15 posts tagged “big 12”

During the 1980's and 1990's Nebraska was 211-36-1 under Coach Tom Osborne (who is now the Athletic Director for the university) with 3 National Titles, but have gone 68-36 during this decade under 3 different coaches.  New head coach Bo Pelini has his work cut out for him as Nebraska takes on 4th ranked Missouri this weekend in Lincoln.  The game this weekend will contribute to a running NCAA home sellout record of 294 consecutive games against Missouri. 

Again over 85,000 will show up in red to support the Huskers as they try to knock off a national title favorite.  The roles of these two teams have changed.  The Huskers used to steamroll over teams conference foes like Mizzou.  This used to be a guaranteed win, just like against teams like Kansas, Colorado, Kansas State, and so on.  Did I mention that this weekend is also homecoming for the "Big Red"?  Look for the crowd to be loud too.  The last time Missouri escaped with a "W" in Lincoln... 1978.  The score was 35-31 over Nebraska who was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time. 

The times have indeed changed. 

                    1   2   3   4   - Final 
Virginia Tech       9   9  10   7   -  35
Nebraska            7   3   7  13   -  30

1st quarter
VT - S. Virgil blocked punt, safety, 8:35
VT - D. Evans 1 run (D. Keys kick), 5:22
NU - M. McNeill 32 pass from J. Ganz (A. Henery kick), 3:54
2nd quarter
VT - Keys 19 field goal, 14:51
NU - Henery 48 field goal, 10:45
VT - Keys 38 field goal, 7:10
VT - Keys 27 field goal, 1:15
3rd quarter
VT - Keys 36 field goal, 10:25
VT - Evans 19 run (Keys kick), 6:54
NU - R. Helu Jr. 12 run (Henery kick), 0:04
4th quarter
NU - N. Swift 88 punt return (pass failed)
VT - T. Taylor 2 run (Keys kick), 2:28
NU - T. Peterson 17 pass from Ganz (Henery kick), 1:32

                                     VT        NU
First downs...................       21        14
Rushes-Yards..................   55-206     25-55
NET YARDS PASSING.............      171       278
  Completions-Attempts-Int....   9-15-0   17-26-1
  Passing Touchdowns..........        0         2
Total offense yards...........      377       333
Fumbles-Lost..................      0-0       3-1
Penalties-Yards...............     4-30      7-69
Punts-Average.................   5-34.6    5-29.4
Punt Returns-Average-TD....... 3-21.0-0  2-42.0-1
Kickoff returns-Avg-TD........ 4-23.5-0  7-21.0-0
Interceptions-Yds-TD..........   1-15-0     0-0-0
Fumble Returns-Yds-TD.........    1-8-0     0-0-0
Possession Time...............    34:44     25:16
Third-Down Conversions........  7 of 17   2 of 11
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   0 of 0    1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      6-6       2-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards........     2-11       2-4

RUSHING

PASSING RECEIVING I don't see those Blackshirt jerseys coming off the racks to be reissued to the players after their collective performance against Virginia Tech.  There were a few series where VT was held from reaching the endzone, but still managed to kick the field goals needed to stay in the lead.  The team can learn from tonight.  After watching the game, I realized that they've come so far from that 2007 "read and react" a.k.a. "deer caught in the headlights" style of play which resulted in a 5-7 record and the second losing season in four years under former coach Bill Callahan and second in 42 years. 

The Huskers were starting to cut into the 18 point deficit with less than a minute on the clock when it fell short.  Nebraska QB Ganz's pass was caught Peterson and after being hauled in the VT defender's helmet knocked it loose and into the hands of the waiting defense.  The ball was returned 8 yards before the defender fell to allow the offense to take a knee and end the game.  The game was a thriller, there were moments when you thought that Nebraska would pull off the victory.  It was a good game to watch.  The defense was very aggressive tonight, but lacked the depth it needed to keep that kind of intensity going the whole game.  There were breakdowns on special teams and a couple costly errors that moved VT into prime position for their final touchdown that would seal the game.

