2/24/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/Support Staff SUPPORT STAFF Alongside and supplementing the Football Coaching Staff’s various modes of feedback, instruction, and mentoring came help from the shadows, if you will. Perhaps the upcoming names may not ring a bell to…
It’s been about two weeks since defensive line coach Mike Dawson announced his resignation Feb. 11, a transaction that both creates a problem and opened new possibilities for the Nebraska football program. When Scott Frost was hired, it was widely expected that offense would be the strength of his team. That turned out to be true in Year One, and…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/ ATTENTION/FEEDBACK/PERSONAL TOUCHES Speaking of communication flowing up and down the hierarchy of the organization, what cemented player/coach relationships and bonded them as one were the various instances and ways the staff showed caring &…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE FAIRNESS FACTOR THE FAIRNESS FACTOR During recruitment a young athlete was never promised anything more than a reasonable opportunity to prove themselves and contribute, what’s often known as “getting a fair shake.” That’s…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/PREPARATION PREPARATION Knowing what we know about the practice session efficiency, even more telling was the way in which the staff prepared not only the team, but also themselves in advance of a contest. From the…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/ PRACTICE ORGANIZATION PRACTICE ORGANIZATION You think Saturday afternoon Husker game days were full of action? That was nothing compared to Monday through Thursday inside Memorial Stadium, at the grass infields of the Ed Weir…
Yes, Virginia, there were Nebraska football spring games before 1950. Long before. The university's official records list the 1950 Varsity-Alumni showdown as the first spring game. But the truth is that Husker spring games were being played before those midcentury Varsity men were born. As far back as the early 1920s, spring practices ended with an intra-squad game that fans…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/The ‘Coaches’ Behind the Scenes THE FORGOTTEN COACHES: ANOTHER SPECIAL TEAM We wouldn’t be doing this summary justice without emphasizing the young coaches toiling behind the full-time staff. I’m talking about the Graduate Assistants and…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/SPECIAL TEAMS THE NEBRASKA SPECIAL TEAMS It’s amazing how often the concept of special teams is overlooked when one thinks about football success. But for a coaching staff who didn’t have the benefits of a…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/The Blackshirt Defense THE NEBRASKA DEFENSE DEFENSE: a word whose Latin root means “a forbidding,” is an apt description for the Nebraska Blackshirts unit. Built around a front line and rush ends who were…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE HUSKER OFFENSE THE NEBRASKA OFFENSE Focusing now on the offensive scheme employed, Nebraska differentiated itself from many pro-style offenses by employing a multi-faceted run game, which in turn led to play-action passing culled from…
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE COACHING STAFF There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion;…
150, 50, 27, 23, 20, 5 and 0 In a minute, we'll take a look at what these numbers mean. But first, it's official. The 2019 Husker Recruiting Class came to an end last week during the anticlimactic February signing day. Frost's first "real" recruiting class has been ranked in the Top 20 by several rating bureaus. Not bad. And…
Excerpted from Chapter 103, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Kent Pavelka, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Do you recall the very first Nebraska game you attended? KP: No, I don’t. It was pre-Devaney, though. It was the Jennings era. I remember watching Pat Fischer play quarterback and defensive back…
After Scott Frost's first season in Lincoln, we learned a few things. First and foremost being that this upcoming season and for the foreseeable future, the Huskers are going to have one of the best offenses in the country. The other thing we know is that the defense needs work, and it starts on the recruiting trail. This staff hasn't…
Excerpted from Chapter 103, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch I’ve just gotta tell you: If Nebraska is the “offense of the 50’s”, they must be referring to the average score… -Kent Pavelka, Nebraska Radio Play-by-Play Announcer, 1996 Fiesta Bowl Arriving at our final interview, my affinity for the work of…
Nick Henrich is the most sought-after Nebraska prep player since Baker Steinkuhler in 2008. He garnered more scholarship offers (21) than any in-state recruit in the modern recruiting era, and was the first in-state prospect to earn an invitation to play in the All-American Bowl since Josh Banderas in 2013. Watching his film, you can see why it's no surprise…
Last January, the Huskers offered Ty Robinson, who was among the first 25 players from the Class of 2019 to get an offer from Frost. The staff quickly made him a priority target. Robinson made several visits to Lincoln during his recruitment, including an unofficial visit February 16, a return trip for the spring game April 21 and then for…
