SB Nation - Nebraska Cornhuskers

Changing The Game: Our All-Access Look At How Video Has Evolved Football

Jason Kirk — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:25:43 -0000

Among the modern football machine's raw materials, film is one of the most critical. When we hear about NFL or college coaches pulling 16-hour days in advance of game day, they're absorbing film. Players earn as much praise for digesting lots and lots of film as they do for excelling at any of their other duties. But where's all this film come from?

SB Nation Studios got an all-access look at the Nebraska Cornhuskers' video department, one of the best in all of football, producing the very neat video below, which includes appearances from coach Bo Pelini and star back Rex Burkhead. Take a look:

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Pac-12 Week 2 Picks: Bet On USC; Take Washington, UCLA With Points

Eric Stephen — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:10:54 -0000

We have one week of college football behind us, so it's time to delve into the world of predictions. Here are one fool's picks for Week 2 of the Pac-12, with all point spreads courtesy of SB Nation. All times PDT.

Friday

5 p.m. - Utah Utes at Utah State Aggies: The Utes opened their season with a shutout, and I while there is some potential to overlook one in-state opponent for the one looming next week in BYU, I think the Utes have what it takes to handle the Aggies. The pick: Utah (-7)

Saturday

12:30 p.m. - USC Trojans vs. Syracuse Orange: The now No. 2 Trojans hit the big stage with a nationally televised game on ABC at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Seems like a perfect stage for Matt Barkley and company. The pick: USC (-28)

12:30 p.m. - Fresno State Bulldogs at Oregon Ducks: The No. 4 Ducks reached 50 points before halftime in their opener. Look for the scoring to continue against the Bulldogs. The pick: Oregon (-35)

1 p.m. - Wisconsin Badgers at Oregon State Beavers: It's not quite facing the Ducks, but look for the No. 13 Badgers to take out their 2012 Rose Bowl revenge on the state of Oregon with a whooping in Corvallis. The pick: Wisconsin (-7)

4 p.m. - Washington Huskies at LSU Tigers: In what is probably the game of the weekend for the Pac-12, Steve Sarkisian's team gets a big test. I think they can stay within three touchdowns of No. 3 LSU. The pick: Washington (+24)

4:30 p.m. - Nebraska Cornhuskers at UCLA Bruins: This will be a big test for redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley, but in their home opener I think the Bruins stay close enough to No. 16 Nebraska. The pick: UCLA (+5)

7:30 p.m. - Oklahoma State Cowboys at Arizona Wildcats: It should be a tough battle in the desert, but look for the Cowboys to pull away. The pick: Oklahoma State (-11)

7:30 p.m. - Duke Blue Devils at Stanford Cardinal: The No. 25 Cardinal had a close call with a narrow win over San Jose State last week, but look for a rebound against Duke. The pick: Stanford (-15)

7:30 p.m. - Illinois Fighting Illini at Arizona State Sun Devils: ASU looks for revenge for their 17-14 loss to Illinois last season. The pick: Arizona (-4)

There were no lines for the three noon games (Southern Utah at Cal, Eastern Washington at Washington State, and Sacramento State at Colorado), so no picks were made.

For more news and notes regarding local college football, be sure to read Conquest Chronicles and Bruins Nation.

The Week 2 Coaches' Poll, As Represented By 90s Sitcoms

Bill Hanstock — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:12:15 -0000

It's college football season again, which means it's time for RANKINGS. Every ranking you can imagine: power, coach, AP, Sagarin, BCS, whatever! Most of these don't make any sense at all! Almost all of them are completely arbitrary! Well, we want to get in on the act as well, you selfish jerks. Here's our version of the coaches' poll, where we explain how each team is like a 1990s sitcom. This will make exactly as much sense as the actual coaches' poll and will probably better explain the reasoning behind the votes.

The full Coaches' Poll Top 25 for Week 1:

Team (first-place votes)

1. Alabama (37) - We're going with The Nanny on this one, not because it's the best 1990s sitcom, but because it's the only one as annoying as Crimson Tide fans.

2. Southern California (14) - Matt Barkley's team is pretty laid-back, just like the titular protagonist in Parker Lewis Can't Lose. Let's all start calling him Barkley Lewis! No, that's dumb. Sorry.

3. LSU (7) - The Tigers want to be Seinfeld, but they're basically just Friends. Hey, that's okay, too!

4. Oregon (1) - Classy and refined, just like that other Pacific Northwest treasure, Frasier. Kelsey Grammer had as many haircuts on the show as Oregon has uniform variations, which is weird for a guy with no hair.

5. Oklahoma - Everyone loves Roseanne, right? Oklahoma may be the least-hate-able of every major college football team.

6. Florida State - You came here for a Golden Girls joke, right? Well then, you're welcome.

7. Georgia - The Bulldogs are The Torkelsons. I'm sorry, but they are.

8. West Virginia - The number-one party school in the nation could only ever be The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, right?

9. South Carolina - Steve Spurrier's squad gets the honor of being Just the Ten of Us, because Steve Spurrier is awesome and so was this show.