Head coach Bo Pelini contributed to one of those penalty calls (back to back).  His fiery attitude was directed towards the ACC official (had blown a late call), Pelini erupted, and he was flagged for it.  His intensity seemed to flow through the players that haven't shown that kind of controlled rage since he was the defensive coordinator for the Huskers back in 2003 when Solich was coach.  So now Nebraska is 3-1, not a bad position to be in heading into conference action.  This was a test, to see how far the team had come along since the meltdown last season.  Now it's conference action, no more easy victories (unless you count Baylor).  Next up is Missouri and Heisman candidate Chase Daniel along with their spread attack. 

Again, I wasn't happy with the outcome.  What kind of a Huskers fan would I be?  But, the game can be used as a measuring stick as the season moves forward. 

Show us what College Football team you're rooting for this season.

America's Team

Hells ya!  College football is back in full swing!  GEAUX BIG RED!

In Dan's words:

Let's look at the Husker schedule:

Western Michigan (W)
Husker fans who think this will be a laugher, need only to remember Appalachian State at Michigan last year. The Huskers will win this game, but the Broncos won't be intimidated coming to Lincoln.

San Jose State (W)
The Huskers should be able to play a lot of players.

New Mexico State (W)
The Huskers will be 3-0 after this game and will welcome an extra week to prepare for Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech (W)
This game is a toss-up. The joint will be rocking for this one. Husker fans will need to be as loud as a Harrier jet. Pelini will get his first "big" win but this is going to be a very close game. The defense will step up and save the day for the Huskers. (Okay, so maybe this is seductive reasoning on my part, but I think the Huskers have a shot to beat the Hokies.)

Missouri (L)
It's good that this game is in Lincoln. The Huskers were embarrassed last year in Columbia. Look for the Husker defense to slam Chase Daniel on his butt, but in the end, the Tigers will pull off something they haven't done since Jimmy Carter was president-win in Lincoln. The game will be close, Bo Pelini will say to the press after the game, "Being close isn't good enough."

@Texas Tech (L)
Every Husker fan remembers "The Train Wreck at T-Tech" in '04. Callahan's play calling contributed to the annihilation, but the Red Raiders would still have won that year and they will again this year. Michael Crabtree is a man playing a boy's game. Bo will tell reporters again after the game, "Close isn't good enough."

@Iowa State (W)
The Huskers should come out of Ames with a win, but the game will be closer than many people think.

Baylor (W)
Thank goodness for Baylor. The Huskers should be 6-2 as they head to Norman

@Oklahoma (L)
This may be Bob Stoops' best Sooner team-and that's not good news for Husker fans. Bo's former boss takes his Huskers to the woodpile.

Kansas (W)
A 6-6 Jayhawk team nearly beat the Huskers in '06, but this isn't Cosgrove's defense, Dorothy.

@Kansas State (W)
What was K-State thinking of when it extended Ron Prince's contract?

Colorado (W)
The Buffaloes will be a much improved team this year, but so will the Huskers.

THE BIG TWELVE
NORTH
Missouri (Chase is back)
Nebraska (Bo's back)
Kansas (Attrition woes?)
Colorado (Secondary woes?)
Iowa State (Good schedule)
Kansas State (Prince is back)
SOUTH
Oklahoma (Stoops' best?)
Texas Tech (Wed Waiders to break through?)
Texas (All that talent...)
Oklahoma State (Cowboys need more than T. Boone)
Texas A&M (Aggies could surprise)
Baylor (Somebody has to be in the cellar)
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Sooners over the Tigers

And there you have it-straight from the other end of a horse's mouth.

I think that the Huskers will manage to win close games against Mizzou and Texas Tech.  I seriously think that the only game Nebraska will lose would be against their old rival Oklahoma.  Don't worry, I highly doubt that Bo will do the "throat slash" gesture while up in Norman.  Well that or call the OU fanbase "fucking hillbillies".  Thanks for the memories Billy C. 

Look for the Huskers to capture the Big 12 North crown again and represent the North in the Big XII title game which is back in KC before coming down to Arlington.  If the Huskers study the game film from the NU/OU game in preparations for their rematch in the Big XII title game, then the Big Red could land a BCS bid which would be a giant leap for Nebraska to kick start the Pelini era.

