Nebraska football has died. The once healthy program passed away on a Columbia, Missouri football field on Saturday, October 6. Only a few years ago the program appeared to be doing very well, but Dr, Steve Pederson examined the program and determined it was not healthy. He brought in Dr. Callahan who prescribed an injection of West Coast Offense. The program did not take to the therapy all that well, and though it showed some signs of life from time-to-time, never regained its former strength and stamina completely. The health of the program was exacerbated by a bad case of Cosgrovitis. The team is survived by thousands of fans everywhere and two former coaches – Tom Osborne and Frank Solich.
Hey Scott great win last night! Maybe Fran has turned the corner. The calls for Mack to resign are ramping up....
HuskerObject.....I am not going to rag on your misery.....we are not basking in glory years either at Miami. I dunno if you got the right answer and if its Callahan...but I agree that the Big Red has legions of diehard loyal fans that will travel to the end of the world to see the Huskers play.......as I witnessed here in the Orange Bowl in that great game that Neb won. Sorry Bud.....you get one pass
Hisker... <t>Only saw parts of it but with no pass rush and poor coverage guys in the secondary (sounds like another team I love and support) I knew this was an ugly game in the making. Terry knows one of the very worse mistakes Mack made at Texas was not go hard after Chase Daniel who may be the best QB in the big 12. He is a stud and Nebraska found this out last night. OU better work real hard this week on coverage or he will light them up to.</t>
Buck up, HO. We know all about misery.I could come out there and let you kick my ass in golf.... would that help? :wink:
Don, Even though Doc O already posted that he was extended, the Husker nation doesn't like what's going on, contract or not. We are horrible on both sides of the ball and have been for 2 years now. BC needs to address what's going on ASAP or start playing FR and Sophs (Which he never does) to get some fire in there.
Gondola, I've had Kidney Stones before...this is more serious. Don't cut me any husk pal, I put my car up as collateral on North Carolina.
The straight scoop from Colonel Mustard Oct. 8, 2007 That was one of the worst performances of the last 45 years. Even now that we have become accustomed to getting blown out, the lack of progress the game showed is disappointing. Our team was lifeless and seemed confused. The defensive problems of the last month were magnified in this game. We seemed to lack a plan on offense. We couldn’t run the ball and receivers dropped passes again. The line had pass-pro problems once we fell behind and for the fist time Sam was rattled. Sam threw his helmet after one poor possession. I normally don’t like that behavior but in this case at least someone displayed some emotion and fire. It is going to take strong leadership from the coaches and players to get this turned around. What have we seen in the season so far? We opened with solid wins over bowl teams in Nevada and Wake. Then we were overwhelmed by USC and struggled with Ball State and ISU. Now we go to Missouri and play very poorly and get blown out. In the second half of this season, every game that we play is a toss-up. There are no obvious wins left on the schedule. The way we played Saturday, we will not win any of these games. Bill got us turned around after the Kansas disaster of '05. We have to hope that he can do it again. Now as fans what should we do now? This season has been a big disappointment to all of us. But what can we do about it? I believe that the booing that occurred two weeks ago was inappropriate. But to everyone involved in the program, that booing was a warning. We don’t boo anybody at Nebraska — we applaud teams when they beat us. For these fans to boo illustrates just how frustrated they are. I agree that it is wrong to boo but to the program it expresses the fans' (their customers) dissatisfaction with the product on the field. I think fans who are frustrated with the course of the program need to vote with their dollars. That will make a quicker and bigger impact than booing at the game. For me, I plan on going to the game and rooting for the team. As a fan, that is the course that I have chosen. None of us is happy about where we are and how things are progressing. I am going to go and cheer and hope for the best. But if you as a fan are beyond that point, nothing will speak louder than your empty seat and lack of dollars. Okie State comes to town with a high-powered offense and suspect defense this Saturday. It will be interesting to see if the stadium is full and the mood of the crowd. I will be there, and I hope that the crowd will be extremely supportive. The team can certainly use our help. Keep the faith. GBR.
Why not. All other consecutive records have gone by the wayside since Callahan took over, might as well give up the consecutive sellout one. ....Here we Go Mavericks, Here we go!!
Nebraska football is sold out before the season starts so no showing for any of the remaining games wouldn't break the streak no matter how many empty seats there were...they'd still have been paid for.
Doc, I know that. I'm a deported fan, not imported. :wink: I'm just future planning for a lousy year next year.
Shoot Garbonzo, I didn't do it for a new Car, but I've got 1 kids college paid for though....he he heh....... :twisted: Besides, where I come from, cars get you to work and back, there not used to detract from the rogaine treatments one has been receiving.... That reminds me of a joke that reminds me of you..... What do you call a hundred rabbits in a row going backwards? A receding hare line.....