Excerpted from Chapter 102, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Bryan Carpenter, Part 3 Continued…. Q: We were pretty much ahead of the curve with the quality of technology in comparison to other schools, weren’t we? BC: Oh, yeah. At Nebraska we were. There was an NFL team along…
A determining factor of whether or not Scott Frost can get Nebraska to a point where they are competing for conference championships on a semi-regular basis boils down to how well he rebuilds the pipeline. His offense will have no problem attracting skill position players as we have already seen. But for Nebraska to ultimately rejoin the nations elite programs…
Excerpted from Chapter 102, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Bryan Carpenter, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Did you guys also do the pre-game psych-up videos the players began seeing? BC: Yeah, we did. We did those all the way up until when HuskerVision came in, and they were a…
Blanchard (OK) High School standout Jamie Nance graduated early and enrolled in January, giving him a leg-up towards playing this fall. The 6-foot, 160-pound Nance was named first-team All-Oklahoma as a defensive back by USA Today and first-team all-state by The Oklahoman as a return specialist. He brings the kind of speed the staff covets. In fact, the moment he…
Excerpted from Chapter 102, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch The real good time to learn was both by watching yourself and watching other guys in the film review session after every game and every practice. Everything you did the day before, you really learned a lot by watching. You’d find out…
Rahmir Johnson was one of the first 2019 recruits this staff targeted. Scott Frost personally offered Johnson on December 20, 2017, the first day of the early signing period last year - two weeks after being hired, showing how much Nebraska prioritized him. Johnson then visited Lincoln on March 31 for the first Junior Day event and subsequently committed on…
Excerpted from Chapter 101, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Bill Doleman, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Any other coaches from that era leave any lasting impressions on you? Conversations in passing? Interactions? BD: Looking back, the thing that strikes me about that staff was how unique the personalities were.…
On his approach in the last month of recruiting the last few spots “In the January recruiting cycle, we wanted to look around and take a look and see if we thought anybody fit us and if they did take our best swing at them. This year was different than last year. Last year, there was quite a bit of…
Scott Frost signed wide receiver De'Mariyon Houston today, finishing off his first full recruiting class at Nebraska. It's the largest class the Huskers have signed since 2008. I peg the 26-man class No. 17 nationally, while the Huskers ended up ranked No. 16 (Rivals), No. 17 (247 Sports) and No. 19 (ESPN) by the national recruiting sites. In his short…
The Huskers signed 26 players to their 2019 class. The 26 recruits hail from 15 different states: Nebraska (5), Georgia (4), Arizona (3), Colorado (2), Oklahoma (2), Alabama (1), Iowa (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Minnesota (1), New Jersey (1), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Washington (1) 1. Wandale Robinson (Duck-R) Frankfort, KY 2. Bryce Benhart (Offensive…
Top 40 Recruiting Classes 1. Alabama 2. Georgia 3. Texas A&M 4. Texas 5. LSU 6. Michigan 7. Oklahoma 8. Oregon 9. Florida 10. Penn State 11. Tennessee 12. Clemson 13. Auburn 14. Notre Dame 15. Washington 16. Ohio State 17. Nebraska 18. Florida State 19. USC 20. South Carolina 21. Arkansas 22. Ole Miss 23. Stanford 24. Mississippi State…
Nebraska football head coach Scott Frost told reporters on national signing day Wednesday that he likes the leadership qualities in the Huskers' 2019 recruiting class. Most of the class of 2019 was signed in December. Wednesday's only addition was receiver Demariyon Houston. Frost said there weren't many top prospects available after the early signing period, and "we weren't going to…
Excerpted from Chapter 101, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch “It was a terrible year, and it was a great year," Osborne said.” I take my spiritual life pretty seriously, and there were some times when I was running on empty. Very frankly, I relied on my faith more than I ever have…
TeamMates Mentoring cordially invites you to experience an exciting European Tower Hunt with the Huskers at Oak Creek Sporting Club near Brainard, NE, on Saturday, March 9th, 2019. Reserve your spot for Oak Creek's annual HUNT WITH THE HUSKERS, where you'll spend your time hunting with former Husker greats. Guns and ammo are available in the Pro Shop. Get ready…
Here are Nebraska career highlights of former Husker quarterback Zac Taylor, who was named head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. He's the first former Husker to become an NFL head coach since Ray Richards in 1955. | NU bio | Photos: Getty, OWH* | Carriker gut reaction* Embed from Getty Images
Rex Burkhead earned a Super Bowl ring Sunday as the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams and Ndamukong Suh, 13-3. Burkhead's 26-yard run late in the game helped seal the victory. (Video here.) Burkhead finished with 43 yards on seven carries and caught two passes for 15 yards. Suh was credited with one tackle, one assist and a…