The Huskers have a decent schedule lined up this year and should at best have only a 1 loss season.  If more than one occurs, then let us hope that it's only 3.  Tom Osborne never had more than 3 losses in a season and that wasn't good enough for the Husker faithful back then, but we'd gladly trade for it now since the team finished under .500 in 2 out of the last 4 seasons under Callahan.     

The state of Nebraska always asks a lot of its only major-college football team. Year after year, hopes are high for the Cornhuskers, and often a top 10 preseason rating added extra weight to the normal load of expectations the coaching staff and players carry into a new season.

This year is different. At least it is outside the state, where expectations are lower than usual coming off a 5-7 season. The national media won’t give NU much respect this fall, and you really can’t blame them. It’s because of that five-game losing streak. It’s because of that “76” that Kansas rang up last November, and that “65” that Colorado put on the board three weeks later. It’s because of those ABC-TV images of gaping holes that Southern Cal carved in the Husker defensive line. It’s because of how Nebraska generally got pushed around. The Huskers have a lot of work to do to win back respect on a national scale.

But inside Nebraska, the task may be even more daunting. It will be at least as hard to win back respect inside the state as it will around the nation.

It’s true that most of the 1.7 million people in Nebraska are optimistic about the upcoming season and are preparing a thunderous ovation to greet Bo Pelini and his team, but it will take some doing to satisfy the Husker Nation. They will cut Pelini some slack in his first year, but they’ll want to see progress. The natives are anxious to believe that we’ve moved beyond the Bill Callahan era – and its images of stunned red-clad fans leaving Memorial Stadium in the second quarter. But they’ll be looking for solid reasons to do so.

First and foremost on the list is the return of the Blackshirts. The real Blackshirts.

Nebraska fans may be able to deal with a talented Missouri team winning in Lincoln for the first time in 30 years, but they want to see Chase Daniel take a beating in the process. They may accept a loss in Lubbock, Texas, but they want to see their team harass Texas Tech’s quarterback Graham Harrell and knock All-America receiver Michael Crabtree into the cheap seats at least once. They could tolerate a defeat in Norman, Okla., but they want to see the Huskers force a stalemate with the big-name Sooner lines on most plays from scrimmage.

NU needs to re-establish its home-field dominance, and it needs to return the word "smashmouth" to the Husker lexicon.

None of that will happen if Nebraska doesn’t earn back its reputation as a physical football team. NU needs to start forcing turnovers again. It needs to start running the football with authority again. It needs to start wearing down the opposition at the line of scrimmage again.

The Huskers were 117th in the nation in turnover margin last year, mainly because they forced an anemic 11 turnovers – fewer than one per game. Nebraska opponents fumbled 15 times, but the defensive unit formerly known as the Blackshirts managed to recover only three of them. Kevin Cosgrove’s defense last season was worse than lame. It was tame. And befuddled.

But this season is not about Cosgrove; he’s long gone. It’s about Cody Glenn, who volunteered to switch from I-back to linebacker to do everything he could win a championship as a senior. It’s about seniors like Barry Turner, Ty Steinkuhler and Zach Potter who return from the debacle of 2007 with the rarest of opportunities in their grasp – a chance to win back respect for themselves and their football program, which for at least the last half-century has been the finest in the nation.

Nebraska needs to take back its rightful place in the college football universe. But to do that, the Huskers have to re-assert themselves as a relentless, hard-hitting bunch of overachievers.

Bill McCartney saw what was missing from the Nebraska arsenal. The former Colorado coach saw that no longer were the Huskers the kind of physically dominating team that opponents feared, and he mentioned it to Osborne. When a rival says you’ve lost your distinctiveness, you’d better listen.

It would be nice to win eight games – or more. It would build a ton of momentum to pull a big upset on national TV. It would be great to have four or five All-Big 12 players, and an All-American. It would feel like old times to be rated in the top 25 again.

But let’s not have too many expectations too soon. First thing is, Nebraska has to win back its honor. Then everything else will fall into place.

...because I was there.  I found this clip a few minutes ago on youtube, wow!  I still can't believe how the game ended.  The scene down in College Station was an interesting, but memorable one.  I managed to "acquire" a beer pitcher w/the A&M logo from one of the local watering holes.  I still have it too.  HA!  One of my friends is diehard Aggie, I was going to tape a photo of the final score and present it to him on his next birthday. 

