Ah New Year’s Day.  A fine day to nurse a hangover with some skull-cracking action and what better team to watch then our own scarlet and cream?  An interesting match up is presented in the Clemson Tigers as with a combination of talent, speed and a somewhat soft schedule, no one really knows what to expect from the orange-clad warriors from South Carolina.  Still, Nebraska knows what they can do and with that in mind, get out the keys and let’s get a jinglin’.

1.)  Protect Ganz with Your Life – Joe Ganz can carve a defense up like a holiday ham when he has time, but if he’s pressured as we’ve seen, he thinks too much.  He needs to have those 3-5 seconds very badly otherwise Clemson has already put a huge dent in the Huskers’ gameplan.  If Ganz stays on his feet, his usual 300+ yards and 2 TDs look probable.

2.) Use Marlon like Never Before – The debate will rage long past his graduation, but Marlon Lucky is going to be crucial in the Gator Bowl.  I would heavily anticipate seeing some of the more unique formations such as the Wildcat and even formations we’ve not seen yet.  Roy Helu and Marlon Lucky on the field at the same time is still a dangerous combination and Clemson knows it.

3.) Contain Spiller & Davis – Easier said than done, that’s given, but I would be very content in forcing Clemson to go one dimensional even if it’s to the air with a suspect secondary.  Larry Asante could have the game of his career for all we know (and let’s pray).

In Summary: Between the Ducky Formation, the WildHusker and anything else Shawn Watson can throw at Clemson, I think if we get to 30, we win, but part of me thinks that this could be Michigan State ’03 II.  Then again Clemson doesn’t play in the Big 10.  I’ll take beating one ACC team in a bowl game for losing to one earlier in the year.  Let’s see what Bo & Co. can do with a month’s worth of prep.

I know, King of the Horrible Pun.  That said, Nebraska’s newest commit, 6’4" 248 pound Jason Ankrah is deserving of far more praise.  In the end it came down to Nebraska and the Maryland Terrapins.  In the end the Cornhuskers have themselves another young gun defensive end to add to their collection alongside Cameron Meredith and Josh Williams of last year’s class.

I bring up Meredith and Williams specifically because Ankrah reminds me of the bookends that Nebraska signed last year.  Quite honestly, I see traits of both in Jason.  He’s got the "motor", he never quits on a play even if he whiffs and whistle to whistle, he’s hunting the ballcarrier down.  Jason’s already got both the bulrush and the swim move down which he’ll need to perfect to an even better level since he’ll be stepping up to some of the best tackles and guards in the country within the Big XII conference.

Ankrah’s ability to keep up with a quarterback on a rollout is impressive whether coming from the side for a hit/sack or even getting his hands up for a possible pick.  If a QB takes off, they need to have some speed, because outrunning Jason is going to be a feat once he introduces his body to Division 1-A strength and conditioning.  Ankrah’s a special talent and gives Nebraska fans even more reason to be excited about having amassed quite a bit of raw talent at the end spots.  In a year or two, I think that with Ankrah, Williams and Meredith Nebraska has secured a solid corps of defensive ends for the next several years.

For those of you who haven’t been playing "Nebraska Recruiting: The Home Game", a little bit about Nebraska’s newest commit Rex Burkhead:

Burkhead’s running style seems to change up given the situation.  In some cases he reminds me of the days of Mike Rozier in the way he seems to run with abandon that makes you wonder how he doesn’t fall down on his own and is deceptively quick.  It’s that sort of speed where if everyone’s running at a blazing pace side by side they don’t necessarily look THAT fast, but Burkhead possesses speed, vision and hands which is exactly what the current trend in college football points to.

Rex can switch things up in a hurry, though and once he snags the ball on a quick dump off pass can either do damage or with a properly placed hit take it to the house.  Regardless of what running style Burkhead chooses to initiate at any given time, it’s powerful and effective.  I look at Burkhead as this year’s Sam McGuffie except he doesn’t jump over trash cans and will likely be far more effective when he plays as a freshman and yes I do believe he can hurdle a redshirt.

Rex’s Plano High School team managed to get to the second round of the Texas Class 5A Division I playoffs before a loss to Euless Trinity knocked Burkhead’s mindset from high school football into the next level and he’ll be playing it as a Cornhusker.  This is a good thing.  Don’t believe me?  Burkhead rushed for 1,762 yards, snagged 42 passes for 594 yards and scored 33 touchdowns during his senior season.  He’s also logged 74 all-purpose touchdowns and 4,560 rushing yards since his sophomore season to compliment his 1,155 receiving yards in that time span as well.

Have a look at what the 5’ 11" 190-pound APB can do (He’s the guy who looks really good all the time):

The regular season comes to a close on what has been as an underlined understatement a rollercoaster of emotion for Nebraska football fans for the past 365 days.  One of my strongest concerns was the hiring on of Tom Osborne as Athletic Director.  While at the time I saw the brilliance behind the strategy due to Steve Pederson having the favor of, say, a witch in old time Salem, I questioned whether or not this would simply be an invitation to all former Cornhuskers to come back and catch a gig at their old alma mater.

Fears were ratcheted up as that’s exactly what happened, but AD Osborne had an understanding coming back into a program he still knew a thing or two about.  His time away from the program hadn’t served him well, but this is where the transformation begins.  Much to my dismay I felt that there were more quality candidates that could’ve been hired on.  Phil Bennett, now defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh, would’ve been my choice over Carl Pelini at the spot.  Now while Carl has had an intense working relationship with his men in the trenches, I find it hard to believe that his title of DC is just that: a title.  I felt Phil would’ve been another mind to meld with Pelini’s, but there was a big factor for the dream coaching staff that I had concocted: money.

(Actual Osborne may vary)

Tom came in feeling what I think can appropriately be called "frugal."  The salaries given to the current staff seem almost paltry to what we've become accustomed to in today's college football.  Slowly after this, things started to change and the guy who spent his time stumping on Capitol Hill began to revert to the guy with three National Championships under his belt.  Battles with Wyoming, Miami (FL), Southern Miss (Thank you, sir) and Fresno State were inked.  Pelini came to Osborne looking for guidance in his first season under the head coach banner and certainly times were tough in the early going.  Osborne even took and passed the test required for anyone to recruit for their given school, so you can’t say the man hasn’t been trying.

I feel that the Tom Osborne that Nebraska has now versus the T.O. in the Athletic Director slot mid-season 2007 is a different individual and someone who will continue on a solid transition until 2010 when I think he steps down.  As much good as he’s done for the University of Nebraska as a whole, the man deserves some rest and between the Fishbowl of Nebraska Football and politics, he’s gotta be beat. 

I’ll add this as a closing note: I see a lot of love given to both Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden.  Two men who in their own right deserve statues and accolades for what they have given to the game of college football and while this may smack of homerism, what of Tom Osborne?  I honestly believe Joe or Bobby would be quick to point out the good that not only Tom has done, but also in helping them develop their programs (as PSU and FSU have helped Nebraska learn most often the hard way).  Tom wouldn’t ask for that though.  It’s not his way.  Coach Bowden received an award this past week along with several other athletes including 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and when asked how he’d like it all to end, he said (paraphrasing) that he’d like to go out on top.

T.O. did.  Nuff said.

Hey members of the Corn Nation!  It’s been a while since I’ve chimed in, but with Turkey Day behind me, I look forward to stepping out into the sunshine and chatting with you all more often.  The team was looking at Colorado with a lot of attitude and swagger (swagger like us, (swagger) swagger like us) which I’m glad to see, but I think that dipped into the dangerous level of overconfidence.  Still, after being down 14-0, I at no point felt that all was lost.  I think we’ve reached a point where a 14 point deficit does not scare fans anymore barring that there’s not 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter. 

The seniors get to go out on a positive note and while the game was incredibly entertaining (read: tight) and came down to two fantastic plays (thank you Alex Henery and Ndamukong “Yeah, I do this every week” Suh), I would’ve liked to have seen Beau Davis get a few snaps in just to make up for the Massacre in Lubbock back in 2004.  Seriously, the guy’s stuck through the program knowing he was more than likely never going to get a shot.  Isn’t that worth a snap or two in junk time?

I give Colorado all of the credit in the world.  They came to play and they had to.  Their team was dinged up, a bowl bid was on the line much like last year and also much like last year Nebraska was standing in their way.  Unfortunately, 2008 Nebraska feels a little bit better about themselves than 2007 Nebraska. 

Roy Helu gets the start and it was bittersweet as while Roy is the future and a guy I think has the potential to be Nebraska’s next great I-Back, Marlon Lucky, a guy who has done a ton for the program and a guy who, in my opinion, will never get the props he deserves had to stand on the sidelines with turf toe.  A big thank you goes out to both Roy and Marlon, the former for his performance on the field and the latter for everything he has done as a Husker.  I sincerely hope that we get to see them both in the bowl game.

On that note...BOWL GAME!  Now, where are the Cornhuskers going to end up? I’m going to perch myself on the limb and say the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville where they face FSU.  A great throwback game, FSU usually puts up a good fight in their bowl games (pay no attention to what you saw against Florida please) and beating a Florida team, especially one of the Big Three, in Florida would be a major recruiting tool in the off-season. 

Regardless of where or whom the Cornhuskers play, there’s no doubt that Bo will be working his charges as if they’re playing for the national title.  A 9-4 season would be a fantastic opening campaign for Pelini and again a great recruiting tool.  Yes, I’ve mentioned recruiting twice and there’s a reason for that.  In the upcoming weeks and months, I plan to focus a little bit more on recruiting than anything else because not only do I have a passion for it but it allows me to slack until early February regarding what to write.

This regular season has had its ups and its downs, but overall, much like the past two home games against Kansas and Colorado, it’s been a fun rollercoaster.

In watching the Kansas State-Nebraska game once more, I decided to do so from a different perspective.  Sure, I enjoyed seeing the plays ran again, but it was how they were ran and how eerily familiar this was.  In a year where Michigan is not only staying home for the holidays but having their worst season since they began playing which I believe is somewhere between the fall of Rome and the founding of the United States, Kansas State reminds me of us one year ago: they just didn't care.

