HuskersHQ

New contract, new year, new post

2007-09-04T20:53:00.000-05:00

Quick time for a little post, as I observe the Huskers from afar prior to attending the USC game next Saturday.

The opener was quite a surprise for me. It's been quite sometime since we've seen a Nebraska team "lean" on another and impose their will -- if you will -- against an opponent. The guess here is that Nebraska continues to work on their running game, such that they can keep high-powered offenses off the field this year.

Hey, that helps the Blackshirts, too. (A side note: I think the black polo from Kevin Cosgrove is a super touch this season.) That crew on Saturday was well aware of the challenges presented by a "different" offense and they defended "The Pistol" quite well. The linebackers are as good a group as Cosgrove has had, the secondary displayed their depth and the line was better than advertised.

Great to see Marlon Lucky in the backfield getting all of that work. What an impressive display he put on. One senses that Callahan may give his horse another game play this Saturday similar to the one we just saw in Lincoln. The Huskers will try to milk the clock in Winston-Salem and the thought here is that they won't go too far in their bag of tricks if they don't have to to get another victory. It's also nice to know that Sam Keller didn't have to do too much last weekend, as my guess is Callahan will call on him more than once during the season to win one by himself.

The contract extension was the right move for Pederson. I think most on the outside looking in can see the program moving the right direction. I know some won't call 23-15 the right direction, but Callahan deserves the new contract to continue the great recruiting and another year or two to coach them and compete for the national championship. If he can't coach them, we won't need to worry about January 31, 2012 -- he'll be gone long before that.

That said, let's take a look at the Big 12 and rank them 1-12.

1. Oklahoma (1-0). They've got the best coach in the league and arguably the most talent. I don't think you need to say much more than that. The game with Miami (FL) this weekend will be a good test.

2. Texas (1-0). Wowsers, what a scare in Austin. I think Mack has there attention as they prepare for the Horned Frogs.

3. Nebraska (1-0). Is this the West Coast Offense or the Pipeline. 70 rushes? Surely we are seeing things. A more experienced line than ever before in the Callahan era, gives the Huskers the second half edge against opponents that they haven't had since 2001.

4. Texas A&M (1-0). A pretty simple opener for the Aggies. Stephen McGee may be the best quarterback in this league come the end of the season. We'll see how much help he gets along the way.

5. Texas Tech (1-0). The Red Raiders were better than expected in their opener, dismantling an SMU team that supposedly had made big strides. I can nearly guarantee no one wants to defend Graham Harrell and this offense.

6. Missouri (1-0). Just barely over Oklahoma State. If we saw the Big 12 North champs on Saturday in St. Louis, they shouldn't have a championship game.

7. Oklahoma State (0-1). A disappointing opener in Athens, but the guess here is that Mike Gundy will get his troops to rebound quickly.

8. Kansas (1-0). I think it's pretty easy to overlook how good the Jayhawks were in there dismantling of Central Michigan last Saturday. The Chippewas will be in a bowl in December and we know the Jayhawks always beat Missouri in November -- this time in Kansas City.

9. Kansas State (0-1). It says here that Ron Prince can coach and that the 'Cats will get better. In fact, this guy doesn't think it's a long shot to put them second in the North by the end of the year and that November in Lincoln could mean more than we once thought.

10. Colorado (1-0). A very nice come from behind win at Mile High Stadium. They need to show me one or two more before they move up from this spot.

11. Baylor (0-1). Hey, it's Baylor. I don't know what else to say.

12. Iowa State (0-1). Poor Gene Chizek was going to lose a bunch of games in his first year, but no one thought one of them would be against Kent State.

Projected Big 12 Final: Oklahoma v. Nebraska

My National Top Ten
USC, LSU, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Florida, Louisville, Cal, Wisconsin, Georgia, Virginia Tech.

NU, OU rehash

2006-12-04T15:36:00.000-06:00

Progress.

How should one define it? If it's done by going 9-4 (maybe, 9-5 after January 1st) then Callahan and Company did it in Lincoln this fall. When NU ended the season with four losses last year, I noted to myself that they could do the same thing in 2006 and it would be marked improvement.