Here's some of the photos from that trip, you've probably seen them in one of my previous posts.  I can't wait until kickoff (not sure if I've previously expressed how impatient I am for the kickoff).  I'm planning on attending at least 3 home games this season, if all goes to plan, maybe 1-2 more.  That's not including away games, which right now stands at 2.  The two away games on the schedule that I'm going to are in Lubbock and Norman.   

This was one crazy game, so many ups and downs towards the end.  By the end of the game, I had lost my voice and was drained from the excitement.  I passed out the trip back, definitely glad that I didn't drive.  A group of Huskers fans got together and rode down on a fan bus, I believe there were about 30 of us all together.  There were a few Huskers fans that flew into Dallas from Omaha/Lincoln just to make the drive down to College Station with us.  They were up all night partying and hadn't slept, one of them... well, they were paying for it later.   

Here are a few video clips from the game.  I was down on the sideline towards the end of the game and even celebrated with the team and their victory which clinched the Big 12 North title and appearance in the Big 12 title game held in Kansas City that year.  The Big 12 title game will be back in KC this year (in San Antonio last season), then after that, it's going to be in Arlington, TX at the new Cowboys stadium for the next two years.  This is a big bonus for me, I live down the street from it.  I guess that I should plan on renewing my lease at least two more times eh?   

Damn I love college football!

 

Cheers

Remember this video?  It's from the 2005 Alamo Bowl.  I still watch it, it makes me even more impatient for the upcoming football season.  Remember this photo? It's from the 2006-2007 Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas.  I call it "Ode to Lattimer". LMAO  Okay,

I have a confession to make, I'm a Nebraska Cornhuskers fan.  I live for Nebraska football, I was raised on it.  Here's how diehard I am.  Take the movie "Fever Pitch", substitute Jimmy Fallon for me and the Boston Red Sox for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Here's how diehard Nebraskans are for their football.  It's like if you were to take out every single professional team out of Boston, leaving only the Red Sox (GEAUX SOX), and the Red Sox only played 7 or 8 home games every season.  It's like a sickness.  I check the Huskers news sites/blog daily and I occasionally write my own entry.   

As a proud member of Husker Nation, we've pretty much exited what was more or a less a dark time in the history of Cornhusker football.  Callahan's gone, in comes Bo Pelini.  Many of the Husker faithful felt that Pelini should've been the successor to fired Frank Solich after the 2003 season.  Solich was the man that Tom Osborne hand picked himself to lead the Huskers.

Something happened along the way, it wasn't Solich's fault.  He just wasn't the best recruiter, he wasn't able to bring in the kind of athlete that the program needed to remain on top of college football.  When Coach Osborne walked away from the game, Nebraska was indeed on top of the college football world.  He had coached the team to win it's 3rd title in the 90's and fifth overall.  Nebraska won back to back titles from 1970-1971 and again repeating as national champions in 1994-1995, with the last title coming in 1997. 

As head coach, Osborne's teams never lost more than 3 games per season.  His final 5 seasons he coached the Huskers to a combined 60-3 record.  Nebraska fans were spoiled when compared to the two losing seasons in four that the fans had to endure under Callahan's watch.  Before Callahan came to Lincoln, there were Huskers fans (myself included) that hadn't been born yet when you look at the last time Nebraska had a losing season.  Think about this year, 1961.  Yes, 1961 was the last time Nebraska had a losing season before Callahan's regime. 

Hell, in Solich's first season back in 1998, Nebraska lost 4 games.  The fans were worried, you would've thought that we lost every game that season.  Four games?  Are you sure?  Was there some error when entering the numbers under the "W" and "L" columns for Nebraska?  Four?  We really lost four games that season?  The fans wanted Coach Tom back.  Sadly, he wasn't.  Tom had (then) moved on to bigger things. But to a Huskers fan, is there anything bigger than Nebraska football?  Tom went into a life of politics.  We wished him the best.  Newly hired Athletic Director Steve Pederson fired Frank Solich after coaching the team to a 9-3 regular season finish.

