McKewon article on Pelini--first four years at NU

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NUance

Assistant Coach
Pelini's first four years at NU leave him hungry for moreBy Sam McKewon, WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

LINCOLN — In the course of a three-hour football game, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini goes through a gallery of emotions and gestures. He'll crouch. He'll fist-pump. He'll hug. He'll stalk the sideline. He'll come up close to a player and whisper praise in his ear. He'll screw his face up into a pigskin-drawn portrait of disbelief. He'll rage against the bad breaks and self-inflicted mistakes.

Amid that gamut of emotions, Pelini will strike a different pose. A statesman's pose. He will pull his arms behind his back, clasp his hands, stand perfectly still and point his prominent chin down in contemplation. At the start of practice, Pelini sometimes turns this stance into a walk, ambling between the rows of stretching players. In this image, calm and deliberate, Pelini most looks like the CEO that nearly $3 million per year, a coaching legend of an athletic director and a football-mad state require him to be.

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Pretty good article from Sam. If you like pre-season Kool-Aid. Like I do. :lol:

 
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Very good read. Our little Bo is growing up. Does anyone else get this "1991" feeling with this team? That after the Capital One Bowl (citrus bowl) debacle, that things had to change, and began building for a run.

 
I hadn't heard about the military training this off season. Granted, I don't know how greatly that differs from what teams do regularly.

 
Enhance89 said:
I hadn't heard about the military training this off season. Granted, I don't know how greatly that differs from what teams do regularly.
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There's not a big difference, but when I was in, they were all about cardio and then strength training...

Good article btw

 
>> Change in his offensive philosophy, which started as a West Coast passing attack in 2008, moved through many phases in 2009 and now has arrived at a no-huddle, option-reliant spread in 2012.
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Ahhh, so THAT is what we run. :lol:

 
accountability said:
Very good read. Our little Bo is growing up. Does anyone else get this "1991" feeling with this team? That after the Capital One Bowl (citrus bowl) debacle, that things had to change, and began building for a run.
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Oh yeah! :koolaid2: :koolaid2: :koolaid2:

 
accountability said:
Very good read. Our little Bo is growing up. Does anyone else get this "1991" feeling with this team? That after the Capital One Bowl (citrus bowl) debacle, that things had to change, and began building for a run.
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I actually feel like last season was 1991 and this season is shaping up to be 1992 where we're underrated and have a good but not great season leading into 1993's title run. It also matches up by years 1991=2011, 1992=2012, 1993=2013.

 
Each year we read a similar article- I hope this is the year we see the accumulation of all of Bo's quotes come to fruition. I just want to see an effort and dominance of all 4 quarters of a game, and limit our penalties and personal fouls. Those are things this team can control.

 
All I can say is I firmly believe we're heading in the right direction. It finally seems like the culture I associate with the Huskers is coming back, that this team is in the right place, that maybe we have the right coaches in place. I don't demand instant results, and improvement doesn't have to come in the shape of wins.

 
There's no doubt Pelini has shaped this program. The question is, what does that shape look like. Is it a 9-4 program year in and year out or a program that contests for conference titles and the benefits those titles often bring. That's what makes opinions on Pelini's job to this point so interesting. The one hand can say, "this program has come this close" while the other can say "this program is still only coming this close".

 
I remember Bo talking at the Big Red recruiting dinner shortly after the painful loss to South Carolina. He was humble and almost apologetic. He acknowledged that expectations haven't been made and that he would work much harder going forward. I went from being angry and frustrated to hopeful by the end of the event. I really do think that progress has been made within the program during the off season to correct some of our bad habits and instill more discipline. My biggest concern is the O-line, but I think we will be better at those positions as well. Hopefully not the Kool-aid talking!

 
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