Facts remains as this: the Huskers lost one they shouldn't have this year in Stillwater and stole one in College Station. That's about right. They took the defending national champions (now badly bruised, but not when they arrived in Lincoln) to the wire and should have won. They went to the Coliseum and played USC tough, though again that doesn't seem to be much consolation right now consider the UCLA Bruins and the Oregon State Beavers actually beat that team. And, they'll have also lost to a very tough, gritty (just like their coach) Oklahoma team.

It all means, basically, that Nebraska isn't a top-10 team yet. Top-20, sure. But not with the nation's elite. So, come January 1, if the Red loses to it's fourth top-10 team in as many tries this season, don't get discouraged, Husker fan. But, giving Bill Callahan a month to face the Auburn defense, the coach might find better matchups than you think.

Would 9-5 be progress? I think you can say so fairly safely -- given the quality opponents played. Would 10-4 be the another great measuring stick? Absolutely. But, it won't mean anything next fall when championships may need to be won; not played for.

The State of Nebraska Football

2006-10-28T22:50:00.000-05:00

I don't update this like I should, but after watching the Nebraska, Oklahoma State game today I'm offically ready to go. Nebraska claims itself to be a proud football power, and, I think rightfully so. But, we should really analyze what this means.

Nebraska's true dominance started in 1970, playing in the Big 8. What did this mean? Well, simply, it meant if the Huskers got through the non-conference all they had to do was beat Oklahoma (really, it was the only team that could recruit the same caliber athletes as Nebraska) and all would be right in the world. So, nearly every season, Husker fans got either 9-2 or 10-1 and a bowl season.

They were only players on the national stage when they had "Sunday" players -- guys who went on to the NFL. It's true with the 1970-71 teams and it's valid for the "Scoring Explosion" teams and, finally, for the Osborne title teams. They all had Sunday talent.

Osborne's teams were much the same. 9-2, 10-1 take the bowl. Success. The fact remained that until Colorado emerged as another player, the Big 8 was brutal with a capital B save for the Huskers and either the Sooners or Colorado. It was nearly impossible not to win nine football games.

This Big 12 deal has changed everything. First, if you win the North, your about the fifth best team in the league. That's a fact for the last four years, at least. Texas, Oklahoma, Tech are all better than the North some years you could mix in A&M.

What does this all mean? Husker fans may need to realize that until some Sunday talent gets to Lincoln it's going to be tough sledding at Memorial Stadium. And, how does this relate to Oklahoma State today? Like it or not those were two evenly matched teams. The Cowboys are growing under Mike Gundy and will continue to do so. Les Miles didn't leave that cupboard empty and the Bowman kid will be a Sunday player.

Basically, the Huskers were evenly matched with what most believe to be the fifth best team in the South. Missouri has already lost to A&M and Oklahoma, and the Huskers have a little 0-2 South season going as well. Sure this goes in cycles (NU, K-State and Colorado were all very good at the same time), but Callahan was right to say today in his post-game comments that they still have the goals they set at the beginning of the year in front of them.

That's right, Bill you do. To win the North and be the sixth best team in the Big 12. Is this what Steve Pederson really had in mind?

Quick Pigskin Thoughts

2006-09-15T23:27:00.000-05:00

Some quick thoughts prior to USC.....

1. NU has looked solid and improved through two games. SC will be some kind of measuring stick for Callahan and the program.

2. Callahan is doing this right, by not defining the season with this game and maintaining it will be more important when they go to Ames and Manhattan. Amen.

3. Cosgrove needs to do something very, very, very creative on defense. I'm envisioning a 3-4 tomorrow, dropping a DT and adding Octavien. Special blitzes for Booty a must. (Speaking of him, doesn't that name sound like he assassinated a President?)

4. Nebraska will play tough, but lose it in the last say 20 minutes of the game. I've said inside of 14 points should be a victory for Husker Nation.

USC 31, Nebraska 21 ..... but gaining more respect each week.

More on the coaching search

2006-08-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

By now it's fact that Mark Fox of Nevada has withdrawn his name from consideration for the head job of Nebraska Basketball. While I'm disappointed, I'm not surprised. Fox is going to be worth a lot more next April, what with five starters back for a tournament team including All-America candidate Nick Fazekas.

