HUSKER
HEADLINES:
HUSKERS: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE, TOO BAD
(CAUTION: YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER A SPIN ZONE THAT FEATURES BRIEF GLIMPSES OF FULL FRONTAL SATIRE AND PARODY, WITH OCCASIONAL LAME ATTEMPTS AT HUMOR. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.)
BIG
WED WAP-UP:
I'm
back. I feel much better. It's amazing what 25,000 volts will do to
a guy. I had so much residual juice in me, that Mrs. Husker Dan plugged
her vacuum sweeper into me (don't ask me how she did it) and I had
enough amps in to do the entire family room, the upstairs hallway
and half the living room.
GRAND FUNK
Right now, Husker fans are in a funk. They are mad, stunned, shocked,
bitter, depressed, angry, and feel they have been seduced and abandoned.
They have seen their once powerful Big Red Machine reduced to the
level of mediocrity-something they thought they'd never see in their
lifetime.
I'm going to tell you my thoughts on the state of Husker affairs.
I'm not trying to persuade anyone-I'm just going to share my thoughts.
HUSKERS HURTIN' FOR CERTAIN
Here's partial recap of this year's Husker Hurt List:
1.) A losing season for the first time since 1961.
2.) Not going to a bowl game for the first time since 1968.
3.) The worst loss in Husker history, losing to T-Tech, 70-10.
4.) A winless November for the first time since 1957.
5.) A quarterback who set the all time passing yardage for a game.
6.) That same quarterback set the all time record for interceptions
for a season at 19.
7.) Losing to K-State three years in a row for the first time ever.
8.) Losing to Colorado 3 out of the past 4 years
9.) Losing to Iowa State 2 out of the last 3 years.
10.) Being absent from the AP rankings for an entire season for the
first time since 1962.
11.) A defense that gave up almost 372 yards per game.
CU AT HOME
To understand the season is to look at the Colorado game. It was a
game the Huskers could have and should have won. The onside kick by
Nebraska to start the game was successful (Good), but things went
downhill shortly after that. The offense quickly went 3 and out in
their first series (Bad). CU scored on a 90 yard drive to go ahead
7-0 (Worse). Joe Dailey threw another interception and the Huskers
were down 10-0 (Even Worse), then after a couple of Bobby Purify runs,
the Huskers are in a 17-0 hole (Terrible) before the Huskers score
to make it 17-7. Another late first half score by yet another Husker
opponent put the Huskers down 20-7 (Ohmigawd!) at the half. The game,
the season and the streaks were all but dead. And the sad part was
that most Husker fans knew it, too.
The late second half surge and the attempted onside kick by the Huskers
were too little and way too late.
The defense's first half performance was embarrassing and put the
Huskers in a hole they could never climb out of. I'm sure there are
some high school teams in the country that would have put up more
resistance than the our defense (I'm not going to refer to them as
the Blackshirts) did in that first half.
Adjustments to the defense at the half (Good) helped the defense to
hold the Buffs to 125 second half yards and allowed only 26 total
yards in the 4th quarter. But again, it was too little and much too
late before the sun set on the Huskers' season last Friday.
DAILEY BRED
Joe Dailey, despite starting 11 games this year, never seemed to improve.
He could not consistently hit wide open receivers and was never able
to consistently find, or hit his secondary receivers. There were countless
times, in many critical times, when there were receivers who were
WIDE OPEN-no one within 15 or 20 yards of them, and Dailey not only
didn't hit them, he didn't even look for them. His mechanics are still
shaky. Joe is a nice kid, who has worked his tail off all year; never
ducks responsibility and has continued to persevere. JD has shown
flashes of talent, but he's not yet ready to be counted on.
THE POINT OF NO RETURNS
Forget the return game in the CU game or in any Husker game this year.
This season, just catching the ball seemed to be perfectly okay with
the coaches. If ever there was a year in which an offense desperately
needed help with field position, it was this year's. What, in the
name of Johnny Rodgers, DeJuan Groce, Josh Davis and Bobby Newcombe
is going on here? Did we have no one this team who could catch the
ball AND run with it? It's numbing to think there was no one who could
do both.
DEFENSE
Most Husker fans knew there would be tough times for the offense as
it tried to learn the West Coast Offense. But what the most Husker
fans thought, was that the Blackshirts would be able to carry the
Huskers until the offense had a chance to mature.
Man, were we wrong.
Which begs the question, how can a defense fall so quickly from a
team that returned 8 defensive starters from a defense that was ranked
11th in total defense the prior year? Did the three players who graduated
in '03 (T.J. Hollowell, Ryon Bingham and Demorrio Williams) make THAT
much of a difference?
