during the LSU Tigers visit to the White House):

"I was invited but obviously I had a little different agenda today. That's about it. That's all I got to say about that."

The emphasis is obviously mine. Bo Pelini has never spoken in italics in his entire life, but here's Bo saying much the same thing after confronting Bill Snyder in 2003, a choice that probably cost him the Nebraska job the first time around.

On second thought, let's not make that Bo Pelini's catchphrase. I like that the guy knows how to end an interview and deal with the media, but now I can't help but think that it was at least partially responsible for the past four years of utter torment.

What else you got?

Virginia Tech and the Short End of the Stick

2008-04-06T22:13:00.005-04:00

I REALLY hope this guy gets Virginia Tech tickets next year...

And in unrelated news:

88 words

Speedtest

Spring, it's all about getting better.

Lacking a clever name for random thoughts

2008-04-02T21:38:00.003-04:00

This is Bob Devaney...

This is me (staring at a computer screen)...

What's the difference? Before today it was about 101 victories, two national titles and one damn fine hat. Now, thanks to a Seward, Neb. ebay seller, it's just 101 victories and two national titles.

I'm officially ready for the 2008 football season to start.

My favorite part of the hat is not the feather in the band (not pictured here) but the official seal of the United Hatters, Caps & Millinery Workers International Union featured on the inside.

United we stand.

On to other bits of randomness...

--I really want this Cody Glenn Cinderella story to work. I really do. Hard-luck, hard-working running back puts the team (okay, and a better chance at PT) first and becomes an absolute sideline-to-sideline terror at linebacker, leading the team to the conference crown and himself to a nice 9-year NFL career followed by an even more successful motivational speaking gig after retiring.

This sort of thing works all the time in small-town high school football. You put your biggest and best athlete at running back to maximize his touches and then stick him right in the middle of your defense where he can raise the most hell. But the Big 12?

This ain't intramurals, brother. I'm sure Cody has the ability and desire for the seek and destroy aspects of linebackering, but what of the "I gotta drop here or Michael Crabtree is gonna take this slant 70 yards for a TD" part of the equation?

I guess that's what the spring is for and we should all probably thank Cody Glenn for instantly making the spring game, and the rest of spring practice for that matter, 100% more interesting.

--The underlying story in this Glenn saga is that, even while doing nothing, Pelini is lighting fires under asses. According to Glenn's comments after practice, the seeds of Blackshirt dreams were first sown with a joking comment to the new coach upon his arrival.

The mere idea of a Pelini defense has inspired a lifelong running back--a position rarely known for the humility of the people who play it (See: Doug DuBose and his Secretariat necklace)--to actually swap sides.

Rumor has it, and this is unconfirmed, that when Glenn went to tell Pelini of this decision he didn't enter his office through the door but rather just walked through the adjoining wall.

Trev talks child rearin'

2008-04-01T22:07:00.003-04:00

Here's something I didn't know: Trev Albert's kids are Georgia Bulldogs fans. This makes Trev Alberts angry. But it doesn't make Trev Alberts so angry that he'd do something truly damaging like write a blog about it. (Ed: Should you change your mind, Trev, they have videos to help you.*)

The piece in question can be found here. Personally, I enjoyed the piece, thought it struck the right balance between humor and honesty and it's inclusion here confuses me for two reasons: 1) Out of the thousands of blog posts out there, this is the one that really riled Trev up? and 2) What, exactly, is the take here?

Is Chris Rasmussen, the writer in question, not supposed to want his daughter to be a Royals fan? Would it be okay for him to be angry about that? I don't know what Trev wants and that makes me angry because he's usually very clear. Trev's not known for subtlety which makes the absence of a firm take all the more alarming.

It also makes it a lot like this post but what's a Cornhusker blog supposed to do when there's no real news and barely even enough fluff on which to opine? In fact, from now on I think that, when this is the case out there in Huskerland, you can probably count on a video featuring Trev Alberts. While said videos may not always be altogether lucid, they'll never be dull.

Maybe if I do that, I'll get my own blog included in a "What the Blog" segment. C'mon, Trev. We're both Cornhuskers here...sort of.

* Self-indulgent link!! Hi-five!

Fine, I'll Name the Nebraska Offense

2008-03-30T18:27:00.006-04:00

Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson reportedly bristled--bristled!--when asked on Friday what the media and fans should call his version of the Cornhuskers' offense. I'll let him explain:

"Everybody, stop trying to name it! Geez...everybody wants to put a name on it around here. It's the Nebraska offense. How's that? Sounds good to me."

Not me, Shawn. College football is unique in that your offense is only as good as it's name. Nebraska spent 25 years being defined by "the option" and that's just one of many such examples. Most people could give you a team or coach associated with the Run and Shoot, the Pistol, the Fun 'N Gun, the Wishbone, the Flexbone, the Wing T, the Single Wing, the Spread Option and on and on. Hell, the Maryland I and the Notre Dame box even take the guesswork out of the equation. I would say that naming the new Nebraska offense is drastically important, Shawn, but I understand you're busy, so allow me to offer some suggestions:

THE SANDHILLS OFFENSE (SHO) - This is more than just my Western Nebraska bias, the Sandhills are Nebraska's most geographically distinct area, known the world over as being the largest non-desert sand formation in the Western Hemisphere (or at least in earth science courses taught at small Nebraska based liberal arts colleges). While the name isn't really related to the actual methodology of Watson, it does provide a seamless transition from the West Coast Offense of the past regime. Same cadence and a handy abbreviation but with a better sense of regional specificity. I think utilizing a good, homegrown fullback could really cement this one.

PESTILENCE - "The Plague" seems a bit overwrought, no? While the Huskers would really have to put up some numbers to earn this one, I like the invocation of the biblical swarms of locusts that swept over the Plains during the Depression. Bonus connotation: Pestilence is one of the four horseman of the apocalypse. Scary, right? This is really for those people who love the Blackshirts logo.

NOT BILL CALLAHAN'S OFFENSE - Simple and to the point. While it's immediately satisfying, it is also undeniably clunky. Of course the problem was never Callahan's offense--and how different will Watson's version really be?--it was Callahan. It never hurts to be reminded of this fact but best left to the truly bitter.

READOPTION OF THE OPTION (ROTO) - No, no. Nebraska will not be running the triple option again but if last year's Colorado game is any sort of blueprint, we may actually see Ganz run the occasional shotgun read option that's all the rage in college football these days. Should they do this out of a two-back set with Lucky receiving a pitch--even if it results in a four-yard loss--expect Memorial Stadium to lose its mind.

THE NEBRASKA WAY - A simple substitution of the word "way" for Watson's "offense" but it's already become the defining characteristic of Pelini's young tenure. Should Nebraska experience some success with this staff, regardless of any actual resemblance to Nebraska teams of the past, it will be attributed to getting back to doing things the right way. The Nebraska Way. Thanks, Tom Osborne.

While it's somewhat difficult to name an offense you haven't seen yet, I still think all of the above options represent better choices than "the Nebraska offense." You'll never see that on a t-shirt.

You can vote on your preference above. If you vote "Other" be sure to write in your vote in the comments below. Even if Shawn Watson doesn't jump on board with our new name, I'll be sure to use it here.

The Six Inches In Front of Your Face

2008-03-28T09:35:00.003-04:00

All in all, Any Given Sunday was a pretty forgettable movie. If not for a stray eyeball on the field--is there a word for losing an eyeball? disorbited?--and Al Pacino's big game speech, we would probably only remember it for the Crusader-inspired uniforms of the Dallas Knights.

However, if you mash-up said pre-game speech with some Tunnel Walk clips, well, that is pure magic...

Better, Skinnier, Happier: The Memes of the Spring

2008-03-27T07:11:00.004-04:00

What have we learned thus far from Nebraska's one-practice old spring session? That everyone was fat and unhappy last year.

At least it seems that way based on the memes of the spring:

Matt Slauson went on record Monday as not being either happy or skinny last season.
Larry Asante wasn't really feelin' the coaching methods last year either.
Phillip Dillard now fits into his favorite jeans again. So does Zach Potter.
And finally, Cody Glenn comes out and reveals the frustration he felt with running backs coach Randy Jordan in 07. Here's a quote:

"The thing about me is, when you tell me you're going to do something, I expect you to do it. Once you don't, I just kind of don't have any trust in you. We had a few situations like that, and I never got an explanation for it, where he'd come up to me and say, I did this for this reason."

Very similar to the comments Slauson had made earlier in the week regarding his playing time. As Husker Mike noted, we're finally starting to see how much of a clusterf*** the whole thing was last year.

My question is this: is there value in that sort of revelation? Both for the team and the fans?

Personally, I always enjoy a good shot to the Callahan ribs and rarely miss the opportunity to take one, but what about everyone else?

Is it worth the effort to rehash this stuff just so we can all sort of nod and say, "See, I knew they weren't having any fun/didn't believe in the staff/were too pudgy to really put it in gear/were so swamped in terminology/(your self-affirming notion here) to be any good!"

I'm not entirely convinced that it is, which frightens me because I think that means I'm officially asking the players to get back to more platitudes, "last year's behind us we're just looking ahead blah blah blah," and I've never wanted that.

What do you think? Keep the confession session going or keep on truckin'?

The Glorious History of the Cornhuskers and SI - The Covers

2008-03-25T18:06:00.010-04:00

If you've spent any time recently in the sports obsessed corners of the Internet you probably already know that Sports Illustrated has opened "The Vault" a searchable database of every issue in the magazine's 54 year history. For sports fans it is probably the greatest gift you've ever received. (Yes, even better than the time SI sent you a football phone and the Follies video for subscribing.) For sports bloggers it is the Holy Grail. Videos, cover shots, stories and entire magazines are all right there for your perusal.

Even if you narrow down the vault's offerings to just Cornhuskers content, you could still spend months sifting through everything so I decided to start with something more manageable: the cover stories.

Depending on how you configure your search, and your definition of what constitutes a "cover," you can get a couple of different results for Nebraska appearances. The official Nebraska vault page lists 11, but I found a 12th worthy of inclusion. Everything you need to know about all of them is below (with links, of course):

09.20.65 - THE FIRST APPEARANCE

Cover Boy: Frank Solich ripping through some Oklahoma tackles.
The Article: ...And Nebraska Has the Guns by Dan Jenkins
The Gist: Nebraska has the talent, much of it coming from Big 10 country (gasp!), to finally break through under Bob Devaney. Given that there are about 20 different organizations naming national champions at the time, Nebraska should probably win one of them.
Stunning foresight: The immortal Jenkins uses the college football bloggers term du jour: "mythical national championship." He goes on to show just how a national playoff would work, including the Ivy League and the Missouri Valley Conference, and Nebraska beats Tulsa, Wyoming, Texas and Alabama to win it all. Forty-plus years later we're still fantasizing about the same thing.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 13; Smith-Corona's newest typewriter is both portable and electric!

01.02.67 - The girls are the fairest

Cover girl: Kitty McManus, Nebraska cheerleader.
The Article: The Bowl Games and the Season by Dan Jenkins
The Gist: Nebraska is slow. Alabama is fast. This does not bode well for the Cornhuskers in the Sugar Bowl.
Stunning foresight: Nebraska got thumped 34-7 in the Sugar Bowl.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 2; Ford was keeping homes happy nationwide with their Select Shift system. Everyone knows men drive stick shifts, women automatics, why not put the two together?

11.22.71 - THE Cover

Cover boy: Credited simply as "football" this remains my favorite SI cover for the verbiage: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska."
The Article: This Year's Game of the Decade by Dan Jenkins
The Gist: The beauty of college football is that the Game of the Decade seems to be an annual occurrence. OU-NU is next in line.
Stunning foresight: That '71 contest did earn the equally frequent "Game of the Century" tag.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 120, The Rums of Puerto Rico Co. says that the rum bloody mary is catching on. In fact, it did not.

01.10.72 - Champions

Cover boy: Bob Terrio holds up triumphantly the 'Bama fumble he recovered. Aside from the facemasks, the uniforms look almost exactly the same as they do today. I like that.
The Article: All Yours, Nebraska by Dan Jenkins
The Gist: Nobody beats the Bear like that! Johnny Rodgers admits to talking over the post-game celebration at halftime. Bryant says that "might be the greatest team I've ever seen." All in all, a very nice ego stroke for Nebraska fans.
Stunning foresight: Surprisingly none.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 8; Las Vegas Tourism Board gives you a lot of reasons to get out to the desert and gambling isn't one of them? It doesn't exactly look like the Sin City of "What Happens in Vegas."

09.11.72 - Threepeat?

Cover boy: Bob Devaney's mug--there's no other word once you see it--graces the college preview issue.
The Article: No. 1 is the Public Enemy by Dan Jenkins
The Gist: Defending a title is both boon and bane. To survive you should "stay humble, stay loose and keep a sense of humor." Coincidentally, Bill Callahan was none of those things. Ever.
Stunning foresight: Devaney acknowledges that you "have to lose sometime." That time was the first game of the season against UCLA. Nebraska was picked as preseason #2 behind LSU.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 91; Converse offers up a suede high top specifically for coaches. Why can't I buy a pair of Pelini's today?

11.20.78 - Osborne breaks through

Cover boy: Rick Berns breaks the tackle of a Sooner who got their later.
The Artcle: Nebraska Was On the Loose by Douglas S. Looney
The Gist: Nebraska had no business winning this game but it's probably a good thing, at least for Osborne's sake, that they did. Bonus material: a drunk showed up at Memorial Field mid-week for practice and Barry Switzer calls spitting tobacco juice into a soda can an "old Indian trick."
Stunning foresight: From Dr. Tom, "It's getting pretty hard around here for fans to appreciate a good year without beating Oklahoma." Eventually Oklahoma would fade and the Florida schools, and the national title, would take their place.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 67; You know the difference between JC Penney jeans and Levis? Pocket adornment. That's it!

09.05.83 - Scoring Explosion

Cover boy: Mike Rozier blows through some Nittanies, hip pads blazing, under the headline "Oh Those Huskers." I love this headline.
The Article: With the Greatest of Ease by Jack McCallum
The Gist: Nebraska's "Jersey Jets" light up the Meadowlands in the inaugural Kickoff Classic. Sweet Jesus these guys have a lot of offensive weapons.
Stunning foresight: "It's kind of early to call us an offensive machine," said Steinkuhler. No it wasn't, Dean.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 39; The Xerox Memorywriter 620 comes with a built-in guarantee against obsolescence. If I can find one of these, I'm definitely cashing that in but I doubt there's many out there. Who gives up a machine that can save "entire phrases"?

10.01.84 - We gotta win one sooner or later

Cover boy: Jeff Smith leaves a Bruin in the dust.
The Article: The Huskers May be Shockers by Douglas S. Looney
The Gist: Maybe that '83 team got a little full of themselves. This year's squad is more typically Nebraskan and perhaps better.
Stunning foresight: Again, none. After a 42-3 pasting of UCLA on the road nobody saw a loss to unranked Syracuse coming the very next week.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 75; Panasonic Phones. "They won't be out of date today. Or tomorrow." All lies, but tell me more about this talking without holding the phone.

01.09.95 - Finally the drought is over

Cover boy: Tom Osborne gets carried off the Orange Bowl turf on his players shoulders.
The Article: Ghost Busters by S.L. Price
The Gist: Dr. Tom finally answers the question of whether or not he can win the big one. Tommie Frazier's brilliance is evident even in limited action. Troy Dumas calls Warren Sapp "overrated" citing "that Miami attitude." Those were the days.
Stunning foresight: "I want the ball in Tommie's hands," said Osborne repeatedly. Good plan.
Amusingly out of date advertorial: P. 8; As the Old Spice Athlete of the Month, Vince Carter is praised for possessing a better jump shot than Jordan. Fittingly, Carter confesses that he "likes being the center of attention."