Huskerduffer <r>I hear Pederson resigned.<br/> <br/> What's going on?<br/> <br/> Inquiring minds who are locked out of Husker boards want to know <E></E></r>
Naw, nothing I've heard Corey. However, Things are gettin' hotter than a Phillipino whore at a Marine Barracks on a Saturday night. Here's a couple of recent articles to give you some insight on the dire situation at that vatican. Tom Osborne “had some great messages” in a speech to Nebraska’s 2007 football team Friday, according to quarterback Sam Keller. I’m more interested in Osborne’s speech that night to the 1997 Huskers in Lincoln for a reunion. According to two people who heard the former Nebraska coach’s speech, Osborne urged the ex-players to help inspire the current players. Those young guys need your support, Osborne told the former Huskers. With a loss to Oklahoma State, Osborne told the 1997 crew, things could get extremely rough around here. We all know Saturday’s result. And now we all see and feel the ugliness. The wise coach sensed the potential for tumult. Many Big Red fans no doubt are still somewhat in shock in the wake of Nebraska’s 45-14 loss to Oklahoma State at Memorial Stadium. Osborne led the 1997 team onto the field before the game. The crowd roared. The former players were fired up. They tried hard to fire up the current players, but to no avail. Nebraska’s 2007 program is lifeless. There’s absolutely nothing to suggest a turnaround. The end of the Bill Callahan era seems near. It seems inevitable. Rumors were rampant Sunday. As of Sunday night, no press conferences had been called for today to announce changes in the program. Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said Sunday he had no intentions to resign. Stay tuned. With five games remaining, there are obvious complications in the decision of whom to fire and when any changes would be finalized. The fact Callahan and athletic director Steve Pederson recently signed contract extensions complicates matters to a certain degree. At any rate, Nebraska’s colossal struggle this season leaves the school’s top administrators — Chancellor Harvey Perlman, specifically — with little wiggle room. Is there anything Nebraska could accomplish in the final five games — short of running the table — that could save Callahan’s job? Is there any possible way Pederson will be the man to hire the next coach? Those answers seem as clear as the scoreboard lights that showed us an improbable outcome on an unforgettable Saturday on Stadium Drive. Pederson’s public-approval rating is dismal at this point, rendering him ineffective as a leader. Many fans will never forgive him for brazenly uprooting so much of what made Nebraska football unique. What makes NU football unique at this point? Pederson has alienated too many people. Paul Meyers’ sudden and somewhat shocking Oct. 3 resignation obviously didn’t help matters, especially with the big-money boosters. Pederson’s lieutenants keep jumping ship. Pederson botched the firing of Frank Solich and then the hiring of Callahan. The Callahan era simply isn’t working. The head coach and his staff gave it a good run. They’re good men. Honorable men. Hard-working men. But the repeated Saturday embarrassments can’t continue. Meanwhile, common sense dictates that Pederson’s tumultuous five-year reign as athletic director must end soon. What a mess. It’s sad. It’s shocking, how far the program has fallen so quickly. Current players are hurting. Former players are hurting. Fans are hurting, at least those who aren’t numb from repeated poundings. Former players are organizing meetings in preparation to air their feelings to the powers that be. Good for them. What next? Assuming Pederson is gone, to whom does Nebraska turn for the AD position? Osborne seems a logical candidate if only because many in Husker Nation yearn to have their program back and are in need of a leader they can trust. It’s all very speculative at this point. But Nebraska fans, having endured something of a nightmare, should be afforded the chance to dream, to let their imaginations run wild. Bo Pelini’s name gets mentioned most as a potential head coach. I know he enjoyed his one-season stay at Nebraska as defensive coordinator in 2003. Now the defensive coordinator at Louisiana State, Pelini has told me often that he and his family liked Lincoln. He liked the parish they attended. LSU’s loss to Kentucky on Saturday will do little to diminish Pelini’s status as one of the nation’s hottest head coaching prospects. We know Pelini can coach defense. He has told me he would want an offense that’s multiple but favors a strong ground game. Turner Gill? Well, he’s doing wonders at Buffalo. The Bulls are 3-4 overall and 3-1 in the Mid-American Conference. Their three league victories equal the most since joining the MAC and returning to Division I-A in 1999. The former Husker quarterback is calling the plays for an offense that features elements of a West Coast attack, a power-I formation and even some option. Again, it’s all very speculative. It feels strange to be offering up potential candidates. On the other hand, it beats thinking about the quagmire that Nebraska football suddenly has become.