I think the answer is yes. They did make a difference-especially Demorrio
Williams. He made opposing offensive coordinators wake up in the middle
of the night in a cold sweat. DW was almost a one man wrecking crew.
He made quarterbacks run for their lives; made them hurry their throws
and forced them to throw ill-advised passes that were often picked
off by the likes of Josh and Danny Bullocks. Ryon Bingham was solid
at tackle and Hollowell and Ruud together were a force at linebacker.
The loss of these three players can not be underestimated. And let's
not forget Bo Pelini's influence.
Of course there were other problems plaguing the Husker defense this
year. The '04 defense looked disorganized and with the exception of
the Missouri game, looked uninspired. It was stunning to see time
after time how our defense was shredded for big yards by inept offenses
run by young and inexperienced quarterbacks. It was upsetting to hear
Chad Sievers say after the CU game that he felt that not everyone
on the defense bought into the new coaching schemes.
SCHEMES
I don't think it would be fair to underestimate the effect of having
to learn 3 new defensive schemes in as many years. I think the task
was daunting. Should Cosgrove have simplified the defense this year?
Did he give them too much too soon? I know one thing: If the defensive
performance is not improved dramatically and quickly next year, Husker
fans are going to fade faster than Enron stock.
WAGNER'S WARRIORS
The O line was a pleasant surprise. They lost their pre-season All
Big 12 center before the year even began. Seppo moved from defense
to the O line. Matt Herian went down in the Missouri game. Kurt Mann
performed remarkably at center. The O line's pass blocking often gave
Joe Dailey all day to find a receiver and opened enough holes that
Pork Chop could squeeze through for over 1,000 yards. Kudos to Dennis
Wagner (ex-Wayne State, Nebraska head coach) for putting together
a good offensive line. With good players coming into the program,
look for things to improve.
CATCH THEM IF YOU CAN
Turner Gill, in his first year as the Husker receivers coach, showcased
a good fleet of receivers who ran good routes, who blocked well and
caught the ball fairly well. Gill also had to contend with injuries
to players such as Willie Amos, Ross "The Boss" Pilkington,
Mark Fluellen and with the season-ending injury to tight end sensation,
Matt Herian. Gill's corps of receivers managed to get open countless
times, only to see passes under thrown, over thrown or intercepted.
My sense is that Turner is not going to leave this program any time
soon, not with the likes of Harrison Beck coming in next year. Turner
and his receivers should be licking his chops thinking about how much
fun they are going to have in '05.
TALENT SHOW
Question: Which team has more first team All Big 12 players this year,
Baylor or Nebraska?
Ans: Baylor (2) This is incredible! Baylor, for goodness sake!!!!
I know some of you who will disagree with me, but for the past 6 years,
the Husker program has been in a state of decline talent-wise. All
you have to do is look at the athletes USC, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas
Tech, Oklahoma State has. Clearly, the Huskers are not in the same
league with these teams.
REALITY SHOW
And yet, there are still fans who long for the days of Solich and
the HOG. We'll never know what would have happened had a coaching
change not been made, but Husker fans need to face reality. Frank
isn't coming back. Tom isn't coming back. Harvey is not going anywhere-neither
are Steve, Bill, Kevin or Phil or anyone else. Get over it, already.
We have a new staff and we need to support them in every way we can.
In glancing back at this year of disappointment, with all the problems
on offense, defense and special teams, with questionable play calling,
one thought continues to move me.
CHANGE
If anyone were to ask me, "What is the one thing you would have
changed that would have had the greatest positive impact on this year's
Husker team?", I would answer, unequivocally: A quarterback who
could find and hit primary and secondary receivers and not turn the
ball over.
Had we had one of those players, we would have NEVER lost to Southern
Mississippi and Colorado at home, or Iowa State and K-State on the
road. One player. One position. One season. How many times did we
have players wide open in game breaking situations, and we could not
get the ball delivered to them? Had the Huskers had a competent quarterback,
the Huskers would likely be sitting pretty at 8-3 or even at 9-2,
with a date to play Oklahoma in Kansas City this Saturday and would
have a nice bowl game invitation in our back pocket. Obviously, Dailey
is not the sole reason we're at 5-6, but it goes to show how just
one player can make a huge difference.
THE MISSING TRUMP CARD
Coach Callahan's trump card, Jordan Adams, never got a chance to play.
Could Adams have been the difference this year? We'll never know.
WE'RE NUMBER ONE IN SOMETHING!
So far, the Huskers, on paper, have the number one rated recruiting
class. Help is on the way. Is recruiting a guarantee to a national
championship? Absolutely not. But great players can make most any
coach look like a genius.