The current Cornhuskers, however, are playing with a sense of pride on both sides of the ball, Ndamukong Suh only gains confidence and thusly the eye of every offensive coordinator he faces with each passing game and Joe Ganz throws for 300 yards much like many of us mow the lawn during the time when it’s green.  It’s gone well every week before, so let’s bring out the key ring and have a look:

1.) Stop Josh Freeman – Well big checkmark next to that one.  Freeman was held to a 7 of 18 day with one long bomb TD of 63 yards helping him to a whopping 114 yards passing.  Husker Mike and I are in agreement on two things: Josh Freeman is not a legitimate NFL prospect and if I were a KSU fan, I’d be getting on the Chase Coffman bandwagon yesterday.  As went Freeman, so went KSU and the shame of it is that if properly cultivated, Freeman would be an absolute beast quite possibly as efficient and dominant as Tim Tebow or at least a quarterback in that vein.

Against Nebraska, however, Freeman is still winless after shunning them for the soon-to-be-departed Ron Prince.  He has broken record after record at Kansas State, but aside from him and his coach beating Texas twice, what he has truly achieved?  Under Bill Snyder, this young man could’ve been special but under Ron Prince, his time spent at Kansas State was a waste of both his and everyone else’s within the program.  It’s hard to be #1 when you go 0-3 against a team you turned your back on.

2.) Infuriate Ron Prince – On Friday when the Keys to the Game article was published, I actually thought about this one in particular and asked myself if this was possible.  Prince probably already has his bags packed, so why would he be infuriated?  What’s the point in being mad when you have no reason to express extreme emotion?  What’s going to happen?  He could’ve won his last two games 100-0 and it wouldn't matter.

As the saying goes more often than not a team will emulate the personality of their coach and Kansas State looked downright depressed.  It seemed like half the team didn’t even want to be there and once the heat got ratcheted up, it wasn’t pathetic, it was sad.  KSU players got decked and dropped like flies, Nebraska fans took over Bill Snyder Family Stadium and once the final whistle blew Prince and his team looked like visitors wearing their home uniform.

3.) Blitz – I wouldn’t say a ton of blitzing occurred because quite honestly it wasn't necessary.  Four sacks, three forced fumbles, eight tackles for loss, it was unruly.  Truly this KSU team is lost and nothing short of Bill Snyder returning or a Mark Mangino coaching effort will save this program.  Right now KSU looks like their old 1988 selves and while I love to watch Nebraska pound a team into their own turf, it’s a little more entertaining when they, you know, try.

In Summary: Nebraska kicked the snot out of Kansas State and has completed the second chapter in the Quest to Become 3-0 in Their Last Three Games.  The Colorado Buffaloes come to Lincoln and I don’t like their chances much.  I think it’ll be closer than this contest because their coach has a future and a team that can make plays happen, but I see Nebraska pulling out a closer one.  I’m thinking 7-14 points myself which would be fine leading into a pretty darn good bowl for a first year coach.

Husker Mike and I agreed on two premises when it came to KSU’s QB situation, but there’s one thing I do wish to speak out on. Two outta three ain't bad, though:

“Nebraska had to insert yet another freshman walk-on into the game at linebacker.  Matthew May moved from safety to linebacker, and entered the game after Blake Lawrence suffered a concussion.  So now we've seen walk-ons Tyler Wortman, Matt Holt, Colton Koehler, and May (not to mention converted I-back Cody Glenn) all having to fill the void created by bad recruiting.”

Unfortunately, Jax, what you saw with Mr. May was not the result of bad recruiting.  Far from it, in fact.  No one can honestly tell me that Will Compton couldn’t have played well this entire year if they watched him during last.  Very few redshirts were burned.  I think maybe two or three out of a crop of what?  20+?  Pelini has been using the cards that are on the table that are either expendable or have to be used due to no more redshirts being available.

This is both a good and bad thing in my eyes.  Good because it states that Pelini’s schemes are able to take advantage of the players he inserts while masking deficiencies and bad in how Nebraska is sending a vibe out that says “We don’t play true freshman a lot.”  That’s not something several top recruits want to hear, but at the same time I do praise the staff as the team has improved as the season progressed and really isn’t that all we ask for aside from yearly nine win seasons and a national title in every decade?

To Jax I say bad recruiting?  No sir.  A fantastic amount of talent waiting in the wings?  Most definitely.

Time to go beat our non-rivalriest of non-rivals.

Ron Prince is on everybody’s mind, the last road game of the season is upon us and people are talking about Josh Freeman.  Yup, it’s K-State week.  I felt that Nebraska would go 3-0  and so far so good.  The Wildcats don’t put the fear of God into me nor should they.  Given, Cody Glenn is suspended, but the front four have been playing like their hair is on fire what with intercepting passes and catching touchdowns.  If Josh Freeman stays in the pocket, he’ll get eaten for lunch which when playing against Ndamukong Suh or Mark Mangino isn’t exactly outside the realm of possibility.  Enough with the schoolyard taunts.

1.)  Stop Josh Freeman – I could stop here but that wouldn’t make for much of an article, would it?  Freeman is the heart and soul of this team (what’s left of it anyway) and if he’s stopped dead in his tracks, Nebraska will cruise.  Right now Ron Prince is comfortably nestled between a rock and a hard place.  He has no way to escape dismissal. He knows it, the players know it and when a downtrodden coach starts to rub off onto his players when hosting a coach with a mad as hell defense that just got awarded Blackshirts for the first time in his tenure come to visit, bad things are bound to happen.

Freeman’s always been a talent but he still has not been brought along properly.  He’s got natural ability, but I still don’t see refined mechanics just instinct and a good call every now and again.  I’m sure he’ll burn the safeties deep and get the short routes between a linebacker or two, but if he starts running for his life, KSU will be done from that point on.

2.) Infuriate Ron Prince – Last year’s mud-stomping of Kansas State in Lincoln is going to be used as fodder for Kansas State’s pre-game psych up.  The problem is if Nebraska can continue that sort of rout one year later or at least appear to start revving that engine, Prince is going to get livid in a hurry and make stupid calls.  You know, what am I talking about?  It’s Ron Prince.  The guy’s made of stupid calls.  He makes Frank Solich look like Knute Rockne.

3.) Blitz – I don’t have a lot of faith in Freeman’s line and he shouldn’t either.  This is a game in which I would blitz the ever loving hell out of Larry Asante because we all know he wants to put a hurting on someone and I can’t think of anyone better than Text Boy.  Suh, Potter, Allen and the big dogs up from should be able to part the KSU O-line like the Red…er…Purple Sea and even Tyler Wortman and Blake Lawrence could look All-Big XII if the defense plays like they did against Kansas.

In Summary: Nebraska has the potential to make these next two games look similar to 2007.  A year ago Kansas State was shell-shocked.  It wasn’t Nebraska vs. Kansas State, it was Nebraska vs. Jordy Nelson.  Jordy is gone and soon Ron Prince will be, too.  The Cornhuskers want style points going into the bowl and the second chapter of 3-0 involves turning Manhattan, Kansas into ground zero of a megaton blast.

For those of you who were not in attendance or watching yesterday’s game: I feel sorry for you. The game itself ran like a children’s book. This happened and…and then this happened and and then, well you get the idea. From the no-look toss fakes to the Wildcat Formation, Mark Mangino and his crew got outcoached. Instead of keys to this game, Bo and his bunch just kicked the door down.

1.) Bring the “Hyde” out of Reesing – Coming into the game, a lot of people I spoke to (or just talked at me and I chose to ignore) went on about how Reesing was going to carve the secondary up like a Thanksgiving turkey, but thanks to the defensive line having its best game of the year (See: Suh, Ndamukong) that was far from the case. Suh may be the Man of No True Position what with playing fullback and catching touchdown passes aside from enveloping quarterbacks, but he wasn’t the only guy doing damage.

Zach Potter put his hands out in a heads up play and snagged one of Reesing’s passes, Pierre Allen got all up in his grill even Tyler Wortman and Eric Hagg got in on the anti-yard-retention effort against the Jayhawks. Forget Reesing, I think the “Hyde” got brought out of the Blackshirts and it was pretty to watch.

2.) It’s Either Lucky or Helu – BZZZZT. Quentin Castille must’ve had duct tape and a football in one hand this week which was promptly removed before game time. Admittedly during every one of his impressive runs I was saying, “Hold onto the ball” in repetition until the whistle. I can apparently do that very quickly, but that’s not the point. Castille is a force, but again when holding onto the ball. I was surprised to see Lucky cough it up for what I believe was the first time this season. Watching him run though, I can’t be led to believe he’s 100%

What I believe we are witnessing here though is a passing of the torch. I don’t think Marlon will ever get the credit due for what he’s actually done as many compared him to the next Reggie Bush and thought national titles would ensue with his signing, but unfortunately NU’s OL is not as good as USC’s and ain’t gonna be for a while. Fingers crossed it is some day though. That said it’s obvious that Roy Helu is the future and the only major aspect of his game that needs to be fine-tuned his is catching. Other than that he has an insane ability to cut while running a straight north-south line. With 115 yards and two touchdowns punctuated with a 52 yard long run and hurdling tacklers, Nebraska has seen the future at I-back and it wears #10

3.) Keep Bo Happy – Bo’s demeanor was a complete 180 from Oklahoma. He acted like your standard Division 1-A coach which impressed me for several reasons. It shows that he actually cares how he represents himself and understands where his temper can get him. As a matter of fact, I thought it was not only appropriate but hilarious when Bo went after the refs the most he had Memorial Stadium screaming just as loudly! It was kinda fun. I see why he gets into it.  

For those who visit the site and were thinking that perhaps Mike Eckler is in the doghouse, I wish you could’ve seen Eck and his players on the sideline yesterday. I think he could move into a DC slot some day and he doesn’t just handle the ‘backers when it comes to spreading the love. He gets into every aspect of the game and celebrates along with the players. I can see why he’s so good at his job from coaching to recruiting.

In Summary: I like Mark Mangino a lot and I know he’s a good coach. Definitely is good enough to beat Nebraska and was good enough to beat them yesterday, but he was out-foxed by Pelini’s crew. That’s a pretty nice feather in your cap and best of all Nebraska is officially bowl eligible. With Kansas State and Colorado coming down the pike along with a likely mid-tier Big Televen team, 9-4 looks like a distinct possibility after the toppling of Kansas. Wildcats and Buffs alike beware: The chain has been released because the Cornhuskers are now officially off it for the duration.