12.26.95 - Tough Mothers

Cover boy: Touchdown Tommie tossin' it. Additionally, the Husker volleyball team also gets some love for being #1. Some areas of the country got Steve Tasker on the cover. Lame.
The Article: Desert Storm by Tim Layden
The Gist: Cornfed Nebraska doesn't stand a chance against Florida's video game offense.
Stunning foresight: An anonymous Seminole who played in the '94 Orange Bowl said: "I'll tell you what the deal is with Nebraska. They are tough mothers, no other way to put it. I saw Zach Wiegert hit Derrick Brooks like I've never seen anybody get hit in my life. I don't know if Florida can deal with that physical toughness." God it feels good to hear that, even 13 years after the fact.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: P. 129; CompuServe/SI are offering you 10 free hours of access to SI Online AND 5 free hours of the Internet. In five hours, you probably could've read everything there was to read on the Internet so it sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

09.16.96 - The Jinx

Cover boy: Ahman Green looks dashing in adidas. Of course, the next game Nebraska played after this cover was Arizona State. Yet further proof that the jinx is so very real.
The Article: Flying Start by Tim Layden
The Gist: Nebraska is good again but these off the field things are sort of starting to pile up. In the article Osborne considered suspending Terrell Farley for the entire season due to a DWI arrest.
Shocking foresight: Frost's first game at QB is called "unspectacular but safe." Fair enough.
Amusingly out of date advertisement: N/A; For some reason SI doesn't have this issue online as a PDF. I know some Husker fan out there somewhere has a copy stashed in the attic. Help out the Vault and loan it to 'em.

11.26.01 - The End...thus far.

Cover Boy: Eric Crouch's hair is gel-tastic.
The Article: Front-Runner by Austin Murphy
The Gist: Whether you like it or not, Eric Crouch is probably going to win the Heisman and he's undergone a lot to get to that point.
Shocking foresight: Fred Petito, Crouch's high school coach, while watching old game film from Millard North: "There he is, kinda nasty."
Amusingly out of date advertisement: Again, absent in this instance.

And that, finally, covers the covers. That should be enough to keep anyone occupied for hours but believe me when I say there's a ton more out there.

This is the mother lode and I'll definitely be back.

Harrietta, I Love You

2008-03-24T22:07:00.004-04:00

I should probably save this post for another day considering I posted a press conference recap less than an hour earlier, but some things can't wait.

Uber-Husker fan Robert, of Merry Xmas and Holy Grail fame, has uncovered yet another absolute gem of Husker merchandise. (That's why I made him HiPlainsDrifter.com's Royal Chancellor of Nebraska Uniform and Merchandise Eccentricity.)

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to Harrietta Husker:

Yes, she is, according to the eBay seller, the "wife" of Harry Husker but I don't see a ring on that finger. (Here's a slight close-up, and a full rug view, which, depending on your thought process, may not be what you think.)

I don't know where Cripple Creek Auctions out of Denver, CO is getting their Husker gear, but they have now added two glorious chapters to Nebraska's logo history in less than a month. And, I don't know where they're getting their information either, but they're pretty good about providing the historical background for these items as well. (Note: In all likelihood, by the time you read this the auction will be over but the item page should still be available for a while. It's worth clicking.)

Do a Google image search for Harrietta Husker and you turn up nothing. Hopefully this post changes that. Harrietta needs to live on and, due to that fact, I'm giving serious consideration to getting this tattooed on my arm.

Enough Talk, Let's Practice

2008-03-24T21:14:00.003-04:00

Any one else get the sense that there are few things Bo Pelini likes less than talking about football? We've now had three press conferences with the new head coach and in each of them his uneasiness with explaining himself, his strategy, his procedure, etc. has been palpable. The guy's not an orator he's a coach and you can just sense his readiness to stop theorizing and start terrorizing out on the practice field.

Thankfully, for us and for him, today's presser marked the unofficial start of the spring practice/semi-real news season. I'll stick with the term "semi-real" because as we learned today practices will once again be closed to the media for the most part. Pelini's answer to that very question was probably the best of the day:

"I just don’t want distractions. I don’t like the media making their determinations based on who’s doing what. That’s the part I don’t like. I want the message to get out, but I want to make sure the correct things are getting out there."

Read: I want MY message to get out, but that's fine with me. It's probably the best approach in most cases but especially in a football-mad state such as Nebraska. It's hard to envision a scenario where, say, QB snaps were counted could be a positive thing for anyone so we'll just continue feasting on whatever morsels we're given. Same as it ever was.

Beyond that, it was a pretty mundane press conference. Pelini said all the right things--"doing the right thing" is high on his list as well as is building a foundation and getting what you earn in terms of playing time--but it did herald the start of one very good thing: we are one day away from some semblance of football.

While that probably means Pelini can stop talking about it, it also means the various media and blog outlets can start talking about it in earnest. Thank God for that.

Other assorted press conference thoughts:

--When Pelini used the phrase "good football player" to describe Cody Glenn it absolutely sent chills up my spine. Shouldn't somebody have briefed Bo about the dangers of that phrase? Don't do that to me.

--Bo Pelini is not Phil Jackson. No "psychological books" here. I like that but there's something to be said for "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." Look what it did for Scottie Pippen. He's a Top 50 all-time player and fabulously wealthy...or maybe just a Top 50 all-time player.

--Everyone's excited about Joe Ganz based on his performance last year but after listening to him speak, I think the bigger factor might be the freedom given to him as "QB1." Sounds like it's a pretty big weight off his shoulders knowing that he's earned his shot now.

--I don't care what anyone says, having a QB with a Chicago accent can't be a bad thing. Da Bears! If Callahan had spoken with Ganz accent I would've liked him 200% more.

--If you had to bet on who is going to become the star of Pelini's first Blackshirts defense, is anyone taking somebody other than Larry Asante? He's been the source of a lot of the pre-spring season media coverage and it certainly seems like he's all in at this point.

--And while we're here why not interpret a quote as one last shot at Callahan? Said Asante:

"I think every football team takes the attitude of the head coach. I think that's what we're doing. Like I said, our head coach is an intense guy. And he wants to win. Players take the attitude of their coach and that's what we're doing."

It all sounds good to me. Let's get started...

Happy Lost Productivity Day!

2008-03-20T09:56:00.005-04:00

Considering that all of Nebraska now lives in either Lincoln or Omaha--seriously, rural to urban migration always makes me sad hypocrite that I am--I'm guessing that tickets to today's games at the Qwest Center are pretty difficult to come by and that's not even including the scores of Jayhawks likely flocking to the city.

In case you were on the fence regarding that Portland State-Kansas match-up, just look at the photo presented here. That's a PSU Viking missing a dunk. During practice.

Kansas, I believe, is safe.

As for the rest of the tournament, I like Xavier. Why? Because they're deep and if I'm to have any shot at winning my various pools, I best pick a sleeper.

Is there a worse judge of basketball acumen than filling out a bracket. I don't care how many games you watch, theoretical match-ups are impossible to handicap and, after the first round, every game is a theoretical match-up.

I'm still waiting for one of the big sports sites out there to change their system so you only pick one round at a time with the winner being the person who picks the most games correctly. It would be like 63 individual horse races, something you could honestly analyze and sink your teeth into.

Until then, I guess, we'll just keep winging it. Go XU!

Down Memory Lane

2008-03-17T20:55:00.002-04:00

A pretty fascinating look back at the 1996 NFL Draft...

Some thoughts...

Do not question the acumen of Mel Kiper, Jr.! Perhaps the most entertaining part of this video is the argument that ensues following the St. Louis Rams drafting Lawrence Phillips at #6. To summarize: Joe saw no reason to discount the "best player in the draft" due to his off the field problems; Mel did. Just goes to show you that you should be wary of punditry coming from a man who changed his name so it would rhyme with Heisman.
Is there any question that Tommie Frazier gets a shot in today's NFL? Is there any question as to whether or not he would be drafted on the first day? Granted this is entirely selective coverage of that draft, but it certainly seems like this was THE question heading into the draft.
There seemed to be little question as to whether or not Berringer was going to get a shot despite running the same system as Frazier. Granted there was the blood clot issue, but was "the black quarterback" still that much of a stigma in 1996?

If you want more Huskers draft coverage, NFLHusker has a ton more videos on YouTube or you can visit their site.

Happy St. Paddy's Day from Nebraska QBs Future, Past and Present

2008-03-16T21:13:00.008-04:00

A (not very good) photo essay...

Now get back to your Guiness and brackets. Slainte.

Kicker Kicked Off Cornhuskers

2008-03-12T21:19:00.002-04:00

The Lincoln Journal-Star is reporting that transfer kicker Daniel Lee has been dismissed from the team.

Who? This guy.

Lee transferred to Nebraska from Vanderbilt in January of last year but sat out all of the '07 season as a Football Bowl Subdivision transfer (formerly, and more conveniently, Division I-A).

That same LJS report also notes the suspension of "several players." Given that we have yet to hear of any additional incidents of Husker lawlessness or even the names of said suspended players, something strange certainly seems to be afoot. (Pun, sadly, intended.)

Expect more information, spurious and not, to leak in the days to follow.

The Joy of Being Head Ball Coach

2008-03-11T20:37:00.003-04:00

It hasn't been a week for good news in Nebraska football circles, but I'm not so sure that's a bad thing for the Cornhuskers first-year head coach.

Back in the (brief) halcyon days of Bill Callahan's tenure at Nebraska, the rallying call of the day was "Restore the Order." Maybe it still is but the shirts Callahan had printed up referred to the Big 12 pecking order. (Or, perhaps, the natural state of the universe which, of course, features Nebraska as one of the best teams in the country.)

Bo Pelini now has a chance to restore a different kind of order. While Pelini has curried much favor with Huskerbloods by getting back to the "Nebraska Way" on a couple of different fronts--walk-ons, promises of competitive practices, actions speaking louder than and/or in place of words--given Nebraska's recent bum rush of the Fulmer Cup standings, the new coach is faced with his first official decision as the BMOC.

As Darren noted on the Big Red Network last summer when we were awaiting disciplinary action on Mo Purify, talking about what Pelini "should" do is pointless and pretty dangerous. What's important here is not how Bo handles the situations but rather the fact that now, barely 100 days into the job, he has to handle the situation.

What's the old line about losing that never consoled anyone? Losing doesn't build character, it reveals it? Yeah, this is one of those sort of moments.

Up to this point, Pelini's tenure could best be described as wiping the slate clean. Now, or in the near future, Bo's going to have to pick up the chalk and write. Ultimately, the words that end up on the blackboard probably won't matter much but I suspect that the process certainly will.

It's officially your team now, Bo.

The Holy Grail

2008-03-10T19:49:00.002-04:00

What you see here is the single greatest piece of Nebraska memorabilia ever. It's true. This 1940's "Pep Sweater" elicited the f-word from uniform/design impresario Paul Lukas and if you want it you're probably going to have to fight him for it.

Despite the unmistakable presence of breasts in the photo above, this is a men's sweater according to the seller. If it weren't for this barrel chest of mine, I'd be right in the mix for this thing. (OK, it's pretty small.)

But for those of you who can squeeze into this, the ebay auction is open until Thursday. Get bidding and become the source of my eternal envy.

Alt-football still struggling.

2008-03-06T23:53:00.005-05:00

Eric Crouch can't catch a break. Just when the former Heisman Trophy winner thinks he's found somebody who will pay him to play football it turns out that somebody doesn't have any money to pay him to play football.

In a complete shock to no one, the All-American Football League has announced that it is in serious need of some liquidity and, until further notice, the inaugural season is on hold.

Economically speaking, it's not exactly the best time to go looking for sugar daddies to save an alt-football league. They don't really have a good track record here in the U.S. Sure, we're football mad but even at an all you can eat buffet there are certain things you won't touch.

That said, I don't think it's totally hopeless. You see, I have ideas that might sweeten the deal a little bit. I've always fancied myself a Michael Clayton like figure for fledgling football leagues, I've just never had the opportunity to actually prove it.

Until today…

Idea #1 – Eliminate the Forward Pass.

There's only one thing football fans enjoy more than offense and that's violence and football prior to the forward pass was a particularly violent game. So violent that Teddy Roosevelt threatened to ban the sport in 1906 if rules weren't changed. Along came the forward pass and away went the brutally effective flying-wedge and now we live in the era of the spread. If you were planning on having Eric Crouch play quarterback this was pretty much inevitable anyway.

So what better way to distinguish yourself than by muddying things up a bit and bringing all the action to the middle of the field in one giant miasma of eye-gouging and hair-pulling? This would be a game for men, not offensive geniuses.

Idea #2 – Revive the Offenses of Old.

The forward pass idea too drastic for you? How about if we just assign each AAFL team a historically accurate offensive scheme? As the founders of the league are finding out, there's no real good reason to watch a game between Florida and Texas, even in the Swamp, if those teams are not, in fact, Florida and Texas.

But if you could pitch it as the single wing versus the wishbone, well then you have something. Again, if Eric Crouch is one of the faces of your league you have to play to your strengths.

Idea #3 – Corporate Sponsorship.

I'm not talking about putting some Vault ads on the jerseys, I'm talking company teams in the grand old baseball tradition. In the good old days, almost every company had a baseball team. You could conceivably catch a game on a lazy Saturday afternoon between the Shell Oil Refiners and 9 Lives Batteries.

I see no reason why this wouldn't work for football. Ditch the college angle and go where the money is. Who wouldn't want to see the teams fielded by Google and Yahoo? A rivalry for the ages.

Idea #4 – Condense, condense, condense.

If all that fails, why not just use college football overtime rules but do it indoors!

And you thought the Arena Football League was exciting.

The Things You Miss by Not Living in the South

2008-03-05T21:25:00.004-05:00

In case you missed this on EDSBS...marvel...

Oh, to have a rival. (Much less two.) One can only hope that "puke-filled-pumpkin" can become an official color for UT. We've always known that the Vols hue was entirely different than the sick-wit-it orange of, say, Auburn or Clemson but I think it was merely a semantic issue.

Not anymore. We can now accurately describe Bruce Pearl's suspenders.

Personally, I've got no beef with Tennessee--Bruce Pearl is another story--and I'd love to throw them some support here but they did lose to Alabama 41-17 last year.

The Oracle Says Eight!

2008-03-04T21:20:00.003-05:00

Good news Cornhusker fans: the fall of the great Nebraska football empire is officially over. We've reached the nadir. There's nowhere to go but up. If you were wondering if things could possibly get worse, they can't. Nebraksa, right here, right now, is no longer worthy of comparisons to Kansas. Or Missouri for that matter.

You could say that's a pretty arrogant view to hold but it's really not my fault. Eighty-five percent of my lifespan thus far was lived never knowing a loss to either team. Even the most generous and rational people--preachers, scientists, doctors, bookies--would have had a hard time taking either the Tigers or Jayhawks seriously with a history such as that.

Of course, this could just be because Nebraska isn't really an apt comparison in either case. The fact that the Cornhuskers are neither the next Kansas nor the next Missouri could mean that many people outside of Nebraska are indeed viewing last year as a particularly painful aberration. A freak accident. Or it could mean that they're taking a much more patient wait and see approach with our first time head coach. Fools.

It doesn't really matter as neither supposition really supports my agenda here which is to seek out any source of inspiration or motivation with spring football, and any meaningful (at least by comparison) news three weeks away, and blow it totally out of proportion.

As far as you and I are concerned we just got dissed. Got it? Don't just brush that chip of your shoulder. Carry it around until August. It will do you good. If you do, a bountiful reward awaits. I promise.

Warren Buffett already has the Huskers penciled in for eight wins and when was the last time he was wrong about anything? Never, that's when. In an economy that looks worse on paper than the 2007 Blackshirts, during an era where everyone overestimates everything, The Oracle is still making dollars and sense.

Wow. There's really nothing going on is there?

You Can't Stop What's Comin'

2008-02-28T22:46:00.006-05:00

Remember that bit from last week about the cultural significance of overalls and our beloved mascot Herbie?

You can forget all that.

After seeing an item on Corn Nation about a poll EA Sports was running to determine which mascot would get the first ever Wii cover for the NCAA Football franchise--this was immensely important because the folks at EA were using the old, overalled Herbie rather than the new, phone-holster Herbie--I launched into a screed about the value of that distinction. It was impassioned, it was obsessive and, ultimately, it was all for naught.

If you go to the EA Sports website today and, using your little floating Wii remote, try to vote for Herbie you'll see that he has been updated (assimilated? gentrified?). Phone-holster Herbie is back, awaiting your vote, and Steve Pederson, from deep inside his palatial Pittsburgh estate, continues to haunt us.

Damn you, Steve, daaaammmmmnnnnn yooooooouuuuuu!

The good news is that the only reason I learned about this disgusting new development was because my father, inspired by this blog, was voting every day and noticed the change.