Excerpted from Chapter 100, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: John Livingston, Part 2 Continued…. JL: But I tell you what, one thing I’ll never forget, and I’ll take this to my grave: Coach Osborne was the most incredible person -next to my position coach- the most incredible person.…
Excerpted from Chapter 100, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch We had a good, healthy fear in Coach Brown. Our fear was not playing. The guy was really tough on us. But I tell you what, it paid off: when we got on the field I was super-focused on the ball. I…
Excerpted from Chapter 99, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Riley Washington, Part 3 Continued…. RW: Actually, what happened, too, when I’d won it all in high school I didn’t even remember the (100 meter) race, because I blacked out. It was the day before the race, and I’d…
Excerpted from Chapter 99, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Riley Washington, Part 2 Continued…. RW: Aaron Davis… I was hanging out with him one night during two-a-days and he had a girlfriend here in town. Anyway, we went to her mother’s house and it must have been about…
Excerpted from Chapter 99, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch When Crew and Captain understand each other to the core, It takes a gale and more than a gale to put their ship ashore. -Rudyard Kipling, Together Innocent until proven guilty? Yeah, right. We’re talking about reality here, and Lancaster County’s…
Excerpted from Chapter 98, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ahman Green, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Let me delve into your pro experience as well as college for this next question. You‘ve been in the same huddle with not only Tommie Frazier -a hell of a warrior…
Excerpted from Chapter 98, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ahman Green, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Now, your freshman year was the year Lawrence Phillips was out for a while because of his off-field issue. So what was it like for a freshman to be playing college football so…
Excerpted from Chapter 98, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch It was so fun going against (our offense and) Tommie. Us, on defense, going against them guys… when we went against them what happened? It made both of us better. Because we felt like if we could stop our offense we could…
The Scene: It's December, 2020. Nebraska is just coming off a loss in the B1G championship game with an 11-2 record and a number 10 national ranking. As a reward for the season, NU is headed to the Peach Bowl to play Auburn on New Year's Day (2021) in Atlanta. Meanwhile Husker junior quarterback, Adrian Martinez, was the runner up…
Excerpted from Chapter 97, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Calvin Jones, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Delving even further, it’s becoming apparent to me that it takes a diverse group of individuals merging together into a top notch team rather than a singular, homogeneous mix of guys. You had…
Excerpted from Chapter 97, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Calvin Jones, Part 2 Continued…. Q: When you say ‘college running back’ I think of a stud, a thoroughbred. I’ll take it a step further and say ‘First String Nebraska Running Back,’ which I equate to the highest echelon.…
Any team serious about winning the Big Ten must be solid at the line of scrimmage. But it’s doubly true for Nebraska. Any Cornhusker quest to rise to win the West starts with these two non-negotiables: run the ball well, and control the other team’s running game. The good news is that with a year’s worth of evidence on the…
Excerpted from Chapter 97, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football. -John Heisman Like most American grade-schoolers learning by rote the succession of America’s Presidents down through the years, Nebraska fans young and old can quite accurately…
Excerpted from Chapter 96, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Gerald Armstrong, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Did you ever find yourself wishing you had one more year? GA: I didn’t, oddly enough. I really left it on the field. I was pretty much done mentally. It took me probably…
Excerpted from Chapter 96, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch At the base of it was the urge, if you wanted to play football, to knock someone down. That was what the sport was all about, the will to win closely linked with contact. -George Plimpton, Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String…
Excerpted from Chapter 95, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mark Gilman, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Do you have a favorite or most memorable off-field occurrence? MG: I’m gonna wrap them up into one. I’ll take a thousand off-field experiences and wrap them into one off-field experience:…
Excerpted from Chapter 95, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mark Gilman, Part 2 Continued…. Q: I don’t think I’ve ever met a man of Coach Osborne’s demeanor. Especially someone who has also been so successful in his chosen field, which by and large doesn’t seem to cater to…
Excerpted from Chapter 95, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch …So please, be tolerant of those who describe a sporting moment as their best ever. We do not lack imagination, nor have we had sad and barren lives; it is just that real life is paler, duller, and contains less potential for unexpected…