After a merciless pounding in Norman, Nebraska returns home to what sounds like the welcoming but chilly confines of Memorial Stadium. Their next foe: The Fightin’ Manginos! The Jayhawks offer up an honest challenge for the Huskers and many feel there’s next to no shot for the Cornhuskers to pick up a “W”. PHOOEY to that, I say! I think Nebraska has an honest chance to go 3-0 in the final stretch here. Of course it’s one game at a time so let’s talk about what needs to be done to clip the Jayhawk’s wings.

1.) Bring the “Hyde” out of Reesing – Todd Reesing is a great quarterback, but in the Big XII that seems to come standard like a CD player in a car these days. Still, he can do damage and that’s the last thing that Nebraska’s back seven wants to hear. Zach Potter, Ty Steinkuhler and Ndamukong Suh need to break through and do damage. The latter needs to have himself some monster games if he wants to succeed and find fame and fortune in the NFL. There’d be no better day to come out and slam Reesing to the turf. It’s no secret that there is a “Hyde” to his “Jekyll” and if Nebraska pulls it out of him, we could see one of the finest defensive displays of the season.

2.) It’s Lucky or Helu – Unfortunately for Quentin Castille he puts more balls on the carpet than a CEO with a cocktail glass and a putter. Right now Lucky doesn’t seem to be in the best of shape, either. I admire the guy for all he’s done, but he can only do so much. Helu is a young, raw talent who I can’t wait to see grow within the program along with many others, but regardless of how injured Lucky is, both he and Roy need to carry the rock not Castille. At this point, I’d say it’s linebacker or bust for Quentin. If Nebraska wants to win out, it can’t be with #19 carrying the rock with any less than half of a yard line to go and even that’s iffy.

3.) Keep Bo Happy – Well…Bo being “happy” is a relative term. I suppose “Keep Bo less red in the face” would be a more appropriate request. There are some aspects of Bo’s gameday attitude I really like. He’s attentive, he knows what’s going on from all angles, but he’s letting things get to him far too easily. I’d like to think he will look back on what’s happened so far and end 2008 out with a nice, solid demeanor for the most part. Hey, we can’t expect the guy to stop hollering at the refs overnight. Still, he has to reign in his temper at some point. If he doesn’t, we’re not going to get calls going our way and that can, and I can almost guarantee you will, play as a big negative recruiting point.

In Summary: Nebraska has to play focused much like they did versus Texas Tech. They’re at home and they want to put on a show for the crowd. I say let ‘em. Last week’s first play shows that obviously it’s time to go to page 26 of the playbook blind and see what your finger lands on. Start out slow, make a bit of progress then begin with the screwing of the minds. Mangino is a crafty coach and a good fella, but he can be beaten and that is one thing that Bo knows.

First, if the polls are still open and you haven’t: GET OUT AND VOTE!

Now then: Norman, Oklahoma. I spent a month there one night. One thing I’ve learned in the game of football is that when a cornerback can not only jump your quarterback’s pass but do so in stride perhaps you’ve become too predictable. That pass is Shawn Watson’s Solich moment and reports indicate he hasn’t left the shower since Sunday trying to scrub that stank off. Yes, Nebraska got clobbered and they should’ve and why? Because a team, not just an extraordinarily loaded team, a team executed well. There are other Big XII North teams that have given Oklahoma more of a fight than Nebraska did. Take Kansas State for example.

I was chatting with a good friend of mine who pointed out KSU was tied with Oklahoma at 28-28 during their game at one point. Now the Okies did score four touchdowns in seven minutes to go into half at 55-28. Why is it that Ron Prince, a man that will surely not make it through the rest of the year, can coach a team that can come back from a 21 point deficit with 3:04 left in the first quarter against a team like Oklahoma yet Bo Pelini cannot? As my friend dutifully pointed out talent can be used as an excuse for half of that argument only and he’s right.

You know what I found interesting? There’s a young man by the name of Travis Lewis on Oklahoma’s roster. Travis was down to Nebraska and Oklahoma before deciding to go to OU at the last moment. I see a lot of talented true freshman on Nebraska’s sideline. David Whitmore, Josh Williams, Cameron Meredith, Sean Fisher, Will Compton. None of these young men have played. Travis Lewis is a fantastic talent and indeed, he redshirted, but he could afford to. He plays for Oklahoma in 2008. He led the team in tackles against Nebraska last Saturday. More than half he made himself.  

I’m going to preface my following statement with this: I have no reason to dislike any player on the Nebraska roster until I hear a reason to do otherwise and you guys know that I make my dislike unknown. Vast majority of ‘em are probably great guys, I’ve gotten to meet a few really great ones, but you know what? Josh Williams would beat out Pierre Allen. Cameron Meredith would beat out Clayton Sievers. There is an answer to Larry Asante and Matt O’Hanlon and yet it’s not being scribbled down on the test that is athletic competition on Saturdays and I ask why?

If you can tell me, I’d love to know. Oh, of course the coaches play the best players, right, I forgot. So when these same guys who are not on the field beat out the same guys who are playing now next Spring then what? S&C Magic? Here’s a better question: WHEN, not if, WHEN these players beat out their competitors, what happens because they haven’t seen a down of Division 1-A football? I’ve said it before and I’ll said it again until I drop dead: Talent can only cover up so much.  

Nebraska plays Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State before travelling to Blacksburg to play the Virginia Tech Hokies and return the favor for this year before coming home to play my lovable losers, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. Be glad. Be VERY glad because next comes Missouri in Columbia and while they may not be as good as 2008, they will be good enough to put a hurting on a team with a new starting QB and a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball.  

I think Nebraska beats Kansas, I really do. I think Nebraska goes 3-0 in these final three games, beats a mediocre Big 10 team in a hot place and goes 8-4. Decent record, but there are still many management changes that need to be made both in personnel and staff. 2008 ain’t done yet, but I can still see glaring errors a mile away. Dave Gillespie recruited for Nebraska once. I know trouble when I see it.

…what? You want me to try to spin this? Oklahoma’s got so many ways to absolutely use and abuse our secondary it’s not even funny. Okay, I understand.  It’s the interest of fairness, any given Saturday, etc. and, indeed, this team is not the same team, etc. etc. etc. Here is what has to happen for Nebraska to beat Oklahoma in Norman this Saturday:

1.) Perfect Football – This means no mistakes, no stupid penalties, no fumbles lost, no silly interceptions, no personal fouls, excellent blocking from whistle to whistle, gorgeous blitz calls, the light to come on for Larry Asante at safety and Matt Holt has the game of his life ala Brandon Rigoni.

2.) Divine Intervention – The Almighty looks down on the Sooners and for every time they have cheated (I said they, back off), for every time Sooner Magic has reared it’s ugly head, for every piggy bank Barry Switzer smashed to pay off students, for everything and anything, God himself will look down upon each and every Sooner and he will say, “I SHALL SMITE THEM!”

3.) G-Virus Outbreak – The Nebraska locker room accidentally houses a vial of the experimental G-Virus currently being developed by the Umbrella Corporation which specializes in biochemical research. The Cornhuskers knock over said vial during the pre-game psych up and are instantly mutated into horrific beasts and manifestations of nature that make every Sooner need a jock change. Post-game clean up is required and pays well.

4. Bizzaro World - The Oklahoma Sooners are kidnapped by Bizzaro Forces which have invaded Earth for approximately four hours. They don the uniforms of the Sooners but wear none of the equipment properly. They run when they should pass, pass when they should run and occasionally punt on first down. Essentially many would compare this to Frank Solich’s tenure at Nebraska except for the order in which the plays are called and lack of option carries.

In Summary: I’ll happily eat my plate of crow should Nebraska up and dethrone the Sooners, but I ain’t seein’ it happening. Still, tell me you wouldn’t pay to see any one of those four options happen.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the bar table commentary that your buddies make just about each and every time you sit down for a pint. If there’s a wedding, birthday party, bar mitzvah, etc., you can schedule it on game day and some people HAVE to be there. Not me. I have my priorities in line. Unfortunately when called into work during a Cornhusker game…the line, she is somewhat blurred.

So here I am missing my first televised and/or live game in the history of time and I can now say brothers and sisters: I feel your pain. Texting 15 people asking for score updates, having to jump to the lone computer that has access to certain sites allowing us to see scores because we all know that if we could watch tickers (and we do) that nothing would get done. It makes you wonder what Ben Franklin did when he wanted to find out college football scores from across the country.

Normally we’d go by the keys to the game for this article, but I’m going to go from a different perspective this week: The guy who had to work and is extremely pissed off that he missed watching the game. It appears I was mistaken in pushing Baylor’s RB and QB combo to the side, but what I was impressed with was the way errors in play were clamped down on in the second half by Nebraska.

As I had agreed with an individual here on Corn Nation earlier this season, this team is not be the same team that began the season. This is why I go into the next game against the Sooners with a bit of optimism. Do I expect Nebraska to win? Not necessarily, but with no pressure on their shoulders, who knows what could happen? Given when you’ve got the weaponry that Bob Stoops has in this matchup, the talent level is obviously on the side of Oklahoma. That being said I was glad to snag a win (and a safety) against Baylor as I feel that KSU and Colorado should be “W”s both.

End result if that happens: Nebraska finds itself playing in a bowl game and I think that Year One of the Bo Pelini Era can be considered a success. Cart before wagon time there, though as it’s time to concentrate on the TRUE RIVALRY, there, happy now? 

What did we learn from this week, boys and girls? Perhaps Castille needs to invest in duct tape and you’d better get used to that frickin’ song.

A second Big XII win in two games sounds really good to any team in the conference right now, but for a Nebraska team looking to build off of a dominating road win against Iowa State, it’s huge. It’s cliché to say that every game counts, but for Nebraska’s season each one most certainly does especially when gauging just how successful Year One of the Bo Pelini Era went. Of course that’ll depend who you talk to. That said, I give you the keys to beating the Bears:

1. Keep Ganz in a rhythm – It’s easy to say that I or anyone else liked what we saw last week against Iowa State, but it wasn’t so much the performance as how it was created. The system is built around its quarterback and right now Joe Ganz is the man. As long as he is humming smoothly, Nebraska has a chance to dismantle the remainder of its Big XII foes with the possible exception of the Boomer Sooners.