See? We're reaching people here...and thanks, Dad.

(Photo note: You might remember the gentleman in the above photo from the first overalls photo I posted. Apparently he always dresses like Herbie and I love him for it--in the manly, altruistic Greek sense of the word. It is now my mission to seek him out and interview him for this very blog.)

Assorted Thoughts

2008-02-27T20:35:00.003-05:00

--According to Pete Fiutak of CollegeFootballNews.com Nebraska will play the 12th most interesting non-conference game of 2008. At least that's the ranking right now but that could change based on the off-season. Between now and September 27 any number of things could happen that would ratchet up the intensity: Herbie could beat out the Hokie Bird for that coveted Wii cover, Frank Beamer could promise a bed-ridden child at least one blocked punt, the Vick bros. could show up...well...a Vick could show up, you just never know. Here's why Fiutak likes it:

"A rematch of the 1997 Orange Bowl, a 41-21 Husker win, it's also the first real test for Bo Pelini after starting out with Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State. With Missouri and Texas Tech to follow, the Huskers can't afford a loss. This is the second road trip for Tech in a nasty stretch of four road games in five dates."

This is an interesting game for Nebraska fans as it'll be the first "big game" in a while where everyone will be wanting to see almost exclusively the two defenses hustle and bang heads. Not that Nebraskans didn't always enjoy a good defensive struggle, but Virginia Tech has made their name playing the sort of lunch pail defense we all hope Pelini will be bringing back to Nebraska.

Of further interest for Husker fans: there are eleven Big 12 games named in the Top 40 (+1) list of non-conference games. That's three more than the vaunted SEC got but, of course, they can't be expected to play anybody out of conference.

Illinois-Missouri was the top ranked game for the conference and number two overall while SMU at Texas Tech is the lowest ranked game at #41. Somehow, Texas Tech at Nevada also made the list as the Wolfpack is the only bowl team from '07 the Red Raiders play before October 18th. To which I reply: yes, but Nebraska beat them.

--Nebraska season ticket prices are staying the same. That's a nice gesture and all but really wasn't a rebate in order after 2007?

--Maurice Purify...

Meet Edgar Davids...

Nebraska takes New York

2008-02-25T09:45:00.002-05:00

Or, rather, New York came to Nebraska. The New York Times that is.

Joe Drape has a nice piece in today's Times detailing the back to basics approach of Bo Pelini. It's similar to stories you've read before, but where you really get your money's worth is with the audio slide show. It features some spectacular images and Drape likening the recruiting event he attended in Grand Island to a "tent revival."

Sounds like a pretty apt comparison to me.

Who'll Be Better? - Michigan v. Nebraska '08

2008-02-24T21:30:00.004-05:00

I was talking with my boss the other day at work and, being the born and bred Michigan man he is, talks turned to the coaching hires at our respective schools.

He was surprisingly lukewarm on Rich Rodriguez which was too bad because I was prepared to goad him with a bet that Nebraska would have a better 2008 season than Michigan would.

I still believe that and since my boss wouldn't take the bait I'll make the case here. If it goes well, maybe I'll keep making it with a few other teams opening 08 with a new head coach.

MICHIGAN

2008 RECORD: 9-4
FINAL AP RANK: 18

Problems Michigan has but Nebraska doesn't: Number one, Nebraska will not be ushering in a (totally) new offense. That's a hurdle the Huskers have already cleared and nobody here needs to be reminded of the ugliness of that first season. That's the way a major offensive overhaul works. Some things are always lost in translation. In this case it's probably games, or at least more games than you're used to losing at a place like Michigan.

But wait there's more. With the transfer of The Mallett Man--who already has his own Arkansas fansite replete with his name misspelled--Michigan will be lead in their quest for the spread by ???. Best case scenario Rodriguez reels in Terrelle Pryor and takes his lumps with a true freshman quarterback. Worst case Pryor goes to tOSU and Michigan opens the Rodriguez era with a QB who has never thrown a collegiate pass. Neither option bodes particularly well for 2008.

Even Joe Dailey was better than nobody. I think.

Problems Nebraska has but Michigan doesn't: Nebraska's defense in '07 was as resistant as a tear-away jersey. Michigan, on the other hand, finished with the #24 defense in the country. The Wolverines will return seven starters off that defense, Nebraska will bring back six, none of whom are linebackers. But, then again, that's why we got Bo Pelini. To make head up, butt low, 11 men to the ball miracles.

Pelini's not the guy you buy, he's the guy you kill so you don't have to face his ferocious defense...or something like that. (Sorry, Oscars hangover.)

The proof is in the schedule a.k.a. The path of least resistance: As if playing in the mind-numbing Big 10 wasn't enough, Michigan's big non-conference game of the year is their season opener with Utah. It's far from a gimme and there will be a lot of pressure considering the debacle that was last year's season opener and the great unveiling of Michigan 2.0, but even coming off a 9-4 season the Utes aren't exactly the '07 pre-Super Bowl Patriots. (Note: I'm not considering Notre Dame a non-conference game as everyone knows they should be in the Big 10 anyway.)

Nebraska, however, might have a marginally easier schedule than they did last year, but it's a razor thin margin. USC is replaced by Virginia Tech and Nebraska will get the added benefit of an off-week leading up to the showdown with the Hokies. But after that things get interesting quickly.

The Big 12 will be a beast next year and the only conference heavyweight Nebraska misses is Texas. After the Virginia Tech game, the Cornhuskers face Missouri (probable preseason Top 5) at home followed by a road trip to Lubbock for Mike Leach's best Texas Tech squad yet. Throw in a road trip to Oklahoma backed by a home game against Kansas and you have two absolute minefields for 2008. Welcome to head coaching, Bo.

The Verdict: There are a number of ways to define "better season." It could mean more wins, it might mean higher final rank, it should mean winning head-to-head in the playoffs, but in this case I'd put my money on progress from 07 to 08.

Michigan will likely start the season a ranked team but I'd be shocked if they stayed there. There aren't a lot of scheduled losses at a glance--only Ohio State and either Illinois or Wisconsin seem likely right now--but I have major questions about whether or not Rodriguez was the right fit at Michigan.

He was the flashy hire, sure, but he definitely doesn't fit the mold of "THE MICHIGAN MAN" (see also: Callahan, Bill and Nebraska). He's a little too flashy, a little too slick. Michigan has the athletes to run the spread right now (minus a QB) and they'll keep coming, but Rodriguez had some pretty good athletes at West Virginia.

What, exactly, has he won? The Sugar Bowl against Georgia? He definitely did not win against hapless Pitt with a bid to the mythical national title game on the line. Mix in the whole hullabaloo regarding his departure from West F'n Virginia and you have a lot of questions that won't necessarily be answered by the offense of the week.

Nebraska? Well, they just have to restore their entire defensive tradition but they brought in perhaps the best available person for the job. That's not to say there won't be questions about Pelini's ability. He's got a long way to go to even reach Rodriguez's "he shrinks in the spotlight" status, but he'll have every opportunity to get a good start right away.

Should Nebraska go even 2-3 in their big five games next year--and not drop any they shouldn't--they'll end up in the Top 25. Win three of those five and the buzz will be officially back on a national scale.*

In the end it's all about trends. Nebraska can't really fall any lower than they did last year but Michigan? Who knows? I wouldn't say they'll be awful, but I wouldn't be shocked if Michigan fans started looking at Nebraska fans as a support group in 2008.

After all, that's what I did with Notre Dame fans last year.

* We here at HiPlainsDrifter recognize that expectations must be tempered, tongues bitten, time given. I will not be heartbroken if Nebraska loses four or five games next season but honestly I think they'll be pretty good.

Entertainment Fridays

2008-02-21T22:26:00.004-05:00

Warning: The following post has nothing to do with sports, Nebraska or otherwise. It's the end of February. Nothing is happening. That said, I'm going to talk about television and, yes, even the Oscars. You can stop reading now if you wish.

Remember when Dillon had to host their rival school after it was destroyed by a tornado? This is sort of like that...At the risk of having this space labeled as an FNL fanblog, I'll dispense with this next item carefully: there might be hope for Friday Night Lights yet.

According to the Variety piece, NBC is actively looking at sharing the beloved show with one of its sister networks a la the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (aka "NOOCH"). TNT, CW, E!, G4 and Comcast Entertainment Network (whatever that is) are all named as potential weekend daddies for the Panthers which is fine because I get all of those channels. Unfortunately, DirecTV is also mentioned in the article. That, I don't--and won't--get.

Now that's it. No more FNL talk until there's either a) a decision or b) a new episode.

Call it, Jun-o...I had a scary, irrational thought the other day. I'm going to be absolutely furious if Juno wins the Oscar for Best Picture on Sunday. I was reading some fluff about what would happen if the Academy recognized comedy like it should--and I'm a card carrying member of this camp--and the mere notion that the little comedy that could might win on Sunday filled me with rage. I cringed. I crumbled the paper. Why do I care so much?

Because this isn't the year for a comedy to win the Oscar. The year Gladiator won, or even last year with The Departed? Fine. Those were both good movies but not exactly Citizen Kane. We have Kane-level movies this year.

Let me say first that Juno was a fine, fun movie with a tragically hip soundtrack. I'd call it Garden State but good. The entire movie was perfectly summed up near the end when Juno had the following exchange with Bleeker:

Juno
'Cause you're, like, the coolest person I've ever met, and you don't even have to try...
Bleeker
I try really hard actually.

That was Juno. A cool movie that was painstakingly designed to be cool. Is that enough in year that features the best work of both the Coens and Paul Thomas Anderson?

I hope to hell not.

Seeing as how this blog was named after a Western--please note: not the Beastie Boys song--I'm entirely biased in my account of No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. However, biases have never stopped me before and I think I have the critical masses behind me that would support this anti-Juno stance so let's break down the Best Picture race Derby style:

No Country for Old Men 3/1 -- The ending? Huh? I'll just say this: everything you need to know is in the title. It's that simple. And haunting. And beautiful.

The morning line favorite but will have to come off a long layoff with a November release date. Coens could benefit from the career award tendencies of the Academy.

There Will Be Blood 4/1 -- The second choice by a slight margin. This movie really did remind me of Citizen Kane in that when it was over I didn't immediately like it but I did immediately recognize its brilliance.

A stone cold closer, this movie's stretch run more than makes up for the slow (poetic? elegiac?) first two hours.

Juno 12/1 -- See above. Lacks Academy bloodlines.

Atonement 15/1 -- I didn't see this movie, but it has the apparently weepy, period-piece pedigree the Academy loves. I'm sure it's fine but there's no reason to settle for fine this year.

Michael Clayton 30/1 -- I've seen the trailer for this movie at least five times and I'm still not sure what it's about. Clayton with Clooney seems sort of like Baffert's fourth-best entry in the Derby. No doubt good but far from his best.

To put it another way: you don't put Kent Desmoreaux on this horse.

In summary, I'm fine with TWTB winning but I like NCFM a little more and I think given Paul Thomas Anderson's relative youth, the Academy will too. Of course, Juno or even Atonement could spoil the entire thing.

And what about after we learn who wins? Go see In Bruges. It's probably the most original and enjoyable tragicomedy to come out this decade.

Hell Hath No Fury like a Spano Spurned

2008-02-20T21:18:00.002-05:00

The Oklahoman is reporting the Nebraska's newest signal caller, Kody Spano, perhaps could've matriculated at Oklahoma State this spring after all:

"The problem was Gundy was informed he might be two scholarships short for the spring semester due to the heavy influx of juco players and concerns two seniors on OSU's roster might not graduate in December as projected.
Gundy informed Kody Spano and Mesquite wide receiver Adrian Richards they might have to wait until June to report. Their scholarships weren't pulled. But they might have to wait.
Might is the operative word."

Amazing how hard it is to keep track of academic credits what with all the game-planning, rolling around in T. Boone's cash and man-being going on in Stillwater, but the two seniors in question did end up graduating. When it was all said and done, Spano would've had a scholarship waiting but it was too late. He was already gone.

Good for him. As a quarterback you've gotta make split-second decisions, adjust on the fly. Spano saw an opening and took off.

To Nebraska.

The best part is that Gundy, restricted by N.C.A.A. omerta, can't say a thing about it. I am confident, however, that at least the reporting is still considered garbage. Silently garbage.

On the value and idealism of overalls.

2008-02-18T09:33:00.010-05:00

Brilliant news courtesy of Corn Nation: the overalls might be back!

Based on an EA Sports screenshot from NCAA Football 2009 for the Wii, it looks like there might be a chance the old-overalled Herbie could be making a return. Past editions of the game have featured the new, phone-holster Herbie. (So named by me because he would look exactly like a modern farmer/rancher if he only had a cell phone clipped to his belt. Conveniently, for my purposes, phone holsters are admittedly handy but undeniably lame.)

But if this new development from EA Sports' game designers--they must have received a communique to change it from somewhere--has any truth behind it, we could be one step closer to cream-washing the memories of the Steve Pederson era from our collective minds.

That'll be enough for some, but it's of secondary importance to me. While Jon makes a valid point in his defense of phone-holster Herbie--it does better reflect the attire of a modern Nebraskan--I'm not really interested in realism or veracity. I want idealism.

As best I can remember, my maternal grandfather wore overalls every day of his life minus weddings and funerals. Nobody does that now but that's the point. Overalls are a functional garment. The opposite of fashion. They represent a disregard for things not directly related to work and, if I'm not mistaken, wasn't that the ideal that we used to define the great Cornhusker teams of the past?

It wasn't change itself that caused the Pederson Empire to crumble it was that the changes went all the way to the bedrock of Nebraska football. I'll admit that the new, forearmtastic Herbie was better than no Herbie at all but modern updates are a very difficult thing when you're dealing with a source of passion for so many people. Yes, phone-holster Herbie is a more-palatable, less-hokey edition of our beloved mascot and he achieves that without putting on airs. It's not like we put him in a three-piece suit.

But those overalls--and the ear of corn they carried--still have meaning. While a simple red shirt and jeans better represent the way Nebraskans look now, the overalls better represent the way we view ourselves as industrious, simple people.

There are some who like to poke fun at that notion but I say let them poke. At this point, using Simers-like disregard to fuel our collective identity is probably Nebraska's second favorite sport.

The first, of course, is football and in the end the addition of blonde hair or a corn cob isn't going to result in one more win out on the field, but it does make me feel a lot better about myself.

Is that such a bad thing?

Uncharitable stripe does in Jays...again

2008-02-14T08:13:00.005-05:00

What's amazing is not that Creighton--previous winners of three straight, team on the come, people talking long-shot at-large bid if the chips fell right--lost to last place Evansville. What is amazing is that it's the exact same story as all but two of the other Jay losses on the year.

Free throws. That's what it is and somewhere in Omaha a 7th grade basketball coach looking for a popular example to use with his team is rubbing his hands devilishly.

Creighton has now lost seven games this season. Below are the scores for four of those losses followed by their opponents FTM-FTA:

2/19 CU 56 Evansville 60: 30-32
1/30 CU 65 Drake 75: 15-16
1/22 CU 60 Drake 68: 17-18
12/5 CU 66 XU 79: 18-20

That's four losses and six missed free throws combined for the Jays opponents. On the season, Creighton's opponents are shooting 72.6% from the line. In the four losses above, CU's opposition show an otherworldly, the Gods must be angry, 93.0%. If you take all seven losses into account, the opposition has shot 79.0%, more than six percentage points over the season average for all Creighton's games and a mark that would rank as the best in the country.

Basically, when Creighton has lost they've lost to the best free throw shooting team in the country. That's what we're looking at.

Of course, the Jays aren't completely blameless here. In those infamous four losses from above the Jays went 26-41, 63.4%, which ranks nearly eight percentage points below their season average.

So what do you do? I don't know. I guess you just hope Creighton doesn't have one of those bad outings while their opponent flirts with a no-hitter in the MVC tourney as that looks like the only path to the post season at this point.

But enough about free-throw percentage. Even that junior high basketball coach who is preaching the importance of making your free throw to impressionable youngsters now will one day get a varsity or JV job and start bitching at the refs about foul disparity.

Maybe Jays fans should start there. C'mon, ref!

Will Friday Night Lights burn out or fade away?

2008-02-12T21:15:00.002-05:00

Originally published in BostonNow.

