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Kansas
State 2007
And thus it has come to this. We arrive
at what will likely be the final week of Bill Callahan’s career
at Nebraska.
I’m extremely happy for the team
getting the big win in their home finale. We saw a glimpse of the Huskers
at their best. Kansas St. was a team on a slide. Still, 73-31 is a nice
change. My dear brother (and his fiancée, who hails from Kansas)
attended the game but left at halftime due to the blowout. Not that I
would ever do such a thing, but I remember when the temptation was much
more common.
Grixby finally got the kickoff-return-for-TD
he’s long deserved. Hardy had his best game as a senior and the
best game of his career since KU last year. Lucky and Purify were great.
Ganz was Heisman-like. The D had some sacks and was pretty good. Too bad
Freeman couldn’t have been the opposing quarterback every week this
year.
That was the best performance of the season
for the 2007 Huskers, and one of the best, if not the best, offensive
performances of the Bill Callahan era. And it still might not be enough
to save Callahan’s job. He seems to know this. It apparently galls
him to no end and he has difficulty disguising it.
What coach calls one of his own players
“a product of the system”? Isn’t that a phrase normally
used by third-party critics to knock players who excel for teams they
don’t like?
Joe Ganz, a guy who has brought much-needed
passion and talent to the table—a backup QB on the verge of a 1,000-yard
season after starting two games—seemingly deserves better.
And is it just me, or did Callahan treat
Zack Bowman like he has some mysterious grievance against him, then refuse
to talk about it? Bowman: he, the senior co-captain. Now, for the record,
it’s good to see young guys like Blue getting a shot. Bowman’s
struggled this year, along with the rest of the defense (in part, because
the guy can’t cover people forever). But without Bowman saving the
day against Wake, the team would be 4-7 right now with no shot at a bowl
game.
“I’m just going to talk about
the starters and the players who did well,” the coach tells us.
Now, if Blue or someone else really beat out Bowman, why not just say
that?
It’s interesting to see how Callahan
refers to the athletic department as “the higher-ups.” (Shouldn’t
it be “Tom” or “Randy”?) It kinda reminds me of
how Joe Dailey talked about him toward the end of their coach-player relationship.
Turner Gill’s season ends on Saturday
and, win or lose, Buffalo isn’t going to a bowl. I guess there’s
a couple of different ways you can look at that. Admittedly, I’m
fond of the guy and think he’d be a great choice to replace our
current coach if/when he goes. But I don’t say that to the exclusion
of all other candidates. Pelini’s season will still include (presumably)
an SEC championship game that isn’t until December. He won’t
be available for awhile. Personally, I’m still trying to figure
out what the “link” is between Osborne and Pelini—other
than being mutually admired by Husker fans.
AGAINST
COLORADO
If the Buffaloes play like they did toward
the end of the OU game, we’re in trouble. Fortunately, they haven’t
replicated that effort all year. Colorado doesn’t have many strengths,
other than their linebackers. Still, the more the CU defense is on the
field (and ours isn’t), the better shot we have in Boulder.
Honestly, I think Ganz cares more about
winning this game than Callahan does at this point. (Maybe he could coach
the bowl?)
In any case, here’s to better days
and leftover turkey.
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The
voice of the Scarlet Commentary is Jeffrey Leever, a Nebraska
native who now writes for an advertising agency in Kansas
City. He is a 1994 graduate of the University of Nebraska
(Kearney) and author of the suspense novels Dark
Friday and Even
in Darkness.
He
has been known to include a tribute to Tommie Frazier and
other Nebraska references in his novels. His website is www.jeffreyleever.com.
Contact
Jeff here.
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