Joe’s been able to have the heat kept off of him which is great because if you can force him to make a decision, about four come into his mind and he’s not the best at choosing the correct one. I feel, however, that Nebraska’s offensive line can take care of Baylor to the point where Nebraska will have the freedom of being as two-dimensional as they like.

2. Lock ‘er Down – With most folks you’ll hear “Stop the run, win the game” or some variation thereof. Nebraska’s defensive line has been slowly showing improvement especially from the likes of Zach Potter who is really doing himself a service this year. I’m not so concerned with Baylor RB Jay Finley as I am with QB Robert Griffin and the WR duo of Thomas White and Kendall Wright.

If first year coach Art Briles learned anything from ISU, it’s that you need to go deep early and often on Nebraska. The only problem is that you’re going up against a coach in Bo Pelini that likes to blitz and isn’t afraid to say it to your face.

3. Go for Two! – No, not a conversion, but how about a second game where
penalties are a thing of the past? Given it’s not exactly an “Oklahoma”-type game, but sooner or later (ugh), Nebraska will have to face the Crimson and Cream. If they want a SHOT at taking down OU in Norman, mistakes are going to have to be kept to a minimum. Penalties and lest I mention fumbles will kill you. Two areas to be improved on, two areas I expect to be better vs. Baylor.

In Summary: Baylor can very easily be Iowa State II in both dominance and score in front of a friendly crowd. I feel that this team knows that and if they can execute the way that they’ve proved that they obviously can, a large margin of victory is not out of the realm of possibility. If they pull out the ol’ six-shooter and aim it at their foot, things might get a little scarier.

One of my friends at my place of employment is an Iowa State fan so as you can imagine we had some good-natured ribbing over the past week. I was curious about ISU as I hadn’t seen them play this year admittedly and was curious about their offense, how it would match up versus what the Huskers have put on the field thus far and vice versa. In regards to the offense he felt Austen Arnaud was a gamer and he was right, but he wasn’t impressed with the receiving corps. He did feel good about the running backs, however.

On defense it was a different story. When prompted about ISU’s defense he asked jokingly, “Do you guys pass much?” Well you could say that. Time to get the keys out and kick the this SPB off of the tee.

1.) K.I.S.S. – You can refer to this as “Remember the Red Raiders” – Okay, I officially like the “Nebraska Offense” which, of course, features no implements of the West Coast Offense whatsoever because that is evil and wrong. All kidding aside, let’s have a look over the numbers, shall we? 538 total yards (328 passing, 220 rushing), 7.0 yards per play average, and 37+ minutes worth of possession. Yeah we did good.  

It seems like everyone got their cake and ate it too as all three backs had at least over 65 yards with three TDs amongst them. Several receivers got in on the act including Swifty’s 100+ yard game, of course and lastly but certainly not least, Joe Ganz went 27-37 for 328, one touchdown and, that’s right folks, no picks. This works. Me likey.

2.) Remember San Jose State! – Going into the game I was concerned that ISU was going to toy with Nebraska using Arnaud and they did to an extent but far less than I ever anticipated. He had a mere 20 yards rushing and tried to use the passing game as his bread and butter but only managed 113 yards there while being sacked twice. I guess Bo remembered San Jose State. Moving on!

3.) Please…let…go – A special kudos goes out to Barney Cotton (yes, read that again. I am giving praise to Barney Cotton) and his offensive linemen who did not allow a silly thing like penalties stifle Shawn Watson’s creativity. I feel that Barney’s best line is in right now and have confidence in some rotation. I still feel Mike Huff shouldn’t see the field, but as long as he minds his manners, what the heck. Four penalties on NU still isn’t great, but it’s improvement and that’s what counts. In this case I’ll take three less for under half a football field’s length in yardage as Nebraska found themselves close to 20 first downs in the FIRST HALF.

In summary: While I much like everyone else wasn’t a fan of the severe case of Fumbilitis that was going around Ames (it is the fall/winter times, though so bring your chicken soup), it was a well played game by Nebraska on the road against a Big XII foe that they should have beaten and did so with gusto. Adjustments were made in an attempt to come back by the ‘Clones, but tweaks were made right back, there were some fantastic heads up moments by the team and that turns into a solid day at the ballpark.  

Next up come the Bears of Baylor which present a similar scenario to Iowa State except they come to the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium which will be filled to the brim with 85,000+ that will probably be pretty happy to see a little bit more of what they saw against Gene and his bunch. I think Baylor has the potential to be scrappy, but we’ll get into that a bit more this week. For now, I say we savor the win for a moment before pressing on.

So close. So very, very close to snagging a win outside the confines of Memorial Stadium. Don’t let it get you down though, boys, because the Cyclones of Iowa State should be very huskable as long as you’re still holding onto the same keys as last week, but while one key remains, two new ones come into the picture.

1.) K.I.S.S. – You can refer to this as “Remember the Red Raiders” if you’d like. What was shown against Tech was near perfection for this team and while that usually brings a letdown the week after, Austen Arnaud is not Graham Harrell nor does he have a Michael Crabtree. That being said, it brings me to the next key:

2.) Remember San Jose State! – In Lincoln, SJSU showed how this team did initially against mobile QBs and let’s face it. No one is always fantastic against a mobile quarterback. If a QB that was a dual threat was no good, they wouldn’t be recruited like they’re the hot commodity that they are. Austen Arnaud may not be a passing fiend (nor may his receivers be helping him in that aspect), but he is a danger in both areas. A spy will be needed to keep Arnaud in check. My vote goes to Eric Hagg (honestly it goes to Asante, but that won’t be happening).

3.) Please…let…go – Holding and false start. If I hear those four words again when referencing a Nebraska game this season I think I’ll go loony. Hey, I understand that there are “certain levels” of holding. The point is not to make it blatantly obvious! If your man’s going to get sacked for 4 yards and you help him stay upright but give up 10, who does this help? Certainly not you. Go back and watch the Tech game’s starting lineup and the line that was in at the end. Notice any differences? I did.

In summary: As long as Nebraska can work with the offense that Shawn Watson put out there for all to see against Texas Tech and the defense can click about 50% of the time, ISU should be Nebraska’s first road win of the season. Keep Arnaud under your thumb and please, for the love of everything sacred and holy, you know the snap count, linemen. Use that information.

Let me officially state for the record: …DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMNNN… Do Texas teams just play hot potato with this “dangle the carrot” in front of Nebraska’s face or what? On the bright side, I was wrong, WAY wrong in how I thought things would go down. Yes, I fully admit it. I thought we were going to get torn apart like wheat through a thresher, but interestingly enough the Keys to the Game were oddly appropriate.

1.) K.I.S.S. – Shawn Watson did in fact keep it simple. Short little outs to let big-bodied, physical receivers make plays. Mixing up the pass with a well-blocked run game. Played Marlon Lucky well as both a runner and receiver let alone Mr. Helu and when it came to D? Well, things broke down admittedly but when you’re working against a team like Graham and Crabtree, you’re giving up yards.  

That said there were some guys on the field who really stepped up due to injury (Tyler Wortman and Matt Holt are just two examples) and Nebraska ended up winning the fourth quarter 21-7. Going into overtime I had a feeling that it would probably at least go to two and honestly it’s a shame that it didn’t. That was a loss, but it was a damn fine game and as much as it sucks to be on the losing end it was exciting to watch and I hope the Raiders enjoyed the game itself as much as the win. Good on ya, boys and girls.

2.) Discipline – The key to the game that 41% of 71 voters felt was the most important…well it was the most important and may have very well cost Nebraska the game. Suh seems to have a slight issue with the personal foul bug now and again but if there’s a true agitator for me when it comes to penalties, it’s the offensive line. I know that they’re better than what we’ve been shown and I know they can be COACHED to not do what they’re doing. Forget that, though.  

If they continue to give up penalties in games, how about a little bit of reinforcement in practice? Stair running, push ups, make them push your truck back and forth down the street, but do something, Coach Cotton, because you’re making a potentially very good line cost Nebraska some very large chunks of yardage.

3.) Belief – When “Crab” jolted for six, I thought “here we go again”, but NO! Just when it looked as if Missouri had switched uniforms and Jeremy Maclin had transferred immediately violating a number of NCAA rules Nebraska came back and fought hard going in 17-7 at the break. The thing is I truly believed that the game was winnable seeing what I saw. It’s obvious that they, too, felt this way. This was a team fired up, ready to go into a Top 10 team’s digs and kick them in the mouth before leaving and it turns out they almost did after scoring 21 points in the final quarter to take it to OT.  

Problem was, like I said, I felt it was going to have to go into multiples for Nebraska to win because I didn’t think they could keep Tech out of the end zone at least the first time. I think NU could’ve won by three, but Joe made his most unfortunate throw of the entire game and it was game over, man.

In Summary: Sucks, but I’ll tell you what: If the team we all saw plays the way they did and continues to improve even Oklahoma looks beatable. Note Sooners I said “beatable” not “they will be beaten”, “we’re going to beat them”, “Boomer Sooner isn’t going to be played 50 times”, but beatable. Hey, plus side, Bob and Brent won’t have to pull punches!

Before the TRUE rivalry is renewed however, we tangle with the RetroClones in a road game that this NU team should win. It will probably be a dogfight and Arnaud needs to be careful because without Phillip Bates who just up and quit the team behind him, there’s a big hole if he goes down.
Good week, Huskers. Beat ISU.

With Missouri behind us, we now look to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The last time we met the Raiders in Lubbock was in 2004 when the Callahan Era was ushered in with a 70-10 piano-wiring at the hands of the red and black. Will this year be any different? Could be, but if the Cornhuskers are looking to upend The Masked Rider how are they going to do it? Let’s examine the scenario.

1.) Simplicity – One method that I’ve found works universally is the tried and true method of K.I.S.S. and I don’t mean another Gene Simmons reality show. Keep It Simple Stupid. It seems that the schemes of Watson and Pelini are not working period. Coach Pelini was obviously very upset following the Mizzou game, but not just at the score. He took the entire weight of the loss on his shoulders and I think that may very well include the portion of the team he really leaves to Watson.

The purest definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. This week a little more simplicity with a dash of the different could put the Cornhuskers on top. Tech’s defense isn’t Mizzou’s and does have some weak spots where Ganz can take advantage of Swift, Peterson and Holt, but the Radiers’ D isn’t that bad and can put Joe where he needs to make snap decisions which hasn’t been his strong point lately. The best advice I could give Joe would be this: It’s kind of like a history test. If you don’t know the answer, go with your gut because the first instinct is usually the right one.