Now that the writers are officially back (congrats, and welcome) life can finally get back to normal. We can stop reading books again, get back to eating our dinners from a TV tray and start petitioning networks not to cancel one of the best shows currently running.

Of course we’re talking about Friday Night Lights here. Who isn’t? Thanks to some negative off the cuff comments from NBC exec Ben Silverman and the news that last Friday’s episode represented the last the cast and crew were able to complete prior to the writer’s strike and you have a lot of people realizing all at once that they may have seen the last of the Taylors, Riggins, Garrity, et al.

And, as much as I want to see it continue, I’m not entirely convinced the quick death isn’t the best available fate. That’s how much I like the show, but that wasn’t always the case.

While there were a number of noteworthy critics lauding Friday Night Lights from the pilot episode, I gave the show a rather tepid but hopeful review after one episode. While relying too heavily on the precedents set by the book and the movie, I wrote the following:

“No longer set in 1988, the school is now the fictionalized Dillon. The players, while drawing heavily on their real-life models, aren’t real either. The super-quick cuts and Explosions in the Sky soundtrack are carried over from the film, but at this point the topic isn’t new…It’s become hyper-realistic, so bizarrely true that we don’t even notice anymore.”

I was wrong. The characters have revealed a depth that puts any reality show star to shame, the very people who are supposed to be real, relatable. Tim Riggins, in the 30-plus episodes we’ve seen thus far, has easily become the most compelling character on television, drinking pitchers before practice, yearning desperately for the girl who has made the breaks he’s never been able to catch. (And his hair reminds women of Jesus, so there’s that.)

Up against American Idol for most of its first season, FNL struggled for viewers. Websites started sprouting up in support of the show and, after some deliberation, NBC renewed it for a second season. On Friday nights.

As many predicted, the crappy time slot put the show in an almost impossible position. It’s tough to draw viewers on a night when there aren’t any and even the critical approval of sports-culture figureheads like Bill Simmons and Chuck Klosterman can’t replace the ad revenue that the show apparently cannot deliver. We’re not making art here, we’re pushing product and if the latter coincides with the former all the better. If not? There’s always My Dad is Better than Your Dad.

Which brings us to the very real possibility that last week’s mid-season ending was the ending. As fans of the show we’ve already been granted a death row reprieve once, the odds for a second in showbiz are about as long as Tim Street impregnating a beautiful and understanding waitress.

If that’s the case, however, I am prepared to let the show go. Cruelly cutting the cord, considering the circumstances behind it and the public support against it, would only serve to make the show even more memorable.

This isn’t a particularly profound or unique thought. You could have your pick of clichés to sum it up: better to burn out than fade way, if you love something set it free, always leave ‘em wanting more, etc. That last one is said to be the first rule of showbiz but the real rule is money, represented by eyes on TV screens, talks and, while everyone I know (and everyone you probably know if you’re reading this) loves the show, we apparently don’t know enough people.

At this point NBC isn’t saying whether the show will continue or not and there have been rumors that, should the show be canceled, ESPN might be interested in picking it up. Selfishly, I’d be delighted with more episodes but the “echoes in eternity” side of me knows it would be better if it ended right now.

What if we never know whether or not Tim Riggins escaped the painful precedent set by the male figures in his life? What if we never know whether or not Jason Street has his child and ultimately finds a replacement for the shine of Friday night lights? What if we never see Smash in a college uniform? So what?

As with all good art, the questions themselves are nearly destined to be more interesting than the answers. Try to recall the most memorable ending you’ve ever seen. Was it from your favorite movie or book or show? Did it answer every question or confirm your belief in the work? Or was it just an ending? Not necessarily life affirming but simply life, abrupt, unresolved endings and all?

For a show praised for its realism, there may not be a better ending than the one we’re looking at right now. What might be the final episode of Friday Night Lights ended last week with Street making an earnest appeal to his girlfriend to keep their child. His final words were these:

“So give it a chance.”

If those are the final words for Friday Night Lights as a whole, well, could you write a better ending?

Interested in fighting for that ~~inch~~ chance? Petitions are here, here and here. Personally, I just went out and bought the DVD of the first season—my first ever television series purchase—as someone said that would help. I think I’ll watch that now.

I have no doubt that Charlie Weis will eat those words

2008-02-06T20:22:00.000-05:00

Silly, silly us. After the topsiest-turviest college football season on record we thought super upsets by the likes of Appalachian State and Stanford represented the dawning of a new era in college football. NFL style parity with the intensity of a season long playoff (or beauty contest depending on your view of the BCS).

Turns out it was all a preamble as the best was yet to come. The true upset would be the delivery of Charlie's Angels, at least that's what Charlie Weis told Dan Wetzel.

"You want to talk about the upset of the year, all the upsets in college football this season?" Weis said. "This is the upset of the year. We're 3-9 and we land the top, or one of the top, recruiting classes in the country?"

No pressure 18-year-old guys, but I just used you as a defense for the worst season in the long history of Notre Dame football. We certainly wouldn't have lost that Navy streak if you had been here. My hands were tied, I tell you, my...hands...were...tied!

Finally, Notre Dame has some talent.

Contrast Weis' comments with those of Bo Pelini and I couldn't be happier with the coach that we have.

(HT: My brother for originally sending me this quote.)

Other assorted signing day thoughts...

--Speaking of Pelini's comments, this was really the second time Nebraskans got a chance to hear the new head man speak at length and his discomfort with the task is still evident.

Bo likes to talk a lot about "work"--is there a better way to win over jaded Nebraskans?--but the key is it feels genuine. Given the choice of talking about himself or his team or doing anything else football related there's never a doubt that Pelini would much rather be in the office.

I like that.

--Pelini declined to comment about individual players and I honestly haven't done the research necessary to contribute anything meaningful. (Signing Day is really just the go ahead to officially get excited about these guys for me.)

Jeff from Double Extra Point, however, has. The first part of his Signing Day overview is here and the rest of the trilogy promise to be rivaled only by Leone's Dollars set and the first three Mario games.

Kendal Thompkins doesn't like us (me)

2008-02-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

In perhaps the biggest signing day mystery for Nebraska, Miami wide receive Kendall Thompkins has decided to stay put and join The (FL).

A couple of noteworthy statistics that I feel should be relevant for any potential wide receiver:

2007 Passing Yards
The (FL): 2034, 103rd in the country
The N: 3886, 8th in the country

2007 Passing Yards/Game
The (FL): 169.5, 103rd in the country
The N: 323.8, 8th in the country

2007 Passing Attempts/Game
The (FL): 25.1
The N: 40.1

2007 Passing TDs
The (FL): 16
The N: 31

Nebraska's signed five WR recruits of their own, but only Khiry Cooper and Antonio Bell outpace Thompkins in star count. Meanwhile, Thompkins commitment gives Miami seven recruits listed as a WR according to Scout.com, all of whom, other than Thompkins, are listed as three-star or better.

That's a lot of presumably talented guys to whom Miami won't be throwing.

Wednesday Wishes

2008-02-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

Enjoy Wednesday sports fans. It's national signing day and national pride day (via U.S. Soccer tackling Mexico in Houston.) After that it's a long hard road out of February and into March Madness.

As much as I'm looking forward to it, I do have a couple of ideas that could make a spectacular sports day even better:

1) National Signing Day participation - As fans of a college football program we have a lot invested in National Signing Day. Lot of dollars, lot of man hours, lot of needless fretting. At best, I know next to nothing about most of these kids. If I'm lucky I've seen a shoddy YouTube highlight tape set to an even worse hip-hop soundtrack. If I'm unlucky I've seen a 40 time and an arbitrary star ranking, neither of which are nearly as good an indication of future success as many would like to believe.

The point is, however, that when a player chooses Nebraska he chooses me. His talent is validated by wanting to play for my team and I am validated by him wanting to play for my team and, indirectly, me. I helped get that kid here by contributing to the greater whole of Nebraska football. That's honestly the only way I can rationalize all the interest in recruiting.

Operating under the assumption that I am at least partially responsible for any player who signs with Nebraska, I'm left a little dismayed with the set up for tomorrow. Letters of intent can start rolling in as early as 7am EDT which means I've got a full day of website checking on tap for tomorrow. But why does it have to be that way? Why can't I get the letters of intent sent directly to my inbox and enjoy the fruits of our labor along with the coaching staff?

I'd be more than happy to pay for this service, $10 or $20 seems fair, and I know there has to be an intern or some lackey in the athletic department who could quickly scan the LOIs and send out mass emails to the thousands of people who've paid for the service.

Imagine sitting at work Wednesday and getting instant alerts rather than constantly refreshing your website of choice. Look at that! Sam McGuffie decommitted from Michigan to attend Nebraska. Amazing. Wait, I just got another email, Terrelle Pryor wants to play for Bo too? I can't believe it. Oh, here's Baker's letter. Way to stay the course.

I'm telling you, it's a cash cow.

2. A True Border War

Despite their recent success, the US cannot beat Mexico on its own turf which might ground this idea before it even gets a test flight but I'll give it hell anyway.

The last friendly between the US and Mexico took place in Arizona. While technically a home game for the US it was hardly a home crowd and the match got pretty chippy towards the end. It's doubtful that Houston, with its proximity to Mexico and...well...Texas, will be much different. Expect a hostile crowd and a fair amount of cards. That's just the way things work when the neighbors get together on the pitch.

But if the US is going to play home games away from home why not take it the logical next step? I'm talking about the ultimate soccer facility in the western hemisphere. Maybe it's in Laredo/Nuevo Laredo or El Paso/Juarez, the location isn't really important, but what is important is that the field is exactly half US territory half Mexican territory. The Rio Grande marks the center line.

Think about it, we could stage (at least half of) the first ever self-contained, truly international soccer match. There would be American beer and food on one half of the stadium and Mexican food and beer on the other. Each side would be responsible for the upkeep and ultimate condition of only their half of the stadium. The fans would be separated by a simple chain link fence sort of like the jail scene in Colors.

Really, what could go wrong? I love American soccer because it's a rare chance to partake in world politics through sport with none of the repercussions but what's been missing thus far is some real No Country for Old Men level violence.

I think this idea solves that problem.

AVERAGE Thoughts on the SUPER Bowl

2008-02-03T17:28:00.001-05:00

While still trying to come to terms with the fact that there was a red carpet at the Super Bowl...

10:03 - Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are fallible. Repeat. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are fallible. Prepare the shock the world speeches. An entire season's worth of yammering and record setting. Gone. The Patriots are officially interesting in the eyes of Chuck Klosterman.

No matter how you look at it, Belichick leaving the field with one admittedly meaningless second left was bush league.

Somehow, however, I think this bodes well for the Celtics. Obviously the Patriots failure will deliver the C's a vetern back-up point guard and a post presence off the bench. That's karma.

9:57 - If you're gonna give up the go ahead touchdown might as well do it on first down. Are 35 seconds with three timeouts too much time for Tom Brady?

9:52 - Manning, staving off a certain sack, slings it to Tyree. That is exactly the sort of play that kept the Patriots undefeated this season. This time it happened to the Giants. Less than a minute left and 24 yards to go. It took a while, but this is going to be good after all.

9:42 - Can Eli Manning "arrive" before our very eyes?

9:40 - Randy be Randy. Touchdown Patriots. I've watched them do it all year but it's still amazing. Brady's been just a touch off all game. He missed Moss on 1st & Goal then threw a slightly risky pass on 2nd and I'm wondering if New England will just play if safe and get a field goal. Stupid me.

9:31 - Shotgun formation and quick hits. Can't get sacked that way. Belichick always has something in reserve. Always. Patriots driving, 4:40 left.

9:11 - 10-7 Giants. What's amazing is not the score but that the recent success of Boston's sports teams has resulted in what now seems like a very real chip on New York's shoulder. I wouldn't call a win by New York tonight bigger than the Red Sox coming back from a 3-0 ALCS deficit but it's in the same ballpark.

9:08 - 13:25 left in the game. The Patriots might be in real danger here and that's the first time I've felt that way all season. There's a lot of game left but I'm now starting to look for a proper context should this upset happen.

9:03 - That makes two straight super, scintillating, scoreless quarters. Next touchdown wins?

8:37 - Challenging to get a 12 men on the field call...sort of like calling every foul line infraction in your Tuesday night bowling league. It will help you win but it seems sort of slimy.

8:32 - Shaq as a jockey. Genius.

8:16 - Well, I got one from the good list and only one from the bad so I'll call the halftime show a push. (Nice beard, however.) You always hear musicians say that playing live, not recording or writing or groupies, is what drives them but I seriously wonder how many times you can possibly play Free Fallin' before it just seems like a job.

7:54 - 7-3 HALFTIME. I need to hear at least two of following three songs from Tom Petty: I Won't Back Down, Last Dance With Mary Jane, Don't Come Around Here No More. I do not need to hear Into the Great Wide Open, Learning to Fly, or Runnin' Down a Dream. I suspect the odds are not in my favor.

7:42 - Mmmm, Doritos. I would say that realizing mice do not come from arch shaped holes in the baseboards of your walls one of the ultimate disappointments of adult life. Rather, they infiltrate your home through much smaller holes. Like the size hole that holds the cable which is probably piping this thrilling 7-3 first half into your house right now. Nothing is ever as good as it's made out to be.

7:28 - 26 minutes closer to National Signing Day. (Also 26 minutes closer to Mexico v. USA in Houston.) If it weren't for the Pro Bowl I would have no problem going on record as saying the Super Bowl is almost annually the least interesting football game of the year.

7:02 - Already one quarter in the books and it's 7-3 Patriots. That, folks, is perfection. Scoring TDs when the other team scores FGs. At least in these playoffs it has been.

6:57 - If you were an NFL player how many tattoos would you get? Without a doubt, I'd have two full sleeves. There are a couple of reasons for this thinking: 1) physically you're a freak of nature and what better way to show that off and 2) even though your career is likely over way before you're even 35 your legacy as a former pro trumps everything else. Say you want to sell cars after your career is over. Rather than looking at your arms and thinking "how irresponsible" all anyone will ever think is "he used to play for the Giants."

6:46 - Do the SNL writers get residuals from that Diet Pepsi Max ad? (If you would like nothing but commercial talk, FOXSports.com is tackling that angle live right here.)

6:36 - Ability to breathe fire ad? Bad. Not a good sign if Bud Light is off their commercial game. Of course, the whole "commercial game" has become much less fun now that it's covered so extensively.

6:28 pm - I don't think you can really overestimate the value of Super Bowl experience. I can't imagine what it must be like to have to a) go to Boston's old city hall and read to random lines from the Declaration of Independence, b) now in Arizona show up midweek to tape some random bit about teamwork while standing behind a dais under a blue light, and finally c) stop on your way back from kickoff to talk about what your defense plans to do when they're on the field in, oh, 90 seconds.

Tedy Bruschi did all of those things and showed no signs that it was bizarre or cumbersome at all. Been there, done that.

6:00 pm - The whole Declaration of Independence? Was that necessary? What better welcome for the countless millions watching worldwide than the Dear John letter we sent Great Britain a couple hundred years ago.

And don't forget to vote!

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

A Nebraska record that (probably) won't fall

2008-01-30T20:01:00.000-05:00

I was flipping through Christopher Walsh's new college football book Who's #1, a book devoted to the wacky way we choose a national champion (full review coming later), and was mildly surprised to read that Nebraska is the only school to have won 100+ games in consecutive decades.

Typically when reading a Husker history recap you see the same streaks mentioned: sellouts, bowls, 9-win seasons, consecutive weeks ranked, etc. Of course, all but the sellout streak is gone now so my first reaction when reading about the decade streak was not "Wow!" but rather I wonder if we're in danger of losing that one to.

The good news is Nebraska is about 99% safe to hang on to this title for the next 12 years. The bad news is that 1% but I'll get to that. Let's set the stage first.

Before the 1970s no team won more 100 games in a decade. Between 1970-1979 two schools accomplished the feat Alabama (103) and Oklahoma (102). Nebraska just missed at 98 (three straight 100-win decades, in my opinion, would've been untouchable).

On to the Gordon Gekko era. The Cornhuskers compiled the most wins in the 80s with 103 followed by BYU with 102. Miami fell two short at 98.