The search, I think, still starts and ends with Karl Hobbs of George Washington. GW went undefeated in the A-10 last season and lost to Duke in the second round of the NCAAs. If it happens, this won't be a long term hire -- probably 3-5 years tops. He will be the leading candidate at UConn when Jim Calhoun retires, and was a former player for the Huskies.

John Pelphrey and Doc Sadler, it appears, remain top candidates. Sadler seems to be comfortable leaving UTEP, but the word yesterday was that Pelphrey was luke warm, but Pederson and Boehm have been granted permission to speak with him.

Another name popping up now is St. Mary's coach Randy Bennett. Bennett inherited a program that was 2-27 the year before he was hired and they earned an at-large bid from the Gonzaga dominated West Coast Conference in 2005. Last season, they finished 17-12 and played Gonzaga very tough in the league final in Spokane.

This seems to be moving along quite nicely for the head men in Lincoln. I would think an announcement before school starts is very likely. It appears that Pederson and Boehm and looking strictly at head coaches, but that if they had to go with an assistant that UCLA's Kerry Keating and former Husker assistant Scott Spinelli would be at the top of the list.

The August Vacancy

2006-08-04T22:06:00.000-05:00

Lord knows I never would have thought that I'd be following Nebraska basketball in August, but Barry Collier's move back to his alma mater has Husker Athletic Director Steve Pederson and his sidekick -- Marc Boehm -- searching for a replacement.

(As an aside, who can blame Collier for wanting to go back to Butler Fieldhouse, where they shot the movie Hoosiers and where the Bulldogs have one of the neat home court advantages in NCAA Hoops. They normally schedule home games for mid-afternoon just when the afternoon sun shines brightly in their old barn -- you may be getting the drift -- and they curiously fix it so the opponents always have to deal with it in the second half. A great venue where all college hoop fans should attend at least one game.)

Back to this search thing. Whatever, I hear the football team is ranked.

If you have any care for NU Hoops you have to get goosebumps thinking about who Pederson and Boehm have hired in their time together. One of them coached in national title game last year (Ben Howland) and the other (Howland's replacement at Pitt) Jamie Dixon has kept the Panther program up with the nation's elite.

Let's take a brief look at possible candidates.

The way I see things, Pederson probably has anywhere from 3-5 guys he is absolutely gunning for and I'll list them in order of what I believe to be Steve's preference.

1. Karl Hobbs, George Washington. First, there are no black head coaches at Nebraska. Now, Pederson isn't going to hire a guy because he is black but there may be pressure from the BCA. Remember, in 2000, after going after Bill Self first, former AD Bill Byrne went for Leonard Hamilton (then at Miami) and Oliver Pernell (then at Dayton) before landing Collier.

Hobbs, is a wonderful candidate and the thought around the nation is that the former Connecticut assistant will take Jim Calhoun's post when he is through winning titles in Storrs. However, wouldn't Hobbs at least think about a stop to a BCS league to get some experience before going to UConn? Coaching in the Big 12 for 3-5 years wouldn't hurt his resume before heading to UConn.

2. Mark Fox, Nevada. The ties to the Midwest are a huge factor. Fox, 37, grew up in Garden City, KS and was an assistant at Kansas State (and has his Master's Degree from KU) under Tom Asbury. He took over in Reno after Trent Johnson bolted for Stanford two seasons ago. Fox is 52-13 at the helm in Reno and has been dancing twice.

Reno TV station KRNV is reporting that Fox had dinner with Pederson in Los Angeles on Thursday night, but no word from the AD on whether there has been permission even requested by Pederson to speak with Fox. Who knows if Fox would leave? He has five starters back from a season ago, including All-American Nick Fazekas.

3. Jim Christian, Kent State. Another young one, Christian is 40 and the connection here is that he was an assistant at Pittsburgh early in Pederson's tenure with Ralph Willard. Now, Pederson fired that guy so who knows what that connection is. Anyway, at Kent he has been superb. In four years as a head coach, they have won 20 games every year. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament this past year, but lost to (guess who?) Pittsburgh in the first round.