2.) Discipline – One thing I most certainly did not expect out of a Bo Pelini-coached team is a good nine penalties per game giving up an average of ¾ of a football field. I don’t care how much yardage you can get on a play if it gets negated. Pushups, stair-running, there has got to be something that can be implemented to help get this under control and if it’s the individual who is the problem, put someone in who isn’t an issue. It’s getting downright silly and of that I am 100% positive Bo knows.

3.) Belief – I was asked this week why I thought Nebraska could hang with Mizzou. Simple answer: I didn’t and that’s why I picked against Nebraska in three separate scenarios. Now I am not the team. The team needs to believe that they can go on the road and win otherwise they can and will lose. Why? If you believe you can do something the chances of you actually performing to a higher level rise significantly and in a game where you do have a legitimate chance of winning if you think you could lose or will lose, yep, you’ll lose.

In Summary: Texas Tech offers yet another opportunity for the Nebraska secondary to be scorched like burned toast, but they also offer the ability for the Cornhuskers to get a victory to hang their hat on. A road win in Lubbock takes them into Ames with the belief that they can exit the confines of Memorial Stadium and bring home a “W”. If you can win outside of your house, you can definitely win inside and right now with the fragile if not broken psyche of this team that’s critical.

All in all regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s game, I can proudly state that the Red Raider faithful are all coming to see the Big Red in action as stated on their official home page:

"Texas Tech Athletics Department officials announced Thursday that Saturday's game against Nebraska is a sold out."

In Nebraska we know a thing or two about a sold out streak.

I know that usually I run over the keys to each game in this article or at least I have while at CN, but this week was obviously different than other weeks, so I’ll go down a different road. While many wanted to believe that this team could be instantly transformed into at least somewhat respectable on defense at this point they cannot.

They cannot compete with a legitimate win-it-all contender like Mizzou (By the way, would like to see a Mizzou-USC match up at some point this year). They can’t do anything more than you witnessed during 2007…well, they can, but for some reason the coaches seem content in not letting them.

Look, I’m not delusional enough to think I know better in every aspect of the game than people who get paid literally millions to do their job. I can tell you, however, that there is a lot of fantastic, young talent sitting on the bench. Why? Has Nebraska officially thrown 2008 down the drain so that these players can get a year of seasoning?

Here’s a better question: If Nebraska has indeed decided to “sacrifice” 2008 because we all know Bo and several choice assistants aren’t going to get canned after year one, why are we not letting said young players on the field anyway? You don’t get better in the Big XII conference by sitting on your butt and watching film. That all goes out the window when you step on the field and have to catch Jeremy Maclin or defend against Sam Bradford or how about stoping Todd Reesing when he’s down 20-0 at the half?

I feel for Bo in that he’s obviously the “player’s coach” that many in the fan base painted him to be, but for him to make statements like we’re not going to get smacked around again this year…Coach, you do realize who your team is playing next, right? The Cornhuskers haven’t exactly done well against passing teams. I mean the 2008 unit is giving up MORE yards than LAST YEAR’s team. Same personnel too.

They just needed to be “coached right”, though or so I heard. Point being is this: I am not against Bo in fact I was for his hiring, but the rookie mistakes are being made and one huge one is not putting your best players on the field. Sure, you can call it straight opinion, but there are several players who are ready to contribute now. Pelini chooses to play who he plays especially on defense and he’s making some piss-poor choices.

Let me wrap things up on a more positive note. To the “We’ll never be good again!” crowd: Are you nuts? Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, USC, Alabama, can I stop now? College football is cyclical in a lot of ways whether it comes to offenses, defenses or who is flat out good. Nebraska has a lot of advantages it shouldn’t: Money, the backing of the university, passionate fans and a rich tradition to name a few.

If Missouri can become a national title contender, Nebraska can become one AGAIN. It just takes time and living in an instant gratification society is tough. A few of the more mature folks I run into toss the label on folks, say 20-30 years their junior, but I think they’d be shocked at how many in their own age bracket show just as much of that trait.

Memorial Stadium isn’t going to stop selling out, the sun will still rise, however as I have said in past blogs this program is still trying to crawl let alone walk. There will be some new people on the coaching staff eventually. Could be in a year, could be two, but this is not the staff to get things done. Not entirely, anyway. The Missouri game sucked and surely several others will too if not just for a loss, but there can, and more than likely will, be a brighter future for Nebraska football than what was witnessed last night.

I’ve been pretty busy this week to get pissed off at Missouri too much but with that said it’s time to take a look at the black and gold and take a look at how Nebraska can pull off the upset of the #3 team in the land with a little bit of luck.

1.) Keep Chase Daniel off the field – If this is the case, Nebraska is doing all of the right things. Whether it’s playing quality defense, sustaining long drives or just keeping Joe Ganz upright, the Cornhuskers need to establish themselves, get confidence and do it quickly. Chase Daniel is easily one of the best quarterbacks in the country and a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate.

Keep him off of the field and Chase Coffman, Jeremy Maclin, etc. can’t hurt you. A feat far easier to say than accomplish, but if turnovers become available, Nebraska will need to capitalize on taking each and every one of them. I’d rather see Chase on the sideline pickin’ his nose again than scorching the NU secondary.

2.) Chase Chase Suh-ner rather than later – Several Mizzou blog pundits have mentioned it, so I’ll take them at their word. Pressure Daniel and hey, it’s not a bad idea considering that Nebraska has simply not gotten consistent pressure. Ndamukong Suh has been playing well throughout the season sans a few foolish personal fouls. He’s shown he can be a manbeast and needs to show up Saturday. This doesn’t let the ends off of the hook either. Zach Potter I’m not too concerned with, but Pierre Allen has given me pause while Cameron Meredith has shown excellent technique and quickness in his brief playing time.

I think that this could very well be the game where Meredith can be utilized to rattle the Mizzou QB and could be one of Nebraska’s deadliest weapons even for a true freshman. Meredith uses his speed well and may miss a time or two, but if speed is what prevents Chase from making sound decisions, send Cam and let Suh & Co. play cleanup.

3.) No special teams letdowns – Jeremy Maclin is going to be a terror to contain, but beyond that Nate Swift showed some serious wheels and the punt return team itself got a chance to show the nation that despite losing to Virginia Tech they’ve got some decent special teams chops as well. Protection for Dan Titchener is key as well. Nebraska spent quite a bit of time practicing their special teams this week and I’m looking forward to see the fruits of their labors. Hey, Gary: It’s a fake!

4.) Grow a spine – Last year against Mizzou the Cornhuskers had been beaten senseless by USC and Mizzou added to that. Quite literally in some situations. This squad won’t let that happen. If Mizzou comes in and wants to brawl, watch for yellow flags to match the color of the Tiger uniforms because people may get tossed. I criticized Bo Pelini for the foul he snagged against VT, but I do not disagree with his passion. He needs to remain on the sideline where the head coach should be. Defend your players, but do it with composure and poise. Be smart, be strong and be a Cornhusker.  

In summary: Many people feel that Nebraska needs a miracle to beat Mizzou. I even predicted a 45-20 loss to the Tigers. Does that mean I don’t think Nebraska can win? No. Does it mean I expect them to lose? Not necessarily. Do I think it’s probable? From what I’ve seen yes, however I do know all too well that any team can beat any team on any given Saturday.  Common knowledge. Mizzou’s got this in the bag…or at least they should. It was said very well that the bar is essentially in the sand and that the nation expects a Nebraska clock-cleaning, but if the Cornhuskers knock the Tigers off of their perch, it won’t just be an upset. It will be a win that Bo Pelini and his team can hang their hat on and build a season off of. The Pinkel factor’s been absent lately, hasn’t it?

Well that sucked. San Jose State was this year’s Wake Forest I do believe but the good news is I don’t think that the 2008 Cornhuskers are going to tank completely. At least their coach won’t be fired. I hope. That being said, after a game sloppier than a bowl of grits that spent a night out in the rain, hand me the keys and I’ve got to warn you, I’m a mean drunk

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It’s finally arrived: The first “big game” in the Bo Pelini era. In fact, each and every game from here on out can very well and should be considered “big games”. Virginia Tech offers the best of an admittedly poor non-conference slate, but it’s a night game, will be regionally-televised, no doubt some solid recruits will be in attendance and Nebraska has an ability to sell itself as a program again.

This works for the kids in uniform and ones that could choose to put one on in the coming days. After VT comes Mizzou, but Tiger fans as much as I’d love to get into that dustup, I’ll look forward to writing about the black and gold next week. What does Nebraska have to do to make sure that they’re undefeated going into my next “Keys of the Game” article?

1.) Get Ganz time – As Joe has shown us when he has time in the pocket he can work over a secondary until he’s not only zipping passes through (and in some cases over) them but can zip through them as well. I would advise Coach Watson not to go to the “Option Well” too many times this week as VT will be looking for it, but a sweet faux-option dropback/playaction job would be gorgeous. Much like NMSU, Joe needs to have the time to be the player that he is and he is good enough to get the job done.

2.) Mix it up! – Establishing the running game will be key in defeating the Hokies. Regardless of if Nebraska wants to win by one or 100, all facets of the offense Watson wants to provide need to be there. We saw this against NMSU, but the Hokies have slightly better talent*. It is imperative that Lucky and Helu are able to do damage and if that’s the case, Castille needs to bruise some bodies as well. If Virginia Tech allows Nebraska to bring a balanced attack to this game, they’ve lost.

*Ya think?

3.) Marketing time is over – We’ve all seen the shirts that Bo knows defense or how Bo shoots and kills water buffalo with slingshots and marshmallows or how he can skin a buck in 2.4 seconds. That’s great. The ACC’s not exactly lighting the world on fire as a conference right now, but let’s see some action to back up the marketing and branding.

Virginia Tech does not bring two quarterbacks that cannot be corralled to this matchup. Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor are two different styles of QB, but both can be contained and shut down by Pelini.

