YOU BETTER FRICKIN' EARN THEM FIRST BOYS!! By Terry Douglass The Grand Island Independent Posted Sep 15, 2008 @ 11:17 PM Last update Sep 16, 2008 @ 09:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pleased as he was by Nebraska's defensive effort against New Mexico State, Cornhuskers' head coach Bo Pelini apparently isn't quite ready to label it Blackshirt-worthy. Heading into a bye week following a 38-7 victory over the Aggies last Saturday night at Lincoln, Nebraska's defense is coming off of its best game of the season. The performance was highlighted by an impressive performance in the red zone. The only score allowed by the Huskers (3-0) came after a 48-yard fumble return gave New Mexico State (0-1) possession at NU's 3-yard line. Good, but apparently not quite good enough for Pelini. Not yet, at least. "Oh, maybe some time," Pelini said in response to a question about when Nebraska's defenders might earn the traditional Blackshirt practice jerseys. "I'm not sure when. To be honest with you, that's the furthest thing from my mind right now, but time will tell." That's not to say Pelini wasn't pleased. Despite some significant injuries, the first-year head coach said Nebraska's defensive unit has shown improvement and greater understanding of the system and the attitude he wants them to play with. "I think we're progressing as a football team, but we're not near where we want to be yet," Pelini said. "I like the attitude of our team. I like their approach. We're practicing well -- we're practicing physical and we wanted to take it to the game on Saturday and I think we were able to do that. "Part of the deal is to play this game at a high level, you have to play with a bit of an edge and I think our guys are starting to understand that. They're starting to buy in and take the mentality that we're practicing with to the football field." The strength of Nebraska's defense so far this season has been its performance in the red zone. Of the 14 opposition drives to penetrate the Huskers' 20, eight have come way with points (five touchdowns and three field goals). Holding opponents to a 57-percent success rate of scoring in red-zone scoring ranks Nebraska tied for No. 13 in the country in red-zone defense. Further evidence of Nebraska's red-zone success comes in these statistical comparisons: The Huskers rank No. 65 nationally in total defense (347.3 yards allowed per game), but are No. 25 in scoring defense (14.3 points allowed per game). New Mexico State managed just one score in four trips inside the red zone against Nebraska. In fact, the Aggies drove to the Huskers' 2 on three different possessions in which they came away with no points. "They gave us some things, especially early in that game that enabled them to get down there that were a little bit different than we had seen before," Pelini said. "Our kids didn't panic. They just kept playing the call and trying to do their job." In the first possession of the game, New Mexico State took the opening kickoff and marched to Nebraska's 2 before stalling out. Brandon Perez was tackled for a 1-yard loss by NU safety Matt O'Hanlon, Aggies' quarterback Chase Holbrook threw an incomplete pass and Zach Potter then blocked a 20-yard field-goal attempt by NMSU's Kyle Hughes. "Regardless of where it is, in the red zone or up the field, you have to be prepared to make plays and execute the call," Pelini said. "I think we executed well down there (in the red zone) and we made them earn their points." The most impressive defensive stand came late in the third and early in the fourth quarter as the Aggies came away empty on a trek that lasted 14 plays and consumed 5:04. The drive was aided by two defensive pass interference penalties and a replay reversal that gave New Mexico State possession after the Huskers had recovered what was ruled a lost fumble on the field. Nebraska finally escaped when O'Hanlon intercepted Holbrook's floating pass over the middle on a third-and-9 play from the Huskers' 19. "(New Mexico State) kept getting second chances due to a couple of penalties that were unfortunate, but our kids never complained or panicked or did anything," Pelini said. "Part of that's a mindset and our kids showed the right mindset. They just kept going to the next play and playing football." The final red-zone stand for Nebraska came as time ran out with several backup players on the field for both teams. Even with a 31-point lead, Pelini called a timeout with two seconds remaining to set the Husker defense and tell his players what to expect. When play resumed, backup quarterback J.J. McDermott's pass into the end zone fell incomplete and the Huskers ended the game by denying the Aggies one last time. While the outcome had long since been decided, Pelini said after the game that if New Mexico State was going to keep playing, so were the Huskers. On Monday, he said he was also trying to develop confidence and a certain mindset for the Husker defenders. "I think it's extremely important that you approach the game the right way," Pelini said. "No matter what, in a football game, you're going to have some negative things happen. "You're going to face adversity, both personally and as a team, and when your back's against the wall, you have to react the right way and I think our kids are showing the ability to do that and hang together as a team, believe in what's happening and that enables you to have success."