10. Arkansas - The George Carlin Show ran for one season and it was awesome. The John L. Smith show will run for one season and will probably not be very awesome at all.

11. Michigan State - Not, you know, FUNNY-funny, but still pretty good. Did I describe Michigan State or Murphy Brown? We'll never know.

12. Clemson - The Tigers get to be Wings, because there's nothing exceptional about either one.

13. Wisconsin - Married ... With Children, but not the good episodes. That lousy two-parter in England with the unnecessary laugh track.

14. Nebraska - Just like Mad About You, you get sick of it pretty much the instant you start watching.

15. Texas - We'll let the Longhorns be Everybody Loves Raymond, because they're always there when you turn your TV on.

16. Oklahoma State - Did you remember that the "Body by Jake" guy had a sitcom? Did you know that sitcom lasted FOUR SEASONS AND 100 EPISODES? I'm just bringing this up because the Oklahoma State Cowboys are apparently still plugging right along.

17. TCU - Cringe-inducing, hammy and hard to even look at. Just like 3rd Rock from the Sun.

18. Virginia Tech - The average VT student's life pretty much exactly follows the arc depicted on Boy Meets World. Everyone at VT is Cory Matthews. Shawn Hunter? He went to West Virginia.

19. Michigan - A Michigan man can appreciate the antics of Home Improvement, although once the episode is over, it's time to get serious.

20. Kansas State - Let's say that the Wildcats are Grace Under Fire, because nobody is going to remember either one at the end of the season.

21. Stanford - Of course Stanford is Head of the Class, right? It pretty much has to be.

22. Notre Dame - Gonna go with Blossom on this one. Everyone likes it in theory, but then you start getting into "very special episodes" and Joey Lawrence won't stop saying "whoa" and ugh just shut up already Notre Dame.

23. Florida - Living Single. You know; the one with Tootie and Queen Latifah. "Tootie" kind of sums up Florida at this point, right?

24. Louisville - Much like the sitcom Coach, Louisville isn't really about college football.

25. Boise State - Family Matters. At the end of the year, they'll realize they had too many Urkels on their team.

And Auburn fell out of the Top 25, which makes Auburn Herman's Head -- good for a while but then just kind of there. War damn Herman's Head.

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VIDEO: New Wisconsin Uniforms Are Almost Nebraska's New Uniforms

Jason Kirk — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:13:31 -0000

Above are Wisconsin's uniforms for their game against Nebraska this year. Here are Nebraska's uniforms for their game against Wisconsin this year. That's right! Team W is going to play against Team N. Both teams, Team W and Team N, wear mostly red and either white or black. And both are going to wear gigantic letters all over the place.

Here's the Wisconsin edition in motion:

This is so terrible and so much stranger than anything even Under Armour themselves have ever come up with. Hail Adidas, our country's finest fashion trolls.

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Poll

Who's more lettery?

Team W

204 votes

Team N

97 votes

301 votes | Poll has closed

Someone Please Give Nebraska's Eric Martin His Checks

Jason Kirk — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:07:55 -0000

Nebraska defensive end Eric Martin has not received his checks yet. Which checks in particular has not been determined, but we can surmise he's yet to obtain some sort of life-sustaining payment from his institution.

This information was ascertained by observing the following highly entertaining Twitter rant, which went up in volumes Tuesday night:

Strugglin man. I miss summer pel grant like that was something to be here for in the summer, now it's like why be here in the summer? Broke... Broke... Broke... I know compliance is watchin my tweets WE NEED OUR CHECKS!!

I have a quarter tank of gas left, how am I suppose to get to practice and class WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Rent, cell phone, utilities, credit card bill, car insurance, gas, and food WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Some teammates got kids WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Surviving off protein drinks WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Sleeping off hunger WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Driving extra slow to save gas WE NEED OUR CHECKS!!! Running red lights so you dont waste gas at the red lights WE NEED OUR CHECKS. Don't wanna hangout wit no one because you don't wanna drive there WE NEED OUR CHECKS. Drinkin water till you get full WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Playing the game to take the hunger off yo mind WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Value/Dollar menu cost to much WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Thinkin bout applying to be a construction worker in Lincoln WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Coaches wondering why everyones body fat going down WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Selling old games back to the game store for a dinner WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Becoming friends wit the owner of the pawn shop WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! My kitchen lookin like "The Landing" WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! When everything taste good even things you dont like WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! Thinkin bout catching one of those deer that runs across my yard WE NEE OUR CHECKS!! Thinkin bout setting a rabbit trap I saw them make on survival man WE NEED OUR CHECKS!! How does squirrel taste?? WE NEED OUR CHECKS!!

Hopefully I got my point across.

Simply a masterful and preacherly use of repetition, and I'll be damned if you're not gonna use WE NEED OUR CHECKS as a response to every injustice you come across for the rest of the day. Please give the young man his checks.

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For more on Huskers football, visit Nebraska blog Corn Nation, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.

While we’re here, let’s watch some of the many fine college football videos from SB Nation’s Youtube channel:

Ex-Nebraska Coach To Join Bill Self's Staff

tjarks — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:12:41 -0000

While former Nebraska basketball coach Doc Sadler never had much talent in his days at Lincoln, the Cornhuskers were always a frisky opponent in Big 12 play in his tenure.