I'd be surprised, not shocked, if this were the hire. One thing he may have going for him is that he was a talent evaluator for a private sports firm for a couple of years and worked with Big 12 talents Chris Mihm (Texas) and Jacque Vaughn (Kansas), so he does know the league and what it takes. The early rumor was he would take it, no questions asked, if offered.

4. Doc Sadler, UTEP. Sadler is making a late push, but the UTEP coach bears plenty of watching. In his third year after taking over for current Texas A&M coach, Billy Gillespie, Sadler has been to the NCAA tournament twice and last year they lost to Michigan in the NIT.

Prior to coming to UTEP, he was a head coach at the junior college level in Arkansas. Sadler has also been in Los Angeles, according to the El Paso Times.

5. John Pelphrey, South Alabama. The word on the street is that Pelphrey has turned down an offer to speak to Pederson (apparently in Los Angeles if you aren't already catching the drift). While three of his four seasons at USA have been losing ones, last year was much better. They made it to the NCAA Tournament, but drew national champion Florida in the first round.

Pelphrey would bring a lunchbox to Lincoln. He was, for years, a Billy Donovan assistant and played for Rick Pitino and Eddie Sutton at Kentucky. (If you wonder, Pelphrey was a senior on Pitino's team that took Duke to the buzzer. Pitino was famous for saying during the tournament, "I wouldn't trade any player in America for John Pelphrey.") His first assistant job was for Sutton at Oklahoma State.

We may know a lot more by Monday. The guess here is that Pederson and Boehm were busy beavers on Thursday in Los Angeles. They probalby had a little morning meeting with Ben Howland on Friday and they could be really close to a decision already.

I will do my best to keep this blog updated if anything comes up.

Husker Hoops

2006-01-18T09:04:00.000-06:00

I certainly hope Mr. Babcock will come on the blog and give us his thoughts on the state of the Nebraska basketball team. He knows the ins and outs of the program more than anyone and certainly the history of the team.

This bunch is very disappointing to me, but I have a hard time getting to down on them. I've actually been on record to say they will make the NCAA Tournament this year. But, after watching last night, it's seem pretty simple how you beat Barry's Bunch. Press, then press, then press some more.

NU had no answers for Iowa State. It's was frustrating to watch the NU guards try to dribble through the press of the Cyclones time and time again. 30 points off turnovers is going to lose every time. It was much the same as the Creighton game. Now, if you give me the Huskers in a half court game, I might say they could beat anybody. Hopefully no other Big 12 coaches watched the game last night.

Here's to betting that Bill Self will come out in a full court defense on Saturday and try to push the tempo on the Huskers. Some would say the Huskers played a poor defensive game last night, but when you look at 30 of the Cyclones 88 points basically coming off of fast break layup after a steal you should realize that the half court defense wasn't terrible.

I certainly hope NU can turn things around and that they weren't 2-0 going on 2-3. A spilt of the next two road games with Kansas and Colorado is much needed before coming home to face Missouri on the 28th.

Alamo Bowl Thoughts

2005-12-26T07:05:00.000-06:00

CHARLESTON, SC -- Now that the Christmas presents are done and we've caught up on a little much needed rest it's time to think about the pressing issues at hand for Thursday.

First off, I think the Huskers are in a tough spot here but we shall see what Callahan and Co. can whip together for the Mastercard Alamo Bowl against Michigan. NU is facing one of the most talented (on paper), yet underachieving, teams in the nation. This Michigan outfit is probably only a Tennessee disaster from being the most disappointing team in college football for 2005.

The Wolverines have a load of talent on the field, are the only team to beat JoePa and had a slew of other close losses. Certainly I wouldn't have figured a matchup between the two was likely when I watched the Wolverine, Notre Dame game in week two prior to travelling to watch the NU, Wake Forest game. That sentence there should serve as a victory for Husker fans.

NU reads an 11-point dog in most betting services and it could be a kind. But, then again, who knows with either of these teams? They've both had roller coaster seasons.

Do we get the Michigan which beat Penn State vs. the Nebraska which lost to Kansas? Go Blue 55-10. Or, do we get the Michigan team which lost a heartbreaker to Ohio State vs. the Nebraska team which lost a heartbreaker to Texas Tech. Still Blue 31-20. Or, do we get the lackluster bunch that blew the game to Minnesota, Michigan team vs. the inspired go on the road and do what nobody expects Husker group. Huskers 28-17.