This will, however, be a true test for the defense as a whole as RB Darren Evans has shown the ability to make things happen, so I believe that the front seven and specifically Ty Steinkuhler and Ndamukong Suh are going to play one of the biggest roles of this game. If they can keep the middle closed allowing the ends to crash and the line syncs? Nebraska can control this game from the outset. If, however, holes form, it’s going to be a long day.  

I’m not too worried about safety play this week. More cautiously optimistic, actually. Larry Asante upped his game a bit last week plus Anthony West returns to a secondary that can use all of the healthy depth and talent it can get its hands on. In summary, I don’t think that this is going to be a high scoring affair.

I think that if either team breaks 20 points it’ll be no more than 23 and Beamerball will likely translate to both sides of the game. We have Zach Potter. Every kick is blockable, do you hear!? Look for a close, defensive battle (ugly game) that could be won by either side.

As stated in the “Keys to Victory” article this past Friday, I mentioned that NMSU would be the last opportunity that Nebraska would be able to solidify and find an identity let alone a running game. Boy howdy, that was a pretty fine exhibition last night and, guess what? It was supposed to be. I believe a great man once said, “I always love it when a plan comes together.”

Hand me the keys!

Establish a running game:

Marlon Lucky: 15 rushes for 103 yards, 2 TDs, a career-record long run of 58 yards and a 6.9 YPC average

Quentin Castille: 10 rushes for 75 yards and a 7.5 YPC average.

Joe Frickin’ Ganz: five rushes for 69 yards, a TD and a 13.8 YPC average.

Yeah. We ran the ball well. 345 of total rushing well. I not only heap praise on the backs, but also the offensive line (Yes, that includes you, Mike). This was a good game for the line, but again, it should’ve been. Talk to me again in two weeks and we’ll see what’s what regarding Nebraska’s rock-pounding attack.

Super Ganz:

Joe Ganz was definitely super, but as mentioned in the previous article he did it on his own terms. The deceptively fast #12 burned linebackers, he made a nice connection with Marlon Lucky and became the first Husker since Eric Crouch to throw for, run for and catch a touchdown. Joe showed a lot of versatility against New Mexico State and he showed that he’s dangerous in a number of areas. The game did wonders for Joe just as much as the OL and the RBs.

Defensive Line:

Pierre Allen definitely stepped up and it was good seeing him on the bike at the end of the game. I’m hopeful that his wheel stays on for a while, but we did get a look at true frosh Cameron Meredith and as I pointed out in Sea of Red 2008, Cameron wasn’t exactly all-world from the get go, but he showed fantastic speed, play recognition and I greatly look forward to seeing what Pelini will use Meredith for should Allen or another DE step up into Turner’s place.

Cody Glenn:

Cody wasn’t really the defensive story, but rather…the secondary? Prince “Lake Minnetonka” Amukamara, Eric Hagg and Armando Murrillo, heck even Mr. Asante and Lance Thorell got in on the act and looked pretty good against an attack that wasn’t afraid to throw directly at them. That Suh guy continues to dominate at the point of attack and Zach Potter may go down as one of the best kick-blockers in
Nebraska history.

This was a game Nebraska needed. They needed to establish themselves, their identity and they needed to turn New Mexico State into mush. Barring a fumbled snap by Pat Witt, that scoreless streak of NMSU versus Nebraska still stands. It was a good outing, a lot of guys got reps and Nebraska is 3-0. Right now? That feels pretty good regardless of the competition. The Cornhuskers take a week off before facing Beamerball and this is truly something to look forward to. I’m curious to see what Shawn Watson and Bo Pelini can do with two weeks. Tip of the cap all around, mates. You done good.

New Mexico State and Nebraska have played twice. The Cornhuskers have scored 125 points, the Aggies have scored none. Nebraska piled up 1452 total yards in two games. What does this tell us? First off, I highly doubt that shutout streak stays intact, secondly The Triplets were amazing and finally when will athletic directors learn to schedule decent non-conference teams?

Looking at New Mexico State is much how I would imagine The Incredible Hulk looks at a puppy. Given, Hal Mumme’s offensive Frankenstein has sat in Las Cruces for a while now, however I don’t think that they pose as much of a threat as San Jose State. Kyle Reed and his boys were players, SJSU did the smart thing by daring Nebraska to pass and looked mighty close to doing something to shock the Husker Nation in game two. With that behind us, let’s talk game three:

- This is it. If Nebraska cannot establish a running game with Lydon Murtha back at the wheel then things are going to go poorly. If Marlon Lucky cannot find holes between the tackles and be rewarded for his patience, bad things will happen. If Roy Helu has to rely on his God-given talents only, it ain’t pretty and if Cody Glenn could duct tape the football to his hand, that’d be just great.

Point is that there needs to be organization amongst the offensive line and I certainly hope that cohesion was found within the past seven days because it only gets tougher from here on out. New Mexico State offers up the ability to slice and dice for the running backs, but it’s the last sure one we’ll see. Without a decent line in front of them, “Eight in the Box” is the code to cracking Shawn Watson’s offensive safe.

- Ganz, you’re a good kid. We like you already. Stop trying to be a damn hero every time you touch the football. As much as we all love a 25 yard pick up on the ground or a 60-yard catch, it doesn’t need to happen all the time plus turnovers and injuries do and will occur as a result. Joe Ganz should be able to be part of the atmosphere not the life of the party.  

He went up against quality corners last week admittedly, but when you throw one right into the breadbasket, “forcing it” just doesn’t really do the action justice. Makes it worse when you do it and it goes right to a defensive lineman (ha ha). Again, we go back to the offensive line. If they do their job, the backs get theirs, Joe get his and oh, believe me, Husker fans, we get ours.

- With Barry Turner more than likely gone, we’ve seen Pierre Allen do some great things. Ndamukong Suh had a monster game against the Spartans, Zach and Ty have been serviceable. That said, the line needs to assert themselves more. I’m not suggesting they haven’t been trying to go smashmouth, but they need to play smart, keep their heads on a swivel and all four need to make plays when necessary. Most importantly, Allen needs to plant himself where Turner was. He could quite possibly show Barry up and that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

- Cody Glenn needs to revert back to Western Michigan and bring the linebackers with him. I expect to see Sean Fisher this week in a non-special teams roll as well. I noticed that we don’t hear much about Phil Dillard. I believe that to be a good thing at least in pass coverage terms.

- Pass coverage you say? It’s time to find a combination that works. There are quality, talented individuals in the backfield and if the fire has to be stoked for a little baptism, it’s about that time. Chase Daniel and the Big XII slate will eat the Cornhusker secondary for breakfast and finish the front seven off for dinner if safety play cannot be shorn up and assignments locked in most of the time.

In summary, folks, it’s time for NU to nut up or shut up. This should for all intents and purposes be the scrimmage that many felt San Jose State should’ve been. It’s game three, it’s time for some of this stuff to sink in and plug holes in the dyke. I look for a sizable Nebraska win and while the Cornhuskers may not keep NMSU off the board, I expect them to keep the Aggies far away from confidence.

Well that was…interesting. While Nebraska looked more confused than a bi-sexual Lou Holtz in the first half against San Jose State, the second half (okay, I’ll be honest - fourth quarter) was far more promising. I went back and had a look at my gripes from last week to see if they had been addressed. We had left off with Doc Oz’s thoughts that from game one to game two, you’re going to see the biggest improvements.

Not Good #1: The Running Game – 99 yards on 30 attempts? Yikes that’s harsh.  

Not Good #2: Pass Defense - In a way I’m happy that Nebraska had the game that they did because it’s a severe wake up call to what they’re going to see out of the Missouri Tigers. On the other hand there were still far too many players not picking up their assignments properly and even getting straight up beat (I’m looking at you, Asante).  Suh and Potter were the highlights.  Everything else was concerning.

Improvement #1: Conditioning - With four quarters of mostly starters playing in this game, there was good rotation, effort seemed consistent and spirited throughout. There didn’t seem to be the sense that people were dragging and I commend the staff responsible for that.

Improvement #2: The Young Not Quite so Restless - A lot of the newbies got to see time and played well. Helu Jr. and Paul made their presence felt. I was very happy to see guys like Pat Witt and Marcus Mendoza get time even if it was brief. I feel fairly confident in saying that should the game have been more of a 55-7 affair, they would have seen a good five to six minutes at least.

In the end, some good, some bad, but there’s a problem: Some new very bad has cropped up.

Penalties: 12 penalties for 103 yards. That’s right, Nebraska gave up a football field’s worth of free yards and three of those penalties came right in a row when two wide receivers and a tight end of all positions decided to flinch.  

Arm Tackling: When a player slips through your arms, it’s contagious like sneezing or booing Lee Corso. A lack of confidence spreads to teammates and even to the coaches regarding your ability when it is seen multiple times and does not bode well for anyone in your uniform. Far too many times there were people going for legs and jersey instead of body. I know well enough that Bo does preach himself a good fundamental and that tackling drills will more than likely be a frequency this week.

Play Timing: Okay, so we’re running playaction to the weak side, wait, what, you sure?  Hey why's the play clock say "five"? This sort of ties into the penalty aspect as…again, seriously, three receiver/tight end penalties in a row? Confusion seemed to rear its ugly head today and, hey, we’re all human. We’re going to make mistakes. If Nebraska cannot learn their snap counts and to keep their mitts away from the facemask, they will pay for it and soon.

In the end, Nebraska learned that they have a long way to go to put together a solid season and maybe it’s for the best. It gives them all of the incentive to treat New Mexico State as Missouri (don’t feed me the “one game at a time” BS on this one). I liked how the staff addressed an attempt at establishing the run. It shows that they are actively looking to correct problem areas and for that they get a gold star, but as quickly as that Is affixed to their foreheads lack of fundamentals pop up.  

The younger guys are coming along nicely but Asante continues to find himself out of position. The constant 5-7 yard hook route was constantly there for SJSU today in front of #4. Culbert’s presence was a welcome addition. Also, will someone please bench Mike Huff? Jon said it before me, but I echo it. I don’t care how well he grades out. Put D.J. Jones in there and let’s see how poorly the line does after he gets comfortable. Huff’s been at Nebraska how many years now and he can’t seem to grasp simple concepts? The mind boggles.

Regardless, Nebraska is in fact 2-0 and along with Big 10ers Ohio State and Michigan had some trouble today but came out on top. That said I think OSU gets creamed next week by the eventual National Champions in USC. Nothing personal Buckeyes, but I think USC is just that damn good and a good waist above everyone instead of head and shoulders. As for the Big Red? Still a work in progress in my eyes. That Suh guy's pretty good, though.