Now to the Internet age and the addition of conference championship games. Four schools actually cracked the century mark in the 90s: Florida (102), Nebraska (108), Florida State (109) and, if you want to include 1-AA wins, Marshall at 114.

Since we'll disregard the Herd and Nebraska obviously isn't making it to 100 in the current decade that leaves only the Seminoles and the Gators as possible challengers to join the exclusive Double Century Club. With FSU sitting at 69 wins through 2007 they're 31 wins short with two years to go. Unless the NCAA institutes a 32-team playoff next year Bobby's boys ain't making it.

That's one down but what about the Gators? Well, they're the 1-percenters. Florida needs 26 wins to reach 100 and that's within reach. At best the Gators could play 28 games over the next two seasons (12 season games, SEC title game, bowl game) at worst they could play 24 but it's not the low end that matters. It's the losses.

Not to get all '72 Dolphins about the whole thing but we need to root for three Florida losses over the next two years. Shouldn't be hard considering they're Florida and it seems like a pretty safe bet what with the SEC being the greatest coalition of competitive entities ever created. I wouldn't start icing the champagne just yet but you could need it as soon as November of 2008. By that time the Gators will have faced Miami, Tennessee, LSU and Georgia. Go all of those teams.

So who will make it to 100 in the current decade? Boise State looks like the best bet needing only 14 wins over the next two years against WAC competition. Texas could get there by going 8-4 in each of the next two seasons and Oklahoma and LSU will need nine wins a year to close out the decade. Ohio State, USC and Georgia all have a puncher's chance but it will require at least one season with 10 or more wins.

The fact that so many teams are in the hunt in this decade is a reflection of the ever lengthening college football season and it's nearly impossible to predict what the next 10 years will look like. Playoff? No playoff? Super super-conferences? Plus-1? Who knows? Personally I'm most concerned about Boise State but I guess we'll worry about that in 12 years.

Assuming the Patriots win on Sunday the sports world is going to need some new cork-popping assholes. Might as well be us.

In the Company of Champions

2008-01-29T20:04:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you need another person telling you to go read the Seattle Times' entertaining (and infuriating) evisceration of the turn of the millennium Washington Huskies, but that's what I'm going to do. Read it.

It's long and the tale of Jerramy Stevens is pretty sad and disgusting but in that entertaining, can't stop reading sort of way. Amidst all the rape and drinking there is, however, some humor courtesy of Steven's teammate/roommate. When asked by a Seattle detective if he thought Stevens had indeed raped a UW student, the roommate said he did not and offered the following as his defense (emphasis mine):

"Well...he's my best friend. I hang out with champions."

I'd call it the line of the year if it wasn't seven-plus years old so I'll just call it what is, the line of the millennium thus far. So many possibilities.

Once you get past that line, however, the hatred for Stevens bubbles up pretty quickly again so, to recap: read the article, hate Jerramy Stevens, laugh for a second and use "I hang out with champions" all the time from now on, get back to hating Jerramy Stevens and then wonder what ever happened to the Huskies football program.

The N

2008-01-28T20:04:00.000-05:00

I've never really liked the University of Miami. The '84, '89 and '92 Orange Bowls had a lot to do with it, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp didn't help, and then there was that whole "THE U" thing that never made much sense to me.

Why would a school have a logo featuring the one thing they have in common with almost every other school in the country: the word "University?" Why should Miami be THE University, free of qualifier? As obnoxious as THE Ohio State University sounds at least it's true. Not the case with Miami.

But I suspect that this nickname caught on because Miami was the only school audacious enough to put it right there on their helmets. While almost every 1-A school calls themselves a "university"--thanks for dissenting Boston College--only Miami was dumb enough to put it on their helmets so, despite the fact that they're not even the only University of Miami in the country, the Canes get the gig. (I would argue that Miami would be better known as "The (FL)" but I'll save it for another day).

Why is any of this important? Because it came up in a Nebraska football discussion a friend and I were having last week. I failed to save the actual emails so I will dramatically recreate them below:

ME
What's the story with Will Compton? Is he coming or not?

YUN BALL COACH
Press conference later today but rumors are he'll be wearing to The N.

ME
The N?

YUN BALL COACH
I get tired of typing Nebraska.

And with that conversation, a new era in Nebraska football dawned. Why should Miami and Ohio State have all the definite article induced fun? It was so simple but something I'd never even considered which is a bit shocking when I started to think about it.

Thanks to this blog, I tend to type the words Nebraska and Cornhuskers a couple of hundred times a year and, because of that, I'm constantly looking for alternatives. Luckily, Nebraska has a pretty rich nickname history--Bugeaters, Rattlesnake Boys, Old Gold Knights, Mankilling Mastodons--I use all of them interchangeably but as wonderful as those options are they don't exactly roll off the tongue(or the fingers). THE N, however, is strong, easy to say and can be typed more quickly than a capital 'q'. No problems so far but is it appropriate?

It is. There's only one other school in the NCAA Crappy Way of Deciding a National Champion that Isn't Technically Recognized by the NCAA Subdivision to carry the 14th letter of the alphabet into battle upon their heads and that school is Northwestern. I trust that, in this football context, you will have no problem disregarding them. The rest of the country doesn't.

That leaves Nebraska. The N. The football team that made the letter famous. So simple and unadorned but intrinsically ours. I urge you to use it and espouse its validity. I urge you to buy a t-shirt right here on this very website and proudly wear this dramatic new identity on your chest*. Don't be the only person at the Spring Game (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik?) without it.

* All proceeds from these sales will go directly to the Yun' Ball Coach**

** Lacking the means of production for these shirts, "all proceeds" shall be a portion of the proceeds determined solely by HiPlainsDrifter.com

Pardon the Interruption - Spurs spike Gunners

2008-01-22T20:32:00.000-05:00

For those of you who regularly check this space for Nebraska football writing, I have to apologize. I'm about to talk about soccer for the next few minutes (depending on how quickly you can, if you decide to at all, read). If it goes well I may examine other areas of non-Nebraska interest from time to time during this vast emptiness known as the off-season but please know that I truly appreciate those who want to read and talk Cornhuskers or other items of interested related to The Good Life.

As proof that I'm still up on things: Shawn Watson's staying (can't be overstated so I won't even enter the ballpark) and Creighton pissed away a victory against suddenly unbeatable Drake at the free-throw line.

I'm officially in. A soccer fan. A communist in some people's minds, just stupid in other's but for the first time Tuesday I delighted in a soccer victory. In the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final, Tottenham crushed Arsenal 5-1 for their first victory over their arch rival since 1999.

The feeling itself wasn't unique but that's the point. The victory felt no different than a Cubs win over the Cardinals or a Husker victory over CU but as few as three years ago that would've seemed inconceivable.

When I moved to Boston I ended up with a roommate who was soccer mad. One of the few requests he made in our four years of cohabitation was that we pony up for Fox Soccer Channel.

It was on whenever he was home and I made an effort to try and capture some of his enthusiasm but it wasn't easy. I wasn't familiar with the most basic elements of the game--promotion/relegation, the various cups or even the goddamned offsides rule--much less the teams and players and the vast majority of awe-inspiring plays that elicited a response from my roommate barely even registered on my "Vince Carter once dunked by jumping over a Frenchman," American sports scale.

The solution, according to my roommate, was to simply pick a team and follow them so I did. While watching soccer was sometimes tedious, playing soccer video games never was and, at the time, I was skippering Tottenham Hotspur so that seemed like a logical place to start. I went to their official website and read through the teams entire history. I studied the rosters and even familiarized myself with their place in the grand pecking order of English football.

Having completed the crash course I fully expected to be a Spurs fan but I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the way things were supposed to work. You cannot, as a relatively well-adjusted grown man, simply pick a team to root for and instantly become a fan.

Of course, that is how I became a Cubs fan. They were on WGN one day and I liked the combination of their uniforms and some of the fans' signs so I was immediately a Cubs fan. No questions asked. But I was maybe six years old then and, more importantly perhaps, that choice hasn't exactly resulted in a lot of celebratory moments in my lifetime. My life as a Spurs fan was off to an ominously slow start.

Things wouldn't pick up again until the summer of '06 with the start of the World Cup and actual real expectations for the US. As I realized then and still believe now, international soccer represents the final sports frontier for the American sports fan. There is no other sport that matters where the US can be viewed, and rooted for, as an underdog. (USA Basketball, however, has been working diligently to change this.)

That's a pretty easy idea to rally around and I rallied hard. Of course, the US didn't provide much to cheer about, offering an ugly, grueling draw against eventual champions Italy as the lone bright spot but the tournament was valuable on another front. I was watching soccer and enjoying it.

After Zinedine Zidane butted his way into the history books there was a nasty void in my sports viewing experience. After a month of riveting action it was all gone. I wanted more soccer and I was ready to understand it this time around. Enter Tottenham.

Coincidentally, Bill Simmons shared these same feelings and set about a selecting his own squad. Much to my chagrin, and at least two years after I had done the same thing (for the record), he settled on Tottenham Hotspur. To date, Simmons has yet to write another word about the squad.

I, on the other hand, have quietly been building up a love for this soul-crushing team. Picked by some to be a real contender this season, Spurs have floundered, firing their coach mid-season and continuing to disappoint Steve Nash (among thousands of less-notable others). Before Tuesday, they hadn't beaten Arsenal, a bitter London rivalry most similar to the old days of Dodgers-Yankees, in almost nine years. They're mired in the middle of the table and were rumored to be selling off perhaps their best player, Dimitar Berbatov.

But all that changed, at least for a night, with a win over Arsenal. Granted it was the Carling Cup, a competition that, in the wild world of English football, is viewed with some disdain. Imagine if Major League Baseball crowned their champion not with a playoff then World Series but rather gave the title to the best regular season team but then also had a single elimination tournament that encompassed every level of baseball from the MLB to Single-A.That tournament is the Carling Cup. In my eyes there's an argument for either of these events being more impressive than the other but in England, the Carling Cup plays second-fiddle. So what? They also put vinegar on their fries.

Tuesday, partially due to my own soccer ignorance, I forgot all that. Seeing Spurs crush the beautiful Gunners, starless or not, was enough to make me feel like a full-blooded fan.

Considering the Nebraska season just passed, it was good to get a win even if I never could've comprehended wanting it three or four years ago. The championship is now more than a month away, but I'm at least confident now when I say, C'mon you Spurs!

Just don't call it "School"

2008-01-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

Spirits on the Creighton campus are presumably high right now. After an 0-2 start in the Valley, the Jays have won five straight conference games to get right back in the mix, the suddenly world beating, #22 Drake Bulldogs invade the Qwest--where Creighton has won five of their last six against ranked opponents--on Tuesday night, and CU is getting its very own on campus bar.

Does it get much better for a small mid-major university? Relative basketball success and school sanctioned drinking.

While the Omaha.com article linked above takes great care to examine the inherent problems and increased responsibility an on campus bar would bring, the whole thing seems to embody the college spirit to me.

A pint with a prof after class? Seems like the stuff of the letter sweater era but that's precisely what Creighton is going to do. (No word on whether or not incoming freshmen will be once again issued beanies.)

We have every assurance that a disapproving Billy Bluejay (or someone similar) will be vigilant in their pursuit of responsible drinking. Conveniently, this student center bar will close at least an hour before last call elsewhere--two if you want to cross the river--so, like the U. of Wisconsin example cited in the article, students can get plammered near home and raise hell elsewhere.

Sounds like a perfect system to me, now tell me more about those paper pitchers you speak of.

Salud. And beat Drake.

80-1 in Ought-8

2008-01-14T21:27:00.000-05:00

There is no off-season for oddsmakers... Bodog.com has already released their odds for teams to win the 2009 BCS Chamionship game and Nebraska opened at 80-1. Fellow 80-1 longshots include: Arizona, Boise State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Oregon State, Texas Ag. & Mech, Virginia and Washington.

Not exactly rarefied air but all the more reason to throw a $20 down if you get to Vegas in the near future.

The good news is Nebraska isn't the worst of the Big 12 teams listed. That honor belongs to K-State at 100-1. The bad news is that Notre Dame--based presumably on the strength of Charlie's Angels--edged Nebraska at 60-1.

Not surprisingly, USC is the chalk at 3-1 to win it all next year but if you ask the wiseguys--and we probably should as they provide the only current ranking system that seems to make any sense--the Trojans were the best team in 2007 as well. Fellow short-odds contenders include Florida, Georgia and Ohio State at 6-1 and Oklahoma 8-1. Nebraska's biggest non-conference opponent, Virginia Tech, opened at 15-1 which seems a bit ambitious to me.

In addition to Nebraska, A&M, KSU and Oklahoma the rest of the Big 12 broke down like this: Kansas 30-1, Missouri 20-1, Oklahoma St 60-1, Texas 12-1 and Texas Tech 50-1. Iowa State, Colorado and Baylor, sadly, were all relegated to THE FIELD which will get you 15-1.

What does it all mean? It's going to be a long, slow climb into the Top 25 next year. Would a win against VT be enough to do it? Perhaps, but I wouldn't call it a sure thing.

Respect is like currency for college football fans and Nebraska is going to have to earn every dollar.

(HT: The Wizard of Odds)

Photo: palmsrick

The Much Talked About RECRUITING WEEKEND

2008-01-14T08:06:00.000-05:00

Nebraska didn't get anybody.

At least not yet but maybe today, maybe tomorrow, and maybe that's a good sign considering the current strength of a verbal commitment against the letter of intent. The Friday Night Lights fan in me was really hoping to see eight or nine recruits commit right there at mid-court of the Devaney Center during halftime of the KU-NU game on Saturday. That woulda put'em in the aisles.

That didn't happen either, but that's okay. The earlier they commit the more time they have to decommit is what I now say.

Perhaps the more interesting news on the recruiting front was the curious case of Zach Domicone.

On Friday, Nebraska offered the QB/DB out of Beavercreek, Ohio a scholarship. Based on this article, Nebraska was the first Division I school in the mix and that's not something that happens too often at Beavercreek High. Said Domicone:

"I think I called or texted everyone on the call list on my cell within a minute after coach told me Nebraska was offering me a (college football) scholarship. I'm not sure who was more excited, me or coach."

The excitement didn't last very long. Before the day was even over, Domicone had committed to Oklahoma and ultimately Ohio State, but neither school seemed interested in the kid until Nebraska offered.

That's the good news because it is precisely that sort of recruiting and talent evaluation where I think Nebraska can succeed, especially in the immediate future. Give us your undersized, your overlooked, your three-starred masses longing to improve.

Pelini and his staff didn't get that guy this time but they did force the hand of a few teams higher on the current recruiting totem pole and I don't think you can be disappointed by that.

Give Carl Pelini--the former Ohio U. coach who reportedly started the dominoes falling--his first gold star.

Geaux Tigers!

2008-01-07T18:24:00.000-05:00

Is there anyone in the state of Nebraska not rooting for LSU tonight? I'd like to think that no Husker fan would root for the Buckeyes regardless--that's my own, vehement bias--but the Pelini factor has given us all a stake tonight. We are Tiger fans by proxy.

Best case scenario tonight the Tigers make Florida's beating last year look like a dress rehearsal. Bo's defense pitches a shut out, at least one person wears his Nebraska gear to the game and gets on camera, and we get at least one shot of Kirk Herbstreit weeping.

Worst case scenario? Sweater vest trumps white hat. In my mind, Ohio State has a sizable advantage in the coaching department and talent wise I think these two teams are pretty even. Add in the embarrassment of last year's title game and the Buckeyes have a lot going for them.

If I had to bet it I'd probably take Ohio State but I hope like hell the Big 10 doesn't win this thing.

(Bonus parenthetical content: I'm just about done with the two 10s. The higher ups in both the Pac-10 and Big 10 have been pretty open in their resistance to any sort of changes to the BCS and the current bowl set-up as they don't want to "diminish the Rose Bowl any further."

Now, I'm as traditional as they come. Nostalgia is my narcotic, but I could care less about the Rose Bowl at this point. The Grandaddy of 'em all hasn't pitted a Big 10 champion versus a Pac-10 champion in the past four years and five out of the last six. What is there left to diminish besides the quality of play even further (see: Rose Bowl 2008)? I have two suggestions for the interested parties:

1) Keep your Rose Bowl. While the other four conferences work towards a plus-one or whatever, the two 10s can just opt out, have their Rose Bowl and have no chance at the "official" national title. Problem with this is the first time one and two are in these two conferences everyone will know that the Rose Bowl is the true national title game.