Excerpted from Chapter 94, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Graham, Part 3 Continued…. Q: (laughs) Any one game stand out to you more than another from your whole collegiate career? And if so, for what reason? AG: For me there were so many good battles. You might…
Excerpted from Chapter 94, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Graham, Part 2 Continued…. Q: What about Coach Tenopir and Coach Young? AG: You know, I look at it this way (and you might want to check the stats on this), but Coach Tenopir introduced me at my…
Excerpted from Chapter 94, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Traditionally, we give a great deal of authority and, accordingly, much responsibility to the leader for the success of the team. This is just plain wrong. Over the long haul, a team will not be successful if the leader carries the sole…
Excerpted from Chapter 93, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Christian Peter, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Charlie McBride’s methods of feedback were quite interesting, no? CP: Well, listen, I don’t know if the statute of limitations has run out on some things -I don’t want to specifically go into…
Happy New Year! In the dawn of 2019, the Cobcast decided to make some New Years Resolutions to make our lowly podcast better. 2019 New Years Resolutions Mike and Joe cannot be together at the same time on any Cobcast ever. Ryan can only talk about Cross Fit (and now Muy Thai) a maximum of 2 times per episode. Pat…
Excerpted from Chapter 93, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch The “Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal –the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse…
The Big Red Cobcast is almost five years old. And for the first time in almost four years, we took a bit of a break. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not. We were off enjoying our families and freezing our asses off in Nebraska. But now that we're back, there's so much to talk about. The December signing…
SAN ANTONIO, TEX. — Press Release: Ohio University head coach Frank Solich will lead the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 2019 as president of the organization. Solich, who moves up from first vice-president, succeeds outgoing president Bill Cronin of Georgetown (Ky.) College. Solich was elected president by members attending the Association’s 2019 convention this week in San Antonio, Texas.…
Excerpted from Chapter 92, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Troy Branch, Part 3 Continued…. Q: So, again, going to back to that '90 season, what do you think created that ‘folding’, per se? Was there a different mindset at that time? TB: I just think it was an…
Excerpted from Chapter 92, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Troy Branch, Part 2 Continued…. Q: What other coaches stand out to you from your time there? TB: Me, I didn’t spend a ton of time up in the coaches’ offices and stuff like that. I was really self-sufficient…
Excerpted from Chapter 92, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray, Tread all the powers of darkness down and win the well fought day. -John Wesley, quoted by Charles Wesley, Character of a Methodist Word on the street has it that…
Excerpted from Chapter 91, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Toby Wright, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So you arrived on campus and Coach Darlington was your position coach, right? Tell me about your experience with George. TW: (laughs) You know what, Coach Darlington –and I laugh about it now…
Excerpted from Chapter 91, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends upon what you are made of. -Josh Billings You’ve heard his name mentioned a few times previous, and with relentless diligence I finally tracked down a Blackshirt…
Is four enough? Would eight be enough? Would even 16 be enough? More than any other, major college football is a sport of endless disputes. For its millions of fans, this is an issue that will never disappear. Not if the College Football Playoff field remains at four until its current contract expires at the end of the 2025 season.…
Excerpted from Chapter 90, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jon Pedersen, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Any other coaches stand out to you as special or unique? JP: Well, Charlie McBride… come on. He was the biggest character of them all. Him and his fake teeth, the guy was…
Excerpted from Chapter 90, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jon Pedersen, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So the idea that Nebraska was just a football factory -in your experience that doesn’t hold water? JP: Yeah. (Coach Osborne) was always just, “If you’re going to do it, do it right.”…
Excerpted from Chapter 90, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Football is a rough sport. You encounter 11 people on the other side of the ball trying to make you fail. They’re trying to block you, strip the ball from you, slam you into the turf. (Players) expect to experience a certain…
Excerpted from Chapter 89, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Professor Ken Dewey, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Let me ask you, when it comes to thunderstorms, I believe you once said that there’s more energy in one thunderstorm than all the exploded bombs of World War II combined… KD:…