Sure, Dale Jensen had a few minutes to talk Nebraska football. Got a half hour? Never mind that it was hours before his Arizona Diamondbacks were to play Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday. Jensen had his Huskers on the mind. He painfully listened to Saturday’s game, a 45-14 Husker home loss to Oklahoma State, a day Jensen considers the program’s lowest in modern history. “At halftime, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, just don’t let this thing get into the 60s,’” Jensen said. A Lincoln native and one-time University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, Jensen made himself worth hundreds of millions of dollars as a bank computer software mogul, big enough that he’s now part of a four-man partnership that owns the Diamondbacks. Big enough that he’s given millions to UNL. Big enough that when he says he’s had it with that university’s athletic director and football coach, you pay attention. “The general consensus from everybody I’ve talked to is that (Bill) Callahan and (Steve) Pederson both have to go,” Jensen said. And if they don’t go, would he keep sending money to the athletic department? “Right now, today, if someone came to me (asking for money) and I knew the current leadership was going to be there, probably not,” he said. “Not even probably. I get to vote with my pocketbook and that’s the only vote I have.” Jensen said he doesn’t know of any coordinated effort afoot by big donors to try to inflict changes on the athletic department. But he does hear plenty of unpleasant talk after an embarrassing seven-game start to this Husker football season. Losses by 18, 35 and 31 points have left many red-faced and asking for dismissals. Much of the disgruntled voices don’t want to just get rid of coach Bill Callahan, but also of the man who hired him, athletic director Steve Pederson. “I don’t have a bone to pick with anybody. I just know what’s happening, and it’s not good,” Jensen said. “I’m a Nebraskan and Nebraska football became the largest single point of pride for many Nebraskans that never even had anything to do with the university. Well, that pride isn’t there now.” Insert another opinion, this one from Dan Cook, another guy with a lot of money, a 72-year-old and prominent Husker booster. “Don’t panic in a decision like this. This has profound changes if you make some quick move,” Cook said Sunday. “And what message does it send to other people that you may want to hire? If you fire a coach or something like that, what’s the next coach think: ‘Every time they lose a game, they’re going to want to hang me.’” Though he called Saturday “a sad, sad day for Nebraska,” he thinks he’d give Callahan and Pederson at least one more year. “Steve Pederson is a friend of mine. I will say that straight out,” Cook said. “But I will say … if you don’t deliver, there is a time when you pull a plug. I don’t think this is the time to pull the plug on either of those guys.” But if the plug were to get pulled on Pederson, who’s doing the pulling? According to University of Nebraska Board of Regents members Randy Ferlic, Kent Schroeder and Chuck Wilson, such a decision is reserved for Chancellor Harvey Perlman. “In this case, Perlman has the management decision in his hands,” Ferlic said. “The regents could interfere, but I think it’s highly doubtful.” Perlman could not be reached Sunday and did not return a message left on his home phone. Ferlic said no regents meetings have been held to discuss the state of the football program, nor were any scheduled. “I just get the same e-mails everyone gets (from fans), 100 a day,” he said. “They’re all saying roughly the same thing.” Wilson, the regents chairman, said he had received a couple hundred e-mails over the weekend “lamenting the sad state of things.” Such is the gloom that has overcome Husker football. By the final minutes of Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma State, half the stadium was empty. Callahan heard angry shouts from fans as he left the field, and even worse things were being written by the anonymous on message boards in the day that followed. Cook thinks the negativity has almost reached the point of absurd. “I think there are people in this state who really want to see this thing fail, and if enough people want to see things fail, it’ll fail,” Cook said. “And the consequences of it are enormous to Nebraska.” Jay Noddle, a booster out of Omaha, said the results on the field have been troubling, but hoped decisions of potential changes would not be made rashly. “To rush to a decision and make major changes and so on and so forth may seem like the right thing to do at this moment, but could do more harm than good,” Noddle said. He had a hard time watching Saturday’s game, not just what happened on the field but also the environment that surrounded it. “It’s sort of shocking. It’s sad,” he said. “I don’t think it’s indicative at all of the spirit of Nebraska. We got to go get that back.” Noddle does not think big boosters will influence any change so much as Nebraskans at large. Cook also downplayed the role of the boosters, saying the people who shoot off their mouths the most often give the least to the program. “You’d be stunned at the number of people who are the loudest talkers who do nothing for that program except sit back and bitch and carp,” Cook said. He said he would not pull back on the donations he gives despite the recent struggles. Some former Husker players have been less accepting. There was one invitation sent to former Husker letterwinners Saturday night inviting them to a Wednesday meeting where they could have an “open and candid discussion on the direction of the Nebraska football program.” Jensen said he knows of many people in Nebraska’s N Club, made up of former Husker letterwinners, who “feel alienated” from the current program. This started soon after Pederson arrived as AD, he said. “I’m not going to name names, but trust me, these are people with household names and they are incredibly upset,” Jensen said. “It’s one thing when the program is going through a down time, but when you feel betrayed, you were loyal all these years, and these guys are N Club members feeling that. There’s too many of them for somebody to just dismiss it.” Jensen wanted to stress that he’s not blaming the current players. He thinks Nebraska’s athletes are as good as anyone’s out there. “I don’t blame the kids at all,” he said. “The problem comes from leadership. That’s where it all starts. It starts with leadership, and that leadership is as far up the flagpole as you want to go.”