2) Make the two 10s the superest super conference the earth has ever seen. Bi-coastal, huge media markets, a television network with some real clout that you might have a chance at watching, it's all good so far. Let the two conferences play only each other and, since neither conference has a championship game, the Rose Bowl can serve that purpose. Big 10 #1 vs. Pac-10 #1 for the right to enter in to the playoff or plus-one that the rest of the sane, and now even richer, conference commissioners agree to.

Of course neither of these ideas is logical or even well thought out but it does give me even more reason to hope that Ohio State loses tonight. Do it for me, Bo.)

HiPlains Bookshelf - Huskerville

2008-01-01T12:58:00.000-05:00

Even for an admitted college football junkie like myself, this bowl season sans-Nebraska has been significantly less interesting. There hasn't been that one day, be it a late December night or a more traditional post-New Year's slot, that's possessed any sort of anticipation. Without knowing that Nebraska would have their chance to stack up sooner or later the rest of the bowls became merely games, contests to be viewed at your convenience rather than out of interest.

Thus it was somewhat surprising that my 2007 Husker highlight of the year emerged from that same Holiday fog...on HBO.

A few days ago I sat down to watch the Hatton-Mayweather fight, drawn in by the British Invasion of Hatton supporters that Las Vegas had experienced the week leading up to the fight. In his opening comments to the telecast, longtime HBO boxing commentator Jim Lampley said the following regarding the fervent support of the Hatton backers (emphasis mine): "Hatton's ability, like the Nebraska football team, to travel his audience across a long distance has added an air of excitement all week."

The fact that this is my highlight is certainly a reflection of the disappointing year for the Cornhuskers (which started for me exactly one year ago in the Cotton Bowl), but it's also a reflection of what I find most interesting about being a Nebraska fan: cultural relevance. To describe what he and countless other media members had seen all week in Vegas, Lampley chose the Nebraska fans as the most fitting comparison, as a parallel that would resonate with the fans of boxing, and sports in general, who were tuning in for the biggest fight of the year.

It felt good to be recognized in that manner. It was a moment of relevance in a season seemingly devoid of such moments. Losing, after all, isn't altogether unbearable. Irrelevance is.

Luckily, I won't have to wait nearly as long to find my Husker highlight of '08. In fact, I think I've already found it in Roger C. Aden's Huskerville: A Story of Nebraska Football, Fans, and the Power of Place. In the author's own words this book is "...a Nebraskan explaining just why...there is no place like Nebraska."

In my own words it's the type of sports book that comes along all too infrequently. It's very easy to put together a coffee table book of great moments for a given team or to trot out another athlete biography co-written with the newspaper columnist of the day, but books that actually examine the culture of sport and ask questions and seek answers are few and far between. Two of my favorites books to take that approach recently have been Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer and To Hate Like This is to be Happy Forever and, not surprisingly, both are quoted frequently in Aden's book, but they're about Alabama football and North Carolina basketball respectively. Now we Nebraskans have just such a book of our own.

Aden, a Scottsbluff native and professor of communication studies at Ohio University, set out in 1998 to begin answering some of the bigger questions surrounding Nebraska football: Why does it mean so much to the state? Is there a connection between our state's history and our team's history? Are Nebraskan unique in their love for their team?

These are all questions that have fascinated me since moving out five years ago and they're also all impossible to answer empirically. Aden doesn't attempt to do that, but he does provide a ton of evidence and offer the reader, like himself, the opportunity to form their own opinion based on those findings. The book is made up largely of personal interviews and correspondence questionnaires with Nebraska fans throughout the country including Jon of Corn Nation (who tipped me to the book) and Darren Carlson from his pre-Big Red Network days. Readers familiar with HuskerPedia or any of the various message boards will probably recognize quite a few more names. Collectively, it's an academic approach but never at the expense of entertainment.

Sure, after reading page after page of Nebraskans' views of themselves you should probably ask yourself "don't Tennessee or Penn State or Notre Dame fans feel many of these exact same things?" Of course they do, but that's no the point. Huskerville is more of a personal journey than a defense of individuality. Conveniently, once you read the book and undertake your own personal journey you'll be much better equipped to defend your individuality. Voila!

So what's my estimation of Husker Nation, excuse me Huskerville, after reading the book? Nebraskans love Cornhusker football because it represents the clearest, most concise and most recognizable summation of the values they hold dear as natives of the state.

Make sense? It didn't to me either a few days ago and this was a question I asked myself constantly. Now I feel much more confident in not only my answer but also the notion that the same connection isn't experienced just anywhere.

If Huskerville had been written about Indiana basketball or Florida State football I would have read it, liked it and ended up ultimately envious that it wasn't my team that was being explored.

Thanks to Aden we no longer have to feel that way. Nebraska fans the world over should be proud that this book is about, and by, them.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Merry Christmas 'N' Deed!

2007-12-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

I'm a uniform geek. Not ashamed of it, been that way for a long time. When I was a nine or 10-year-old and it was time to select my Hutch football uniform from the JC Penney catalog, I chose the Bengals, despite the fact that the Bears were my favorite team, because Cincinnati had flashier uniforms. (I have since recognized the simplistic genius in the Chicago uniform.)As far back as I can remember, both my brother and I have cared a little too much about what teams wore.

Nowadays there's an official forum for this obsession. The UniWatch Blog is typically my first Internet stop of the day and I even attended a UniWatch party recently in Boston just to disply my Harry Husker belt buckle with pride amongst like-minded obsessives.

This passion, however, presents a problem when it comes to Nebraska fandom. Quite simply, we don't like change much and even if we did there's not a whole lot to change anyway. I delighted in Nebraska's all-white look for the Colorado game because it was a rare moment of stylistic hubris from the scarlet and cream. (I know many wouldn't but I'd love to see an all-red game once in a great while too.)

Beyond the occassional monochrome look, you pretty much know what you're going to get from Nebraska. Even if Nebraska were to trot out a throwback, which they haven't, there aren't a whole lot of options out there that seem that compelling. Sure there's the old 'NU' helmet (additional pics here) that I'd love to see come back for a game (and the great Johnny Rodgers shoulder stripes that came with it). Additionally, in the late 60s, there were those uniforms with the crazy number font that Dan Jenkins loathed, but neither of those really elicit the sheer terror--or joy in my mind--of something so garishly gaudy that it only could've come from another era. Any way you slice it, and ultimately this is a good thing, Nebraska is going to look like Nebraska, but wouldn't a little variety be nice for one game?

It's simply not out there, or so I thought until today. Check out these beauties:

The photo comes courtesy of UniWatch reader Robert Eden and is from a 1932 game against Minnesota (Nebraska lost 7-6 but the Gophers were a juggernaut back in the day).

Look at that N! It's glorious. I'm a bit surprised to see it's in the same sans-serif style that has become synonymous with Nebraska football but that only makes it better. Here we finally have a throwback worth showing off.

My family always opened one gift on Christmas Eve and, while I'm not at home, I can officially consider this my gift for the day.

Happy Holidays, Huskers!

Affraid of Commitment

2007-12-19T08:19:00.000-05:00

Dearest Simi,

It's a shame I never got to meet you, Simi Kuli. A few months ago in a period of vast darkness in Husker Nation, you provided a little bit of light. When the going got tough Blaine Gabbert (& Co.) left us for the front-running Missouri Tigers, but that's when you stepped in and said you wanted us more than anyone else.

When we were all trying to divine the fate of Bill Callahan and searching for clues as to who his successor would be, you seemed like a Pelini guy. After all, you'd flirted with LSU and then chose us. You were going to be our Glen Dorsey, but better. Ten times better. You were coming to Nebraska to play for the guy who could make you the junkyard doggiest DE you could be.

Now you're not coming and I'm not so sure you would've started anyway. Your coach even told us a month ago, "Everyone thinks he's going to decommit. It's just not going to happen." What about that? You can't just say these things. Words still have meaning, don't they?

Missing you already,

HiPlainsDrifter

I can't continue like this. As I've discussed numerous times before, I hold as dim a view of recruiting as anyone. The sites, the rankings, the rules in place, they're all crap and I do my best to ignore the whole thing. Still, when you tell me about man-crushing linebackers and fleet-footed receivers, I get excited. When they ultimately renege on their commitments I feel spurned at first, angry later.

I am not proud of this but I can't deny it either. It's all true. When you leave Nebraska you leave me and even Scarlett Johanssen can look pretty ugly after she's broken your heart.

That said, this is to be expected. The surprising thing is not that Blaine Gabbert BFF, Will Compton, decommitted, it's that he didn't decommit until yesterday. (I'm certain the two have discussed this via text message. LOL. TTYL.) We had hoped that Bo Pelini could come in and save a few of these guys, but that hasn't been the case thus far.

The one big knock against Bo was he's not a great recruiter but I'm not quite ready to jump to that conclusion yet. It's probably not even the loss of Callahan that's the heart of the problem, it's losing. Nebraska isn't the flavor of the month right now. They stunk. Where is Will Compton looking? Two current hotshots in Illinois and Missouri.

At least that's what I'll tell myself because I can't explain why guys are picking CU over NU. It's almost too much to comprehend at the moment. This is the Christmas season, a time for unrepentant joy and unabashed consumerism.

But now I even look at my tree with a great deal of skepticism. It already has a good number of gifts beneath it, but I fully believe they're going to take ALL of their visits.

I'm not taking anything for granted until Boxing Day.

If we're Lucky?

2007-12-14T09:41:00.000-05:00

Nothing like a foot of snow in a little over two hours, resulting in an 8-mile drive that took 3.5 hours (but I got to hear nearly all of the Mitchell Report harumphing!), to sap the will to do anything out of a guy.

Still, we got our first dose of real Nebraska news yesterday amidst all the baseball public shaming. Bo Pelini is officially a man, he's 40, he sat down with the Lincoln Journal-Star, and, in that interview, he mentioned Marlon Lucky was likely applying for NFL Draft consideration.

Most Nebraska fans I know have a pretty topsy-turvy relationship with Lucky. On the surface, his vision, feet and toughness through the middle have always been called into question but when you look at the box score you see one of the best receiving backs Nebraska has ever had and a guy who racked up 1700 all-purpose yards last year and scored 12 TDs.

Some of the lack of Lucky love is attributable to the fact that he's never become the jaw-dropping 5-start I-Back everyone had anointed him to be before he even arrived on campus and he'll never be that sort of back. Essetially, he's a back of the NFL-variety. Not a game changer but a player who can pass block, catch the ball and show an occassional burst of speed all while platooning.

That's why it comes as no surprise that he's at least mulling the decision between college and the pros but the question I'm more interested in is how badly do you think Nebraska needs Lucky next year?

You know the drill, you can vote at the top of the page but for what it's worth, I'd much rather have him around than not. What the offense will look like next year is still open to speculation but that's the beauty of Lucky, he's versatile if not dominant.

And who knows, if Pelini can turn things around starting next year I think a little team success could make Lucky's contributions a lot more visible. It's tough to notice a guy who is consistently in the 75-75 range when your team is threatening to give up 75 points on any given Saturday.

PLAYOFF?!

2007-12-12T12:02:00.000-05:00

Look, I don't know what I think about a potential college football playoff other than it's never likely to happen. Part of me likes the man-to-mouse mortality, the Old West-esque craziness that we experience under the current system.

Another part of me positively salivates at the notion of a December Decadence tournament set-up. All I really know is that bowl system was created essentially to stage exhibitions not decide national champions and the problem lies soley in the expectation of a Super Bowl from a series of preseason (or in this case, post-) games.

That said, you have to go play around with this fake football tournament ESPN.com has set up. You can do this a number of ways (BCS Rankings, Power Poll, etc.) but I recommend the custom ranking. Then you can basically devise your own personal 16-team playoff. Here's what I ended up with in the first round:

#1 USC v. #16 Texas
#2 OU v. #15 Tennessee
#3 LSU v. #14 BC
#4 Ohio State v. #13 Arizona State
#5 UGA v. #12 Hawaii
#6 Missouri v. #11 BYU
#7 West Virginia v. #10 Kansas
#8 Virginia Tech v. #9 Florida

After seeding something called AccuScore simulates round by round. The surprises immediately followed. Arizona State, who hasn't beaten any one of any consequence, upended the Buckeyes confirming my dim view of the Big 10. Kansas beat West Virginia--that would've been a fun one to watch--presumably because AccuScore has accurately calculated Pat White's fumble to carry ratio. And, in the only actual bowl match-up of the group Hawaii beat Georgia.

In the elite eight, Hawaii out-bombed ASU, Oklahoma beat Kansas, USC beat Va. Tech and, the only shocker, Missouri beat LSU. The Tiger love didn't stop there.

Faced with a Final Four rematch, Missouri finally beat Oklahoma and USC predictably walked over Hawaii. Tigers-Trojans?

Sadly this dry run confirmed what many of suspect but are loathe to admit. USC still probably has the best team in the country, but I doubt an even more mythical national championship appearance has soothed any sore feelings in Columbia.

In conclusion, try the fairy tale football playoff game. You'll like it.

I'm going to go run about 549 more simulations.

Corn Christmas

2007-12-10T09:43:00.000-05:00

What do you do when Nebraska football news has slowed to a crawl? Go Christmas shopping of course. As I do frequently, I've scoured eBay for the best in vintage Nebraska gear. There should be something for everyone on your list...

VINTAGE BIG 8 FAMILY PORTRAIT

What ever happened to pan-conference pride? I distinctly remember buying a Nebraska t-shirt in the gift shop of the Cornhusker hotel prior to OU-NU in '87 that featured Herbie driving a combine and all the other Big 8 mascots scrambling to escape its blades. (In a cartoon rather than carnage sort of way.) This print is in the same vein and is interesting on a number of fronts. 1) Why is Oklahoma portrayed as a Native American, 2) Physically representing a Cyclone is still a tricky proposition as ISU gets what looks to be a canary, and 3) Colorado didn't actually get a buffalo but rather a bear with buffalo horns. All in all, a splendid addition to any den.

Auction ends in two days.

VINTAGE SHEET MUSIC - THE CORNHUSKER

This one is for the die-hard alumnus in any family. This is an actual page from a 1923 book of college fight songs and I'll vouch for its quality as I bought Creighton's "The White & The Blue" from this same seller last spring. While you may not ever sit down at the piano and peck this one out, it's worth it to have the lyrics alone: Come a'runnin' boys/Don't you hear that noise/like the thunder in the sky./How it rolls along/like a good ol' song/for the sons of Nebraska./Now it's coming near/with a rising cheer/that will sweep all foes away./So with all our vim/we are bound to win/we're going to win today. Sort of has a "Down Under" feel there at the start but it really seals the deal with the use of vim towards the end. Classic.

Auction ends in three days.

VINTAGE DUAL-PURPOSE HERBIE SHIRT

This one's ultra-rare. Herbie with the football under one arm but spinning a basketball on the finger of his other hand, it's an all too infrequent acknowledgment of Nebrasketball. Screw the baseball team, and all the other sports I guess, even though this one's vintage it knows where the true power in the athletic department lies: revenue producing sports. The shirt itself is one of those 3/4 sleeve baseball shirts, so if you're creative, you could consider that a nod to the Nebraska nine.

Auction ends in four days.

Need more ideas? There are a couple more worthwhile items out there including: a suddenly relevant again Tom Osborne etching, your grandfather's knit cap, a tragically hip trucker hat that reads simply "Go Big Eight" (perfect for a bowl season without Nebraska), and, for the ladies, a totally kick ass silver charm featuring a feather, corn and Colonel Reb (or it might be Bill Cody, can't tell.)

Happy hunting.

Awards Season

2007-12-07T09:56:00.000-05:00

So they started passing stuff out yesterday in college football. A list of the men and the hardware they now hold:

Antoine Cason, DB, Arizona - Thorpe
Tim Tebow, QB, Florida - Maxwell, O'Brien
Dan Connor, LB, Penn State - Bednarik
Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas - Walker, Camp
Thomas Webber, K, Arizona State - Groza
Durant Brooks, P, Georia Tech - Guy
Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech - Biletnikoff
Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU - Outland, Lombardi

No real surprises there except for the fact that Crabtree became the first freshman ever to win the Biletnikoff Award. Glad he did, otherwise the Big 12 would've been shut out of the major non-Heisman awards. (And Chase Daniel is not winning that, either.)