Excerpted from Chapter 89, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Every thing seems colossal on this great continent; if it rains, if it blows, if it thunders, it is all done fortissimo; but I often felt terror yield to wonder and delight, so grand, so glorious were the scenes a storm exhibited…but…
Excerpted from Chapter 88, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mike Anderson, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Obviously you were around when there was the ‘Unity, Belief, Respect’ mindset being pushed. Was that an outgrowth of the Unity Council or was that a separate thing? MA: I don’t remember off…
Excerpted from Chapter 88, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mike Anderson, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So tell me, what about that game stands out? What is fresh in your mind about that game yet today? MA: One of the things that always stands out to me is: you…
Excerpted from Chapter 88, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Bonding within the organization takes place as one individual and then another steps up and raises his or her level of commitment, sacrifice, and performance. They demand and expect a lot of one another. -Bill Walsh (with Craig Walsh and Steve Jamison),…
Excerpted from Chapter 87, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Sonya Varnell, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Did you have a lot of contact with Coach Osborne and other assistant coaches at the time? SV: Coach Osborne would come and talk to me occasionally if there was a situation and…
Excerpted from Chapter 87, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch “You(‘re) dealing with so many issues," Osborne said. ”You have more than 100 young guys that have a lot of energy and come from diverse backgrounds and you do the best you can to make sure they are good students, good athletes…
On how he would characterize this year’s class “I feel great about the guys we signed. You’ll probably get tired of hearing me say this but I not only feel great about the type of player we brought in but I feel great about the kid we’re bringing in in this class. I had the privilege of going around and…
The first day of the early signing period for the recruiting class of 2019 went as expected for Nebraska. Three signing-day announcements went Nebraska's way -- Ty Robinson, Jimmy Fritsche and Brant Banks -- but the long-shot possibility of landing Lloyd Summerall didn't pan out. Coach Scott Frost indicated there could be a couple of early signees besides the…
Excerpted from Chapter 59, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: David Alderman, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Do any one of (Coach Osborne’s talks) stand out to you in particular? DA: I know the other one… He told the story about, “There’s a football player on a team, maybe not…
I think it's very fitting that signing day comes so close to Christmas. For hard core Husker fans like me (and I assume you) signing day might even be more exciting. Once you become an adult, the presents under the tree aren't really a surprise and if you don't get that thing you really wanted, you can always just go…
The holidays are almost here, but I feel like everyone's mad. People are mad that there was that late reversal of a call, basically screwing Nebraska volleyball out of a second straight national title. People are mad that Stanford has their own crappy Paul Fell-esque political cartoonist in their locker room. People are mad that some people aren't more mad…
Excerpted from Chapter 59, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: David Alderman, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Who would you find yourself going up against in practice? DA: Well, I remember going up against (Brendan) Holbein, Brett Popplewell, some of those guys. Q: Any special memories or events stick out…
Excerpted from Chapter 85, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch People seek activities where they can pursue three essential things: they want autonomy in their work, they want to develop a mastery in their performance of the work, and they want to take on and play a part in something bigger than they…
Excerpted from Chapter 84, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Gary Fouraker, Part 2 Continued…. Q: I was talking to Damon Schmadeke and he mentioned flying back from that game in Tokyo, talking about those big linemen and how they snuck a little guy in between all of them,…
Although the dust storms and raining grasshoppers frightened me I felt bad for the hungry men and poor (Nebraska) farmers… Only later did I appreciate the thrift that the Depression enforced with a harsh hand, the lesson of never, even in the bad times, spending more than you earned. And in the good times, you saved and saved. -Peter G.…
It's hard to believe another year of college football is about to end. Only the bowl season awaits. But for the second straight season, Husker fans will have no bowl game to look forward to. And unfortunately, the Huskers' theme song will once again be "I'll Be Home for Christmas." But even in a 4-8 season, there is still a…
Excerpted from Chapter 83, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Brandon Hamer, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Do you recall your first game on the sidelines? BH: Actually, it was the first year even though we were only volunteering. We each got one game where we got to be the…
A 12-minute Big Ten Network highlight reel from the Huskers' 2018 football season.