You can see it's tough to know where this game is going, which is why it was probalby worth less than five points on your bowl pool sheet.

Either way this thing ends up it should serve as improvement in Husker Nation. Face it, you would have laughed at the notion of heading down to the Riverwalk after Christmas -- I know I have a neighbor who feels that way. What NU accomplished this season was steady, but sure, progress. And, let's face it with the 2006 slate that was put together 7-4 next year might be another improvement.

Happy bowling, I've got to get my clubs ready for some South Carolina golf this week.

NU, OU redoux

2005-10-29T16:29:00.000-05:00

LINCOLN -- It's been awhile since this blog was updated, but the latest debacle at Memorial Stadium deserves something.

This Husker team is confusing, at best. They have a minimum of seven personalities and you almost always see each of them in every contest. Good grief.

In Saturday's not-really-as-close-as-it-looked 31-24 loss to Oklahoma, a team that isn't much different than the one that lost to TCU in week one, the Huskers never put more than two good things together at a single time.

The offense was brutal with a capitol B in the first half. Three and out and their first five possessions -- 15 plays for 19 yards. C'mon. Problem is, no one seems to want to explain anything about these slow starts in Lincolnvillle and places beyond in Big 12 country.

"I really can't (explain it)," was coach Bill Callahan's response when asked about the slow starts that seem to be lingering like a seven year itch. "We try everything we can to come out of the tunnel fast and hot, and we just did not get it done today."

Or any day in the Big 12 season for that matter coach.

It should be an indication of how much the NU offense is struggling by the coin toss Saturday afternoon when Oklahoma said, "Here, take the ball we don't care."

NU promptly delivered with a three and out, including a sack of Zac Taylor on the first play of the contest.

Before the offense even had time to sit on the bench Adrian Peterson (remember him???), ripped off a 36 yard touchdown run and -- imagine that -- the Huskers were down 7-0.

You get the drift, don't you? Everybody out there wants to be positive with this team, but as I sit here in the press box and watch ISU beat Texas A&M 21-7 it's easy to see why this Husker team is getting worse and not better.

How does 5-6 sound right now, Husker Nation? I'd be interested to see what a captain -- anyone, for that matter -- has to say about this team bouncing back.

All we get to here, though after games is Zac Taylor stick up for his line which is reapeatedly getting beat up and Corey McKeon spout off about "how lucky" the opponent is (Texas Tech) and "how difficult it is to get off a hold" today. We all know the Husker linebacker is a walking press conference, but it's time for him and his teammates to stop someone, even if it is that thing they call an offense in Lawrence, Kansas next week.

We could go on and on, but this is a blog. Speak your mind. I'll go on the record for supporting the hire of Callahan and the group NU has here, but if this isn't mediocrity I don't know what is.

The Pick

2005-10-08T14:33:00.000-05:00

Nebraska hasn't lost a homecoming game since the Purple Cats from Manhattan came to town in 1968 and walked home with a win. This spot thinks the trend continues today in Lincoln.

The Nebraska defense will give up more yards than the fans want, but will play tough in the Red Zone against Cody Hodges and the TT offense. The Nebraska offense continues their improvement with a bit more emphasis on the run to keep the ball away from the high-flying crew from Lubbock.

Nebraska wins 27-16.

Odds and ends

2005-09-19T17:23:00.000-05:00

In this bye week for Nebraska, a lot of stuff can happen. Mostly, we media-sorts will disect the unbelievable Husker offense (106th in the nation, 12th in the Big 12) and try to figure out why Oklahoma is 1-2. At the very least, NU can hang there hat on still being undefeated.

Post your thoughts in the space and I'll respond the best I can. What do the Huskers need to get figured out (besides where the TE should line up) by October 1st. We'll have some fun the rest of the month.

And how is this for a note of the week:

Texas Tech plays Indiana State on Saturday. The Sycamores are 0-3 this year with a 42-10 loss to St. Francis (IN) who ended the season for Hastings College last year in the NAIA Division II Quarterfinals last year. Is that the best Mike Leach can do? Three 1-AA teams on the non-conference makes me wonder if I should put in a call to the NCAA and see if the Red Raiders need to go 6-2 in the Big 12 to make a bowl. They can only count one of these wins can't they?