But seeing Crabtree's success brought up something interesting regarding the Heisman. Why isn't Graham Harrell heading to New York right now? Here are his stats for 07: 160.5 QB Rating, 72.7 Comp. %, 5298 passing yards, 441.5 yds./game, 45 TDs, 14 INTs.

Now here are Colt Brennan's stats for 07: 166.5 QB Rating, 71.4 Comp. %, 4174 passing yards, 379 yds./game, 38 TDs, 14 INTs.

What's the difference? Harrell did play one more game than Brennan and, while it's at least possible that Brennan could've closed the seven touchdown gap between them in four quarters, he wasn't going to throw for 1124 yards in a game. Additionally, I've never seen Harrell wear a baseball cap over his ears on national television and I presume he doesn't say "brah." (I'm also assuming that Brennan does. Again, that's just an assumption, but when you look the part...)

June Jones says that Colt Brennan isn't a system quarterback and maybe he's not. That's not the point. The point is he has system stats. Graham Harrell does too but you barely heard his name mentioned in the Heisman race. Tim Tebow might win it and he's got the dreaded system stats as well.

So what's Harrell's major knock here? Was it because he didn't go undefeated against the likes of Charleston Southern, Norther Colorado, and Idaho? Is it just because nobody ever pays attention to the QB at Texas Tech? Why is their system always discounted more than others?

In all honesty, I don' care who wins the Heisman. Of the candidates actually invited, I'd go with McFadden, but only in Harrell's absence. It will be truly interesting to see what happens down in Lubbock next year. Crabtree is only a RS freshman and Harrell should be back for his final season, it's possible they'll be even better than they were this year.

Could he win it then in spite of the fact that he chose to play for Texas Tech? I, for one, hope so.

Big Red Roundtable - No Offense for Young Quarterbacks

2007-12-05T10:29:00.000-05:00

I would like to express my feelings for much of the past five days through the music of Waylon Jennings (and lyrics of Billy Joe Shaver)...

Omaha you've been weighing heavy on my mind.
Guess I really never left at all.
I'm turning all those roads I walked around the other way.
Coming back to you, Omaha.

Swap Omaha for Lincoln and you've pretty much summed up what's happening for a number of coaches and players right now (and doesn't it kick the hell out of that Counting Crows song?). After four seasons of turmoil and swallowed pride the notion itself is almost too much to comprehend.

Hence, a meeting of the minds...a Big Red Roundtable:

The 2007 season finished with a disappointing 5-7 record. Very few people expected this. What went wrong?

Well, you know, we don't have the answer to that. We're just going to get back to work this off-season and get ready for San Jose State. They're a good football te...wait...that's over now.

Forgive me.

Everyone seems to point to the quartering USC performed on the defense and I think that's a pretty good starting point. As for why that game sent the entire season spiralling out of control, your guess is as good as mine.

But I also think that the excitement surrounding Sam Keller seemed to cloud the fact that he was essentially a first year quarterback in this system. Seeing what Joe Ganz did after Keller's injury only confirmed the popular notion that Callahan's version of the WCO isn't a system you perfect in a year. (Especially a year of scout team work.)

Combine the two and you've got pretty big deficiencies on both sides of the ball.

Bo Pelini takes over as head coach. Good move or bad?

Good. As best I can tell the feeling all around is one of renewed enthusiasm. Nebraska fans no longer feel as though their program has been hijacked. We're not hostages anymore.

Too dire? Probably but most sports talk is too dire.

Nebraska fans were divided after the last coaching change. Do you see fans finally uniting?

For the time being, yes, but at any sign of adversity people are bound to differ on the correct course of action. Right now it truly feels like a great reunion tour is about to get rolling, but the scary notion is what if it doesn't work? What if Nebraska goes back to the "Nebraska way" and, for whatever reason, it isn't enough?

Then we'll truly be at a crossroads. Right now it feels like we're fixing past mistakes, the cosmic reset button has been pressed and we're probably doing what we should've done four years ago.

But four years from now what if we find out you truly can't go home again. That's the only thing that gives me pause.

How would you like to see Bo Pelini fill out his coaching staff? Anybody or anything in particular you're looking to see?

Well, since Coach O is apparently out--and that was really just for my own individual entertainment--I can't really say I have a particular hankering for one guy over the other.

It seems as though Watson will still be around and given the keys to the offense which is good on two fronts: 1) it provides some sense of continuity and familiarity, and 2) he seems to be on the fast track to a head coaching job of his own soon enough. You want to keep those guys around.

What do you think the expectations are for Bo Pelini? Do you think he needs to win x amount or do x by a certain date?

If some people were willing to give Callahan another year after the one just passed, I have to think that Bo's on a pretty long leash. Simply restoring that Blackshirt swagger will buy the guy a lot of time because it wasn't just that Nebraska was losing under Billy C. it was how they were losing. Once Cornhusker fans can recognize their team again and fully stand behind what they're preaching and doing, I think the majority are willing to deal with some losses.

That said, the expectation is still to win. Many commenters I've seen think that Big 12 North is within reach next year and I'm inclined to agree, but simply getting back to a style of play dominated by work ethic will probably be enough for at least three years.

I think the turning point will eventually be the Big Game performance. For a brief period simply getting to big games and playing well will be enough, but by year three or four the questions will start to pop up, can Pelini win the big one?

That's the question that followed Osborne for almost his entire career but the difference now is entire careers are often only three or four years long.

Fellow Knights:

BOss of the Plains

2007-12-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

William Jennings Bryan's title is safe. Bo Pelini, while certainly young for his position, will likely never inspire any title as grandiose as the "Boy Orator of the Platte" but I think that's sort of the point.

We had a guy not too long ago who had perfected the art of saying something without saying anything at all. A smooth, slick and ultimately meaningless answer was always at the ready. Few men can talk football better than Bill Callahan, which made Pelini's press conference, where he was visibly nervous and even bought himself some time on a few questions with a "how do you mean" or two, that much more refreshing.

This isn't a coach who likes talking about football, this is a coach who loves coaching football. It's possible that this worried a few Nebraskan's as they tuned in Sunday and it's possible that it will worry a few more down the road but if I had to characterize Pelini's persona today there's a word that comes immediately to mind: Nebraskan.

Chuck Klosterman wrote perhaps my favorite passage regarding the Midwestern ethos while describing his upbringing in North Dakota in Fargo Rock City:

"...what this culture lacked (and still lacks) is an emphasis on ideas--especially ideas that don't serve a practical, tangible purpose. In North Dakota, life is about work. Everything is based on working hard, regardless of what it earns you. If you're spending a lot of time mulling over the state of the universe (or even the state of your own life), you're obviously not working. You probably need to get back to work."

Swap Nebraska for North Dakota in that passage and you have the perfect description of where I grew up and I couldn't help but think of it while watching Pelini undergo his first Q&A session as Nebraska's head coach. For some people, most of the people I knew back in Nebraska, talking about working is a lot more difficult than actually working. Pelini seems to be one of those people and those people are typically the ones you want working beside you.

In my mind, Bo left that press conference, immediately removed his tie like a young boy after Christmas Eve mass, put on a grey sweatshirt and started calling recruits. More likely, he probably had a nice dinner with his family, watched to see where LSU would land and then went to bed but the important thing here is perception and in the end it came down to this: Pelini may not be polished behind a mike but he already feels like one of us.

My favorite part of the press conference came after it was officially over. Dr. Tom had already stepped in and delivered the "one more question" decree and then there was Pelini, sort of looking around wondering if it was actually over. Somebody suggested a family photo and then a employee of the athletic department walked in front of the podium and asked Bo if he'd like a hat.

"Yeah, the white one," the 28th head football coach at Nebraska said before exiting stage left.

Good choice. The good guys always wear white hats.

ESPN Knows it's Bo?

2007-11-30T21:01:00.000-05:00

The Worldwide Leader is reporting that Bo Pelini will be the next head coach at Nebraska.

According to their source "close to the situation," Pelini could be in Lincoln on Monday for an announcement.

Interesting timing considering it's the eve of the SEC title game but this does seem to jibe with both the timeline of the past week and everything we've been hearing thus far.

Personally, I've vacillated on Pelini. During this past season he represented the antithesis of Callahan, I would've loved to have had him then but once the coaching search was officially on, I wondered if he was "the best available".

Now I think Pelini's biggest knock--no head coaching experience--might be his biggest asset. Bo will have a lot to prove and a lot of support. Nothing bad about that. Somebody was going to take a shot with the guy and now that somebody is reportedly going to be Nebraska. Whenever I daydreamed about Callahan's successor the one thing I kept coming back to was the desire for a passionate individual who was looking to make a splash.

That description fits Pelini and let's face it, nobody knows how any coach will pan out two or three years down the road. There's only faith.

I can have faith in Pelini.

More to come as there's more the be said...

The Sound, and Danger, of Silence

2007-11-29T00:07:00.000-05:00

Silence was indeed deafening yesterday. I checked HuskerExtra.com yesterday afternoon approximately 30 times searching for the next rumor or update on Decision 07 only to see the same three blog posts staring back at me for most of the day.

Brian Kelly was supposed to be in the mix but then he said he wasn't. Tom Osborne then, at least in my mind, gave a leg up to co-favorites Gill & Pelini over Grobe in a radio interview delineating two different schools of thought regarding staff. Essentially, nothing happened at all yesterday and that is a very dangerous thing in deed.

Prior to Wednesday I was nearly indifferent to Osborne's ultimate choice for head coach. Each candidate seemed to have his marks on both sides of the ledger and none of the reported names leapt out at me as better or worse than the other.

But then Joe Schad had to go and mention Lane Kiffin's name on ESPN in association with the Arkansas job.

I hadn't really considered Kiffin the Younger because I didn't think leaving Oakland after one year was really a possibility but if he's going to flirt with the Hogs--and he says he hasn't--I'd be severely disappointed if Nebraska didn't at least give him a call to gauge his interest.

If I recall correctly, Kiffin is on record as saying he probably would've taken the Nebraska OC job had Bo Pelini been hired after the 2003 season and, as we all know, his father was a Cornhusker. There you have the ties that Osborne reportedly loves and they're a lot better than the paternal/assistant coaching connection he has with Arkansas. (Growing up as an athletic young boy, where would you put more stock: where you live at age three or where your father played the game?)

The intriguing thing about Kiffin is twofold: a) he's young and Nebraska represents an opportunity to make not just a name but a career, and b) he comes from a history of college football success, a history that, at least tenuously, has a Nebraska connection.

This may be a difficult notion for Cornhusker fans to swallow but I don't think you can overestimate the relevancy that the USC connection has with today's high school football player. Marlon Lucky changed his number coming in to '07 because of Reggie Bush, a player who was just finishing up his college career when Lucky was a senior in high school. I don't really give a damn about recruiting but even I can't deny the value of having a coach who can claim that he's coached Bush, Palmer, Leinart and White. (Not to mention that Orgeron would immediately be a front runner for a defensive coaching job and all the NFL talent he's coached.) That sort of resume resonates with the top talent in the country.

Thus far we've sort of separated the Nebraska job from the the recruiting challenges it inherently presents. Callahan proved that recruiting alone isn't a cure all, but the known candidates thus far all seem a little suspect when it comes to wooing 17-year-old boys. The one rumored name that seems to address both questions is Lane Kiffin.

I didn't think there was a home run hire out there but now that Kiffin's name has "emerged" I'm officially smitten. Smitten with Kiffin.

Other Decision 07 thoughts and rumors...

I'm not big on rumor and I wouldn't be ignorant enough to purport anything with any certainty, but here are rumors I've heard and all I'll say is that they didn't randomly show up in my inbox...

1) Mark Richt has at least been contacted about the job.
2) Will Muschamp is at least on the list.
3) Gary Patterson is further down the list than you might think. (Or maybe not. His name doesn't seem very hot at the moment.)
4) Lane Kiffin might not be so far fetched.
5) Tom Osborne isn't just recruiting players later this week.

What are those worth? About as much as anything else you're probably reading or hearing but after spending all of Wednesday going through rumor withdrawal I thought I'd just fix it on my own.

How Good is the Nebraska Job?

2007-11-28T06:17:00.000-05:00

Part of the beauty of a national coaching search is the opportunity to see what the rest of the country thinks about your football program. The national columnists all chime in and one point or another and who your school is able to talk to is essentially credibility currency.

As we've seen, Nebraska can get a sit-down with just about any coach in the country. While the purse strings aren't nearly as loose as they are in the SEC, if money is an issue Nebraska always seems to get it. In terms of the current coaching carousel, I'd classify Nebraska as a retired mob boss. There's a history of dominance and respect and, while the knees are a little week at the time and eyesight ain't so good, there's still enough there to strike a little fear into the younger and flashier usurpers.

But that's my view as a Nebraska fan. What do the others think? If you read ESPN.com yesterday, there were two different front page stories that tackled the topic and they seem to hold a slightly dimmer view.

Gene Wojciechowski explored the "myth" that Nebraska is an elite coaching job. Quoth Wojo, "now Pederson and Callahan are gone, and so is Nebraska's one longtime advantage: an identity," and later, "Elite high school recruits...don't remember much, if anything, about Mike Rozier." Both fair and accurate points.

Pat Forde was even more direct in this week's Dash when answering the titular question:

Not as good as Nebraska thinks it is. Fan support is unrivaled, but the recruiting base is unreliable and the days of raiding New Jersey for talent might be a thing of the past. Unless the Cornhuskers do some work in Texas and California, this probably won't get turned around very fast.

OK, these are the typical negatives we've been hearing tossed at Nebraska since before Callahan was hired. I'm not going to refute them point by point because there's some truth there but, silly reality blind fan that I am, I'm still going to maintain that Nebraska's a great job for the right guy for one simple reasons: it is ideally located.

Now, I'm not talking about from a recruiting standpoint. (God, no, Nebraska is totally barren! We all know that, but if Callahan accomplished anything during his tenure it was a slight rebuke to the notion that national players aren't interested.) I'm talking about from a winning standpoint, and that's the one thing that has changed very little from the Osborne era. Nebraska still has a relatively easy path to the top of the polls.

Let's face it, even at its best, Nebraska was a perennial preseason Top 5 team due in large part to the Big 8. There were two schools spending national championship money back in the day, OU and NU, and Nebraska racked up a lot of wins against overmatched conference foes.

Even in an era that's seen a record number of teams claim the top spot in the polls this year and a season that featured Missouri-Kansas as the biggest game of the year, Nebraska still has that advantageous position when it comes to contending for BCS bowl games.

When Stewart Mandel got down to ranking each and every football program in terms on national cache, he awarded "King" status to three Big 12 programs--NU, OU and Texas. Of course, the Red River rivals will always cancel each other out when it comes to the Big 12 Championship, leaving Nebraska as the lone Northern heavyweight. Keep in mind, this ranking was based largely on resources and expectations. Sure the Big 12 North has improved rapidly almost across the board this year with Nebraska being the lone exception, but we've spent an entire season attributing that to leadership rather than a talent deficiency.

The very expectations that make Nebraska a "tough job" are probably more of an asset than detriment overall. Whoever ends up with the job will be expected, but also put in a position, to win football games. No other school in the North can claim that on a year to year basis with the certainty that Nebraska can.

Nebraska probably trails behind at least Missouri and Kansas at the moment, but unless the Florida State or Miami jobs open up any time soon, there isn't another King school out there with a history of national title expectations year in and year out, that has an easier path to immediate national relevance.

Look at where Oklahoma is at this year. The Sooners have two losses to unranked teams and they won't play for a national title, but beat Missouri on Saturday and win their BCS bowl game and the Sooners finish up in the Top 5. Given the failures of the past four years how much time would a BCS bowl buy you at Nebraska right now?

In the end, the Nebraska job breaks down like this: it's marginally more difficult to recruit there but it's marginally easier to win there. That's it.

How are coaches ultimately assessed? Wins and losses. For a coach who is fully cognizant of that, I'd call it a dream job.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

2007-11-26T21:44:00.000-05:00

Are we having fun yet? Planes are in the sky and in the South. Rumors are rampant. The updates are endless.