Pederson was quoted as saying that he wouldn't allow the program to "slip into mediocrity".  Pelini became interim head coach for the Alamo Bowl that season and coached the team to a 17-3 victory.  He interviewed for the vacant post, but was passed over.  Pederson wanted a big name, he brought in Bill Callahan.  Callahan and Pederson turned Husker Nation upside down and gutted it like a fish.  Both were arrogant in their approach to bring the program into the modern era of college football.  The "Power-I" was scrapped for the flashy West Coast Offense.  It was new to the fans, the "student body left/right" was all the fans knew.  Pederson was quoted as saying eventually the fans would love him and erect a statue of him.  The laugh is on you Stevie.  Callahan may have committed the biggest blunder in the eyes of Husker Nation.  He was quoted (behind closed doors) as calling Tom Osborne a "crusty old f*ck...".  That's ballsy. 

The new offense grew on the fans.  As a fan, with what has happened in the past four seasons and with Callahan's swift departure.  I hold no grudge towards Callahan and wish him the best back in the NFL with the New York Jets (Go Patriots!).  In a strange way, I was glad that series of events happened the way they did.  Pederson's gone, and Coach Tom is back as Athletic Director.  Callahan's gone and Pelini is at the helm.  Callahan did wonders for the program in regards to recruiting.  He brought in a great offensive coordinator named Shawn Watson that Pelini kept on staff.

It's no longer called the "West Coast Offense" or "Mid-West Coast Offense", it's simply called "The Nebraska Offense".  I like that.  Pelini did bounce around before coming back to Nebraska.  He spent a season down in Norman before landing in Baton Rouge.  His time as a defensive coordinator for a few more seasons helped season him for the job at NU.  We know the kind of speed the SEC has been known for the past couple of seasons.  Bo is a defensive guy, we needed that kind of person to head Nebraska.  It's defense that wins championships and Nebraska is long overdue to be back in those winning ways.  Like the video at the top of this post, it's time to "Restore the Order".

 

 

From today until Saturday the Nebraska Cornhuskers Wrestling team will battle for individual and team honors to close out the 2008 season. 

To listen live via webcase click HERE

Brackets

Schedule of events

Live text coverage

Read the article HERE

Ok, so Herbie Husker needs our help one more time.  This time it's to get on the cover of NCAA 09 for the Wii.  You're allowed one vote per day, so do your part and help out Herbie!  GO BIG RED!

 

No it's not about anything I've experienced...  well not directly anyway.  Flash back to January 2004, I had a roadtrip up to Stillwater (Oklahoma) to watch the #2 Nebraska Cornhuskers wrestling team (GO BIG RED) take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys (ranked #1).  I had high hopes for NU then to take the team title, it all started with knocking off the (then) #1 OSU team that has dominated the sport in recent years.  It wasn't even close, Nebraska lost 22-9 to OSU.  I remember leaving and while walking downstairs a man was with his younger son he looked back and had seen me and my dad.  He made a snarky comment like "So that's what going against the #2 team in the nation is like?", quickly I shot off "At least we owned your asses in football....dick".  Ok, so probably not the best thing to say to a rude guy in front of his son, but hell, he was a dick.  Nebraska placed 2nd as a team in the conference championships and 5th at the NCAA tournament that year.

Fast forward to the 2008 season, Nebraska has a very strong team going into the season with both experience and youth playing on their side (with one defending national champion).  They have ranked wrestlers in every weight class and have had some very impressive wins (duals) piling up.  The team's record is 10-2 with both losses coming to #2 ranked teams (Minnesota on December 6th which they avenged Jan. 13th and Iowa), Nebraska then took the #3 ranking after defeating the then ranked #1 Penn State squad.  Heading into the matchup against OSU (ranked #2 then) this season there didn't look to be any momentum going for the big red.  Nebraska had not won vs OSU in 15 years.  But the team managed to pull off a giant upset winning 6 out of the 10 matches with a score of 22-13.  It was their third win all time in the series vs OSU.  I wouldn't mind running into that one OSU fan and throwing his comment back at him...  to say "So that's what going against the #2 team in the nation is like?". 

The Huskers suit up this Saturday to host the Missouri Tigers (7-2-1) which is Alumni/Dollar Day, I wouldn't mind being up in Lincoln for that match... I'll probably swing up to Stillwater for the Big 12 Championships March 8th.  Here's the Huskers schedule/results so far.

Cheers