But despite going 101-89 in his six seasons at Nebraska, Sadler was let go as a part of the school's effort to make a splash in the Big Ten. Now, according to a report from KUsports.com, Sadler will join Bill Self's staff at Kansas as the Director of Basketball Operations.

Sadler, a long-time friend of Self, will be replacing Bill Hinson, who is leaving to become the head coach at Southern Illinois University.

The biggest adjustment for Sadler, who has an excellent reputation as an in-game strategist, will come off the court, as he'll be dealing with a whole different caliber of recruit in Lawrence.

The head coach at Nebraska doesn't need to deal with the politics of recruiting and AAU basketball, but the Director of Basketball Operations at Kansas certainly does.

Joe Paterno Stopped Tom Osborne From Plotting 1994 Penn State Vs. Nebraska Bowl Matchup, According To Report

Charlie Wilmoth — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 18:15:50 -0000

A new report suggests that Tom Osborne tried to plan a Penn State vs. Nebraska bowl matchup in 1994, when both the Nittany Lions and the Cornhuskers were undefeated, but Joe Paterno stopped Osborne in his tracks.

During the period leading to the bowl season, Tom Osborne wondered if there was any way NU and PSU could square off at a neutral site to determine the nation's (unofficial) best team.

So, he called up Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions' wily and influential head coach.

"I thought, 'Well, if Joe kicked up a fuss and said, 'We deserve to play Nebraska,' somebody would've relented," Osborne recalled Tuesday during his radio show on the Husker Sports Network. "But (Paterno) said we were bound to this (Bowl Coalition) contract, and that's the way it was."

Instead, the Cornhuskers headed to the Orange Bowl to play Miami in the Hurricanes' backyard. Penn State, meanwhile, went to the Rose Bowl and played an inferior Oregon team that had already lost to Hawaii, Utah and Washington State. Nebraska and Penn State both won their bowl games, and finished No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the final AP Poll.

If Paterno had tried to make the matchup happen, he might have been able to lead Penn State to a national championship. Instead, he stuck to the rules, and came in second.

For more on the Nittany Lions, check out Black Shoe Diaries.

Nebraska Vs. Oklahoma On A Game Of The Century's 50th Anniversary?

Jason Kirk — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 14:21:44 -0000

Oklahoma and Nebraska could renew hostilities after splitting up in conference realignment, 50 years removed from one of many Game of the Century games from the past century. As Barry Switzer notes, though, it won't ever be the same again:

"There was only one classic, and that was Nebraska and Oklahoma playing at Thanksgiving time and playing every year for the Big Eight championship," he said. "That's gone."

Nebraska Recruits Top Point Guard Jaquan Lyle For Football

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:00:59 -0000

Since moving to the Big Ten, the powers that be in the Nebraska athletic department have promised to make more of a commitment to basketball, a sport where the Cornhuskers haven't won a share of a conference title since 1950.

Nebraska AD Tom Osborne has promised to change that by upgrading the basketball practice facilities, pumping more advertising dollars into the program, and recently signing new head coach Tim Miles to a seven-year deal, the longest in UNL hoops history.

These are all positive steps in proving that Nebraska is more than just a football school. Not a positive step in proving that Nebraska is more than just a football school? Recruiting one of the top high school point guards in the country as a football player.

Jaquan Lyle is a five-star recruit out of Indianapolis who is regarded by nearly every scouting service in the country as one of the 20 best players in the class of 2014. He played football for the first time in his life during his sophomore season at Bosse High School, where he served as the team's punter and played a little wide receiver.

Apparently this was enough for Nebraska to believe Lyle should leave the hardwood behind for the gridiron, as they emailed him this recruiting letter (which Lyle tweeted under the caption "Might just go to college for football!! Hahaha jk") earlier this week:

Maybe this is just a cool, progressive recruiting tactic that the world hasn't caught on to yet. Or maybe someone in Lincoln just messed up.

Nebraska Coach Would Be 'Honored' To Be Fired For Anti-Gay Views

Jason Kirk — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:22:27 -0000

Nebraska Cornhuskers assistant coach Ron Brown uses his position to share his religion, making a clear connection between his job and his faith, which probably shouldn't really bother anybody.

However, he's also taken time to support particular causes, once testifying at the Omaha City Council against an anti-discrimination bill by calling down holy judgment on the bill's backers. Among other very public remarks, he's compared gay athletes to "thieves, liars and alcoholics."

Obviously, this has led to controversy, but Brown doesn't plan on backing down.

In an interview with the Associated Press about his stance in opposition of people who are not heterosexuals, Brown said, "to be fired for my faith would be a greater honor than to be fired because we didn't win enough games."

In that case, it seems to me there's a pretty simple solution here that would make everybody happy. Not to mention save both gay Nebraska fans and Tom Osborne alike from having to deal with flagrant bigotry that shows no sign of stopping. That's what it is, of course, whether we're branding it as "faith" or not.

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For more on Huskers football, visit Nebraska blog Corn Nation, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.