Next Up: New Mexico State (0-0 Nicholls State game postponed)

Saturday’s game (11:37 A.M. kickoff so get the Bloody M’s out early) versus the San Jose State Spartans has a bit of a special meaning for me. While insignificant in strength of schedule stature, the Spartans were the very first game that my father and I got to see during a tear of season ticket runs starting a ways back in 2000. A young man by the name of Deonce Whittaker gave NU some fits that day, but a fond memory nevertheless.  

SJSU and New Mexico State couldn’t have been slated at a better time for Bo Pelini’s first year at Nebraska as several units appear to be MIA. There is talk of Rickey Thenarse taking over in a safety capacity but due to rumors of injury, I think that may be a game time decision. Andy Christensen was found not guilty in a case regarding inappropriate directions to the nearest Chipotle and Coach Pelini stated that things are pretty much up in the air on his return to the team.

Looking at the game against the Spartans just what does Nebraska need to do to consider the game a success?

- Looking at the fact that these same blue and yellow (gold?) warriors squeaked by the University of California-Davis 13-10, I would expect a decent to large margin of defeat, so I’m not going to concern myself with that. Check back with me on Sunday to see if I am, in fact, concerned with that. If NU can’t hang near half a hundred on SJSU or at least come close to a shutout something is amiss.

- Point A leads to Point B which leads to Point C. A large margin of victory could be on the arm of Joe Ganz, but it really shouldn’t be. The offensive line needs to show immediate improvement and actually allow Marlon Lucky to run between the tackles. Criticize #5 all you like, but it doesn’t matter how good you are in his situation. DeMarco Murray couldn’t make things happen with defenders two yards into the backfield after the snap. If NU finds a running game then watch out Spartan fans. Things could (and probably will) get ugly.

- Secondary play must improve. I’m not concerned with the cornerbacks as I feel the young guns will come along in due time, but safety play needs to be addressed and I feel that Bo more than likely got that message across to Coach Sanders. Call it a gut feeling. If Rickey can’t go look for Major Culbert to get some solid playing time. Ideally Thenarse can return by the time the Aggies of New Mexico State come to town. Matt O’Hanlon may find himself warming the bench unless absolutely necessary.

- Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Dobson couldn’t have been happy with the hands-on-hips look during the second half against WMU. Given Nebraska’s only one game into the season, but I found the second half and especially the fourth quarter distressing in terms of effort available to give in the first place. The pass rush shown in the first half naturally needs to translate over to the second and even if you know your assignments, being gassed will end success. I look for a marginal improvement this week as that sort of turn-around can’t be expected in a week’s time, but three quarters of solid performance isn’t asking too much. Heck, give me 2 ½ and sub some second stringers in.

- Speaking of which, I think it’s about time we got to see what the future Huskers that haven’t touched FieldTurf can do. Show me Sean Fisher, Pat Witt, maybe even Marcus Mendoza with some Will Compton on the side. You get what I’m saying. We’ve gotten past the first game, Nebraska is 1-0, it’s time to get the newbies experience good or bad if up by 28+.

- Is Cody Glenn the real deal or a flash in the pan? Obviously a key question on everyone’s mind going into the game, but I believe that Cody will be a holy terror all year long. Not to say he’ll always put up mind blowing stats, but his presence will be felt and he will need to be accounted for by opposing offensive coordinators.

In essence if Nebraska can establish some manner of running game going into NMSU along with shoring up safety play and staying fresh a bit longer, I think the Cornhuskers will not only be able to call the game a success, but a blowout margin of victory that will have the Big Red Backers smiling will be had even if frosting is left all over the field from this cupcake. 

Have a different take? Feel free to comment or shoot an e-mail to Blankman17@gmail.com

[Editor's Note - this was originally published earlier, but is moved up today because that's where it belongs. You guys like "key" articles on Friday, right? Well, here it is. ]

Hey folks! Long time no see. I’ve been out with what some thought was a career-ending case of humidity driven rage, but despite it all I managed to find some nicely air-conditioned confines. Nebraska football is back, heck, college football as a whole is back. All is right with the world. Let’s hit on some bullet points regarding the WMU game, shall we?

- The first half was nearly perfect. I say nearly because I expected a bit more of a running game (more on this later).

- Damon Benning selected Cody Glenn to be his player of the week on a local Omaha radio sports talk show. Turns out that the problem was that Cody didn’t want to help offensive players. He wanted to destroy them. 12 tackles, 9 unassisted, 2 TFLs, a forced fumble, three pass break ups and a partridge in a pear tree. Crimeny.

- The passing game appears solid and Ganz showed some mobility that I was certainly unaware of, but Watson went to the well far too many times on the option and the little dump pass to Castille that always seemed to land at his feet.

- I still remain impressed with James Dobson’s S&C weight loss program, but in the second half bodies were dragging and hands were on hips. Not good.

- Throughout the game safety play was atrocious. Asante and O’Hanlon best get their acts together or there are several teams on this year’s schedule that will have a field day with our pass defense. Glenn spent far too much time cleaning up messes and saving TDs for these two.

- Anthony West and Prince Amukamara a.k.a. Lake Minnetonka look good for their age and in a season-opener when they were counted on. I look forward to watching them mature as the season progresses and was excited to see West get his first pick.

- Nate Swift is a gamer. Accept it or look the fool. When he scored his first touchdown, I got into a fight with a spackled ceiling and lost.

- The defensive line looked far better than I anticipated. This is not to say that they played out of this world, but they did their job. Come the second half, however, adjustments on the WMU sideline nullified them and they seemed gassed.

- By the end of the night Joe’s arm looked like cooked spaghetti. Nebraska’s offensive line needs to establish itself so that a proper running game can be formed or this season can and will end badly.

- Why was Pat Witt not in with at least five minutes to go? What’s the worst that could happen? Nebraska wins by another three to seven points? He might throw a pick? Heck Joe threw one directly into the chest of a defender. Pat could do that if he wanted to. I understand that Bo probably wanted the biggest margin of victory possible, but that mentality did more bad than good last night.

Summary: If Nebraska can find its four quarter conditioning program, a running game and a pass defense, this season exceed all expectation. If not? The predictions of 7-5 look more accurate. I still think it’ll be a little of both and a nine win season is the end result. I seem to remember a well-regarded individual stating that the most improvement was made between the first and second games.

That seems like a good unit of measurement, so we’ll call this game what it was: An opening game where weaknesses were defined and can be addressed. We’ll see how well they are addressed as it will tell us a lot about this team and this staff.

Up Next: San Jose State (W over UC-Davis 13-10)

I, like many of you, have been in my fair share of sports bars and even though it isn’t always on some handmade sign there are two rules in just about any bar where men go to get piss drunk and carry on about their exploits in Thailand: No politics and no religion.  This is a good idea when owning an establishment that carries more booze than a bunch of pledges during Rush Week, but looking at the current administration I can’t remain silent any longer.  It’s a political year and sometimes things just have to be said, people have to take a stand and take a risk.  With that in mind I’m tossing my hat in the ring for President of NCAA College Football.

No we’re not talking about the NCAA.  Those guys could pass ideas the Big Boss’ way and hey, being a man of ALL the people I’m more than willing to hear even the creators of the BCS out, but this isn’t about them, my constituency.  This is about the sport and just what needs to be done for it.  "What platform is he running on?" you may ask.  Well college football IS a business at its foundation, sure, but as a guy who knows how to market something I know you may as well get the most bang for your buck.

Issue #1) Students Come First Initiative: Whether a young jock or jersey chaser college is a very significant portion of their lives.  They find whether or not they can truly rake through the muck of the most boring of courses, get a passing grade with a hangover and Rick Roll as many people on campus as possible but it goes beyond that.

When college football Saturday comes around I see some students getting treated like they’re not inserting thousands of dollars of debt into their lives as we speak and damnit, THINK OF THE CHILDREN.  Some student sections are placed just fine but at the University of Nebraska the latest shuffling will not stand.  As President of College Football, I will pass a law decreeing that college students be sat on the home sideline in their current ticket allotment between the 50-yard-line and the band.  If you don’t want plastic cups with sometimes unidentifiable liquid hitting you in the back of the head you’ll see my logic in this.

Issue #2) Playoffs: It was an inevitable topic, but I know this: Under my administration the BCS is outta here.  I pondered what would be the proper way for determining a national champion.  Should we revert back to what I lovingly refer to as the "Bowl Paranoia Days" where a team just happened to end up in one bowl or another?  Nah.  While fun to complain about in the offseason, an eight-team playoff system will be implemented using the higher seed’s home field as the playing site for the first round, the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl featuring the second round and finally the usual Glendale site for the National Championship.  The Fiesta Bowl can continually be the bowl Oklahoma loses to a mid-major in until further notice.

Issue #3) Bowls: How many times have you heard the phrase, "Remember when getting to a bowl used to mean something?"  During my reign of ter…riffic college football management, teams deemed bowl eligible will be slotted by using a committee much like March Madness does.  The "Big Boy Bowls" or playoff system will not begin until January 1^st while the "Bragging Rights Bowls" with fantastic consolation prizes (a team-specific bowl T-shirt would then be worthy something on Ebay) will begin on December 26^th.  If you get to a bowl then you did something special.

Issue #4) Advertising: You can buy all of the ad time you want, Tostitos.  Same goes for you AT&T, but there’s no more HamsterDance.com Bowl or Somethingawful.com Bowl.  "Secondary" Bowls will have their old school names.  Cotton, Tangerine, etc.  The game is brought to you by the two teams on the field.  The television company is fortunate enough to be televising it.

Issue #5) Adding "Rivalry Games":  Since the inception of the Big XII Nebraska fans have missed their annual tilt with the Oklahoma Sooners.  Under my administration every Athletic Director will be able to set up one special "Rivalry Game" to be played on either team’s field home and home or on a neutral field.  Old rivalries should never die and with the Blankman at the helm they never will.

Now sure there are a few more issues to tackle but you have my main laundry list of items that need to be scrubbed clean.  As for the Vice President of College Football?  Who else?