Excerpted from Chapter 83, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. -Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince Frank Phillips, founder of a little oil and gas outfit by the name of Phillips Petroleum Company, was born in Scotia, Nebraska in 1873. At one time…
There are a bunch of ways to watch Nebraska win. Beating Michigan State in the snow. Snaring Wandale Robinson away from Kentucky. Cheering the Huskers' volleyball team into the Final Four. Watching Isaac Copeland slam home the final touches of a cathartic win over Creighton. All of it is great, and none of it is on an à la carte…
Excerpted from Chapter 82, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Coach Dan Young, Part 2 Continued…. Q: I suppose it’s pretty difficult to simulate the old Orange Bowl environment, eh? Not many chances to kick a field goal off of sand, is it? DY: No, (laughs) that was a…
Excerpted from Chapter 82, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch I think about him every day…From the time I lost him and growing up through grade school, through high school, and in college, it hasn’t gotten any easier. The part of missing him has gotten worse. But my dad was a very…
Excerpted from Chapter 81, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Matt Shaw, Part 3 Continued…. Q: What about the grading process? Feedback? What sticks out to you there? MS: I think the real good time to learn was both by watching yourself and watching other guys in the film…
Excerpted from Chapter 81, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Matt Shaw, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Matt, what do you think set the Nebraska program apart at the time? MS: I think we just had superior character on that team. My class saw the extreme ends of how things…
Thanksgiving and Christmas are times of the year when people give thanks for the many blessings they have. It is in that spirit that I announce my Top Ten 2018 Husker Honor Roll. My over worked and under paid staff has helped compile the list. We've included the people and events that have had the most positive impact on the 2018 Husker…
In Scott Frost’s first season, Nebraska barely missed breaking even with a team significantly lacking in size and strength. It’s just a benchmark — playing .500 football is not something for a Cornhusker team to get excited about — and it shows just how far behind the Nebraska strength and conditioning program fell during three years under Mike Riley. This…
Excerpted from Chapter 81, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch And kid, cut out this fancy stuff -go in there, low and hard; Just keep your eye upon the ball and plug on, yard by yard, And more than all, when you are thrown or tumbled with a crack, Don't sit there…
Nebraska offensive lineman Aaron Taylor was inducted Tuesday night into the College Football Hall of Fame. In a National Football Foundation video interview Tuesday morning, he discussed the honor, his playing days and more. "This is something I never thought was going to happen to me," he said. "I was just a Texas kid that was barely on the cusp…
I'm gonna keep it short and sweet this week, mainly for a couple of reasons. Because I'm running late for work but I have to get this up or Pat passive aggressively shames me for being irresponsible. I don't like to let Pat down. It's like letting down my 37 year old grandfather. Because honestly there isn't a whole lot…
Excerpted from Chapter 80, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Tom Sieler, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Take me into the mind of a 17-year-old, 18-year-old kid at the time. Was your goal to earn a scholarship? Was it to achieve something? Beat your personal best? Notoriety? Girls? What? TS:…
Now that the season is over, we're left to figure out some new things to do with ourselves. Those include watching Nebrasketball, watching other teams play college football, telling the Canale brothers that no one likes them and they should never be on the podcast again, and most importantly, following recruiting. For it seeming like a dead time of year,…
Excerpted from Chapter 80, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch It was just a given (on wanting 4th down offensive play-calls). We wanted every chance we could to keep that ball out there. And to take a field goal or punt? We just did not want to have that happen. -Fred Pollack,…
Excerpted from Chapter 79, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Darin Erstad, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Any fond memories of Coaches Charlie McBride or Kevin Steele? Any good yarns or occasions come to mind when you think of those guys? DE: When I think of Coach McBride -outside looking…
Excerpted from Chapter 79, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch BOB DYLAN: …and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job …out at the hot-rod races every…
Excerpted from Chapter 77, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jason Peter, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Was there anyone behind the scenes that some folks wouldn’t be aware of? Someone who played a huge role in making those teams special? JP: There’s a lot of them, from the academic…
Excerpted from Chapter 77, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Nearly every boy can run, jump, swim, play a passable game of tennis, or hit a golf ball, but not every boy can play football. The game calls for an extraordinary amount of physical courage and combativeness…demands a certain type of intelligence,…