The Prediction

2005-09-17T13:54:00.000-05:00

Ok, here we go. Getting a vibe from the boss man, Terry here is the prediction for today's contest.

This will be an interesting contest. Two teams that are, truly, desparate. 0-fer Pittsburgh needs better play from the quarterback position and Nebraska would just be happy with a touchdown drive for Pete's sake.

Let's go against conventional wisdom and assume everyone will see some points on the scoreboard today. Nebraska 31-21.

CNN SI Mailbag

2005-09-14T16:53:00.000-05:00

College football writer Stewart Mandel hits Husker coach Bill Callahan and AD Steve Pedersen in his college football mailbag today.

Among other things, Mandel writes, "It's only been two games, and, even though they both ended in Nebraska victories, it's clear Huskers fans are becoming increasingly agitated with second-year coach Bill Callahan. A year after watching his offense bumble its way through the school's first losing season in 43 years, the Huskers' loyal legions -- and lord knows there's a bunch of them -- were hoping for something more encouraging than an average of 273.5 offensive yards -- ranked 99th nationally -- against Maine and Wake Forest."

He's probably got a point. I'd be interested to hear other's takes on this issue.

Something funny happened on the way to the Pitt game

2005-09-10T23:24:00.000-05:00

Boy, the whole state was looking forward to the Dave Wannstedt, Bill Callahan game and now the Panthers will come to town fresh off a loss to Frank Solich's rag-tag Ohio bunch. Have mercy if the Huskers lose this one on Saturday.

Thoughts from the Stadium: The Nebraska defense is very, very good. It will keep the Big Red in games, as will the much improved special teams units. This defense, through two games, has been nearly perfect. Maine had one play on them and the field goal by Wake Forest was more a product of the Husker offense not being able to run out the clock inside of two minutes in the first half.

Husker fans can hope that Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko isn't saving up his best performance for Memorial Stadium. He has been, quite frankly, awful in his first two starts for the Panthers and had two interceptions returned for touchdowns against Ohio -- including the game winner in overtime.

The Nebraska offense is suspect at best through two contests. They had two drives against Wake in a third quarter that seemed very productive. The hope in Husker camp is that they can build off a decent second half against the Deacons. It will be interesting to see if this happens.

Thoughts from my couch

2005-09-04T14:53:00.000-05:00

If you read my previous post about the five important things we need to know about the team, we may need to re-visit them a bit earlier than I suggested (after the Wake Forest game). That said, the Huskers win last night was no better or worse than any other team in the North. Quite frankly, Colorado may have had the best win of any Big 12 team and OSU only beat Montana St. at home 15-10.

Defense - Let's face it. This crew had it's way with the Bears all night. They scored as much as our offense did and were able to control the game in it's entirety, save for Bryan Wilson's little mistake that momentarily got the Black Bears back in the game. I was certainly excited by the play of Steve Octavien and that will be a tough loss. The play up front of freshman Barry Cryer was a great highlight. He should get more time as the season progresses.

Offense - This was an interesting study in average line play and mishandling the football. To be honest the output from the Nebraska offense was good enough to put up at least three more touchdowns (Ross fumble at the one, Taylor interception, and Hardy drop). The thing we learned though is that Taylor will make much better decisions that will keep us in games -- we may, however, not blow people out all the time. His 15-for-35 night was quite decieving, considering I can count at least seven balls off the top of my head that should have been caught. Marlon Lucky will continue to see more playing time and if Ross can't hang on to the ball, he will be watching. Frantz Hardy was a pleasant surprise and I expect Taylor to lean on him for a bit here in the earlier part of the season.

Special Teams - A much improved unit that will help tremendously with field position this year. Congdon was solid in his first performance, save the missed extra point. Nunn (who I thought was horrible on offense) needs to learn how to carry the ball in the open field or his big returns will mean nothing.

Overall, I expect this team will be able to get buy scoring in the low 20's for a few games before the offense really begins the gelling process. I would think the coaching staff would like to see some improved line play and to mix up the run calls a bit more (how many times can we run draw and toss in the same game??).

