Nebraska vs. Missouri

Husker fan, we are in trouble...

This season is starting to look a lot like last year. Blow out a couple cupcakes, lose a big non-conference game at home, let the Big 12 have their way with you. Over the past couple of weeks I have heard a lot of reasons why Nebraska is playing so bad, but to me it comes down to one issue:

NO PLAYMAKERS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BALL - name one player on Nebraska's team that is a lock to get drafted on the first day of the NFL Draft. Ummm... Name one player that is a threat to score witch the ball in his hands in the open field. Ehhh... Who on defense will come up with a big play when its needed?

Let's break it down:

Quarterback: Joe Ganz is probably the best player on the team. He does not have outstanding talent, but he can make things happen from time to time. He is accurate and mobile, but is prone to throwing interceptions - probably because he is trying to do too much. This being said, Joe Ganz isn't good enough to win a game by himself.

Receivers: Nate Swift, Todd Peterson, and Menelik Holt are not threats. They are dependable receivers that can get open, catch the ball, then eventually will get caught (or will just fall down). The west coast offense is based on Yards After the Catch, and the Huskers suck at it. In my opinion they need to get some speed on the field. Put Curenski Gilleylen in the game and see what he can do. Niles Paul also has good potential to make something happen. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Seems like the Callahan way of starting "experienced" players is still the M.O. in Lincoln.

Running Backs: Its pretty obvious to most observers that Roy Helu is the most talented RB on the roster. For some reason they won't give him the start, and it is infuriating... again a big-time Callahan move. The sad part of the situation is that both Helu and Lucky should be on the field at the same time. Marlon Lucky is playing the wrong position... he is the best receiver on the team. He needs a position change.

O-Line: they all suck. They talk a big game, but never back it up. (cough) Matt Slauson (cough)

D-Line: Potter and Allen are decent players, but they aren't going to change the gameplan of opposing offenses, or need to be double-teamed.

Linebackers: Ok, Cody Glenn is a player, but simply hasn't had enough time to know what he is doing. It's a shame that he is a Senior because he had the potential to be Playmaker for this team. Dillard should be playing in the Big 10, because against the Spread Offense he can't do much. Hey coaches, how about getting LaTravis Washington into the game... give him a shot.

Secondary: Larry Asante is horrible. Matt O'Hanlon doesn't strike fear into receivers crossing the middle. I thought Rickey Thenarse has some potential, but he rarely sees the field - even when he was healthy.

So, in summary if I had to pick a Playmaker on offense it would be Ganz, and on Defense it would be Cody Glenn. You can take that for what its worth. They are two good players, but aren't All-Big 12 players. Also, I think we need to see Curenski Gilleylen, Niles Paul, and LaTravis Washington get a shot. The only way around this mess is to start recruiting speed. The jury is still out on Bo Pelini's ability to recruit, but if he relates as good to his players as I have heard, there is good potential.

Pelini gets the nod?

ESPN's Pat Forde is reporting that Bo Pelini will named head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Coaching Search

From all the reports I have seen it appears that four coaches have interview or at least are being considered at this point:

1. Bo Pelini (LSU)
2. Turner Gill (Buffalo)
3. Jim Grobe (Wake Forest)
4. Brian Kelly (Cincinatti)

There are also reports that possibly Chris Peterson of Boise State has been contacted. Again, my choice has always been Jim Grobe to be the next head football coach because of the following:

1. He is a proven winner as a head coach at both Ohio and Wake Forest
2. He isn't a defensive guy or offensive guy - he is a head coach that will be responsible for both sides of the ball.
3. He has shown that he can develop talent and create systems that fit his personnel

So that happened...

As it turns out, a win at Colorado could have potentially saved his job, if it was convincing. But T.O. wanted to see 4 in a row to close out the season. That being said, Bill Callahan's firing was announced at 9:30 this morning by A.D. Tom Osborne.

I need to comment on some of the potential candidates that are being rumored for this job. I watched Action 3 news where Travis Justice gave his list of (crappy) candidates:

Those with Nebraska ties:
1. Turner Gill (Buffalo)
2. Kevin Steele (Alabama)
3. Craig Bohl (NDSU)
4. Tom Rathman (Raiders)

This is a really crappy list of candidates, there's no way around it. Let's start with at the top. Turner Gill doesn't get me excited... Buffalo won some games this year, so what. Can anyone tell me what kind of offense they run? Do they play nasty D? I don't know, I don't really care. The only reason he is being considered is because he played at Nebraska. If you excluded that from the criteria, he isn't in the running. That pretty much sums up Kevin Steele and Craig Bohl, except they are worse. Kevin Steele was canned at Baylor for Christ's sake. Nebraska doesn't hire coaches that are crappy, even by Baylor standards! Does anyone remember the Craig Bohl years at Nebraska? I think he got canned. Tom Rathman is kind of an interesting choice, but he doesn't have anywhere close to the experience necessary to be the next Head Coach.

Those w/o Nebraska ties:
1. Bo Pelini (LSU):
2. Paul Johnson (Navy)
3. Mark Richt (Georgia)
4. Joe Glenn (Wyoming)

This is a little better. First off, Bo Pelini has Nebraska ties. He would be a good choice, even though his defense has been crap as of late. Paul Johnson... he won't get it. I have no particular reason why, but he doens't seem like a Tom Osborne type of guy. Mark Richt is a really interesting candidate, but I doubt that he would leave Georgia for Nebraska, but of the eight candidates on the list, he is my favorite. If Joe Glenn is hired as coach I will crap my pants. He is about to get fired from Wyoming.

Poll Results

Appartently I'm not the only one that doesn't want Nebraska to go to a bowl game. My blog has obviously really gained popularity as a whopping 22 people (23 including myself) voted. The results were 11 to 12 for no bowl game.

I posted a new poll regarding this Friday's game with Colorado. Lets try to get 25 votes.

Re-evaluation

Ok, so apparently the end of the season means the regular season. So I guess Nebraska reaching a bowl game doesn't necessarily mean that Callahan & Co. stay on for that whole period... which is nice. However, the real question is if they beat Colorado, and reach a bowl game, does that save his job?

The real problem that I have with Callahan is that he is basically another offensive coordinator. It doesn't seem that he has any impact or input on the defense... he kind of leaves that to Cosgrove. When I think about it Nebraska really doesn't have a head coach. No one is in charge of everything that happens on the football field. We have two offensive coordinators and a defensive coordinator.

That is why hiring someone like Pelini scares me. Are we gonna have two defensive coordinators and one offensive coordinator? Jim Grobe seems like a head coach to me. Same with Paul Johnson. But at some point everyone deserves a chance to show what they can do... maybe it is Pelini's time.

What are your thoughts?

Husker Jokes

I got an email with some Husker Jokes, some of which are pretty good:

Q: What do the Nebraska Cornhuskers' Coach Bill Callahan and Billy Graham have in common?
A: They both can make 80,000 people stand up and yell, "Jesus Christ."

Q: What's the difference between the 2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers coaching Staff and a dollar bill?
A: You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q: What do the 2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers Coaching Staff and possums have in common?
A: Both play dead at home (and get killed on the road).

News Article:
Bill Callahan set to retire

It sounds that Bill Callahan will not be fired, but will be resigning to take another coaching position. As recently as last week, Callahan was approached by the US Olympic Committee to come on board full time. It is further rumored that he will become the head coach for the US bobsled team. After an interview with Olympic officials, they were unbelievably impressed with the manner in which Callahan is able to get a team to go downhill faster than any coach in modern history.