I'd think the defense would have to have an effort vs a BCS conference team where not only did the have good stats but also a plethora of big defensive plays. Sort of like the Neb/Texas B12 Championship game back in 1999... Longhorn QB's still have nightmares of that blitzathon you guys put on that night!!
OK Husker, was I right or was I right? Bo was a bad-a$$ when he played and there was no doubt that he was gonna be a bad-a$$ in the head job.....I think you got a good one and I wish him nothing but the best. Just think where the program would be if you hadn't chosen that other guy a few years back????
After the last 5 year nightmare, I shudder to think. Better late than Never BO...I mean though... :wink:
BOB DEVANEY LIVES!! I had NOOOOOOOO problem whatsoever in his actions. This guy is a fire pisser and I love it!! LINCOLN — Coach Bo Pelini understands that the television viewers who watched last Saturday's Oklahoma-Nebraska game might be forming an unhealthy perception of the program's leader. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said he's going to try to keep outbursts like this to a minimum. "My job is to coach and represent this university in a particular way all the time," he said. "If I ever fall short, that's a thing that hurts me personally and something that I know I'll work hard to get fixed."He wants to do his best to change that, even if it requires him to bury the emotional outbursts and portray a calmer sideline presence. Even in a 62-28 blowout loss to Oklahoma, when the game was decided after one quarter, cutaway shots on the broadcast showed Pelini screaming at referees and assistants. Other shots had a disgusted Pelini dropping his head and rubbing his brow. He yelled on the headset while he stabilized the microphone with one hand and emphatically gestured with the other. He grabbed a player's face mask to prove a point. The words weren't audible on TV, though some still could be picked out by skilled lip readers. But it's those kinds of on-camera clips that Pelini doesn't want outsiders to associate with him or the program. "Perception is reality," he said. "So that's something I've got to fix, right? I understand that." Pelini said he had discussions about his sideline demeanor with members of his family, enough to make him regret what occurred Saturday. He even sought out Athletic Director Tom Osborne for a short consultation about how he's being perceived. "He understands there's emotions that happen during the game," Pelini said, "but he also understands that you've got to channel those emotions the right way." It's a learning process for Pelini, a first-year coach not entirely used to having a perpetual spotlight cast on him that just amplifies his reactions. Pelini didn't initially expect to get flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct against Virginia Tech on Sept. 27, a penalty that assisted the Hokies' attempt to close out a 35-30 win. Now he knows that he went too far that night, Pelini said. "There's a difference between going over the top and not going over the top," Pelini said. "Obviously, if I got a personal foul, I went over the top in that particular instance in that guy's mind. And that's something I've got to fix." But he rebukes the notion that his temperament has filtered down in a negative way to his players. Nebraska has recorded 17 personal foul penalties in nine games. Seven have come in the past two weeks. Against Oklahoma, redshirt freshman Terrance Moore was ejected for throwing a punch at an opposing player. "This is not an undisciplined football team in how they act either on or off the field, because that will not be permitted ever," Pelini said. "They know that." Immediately after Moore's ejection, Pelini briefly grabbed Moore's face mask and slightly jerked it so his eyes couldn't wander. "If I need to grab his face mask so he gets the point across and he looks me in the eye, I'm going to make a point," Pelini said. "I'm not going to hit the young man. I'd never do something like that. But I'm going to get my point across in that instance that that isn't our football team and that isn't going to be tolerated in our program. Period." Moore will not play in the first half against Kansas this week, Pelini said. But that doesn't mean that he'll remain in Pelini's doghouse. Once he's made his point, Pelini's usually pretty quick to move on, according to defensive end Zach Potter. One minute he's yelling, the next he's joking. The senior defensive end doesn't see a need for Pelini to change. "That's the way he is, and we know that's the way he is," Potter said. "I don't think he's going to change just because some of us might not like it or the media's coming after him saying, 'Hey, you shouldn't be getting in the players' faces like that.'" But even if the players don't mind, Pelini knows that outsiders might. What he does and how he acts can shape a person's opinion of the Nebraska football program. The images shown Saturday night were not what Pelini wants people to focus on when they talk about Nebraska. "My job is to coach and represent this university in a particular way all the time," he said. "If I ever fall short, that's a thing that hurts me personally and something that I know I'll work hard to get fixed."
From what clips I've seen and the stories I have heard, he was a fire pissing Irishman. Dr. Tom on the other hand wouldn't **** if he had a mouthfull...guess he didn't have to.