On a Saturday that saw Tennessee beat UAB 17-10, Oklahoma lose as home to TCU and Texas A&M lose on the road we can be happy we are 1-0.

C'mon Terry

2005-08-31T11:01:00.000-05:00

Already, the "Boss Man" as I like to call him has made an unbelievable comment.

Terry Douglass writes this in his post about the "ranking" of college coaches: Plus, here's a vote to rank McCarney a notch higher -- he does a very nice job with what he's got at Iowa State.

TD - is Dan sending you a monthly check? McCarney is 45-72 during his tenure at ISU. The Cyclone propoganda department does, however, like to point out he his 32-30 since 2000. Is this what the world is coming to? A .500 coach for the past five years is worth 4-stars? C'mon.

Granted, the guy could sell a popsicle to an eskimo and he is very media friendly, a great interview, all those good things. But, let's not make him a 4 out of 5 star coach. Frankly, these ratings seem funny. How Gary Pinkel, Mark Mangino, Guy Morriss (and Callahan for that matter) get three stars is beyond me. Heck, Mike Gundy hasn't even coached a game and he's worth 3-stars. Odd.

Put it this way -- if McCarney was a 4-star coach wouldn't they have smoked Mizzou in there house last year to go to the Big 12 championship game. I think so.

A few things to see by the 10th

2005-08-30T22:24:00.000-05:00

Let's face it -- the Nebraska football season doesn't really start until September 10th when Wake Forest comes to town. The outfit from Maine will most likely be no more of a challenge for the Huskers than the scout team is during the week.

We will, however, no much more about the Red after the Wake Forest game. And, while Wake is no power they do have a top-notch running back in Chris Barclay and the ACC isn't awful -- I'm sure Memorial Stadium won't be much different to them as Doak Campbell Staidum or the Orange Bowl which they frequent in the ACC.

So, let's give these new Huskers a second game before guaging where we are at. Quite frankly, the season won't have big "turning point" game until the Cyclones come to town on October 1st. It's a contest that could set the tone for the rest of the season. Who would have thunk it? A "big game" against the Cyclones. Sheesh.

Here are a few things to look at and review after that first test on the 10th.

1. Zac Attack - There it was right on the cover of the football preview this morning. How will Zac Taylor handle this offense? It's a burning question right now. He's obviously not as "fleet" as Mr. Dailey was, but will he value the pigskin a bit more. I think so. Zac is a coaches kid and there is something to be said for understanding the game from that perspective.

2. The Newcomers - How much of an impact with this recruiting class have. Callahan has said it for the last year and a half that he needed to upgrade his talent. We should know early and often how good of a job he did. The good news -- the last time the Huskers recruited more guys from California than Nebraska was 1994. Hmmmmmmm.

3. Defense wins championships - Cosgrove has to get this unit to improve -- or else. We were pitiful against the pass last year and that was obvious. Now, with nearly a whole new secondary the front seven will be as important as ever. If the line can stay deep and healthy all season, this will lead to good things in Lincoln.

4. Are the special teams, special - Coach Busch's special units were next to awful a season ago and they are the units that can turn things around in a hurry. A couple DeJuan Groce punt returns during that 7-7 season probably prevented a losing season. We will try to do more than just catch the punts? Can we get a spark from Green or Jackson or Lucky or Hardy in the kick return game? Can Grixby catch a punt and then (gasp) run with the ball? Will freshman Jordan Congdon be as good as advertised?

5. Game planning by Callahan - There were more than a few times a season ago where the coaching was in question. Does anyone remember the last minute of that first half against Colorado? Ugh. Conversely, it seemed when we could start the game with an emphasis on a solid running game (Baylor, even Oklahoma come to mind) it made it that much easier for the quarterback. It seemed we committed to the pass to early during many games (Iowa State, where Dailey threw like 20 incompletions). Let's see if Callahan, Norvell and the staff are able to establish there mismatches early in contests and control the game more from the offensive end this season.

Ok, that's just a little meat to put on the sandwich. College football gets into full swing tommorrow when the "Old Ball Coach" hosts Central Florida. What's the deal with those silly hats he's wearing now?