Offense QB: Dwayne Haskins (Soph.) Ohio State RB: Jonathan Taylor (Soph.) Wisconsin (2x) RB: Devine Ozigbo (Sr.) Nebraska WR: Rondale Moore (Fr.) Purdue WR: Stanley Morgan (Sr.) Nebraska (2x) TE: T.J. Hockenson (Soph.) Iowa OT: Isaiah Prince (Sr.) Ohio State OT: Jon Runyan Jr. (Sr.) Michigan OG: Michael Deiter (Sr.) Wisconsin (2x) OG: Beau Benzschawel (Sr.) Wisconsin (2x) C: Tyler…
Excerpted from Chapter 76, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch The valiant men are in scarlet. ..They jostle one another in the broad roads; They seem like torches, They run like lightning. ..And the defense is prepared. -Nahum 2:3-5, The Holy Bible, The Reformation Study Bible, New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995…
A lot of things about Friday sucked. There were plenty of positives, but the unfortunate truth is that losing to Iowa trumped all of that in the moment. It was a punch to the stomach, the nose and the testicles all at once. But there was something even worse than that: the clear-eyed realization that this thing is truly headed…
It's almost December and the cold reality (and the weather, too) is that the Huskers have played their last game of the season. And for the second straight year, there will be no bowl game for Nebraska. Even more painful is that there will be no extra practice time for this year's young Husker program that is on the rise.…
Excerpted from Chapter 75, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ed Stewart, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Speaking of the linebacking corps, tell me about Coach Kevin Steele. Fill me in on the guy… ES: Intense. In-tense. Was an excellent coach as far as excellent teacher and strategist about what…
Excerpted from Chapter 75, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ed Stewart, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Do you recall any differences between Chicagoans and Lincolnites? ES: It was different coming from the big city as an African-American male, growing up in the city on the South Side of Chicago…
Excerpted from Chapter 75, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch “Come to the edge.” “We can’t. We’re afraid.” “Come to the edge.” “We can’t. We will fall!” “Come to the edge.” And they came. And he pushed them. And they flew. -Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet, 1880-1918 It’s been claimed that a…
Scott Frost served notice at Big Ten Media Days. "People better get us now," he said, "because we're going to keep getting better." Eight teams stepped up and took their shot, five of them beating Nebraska by less than a touchdown during Frost’s maiden voyage at his alma mater. A lost-turned-found-season finished on a bittersweet note on Black Friday, with…
Photo courtesy Huskers.com | Miguel Recinos hit a 41-yard field goal on the final play, and Iowa emerged with a 31-28 victory Friday at Kinnick Stadium. Nebraska rallied from a 28-13 deficit to force a 28-28 tie before Iowa drove for the game-winning score. Tight end T.J. Hockinson caught a 10-yard pass on fourth down to keep the Iowa drive…
• Senior receiver Stanley Morgan Jr. caught seven passes for 81 yards in the game. With his 81 receiving yards, Morgan set Nebraska season and career receiving yardage records. Morgan finishes his career with 2,747 career receiving yards, surpassing Kenny Bell’s previous record of 2,689 yards. He totaled 1,004 yards in 2018, breaking his own season record of 986 receiving…
Excerpted from Chapter 74, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mike Mason, Part 2 Continued…. Q: You talked about confidence among the team. Would you say they were cocky or confident? MM: They weren’t really cocky. But just the way they carried themselves, you knew they meant business out…
Excerpted from Chapter 74, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch I never remember feeling tired by work, though idleness exhausts me completely. -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Who doesn’t love a good behind-the-scenes yarn? A glimpse into the secret sanctuary, a peak behind the Wizard’s curtain, a place where things really happen…
Head coach Scott Frost said "we've got our fingers crossed" on receiver JD Spielman's availability for Friday's game at Iowa. He said that despite the short week, "I think the guys are as ready as they have been for any game." Refresh this page for the latest updates. • Depth charts: NEB | IOWA | Flip sheet • Game notes:…
This Friday will be the eighth meeting of the "Sod Couple" - the name I've given this "rivalry" game between Iowa and Nebraska. (The record stands at 4-3 in favor of Iowa.) If you are old enough to remember the very funny play called "The Odd Couple", you'll know how I came up with the name. Others have called the…
Nebraska's offensive and defensive coordinators and several players commented on the Huskers' preparations for Friday's game against Iowa. Refresh this page for the latest updates. • Depth charts: NEB | IOWA | Flip sheet • Game notes: NEB | IOWA • Monday presser • Game page • Practice schedule Coverage • Lincoln Journal Star | Rapid Reaction: Watson likes…
Excerpted from Chapter 73, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Penland, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Any memorable practice experiences? Aaron Penland: (chuckles) Yeah, I’ve got many of those, but I don’t know if I want to share ’em. (laughs) I used to get in a couple of fights…
Antonio Reed has earned a Blackshirt before his final game as a Husker, and JD Spielman's status remains iffy for Friday's season finale at Iowa. Coach Scott Frost said rivalry games "are kind of for the fans more than the players. We have to prepare like we're playing anybody else." Refresh this page for the latest updates. • Monday transcripts…