I hate losing as much as anyone else. Seeing the streaks fall this
year has been difficult for all of us to take. A losing season. No
bowl game. This year, Husker fans have to stand out in the cold, and
are forced to peek through the window and watch everyone else inside
enjoying all the goodies.
WE'RE STILL THE BEST
But as a long time Husker fan, I have never made the streaks a prerequisite
for my being a Husker fan. I was a Husker fan before Devaney arrived
and I was a Husker fan during Devaney's two 6-4 seasons in '67 and
'68, when we went bowl-less (gasp!) two years in a row! Does the end
of these streaks make our program any the less significant? I know
it does this year, but my goodness, I challenge anyone to find a college
football program in the country that has won more games, had more
consecutive home sell-outs, had more Academic All Americans, been
more consistent, and been more dominate over the past 40 plus years
than the Nebraska Cornhuskers? Does any team have fans who are as
devoted as Husker fans are? We are still the envy of the college football
world and we need to carry ourselves that way.
NO MORE BOO'S FOR STEVE
I know there are many people who don't like Husker A.D. Steve Peterson-I
have my own issues with him. I have been critical of Peterson's style,
but have supported his decision to make a change in the head coaching
position. It was a tough and very unpopular decision, but in the long
run, the Husker football program will be better for his having done
it. And for those of you who booed Steve Pederson during a ceremony
honoring former Husker great Bob Brown, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
If you have a beef with Steve, or anyone else, send him a personal
letter or an email message, but for &*^%!# sakes, let's act like
the classy fans the overwhelming majority of us are.
BIGGER THAN LIFE
I have said this time and again, Husker Pride Worldwide is bigger
than any one person-bigger than Steve Pederson, Bill Callahan, Frank
Solich, Tom Osborne and even Bob Devaney. There were great Husker
teams and rabid, passionate and devoted Husker fans long before many
of these people were even born.
After Friday's loss, and every day since that time, I have proudly
worn my Husker apparel and will continue to do so. No matter what.
I will be a loyal Husker fan until the day I die. I'm in this thing
for the long haul. If you want to abandon the team when they are struggling,
go ahead. I guarantee you won't be missed.
FROM
THE EMAIL BAG
IRAQ 'N ROLL
Readers:
You may recall the letter a U.S. soldier (Staff Sgt. Myles Frohling)
sent me several weeks ago. He wanted to know if it would be possible
for someone to send him and his buddies copies of Husker games on
video and/or DVD. He also requested miscellaneous Husker memorabilia
that he wanted to hand out to the Iraqi children. I have talked with
the NU Athletic Department and have tried to contact Myles via email,
but have yet to hear from him. If any of you wish to sent the young
soldier some Holiday greetings, you may contact him at:
SSG Myles A. Frohling Sr.
410th Military Police Company
APO, AE 09310
2005 SCHEDULE
Dear Husker Dan:
Why has not Nebraska been able to sign schools for the 2005 schedule?
We are still missing two games next year and no signs of an update.
What is Peterson doing about this?
Harold K.
Livermore, CO
Dear Harold:
A game with the Houston Cougars is being finalized as we speak. The
Huskers will need to schedule one more non-conference game to round
out an 11 game season.
THIS AND THAT
1.) Congratulations
to all the Huskers who made the All Big 12 Academic All American team.
2.) To Barrett Ruud: Thanks for the memories. We'll see you on Sundays.
3.) To Dan McCarney: So close, yet so far. You'll kick yourself (no
pun intended) for this one. But you and Barney, enjoy your bowl trip,
ya hear?!!
4.) There are 16, count 'em 16 D-I head coaching positions open. Paging
Frank Solich?
5.) Here's hoping Matt Herian has a speedy recovery and we all hope
he has a great year in '05.
6.) Is there a better pass-catch combination in college football than
Cumbie and Hicks at Texas Tech? Unbelievable.
7.) Can anyone explain that doofus extra point ruling in the Texas-Texas
A&M game last week?
8.) When does the spring game take place?
9.) Will 61,000 fans show up?
10.) Thanks a million to Darrin Erstad and his wife for the big donation
they made to the Tom and Nancy Osborne complex.
SWEET CHARITY
For those of you looking for a great cause to support not only during
this Holiday Season but year round, I would like to suggest one of
my favorites:
The Edmonson Youth Outreach YMCA
4400 1/2 Fontenelle Blvd.
Omaha, NE 68104-3672
402-455-1285
The web site is under construction but will be completed soon. Go
to: http://eyoymca.org/
I bid you a very Happy Holiday Season! Please pray for our brave men
and women who are in harm's way defending freedom throughout the world.
God Bless them all.
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