From what I hear, here's how it breaks down: Monte Kiffin will be the honorary Head Coach, Bo Pelini will be the acting Head Coach, Turner Gill will be the Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator and Ed Orgeron will be the Defensive Coordinator but really he'll just coach the defensive line, find the next Reggie Bush and be endlessly entertaining.

I kid but in all honesty I'm riveted by the fact that there doesn't seem to be one slam dunk candidate. There's no Steve Spurrier out there, every candidate has his plusses and minuses: Pelini can't recruit, Gill's too green, Grobe lost to the worst Nebraska team in years.

None of it really matters in the end because the point is Nebraska is getting a new coach and no matter who it is there will be excitement. That's a pretty good spot to be and with the massive beheadings yesterday, you have to give Dr. Tom credit for waking up early Saturday morning and getting the job done. There are a lot of BCS schools now in the market and while two days may not seem like much it could be the difference between getting our first choice and getting the next Callahan. (Oh, wait, A&M already locked that up.)

The boys are back in Nebraska now, and there's speculation that we could know later today who has ultimately gotten the job. Pelini was the early front runner but Grobe's come on strong of late. I could roll the dice with either of them and feel really good about it. Four years ago I was full steam ahead on Pelini. Now I may shade to the Grobe side, but here's the tiebreaker: give me the guy who will get Coach O.

He'd probably turn A Boy Named Suh into a Top 5 draftpick and he'd be the most lovably outrageous person associated with Nebraska football since Broderick Thomas.

I know it's not really a reality at this point but that's what coaching searches are all about: being irrational. Let's enjoy it while we can because it should be over before the week is out.

Benchmarks

2007-11-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

Perhaps, the most shocking thing to come out of yesterday morning's press conference was not that Bill Callahan was fired or that Tom Osborne quoted Bill McCartney (blech!) but rather how plain and simple the decision was made out to be.

After weeks of speculation, airport sightings, creative signing and general solipsistic abandon, Osborne revealed that the solution for Bill Callahan and his staff was pretty simple: just win baby.

During his opening statement yesterday, Osborne mentioned the bench marks he had provided the coaching staff at Nebraska in shocking detail. Win out and you're safe, win three and we'll talk, anything less than that and you're forcing my hand. Was it really that simple all along?

Seemed like a shocking admission to me but Tom backed that up--playing the role of the firm but fair father of football to a T--with personal anecdotes that did nothing to dispel the notion that expectations at Nebraska are almost impossibly high.

There's something refreshing about that. If that was the standard in 1976 perhaps the root of the problem is that it wasn't the standard over the past four years.

That will not be the case for the next head coach at Nebraska. Thanks to the honesty displayed yesterday, whoever gets the job will know right from the start what he's up against and, in the end, I think that's a good thing.

Will it scare some candidates off? Probably, but those are the guys who you don't want anyway. Nebraska is a challenge on a number of fronts and I can only think that the man who ultimately gets the job will be the one who best understands and embraces those challenges.

Who that person will eventually be is a discussion for another time, now is the time for excitement about Nebraska football again.

Remember what that felt like?

Nebraska's biggest win of the season

2007-11-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

The Callahan Era is over.

I know the holiday season just officially began yesterday with rampant consumerism, but it feels a lot like Christmas already in my house. Thank you, Tom.

I'll be back with much more to say later in the day. At the moment, I'm about to welcome a new computer into my home.

And to think, my old computer isn't even cold in the ground yet. (It officially passed this morning.) Such is the nature of the business.

What was with the white?

2007-11-23T16:31:00.000-05:00

Was it surrender? One final jab at tradition?

I know I'll be in the minority here, but I LIKE this look. I like it on Penn State, I like it on Texas and I especially like it on Nebraska. (Bonus points for also abandoning the black shoes to complete the look.) I wouldn't want it all the time, but I do long for a little something different every now and then.

Of course, after a pitiful second half and yet another big embarrassing number being hung on the Blackshirts, I'd like a lot of things to change.

Now, we simply wait.

Giving Thanks for Dan Jenkins

2007-11-19T22:07:00.000-05:00

Superior article here from Ivan Maisel on the legendary sportswriter Dan Jenkins.

If you're a fan of college football and superior writing you probably already own Saturday's America. (And if you don't, what are you waiting for? Don't wait for it to be reissued, get a cool used copy. Merry Christmas to you.)

Jenkins, a lifelong TCU fan and neighbor of Gary Patterson, seems to cast his vote for Nebraska's new head coach in the article. While watching a game the Frogs are losing he says in the article, "We need a turnover, or we need Nebraska to make an offer."

I haven't really considered Patterson seriously to this point, but if he has Jenkins in his corner and Jenkins would be ok with seeing him leave TCU then that's enough for me.

Jenkins also once had this to say about Nebraska football in a much different time and a much different state, a powerhouse on the rise under Bob Devaney...and I quote...at length...

Missouri's Dan Devine looked like a man who had just learned that his disease was incurable. He was leaning against a table in the silent gloom of his locker room, a towel around his neck, a paper cup in his hand, whip-dog tired, and his large brown eyese fixed vacantly on a lot of things that could have happened. He talked softly and very, very slowly.

"I don't think...I can remember...a team of ours ever playing this well...and losing," he said. "But, well, they...they just..they somehow do a number of things real well."

They were the ponderous, relentless, ill-attired Cornhuskers of Nebraska, and this is how they left you after a football game.

Indeed, this was the kind of team Bob Devaney had put together out in Lincoln: big, mobile, deep, patient, mysteriously unemotional, workmanlike and confident. Nebraska was so big that when the Cornhuskers ran out there, you could see the field tilt. Their uniforms were ugly with skinny numerals and their socks slipped down, and they stood around a lot at times, but there were moments when the ball was snapped that wild, wonderful things happened. They were headed for a 10-0 season, and when a young man named Larry Wacholtz place-kicked the winning field goal, a couple of Nebraska players were actually seen jumping up and down on the sideline.

Upstairs, Don Bryant, the Nebraska publicity man, was startled. "Look," he said. "They almost look like students."

Ahh, the good old days. They don't write'em like that anymore. But then again, Nebraska doesn't look or play like that anymore either.

Of course, the above is excerpted from Saturday's America.

Monday Miscellany

2007-11-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts....

Will Nebraska be shopping come Saturday?

How confident are you that Tom will do the right thing come Saturday and end the Callahan era? (Poll at right.)

After the Kansas game there was no doubt. After the Kansas State game, and continuing through the off-week of course, there seems to be a sliver of doubt. In fact I've seen some commenters in various places supporting another year for Bill and The System based on (I guess) the fireworks against the Wildcats.

In all honesty, this amazes me. I don't know what else a person has to see to know that Bill is not capable of leading the program at Nebraska. (Or anywhere else, I would argue.) He's an offensive coordinator and a pretty good one.

Come next year I think that's what he'll be. I think but I've forced myself to at least consider the possibility of another year under Callahan.

It makes me want to weep.

Oh-no Coach O

Everyone seems to think that Coach Orgeron's job at Ole Miss is safe, but things just got even more difficult in Dixie. Twenty Rebels were placed on probation Sunday for stealing radios and pillows from a hotel.

Weird. I've never stayed in a hotel with a radio that I actually wanted to keep and while my pillows certainly aren't the best, they always tend to trump what you can find on the road.

Miles for Michigan?

Be sure to tune in to ESPN today at 10 a.m. Lloyd Carr will announce then what I guess he's already announced. He's hanging up his whistle.

Going to be an interesting few weeks for Les Miles as he tries to keep LSU at the top of the BCS heap while refuting rumors and inquiries about his future with the Wolverines.

Truth be told, if Michigan wants Miles that's fine by me. I'm still unconvinced he's capable of running a big time program, but he would make the Big 10 marginally more exciting. (And really, marginally exciting is about as good as it gets for me in that conference.)

As My Computer Violently Weeps - HPSWBT Week 12

2007-11-15T21:32:00.000-05:00

Woke up yesterday morning to find that my laptop had developed a death rattle. Something is grinding in there and I'm pretty sure it's not good so this will be brief in hopes that she can hold for a few posts more...

And, my picks aren't doing much better.

Mississippi St. @ Arkansas (-11)

Let's just ride this Croom thing out.

Boston College @ Clemson (-7.5)

I don't typically give BC a lot of credit, but they're not typically playing Clemson.

Iowa State @ Kansas (-26.5)

For a half, the Cyclones are going to render all that KU/BCS talk irrelevant.

Duke @ Notre Dame (-6)

Why not? Somebody has to win the least interesting game to ever appear on national television.

Ohio State @ Michigan (+4)

The Rose Bowl is on the line you say? I'm glad that's all, the Big 10 is awful.

LSU @ Ole Miss (+19)

I know I've been an Ole Miss sucker all year long, but this is Orgeron's Super Bowl.

Kent State @ Temple (Pick)

So yeah, there's not a whole lot of interesting games this week. If I'm going to take Duke for the first time, why not Temple?

Miami @ Virginia Tech (-16.5)

The Hurricanes aren't as bad as they looked last week and VT simply isn't that good.

Bowling Green @ Buffalo (+1)

Might as well throw Buffalo in there as well. It would be nice for Nebraska fans if they could actually see Turner Gill coach once or twice before he takes the job.

Missouri @ Kansas State (+7)

Hmmm. Kansas State just got embarrassed, Missouri just fought it out with A&M and has an outside shot at the national title. Seems like just the sort of game the Tigers can lose, but I'll ride with them for a week.

Last Week: 4-6

Year to Date: 55-52-3

Well Played, Tom

2007-11-14T06:29:00.000-05:00

Well, if Bill Callahan's not going to talk to the media, Tom Osborne sure will.

The man inside the scarlet blazer answered at least one important question for Cornhusker fans yesterday, saying he will not wait until after a bowl game--should there be one--to fire (I mean evaluate) the current coaching staff. That's good for all involved.

Even after last week's win, you still get the sense that Nebraska fans are just ready to turn the page on this whole BC era. The next season starts the day Bill walks out of the football offices carrying a cardboard box, and that day could be as few as 10 days away.

And then there's the recruits. The earlier you can get a coach in with a vested interest in reeling some kids in, the better off you are. Gabbert's joined Mizzou (verbally) this week and quickly became the worst QB many Nebraskans had (n)ever seen, but as quickly as Blaine's excitement for Nebraska ended with the firing of Bill's boss, the fervor could come back with a good hire.

So essentially what Tom said yesterday was, "we know what we're doing." I'll take it.

Three Big Fish? Maybe if Carr calls it quits.

2007-11-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

MGoBlog is reporting that Lloyd Carr has decided to retire and may announce that decision sometime after this Saturday's Ohio State game.

As with everything else at this point, it's simply a rumor but it's not as if people haven't been speculating about this ever since Appalachian State ruined the Wolverines season in week one. And if were willing to assume this Carr news to be true, it's even easier to accept the foregone firings of Bill Callahan and Dennis Franchione which means that in two or three weeks we could be looking at three teams with 2338 wins between them all looking for new head coaches.

That's not going to make things any easier for Tom Osborne. A lot of people remain high on Bo Pelini and most think that if Nebraska wants him they can have him, unless, of course, Les Miles returns to the Big Blue. Should LSU win the national title this year, that scenario becomes even more likely.

Now Nebraska isn't afraid to throw some money around when it comes to football, but it don't have the alumni base to compete with A&M or Michigan if it comes down to a monetary pissing match, and, with Osborne at the helm, I'm not sure they'll even try that hard to keep up with the other two.

Why? Because Turner Gill is out there. He'd come much cheaper than most of the potential candidates and Nebraska wouldn't have to beat anyone out for his services.

Maybe Turner is the best guy for the job, maybe not, my only hope is that the coaching search truly works to find just that person but with Michigan potentially on the hunt along with A&M it's becoming a lot easier to simply go with the Nebraska guy.

So Much for the Wyoming Connection

2007-11-12T09:18:00.000-05:00

You can probably scratch Joe Glenn's name from the list of potential head coaching candidates at Nebraska. Following an on-side kick by Utah in the third quarter, a game in which the Utes were up 43-0, the Wyoming coach flipped off Kyle Whittingham.

Roll the tape...

You can't really condone obscene gestures, but an on-side kick when you're up 40? That's video game stuff. (Of course the same could be said for going for it on 4th and 20 when you're up 56-17, but I digress.)

It never seemed like Glenn was likely a serious contender for the Nebraska job that doesn't exist yet, but I doubt Tom will be calling during his end of the season evaluation.

What was that?

2007-11-11T22:51:00.000-05:00

Was it just me or did anyone else find themselves struggling to respond to Saturday's absolute whitewashing of Kansas State?

Normally if you roll up 73 points on a team, and especially if it's a Josh Freeman led K-State team, it's a time for unrepentant joy, but watching things unfold on Saturday I almost felt like I was getting something I didn't deserve. I enjoyed it but at a significantly lower level than what I would've expected had you told me Nebraska would hang 73 on the Wildcats.

Like everyone else, I had quietly resigned myself to waiting for the merciful end of the 2007 season, where all the questions we couldn't answer during the season would be answered after the season--or at least made irrelevant--by the firing of Bill Callahan.

That should probably still happen, in fact the new questions that arose from such an out of sorts performance only fanned the flames that scorch Bill's seat. When asked where this team had been all year, Callahan didn't have an answer. No surprise there, but I don't really have any either.

The only thing I was certain of coming out of Saturday was that I was happy for the seniors. On their day they were finally able to simply play football.

Win or lose you can't ask for much more than that. (But it's good to win.)

Who do you want to beat more-CU or KSU?

2007-11-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

The consensus seems to be that Nebraska doesn't have a rival in the Big 12, no Oklahoma every year era and that bothers me. Every school in the country from Amherst to Wyoming has a natural rival but Nebraska, one of four schools with 800+ wins, doesn't?

I'd refuse to believe it if not for the fact that when trying to answer that question no team comes immediately to mind. If you have a rival, you know it. That simple.

But spend some time on a Husker message board or some such venue and you'll see plenty of vitriol for the two remaining opponents on Nebraska's schedule. Mildcats, sCUm, KSUx, they're all favored terms for the only two other teams to win Big 12 North titles. Nebraska has more history with both KU and Missouri, in fact both of those teams have more wins over the Big Red than either CU or KSU, but it's been the Buffs and the Wildcats that have recently challenged the Cornhuskers and we're eternally living in a what have you done for me lately world. For this generation of football fans the futility of KSU and CU seem light years ago.

I don't think many Nebraska fans deign to anoint either school with rival status--and let's be honest, that's a major factor--but there seems to be a fair amount of hatred for the two teams. It truly is a byproduct of fear but that's fine. I'm ok, you're ok and CU sucks. It feels good even in a year like this one.

But my question for Cornhusker fans is who do you want to beat more? Nebraska needs them both to become bowl eligible (that's a different discussion), but if you could only have one which would you choose? Here's some background info for both:

Kansas State Wildcats - All-time: 74-15-2; Last 20: 15-5; Last 10: 5-5

The reasoning: The Wildcats have the fewest wins against Nebraska of any team in the Big 12 North, but it hardly feels that way thanks to back-to-back-to-back butt whippings in 2002, 2003, 2004. Minus the '98 season, K-State wasn't beating Nebraska in its glory years but they hammered Nebraska when they were down. KSU also features a turncoat at quarterback so there's that.

Colorado Buffaloes - All-time: 46-17-2; Last 20: 14-5-1; Last 10: 7-3

The reasoning: A lot of Nebraska fans, who'll go anywhere, won't go to games at Folsom Prison. That says something. The Buffs could probably be credited with ending the modern Nebraska era with their 62-36 trouncing in 2001 and Bill McCartney came to CU and made Nebraska a "red-letter game," resulting in outright hatred for Nebraska from the Centennial State. Two years ago an unruly student section had to be cleared out before the game could continue. With a few exceptions, this series over the past 20 years has been pretty tight.

My vote definitely goes to the Buffs. They hate us something fierce and I like that. I've never been to a game at Folsom, but it's on my list of must-sees despite all the stories of keyed cars or slashed tires. That appeals to me. You hate my team and will take every opportunity to ridicule my state? Fine, that makes motivation easy. Let's play.

That said, I've been wrong about a number of things this season so I'm willing to hear the other side. K-State has an argument here and I'd love to hear it.

And, because it's November, don't forget to vote at the top of the sidebar.