Despite one of my more favorite Husker victories in recent memory, Nebraska was officially eliminated from bowl contention late Saturday night. BYU's thumping of New Mexico State was the final nail in the coffin for the Huskers' postseason hopes. But not for their long-term hopes. Things are about to get good in our neck of the woods. REEEAL GOOD. So…
Excerpted from Chapter 73, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch In football everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team. -Jean-Paul Sartre Wedgebuster. It’s an odd word, full of action. It jumps off the lips like a firecracker. The sound of it erupts from somewhere deep down in the…
Here's how the Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes match up statistically entering their Nov. 23rd game in Iowa City. NEBRASKA 4-7 (3-5) IOWA 7-4 (4-4) Avg. Rank Avg. Rank Rushing offense215.328152.588 Passing offense246.053234.564 Pass efficiency135.0864135.6062 Total offense461.320387.079 Scoring offense30.26131.547 Rushing defense189.491100.88 Pass defense245.591180.117 Pass eff. defense118.0634113.0122 Total defense434.896280.96 Scoring defense31.38916.59 Net punting37.097535.8796 Punt returns9.935511.0443 Kickoff returns15.8612328.453 Turnover margin-0.09770.6422 Tackles for loss5.489 5.5 78…
Excerpted from Chapter 72, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Coach Charlie McBride, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Do you think coaching Kenny Walker challenged you to be a better coach? Do you think having Kenny on the team affected guys on down the line in future years? Charlie McBride:…
Scott Frost did a decent enough job of adjusting to the Big Ten Saturday — just enough to enjoy a celebration run through the snow to the locker room with a Senior Day victory. There was plenty of adjusting to be done. Playing against the nation’s top run defense can humble even a high-powered offense, and Michigan State slowed the…
Kenny Larabee photo, KLIN | Barret Pickering kicked three fourth-quarter field goals, including a career-long 47-yarder for the win, as the Huskers won a defensive battle against Michigan State on a windy and snowy day in Lincoln. Antonio Reed sparked Nebraska with a sack and forced fumble in the fourth quarter to set up one of Pickering's kicks. Details on…
Tribute was paid to Nebraska's Sam Foltz and Michigan State's Mike Sadler Saturday before the Nebraska-Michigan State game. The two punters died in a traffic accident in July of 2016. Touching moment at the 50 yard line with the families of Sam Foltz & Mike Sadler pic.twitter.com/5s6P1PnqYL— Kevin Sjuts (@kevinsjuts) November 17, 2018 .@MSU_Football & @HuskerFBNation honor…
Scott Frost has dominated discussion of Nebraska football this season, which is to be expected. But Cornhusker fans — who are among the smartest fans in the nation — always keep their eye on the entire coaching staff. On a gray, cold, windy morning before the NU-Michigan State game, I spoke to red-clad fans as they put hand and foot…
Excerpted from Chapter 72, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Coach Charlie McBride, Part 2 Continued…. Q: You mentioned kids having good work habits: Persevering Nebraska walk-ons? Charlie McBride: I can’t think of this kid’s name -I think he was from Central City- but what happened was, he was…
Excerpted from Chapter 72, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Inigo Montoya: Who are you? Man in Black: No one of consequence. Inigo Montoya: I must know... Man in Black: Get used to disappointment. -William Goldman, The Princess Bride Alexander the Great: World conqueror joining East and West, history’s maverick integrator…
Head coach Scott Frost said Nebraska will face a stiff challenge in running the ball against the Spartans. As for injuries: "We've got a bunch of guys nicked up. Guys trying to get through practice. ... That's just November football. We'll do everything we can to get everybody as healthy as we can." Refresh this page for the latest updates.…
Excerpted from Chapter 69, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Larry Townsend, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Going back to what you said about knowing you were going to win because of the work ethic and everything, what percentage of that do you think came from the coaching and what…
Receiver JD Spielman has been limited in practice this week, and his status is day to day. "The good thing about JD is he knows the offense in and out, so he doesn't need a whole lot of practice time to stay sharp," said offensive coordinator Troy Walters. Refresh this page for the latest updates. • Depth charts: NEB |…
Excerpted from Chapter 69, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch "Football is violence and cold weather and sex and college rye." -Roger Kahn By now I would like to think we have a well-informed grasp of how the Cornhuskers did it, although our upcoming man of mystery, Charlie McBride, is just…
Don't look now, but the Husker team that couldn't win any games in the first half of the season now has won three of its last four and has a chance to win five total games this year. Amazing, right? But I haven't seen many Husker fans dancing in the streets. At least not yet. The reason is simple. Nebraska…
Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said the Huskers expect Michigan State to "try to do what they probably are really good at — being physical and running the football." Saturday's game will come one week after Nebraska surrendered a season-worst 383 rushing yards to Illinois. Refresh this page for the latest updates. • Depth charts: NEB | MSU | Flip sheet…