A ways back when John and I were still pumping out podcasts of MidWest Coast Bias, we spoke about Tim Beck combining his Texas resources with Shawn Watson.  These are beginning to bear fruit in the form of three commitments in the past three days.  Offensive linemen Jess Coffey and Nick Ash join Emerson Evans as the three newest members of the 2008-2009 recruiting class.  What do they bring to the table?  Aside from a budding Texas pipeline, let’s have a look:

Coffey gets to go first since he committed first.  At 6’7" 270 pounds, those numbers immediately tell me that there’s some work to be done.  S&C Coach Dobson can easily put 30-50 pounds of muscle on the frame and if we go to the video tape, my suspicions are confirmed.  For 6’7", Coffey’s a lanky dude and doesn’t have the power he can with more beef on his bones.  He stands his man up okay but when you come into the Big XII conference, you have to be ready for a defensive lineman whose main objective is to rip your quarterback’s heart out and feed it to him coming off of the line.  Right now I don’t see that in Coffey, however I do see a very "heady" player.

While Coffey’s weight and blocking may not be up to snuff just yet, his movements and motions are.  He knows where he needs to be and he knows the force he needs to deliver, but again we run into the issue of not having the physical tools necessary to compete jumping in.  I look at Coffey and I think "project" but not in a bad way.  If Dobson can get his hands on him, he is coached properly and gets a few snaps in his initial freshman and sophomore years. Coffey could turn out to be a solid prospect.  He’s got a way to go before he reaches that peak, but he could get there.

Emerson Evans then pulled the trigger giving Nebraska a 6’1" 230 "defensive end".  Note the quotation marks I used there.  I don’t see Evans as a defensive end at all.  I see him as a hybrid and not just in the way that he gets 50 miles per gallon and runs off of stuff grown in the ground.  I think Pelini could utilize Evans as a very special sort of MIKE.  We’re talking about a guy that could do just as much damage in pass coverage as run stopping not to mention bringing him straight through the middle on an all out blitz.

Nick Ash is a very good pick up for the Cornhuskers looking to regain offensive line "Pipeline" status.  At 6’5" and 261 pounds, Ash presents a more polished Coffey in my eye.  Watching him from the guard position, he has good push, plays like his hair’s on fire and can get downfield in a hurry.  Coffey and Ash also carry the same brightness.  Very smart guys both of them.  I suppose when Harvard offers you as they did Coffey that’s an indication of something, but that could just be me.

Ash holds his own as a pass-blocker as well.  He can keep his man at arm’s length and the thing I REALLY like about Nick is his footwork.  Constantly grinding, constantly moving.  I would also like to note that Barney Cotton was assigned to Nick.  Originally it appeared that Cotton had been striking out left and right with the past year’s recruits and now this year’s, but with the Ash commitment, Barney definitely did good so a tip of the cap today to Coach Cotton.  Whether he can get Ash and Coffey where they need to be we’ll find out later on down the road.

Welcome to the Internet. You’re hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know at least one little thing about Star Trek. Whether it’s a debate on who the better superior officer was or just what the hell a tribble is the Internet is slathered with Trekkies like a horrific layer of mayonnaise. As you can imagine "interstellar life" also has a take on Nebraska football.

One Nebraska message board poster known as "The Vulcan" was amongst a host of Huskers who were asked what their current expectations are of Bo Pelini and the 2008 season. Like most Vulcans in the celebrated television series this one worked hard to back his ideas up with deep thought but sometimes he seemed highly illogical.

For me, this is more about possibilities than expectations. I am not into predictions, but what do I expect? Like Clubber Lang would say, "PAIN"!

When you’re starting your explanation out with a Rocky reference featuring Mr. T you know you’ve struck gold.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. I just can't see Bo putting on the field a defense ranked only in the top 50, I think he will get it into the top 20 or at least VERY close. I know, I know, that would be a jump of some 80 positions, but so what? Last year was an anomaly. There was too much talent on this team for the defense to give up their shirts and land beyond 100, and we all knew it. That was the shock, not what Bo can do.

Guys like Suh and Turner played far below their expectations, not to mention our LBs who were expected to be the B12's best and most experienced last year. Even Carriker underachieved at NU, he talked about how he was 'cut loose' and allowed to be more aggressive in the pros after leaving Coz's system.

Forget logic we’re going on a full blown leap of faith at first.  Hey, I can’t stomp on optimism but I ain’t exactly gonna stop Vulc if he wants to reign things in a bit.  Two reminders, bud:  Secondary, Defensive Line.  As for Adam Carriker underachieving wasn’t he that guy who got drafted in the first round by the Saint Louis Rams? (Called it)

 Underachieving big time last year does not mean anything to Bo and here's why.

The bar’s so low it’s actually in the sand!...Wait, no?

Bo was hired to turn around this defense, and BO KNOWS defense

 Well Bo knows OF defense to be sure.  Still looking back at 2003 makes me a bit cautious. Losing to Missouri, Texas and Kansas State by scores of 42-21, 31-7 and 38-9 don’t exactly put a lot of confidence in me nor does a snoozer of a "defensive battle" against Michigan State. Still the same rule of thumb rings true in college football: Winning begets talent and talent begets winning.

Okay, so Bo was gone as of ’04 and Oklahoma was his new home. They went on a tear before being plunked 55-19 by USC for the National Title, so hey, we’ll call it a mulligan. Bo then went to the home of po’boys and Death Valley as the LSU Tigers looked to revamp their image a bit. It seemed that the further South Bo went the better his defenses got. Sheer coincidence I’m sure.  Regardless the only losses Pelini’s 2006 troops had on their shoulders were a 7-3 loss to #3 Auburn and a 23-10 loss to #10 Florida.  Now we’re talking

Come 2007 Bo was in full stride and we all know the story of LSU’s National Championship let alone Bo’s trip here so hey, maybe Vulc’s got a point.  Then again he did head North…

Bo can MOTIVATE big time, something we have not seen since TO, players will play BEYOND their abilities

 I think superpowers are being implied here.

Bo has NEVER produced a defense ranked outside the top 20

Nebraska NEVER gave up 76 points to Kansas before either, buddy.

Bo has a simpler, much more aggressive, disruptive scheme than Coz; faster, more hitting, less thinking

Touche

 Bo will emphasize turnovers which alone will jump our D in rankings a lot

Question: Doesn’t every coach emphasize turnovers?  Isn’t that the point of a defense?  To get the ball back I mean.

If OL and running game improve as expected, that will rest and assist our D, adding to their improvement

Paradox: If the OL and running game improve that much won’t the defense be playing more as Nebraska will be scoring more?  You can't have it both ways, space man.

Bo knows the spread, Coz just plain didn't

 Perhaps but Bo did know Brad Smith and that was bad enough.

Say goodbye to Big Ten defensive strategies that got ripped in the B12

 Say hello to new strategies like "effort"

Better S&C, not sure why that was off last year, but expect slimmer, faster players on the field

Nebraska had different S&C coaches last year.  May have contributed but still unsubstantiated rumor.

SPEED KILLS: Bo will put more speed on the field, both by design and by S&C

I think this goes under the superpowers plan again.  Vulc and I do agree here, though.  Speed is essential; however speed is just like any other strategic weapon: If you live by it you can and most likely will eventually die by it a few times.

FUNDAMENTALS: Bo will teach basics; good tackling, positioning and footwork, no more arm tackling or gaping holes

I personally look for coaches who teach poor tackling, positioning and footwork.  Standing still = national titles.  Control the offense WITH YOUR MIND.

SWARMING defense...you don't run, you don't play

You don't play, we've got cattle prods.

DISRUPTION: You don't disrupt, hit and give 100%, you don't play

First it was pubic bone problems then knee injuries and now concussions.  When will it end?

FORCED TURNOVERS: Bo will preach it, demand it, and WILL it

 Holy crap we are talking superpowers.

 INTS: Blackshirt secondary will be a holy terror to opponents this year

 All 1 ½ deep of them

HARD HITTING: Ditto

 Hard hitting’s usually a pain anyway, man.

IDENTITY: TO hired Bo to do what his teams did, be an opponent other teams DON'T WANT to play...and Bo can do

 Technically Tom hired Bo to do what Charlie McBride’s defenses did. I’m not a fan of Zach Potter running the option.

TRADITION: The Blackshirt will again have meaning, fearsome defense will again rule at NU from Bo's 1ST year, not later

 What’s that line about famous last words?

EXCELLENCE: Expect hard work, effort and intelligence again on the field in typical NU fashion

I’m all about and agree with the first two but I’m sorry, Vulc.  Tyrone Williams was not a Rhodes Scholar and he can play linebacker for me any day.

Sure there was talent on the 2003 team, but Bo put them on the map when no one else did, expect the same in 2008

 Craig Bohl didn’t have much choice, Vulc.  The guy got canned.

180 DL turnaround; Suh, Turner and Potter will be on the map this year big time

These guys, however, did not. It’s not the guys at DL I’m worried about. It’s the amount.

LBs are our biggest question mark but Bo will prevail, Dillard & Glenn will explode, and expect a surprise or two there

 A new middle linebacker is called a blessing not a surprise.

Last year's Blackshirt embarrassment will have a huge effect turning players around (Bo quietly plays that like a fiddle)

 If Missouri beats Nebraska this year, I fear for Gary Pinkel’s life.

Bo is a solid authority figure (something you see in person clearly) which is exactly what was missing last year

 Are you suggesting that our weekly group therapy sessions failed, sir?

The loudness of NU fans will intensify on D, our knowledgeable fans WILL helps turn the D around

 I’m sorry, Vulc.  I have been told too many times to sit down and I’m a people pleaser.  Also: superpowers.

We have talented players, Bo ill provide the brains and leadership to overachieve in traditional NU form

 Talent doesn’t equate to overachieving.  It’s just living up to expectations.  Given we have pretty high ones here at Dear Ol’ Nebraska U but still…

NU's great run was due to two great coaches, both showing greatness from their first season, might it not be so for Bo?

 As much crap as I give Vulc, I’m going to drink the kool-aid on this one.  I’m looking for the history to write a "bump in the road" too, my friend.  I’ll give the neck-pincher one thing: He’s optimistic and clearly has passion.  If Nebraska’s defense plays with that same intensity then everything he lists could very well happen. Personally I expect a few more bumps and bruises. You know growing pains. It’s still hard to argue against one of the most logical creatures in the galaxy even if they are fictional.