Aim9

You should also take into consideration the types of passes Ganz was throwing. His stats would look much better if he was shelling out swing passes all the time. Because we were always behind by so much he was forced to throw a lot of deep passes, which leads to more interceptions even amongst the best quarterbacks. Also, when the opposing defense KNOWS you're going to throw deep they can drop back into nickel or dime coverage and make it much more difficult for a quarterback. Ganz will be just fine next year. I would like to see what Lee has up his sleeve though. This spring game can't come fast enough.

In my earlier post I acknowledge that the football program actually pays for other University expenses. On the issue of standing up/sitting down, you have to buy your seats in context. I know that if I bought seats in north stadium seating, I won't be able to stand up and scream the whole game. It's just the same as I would know that if I were purchasing tickets behind/beside the student section I would not be able to sit for much of the game. As for the issue of paying for an education vs. paying for "football rights", I would have to respectfully disagree. I believe that students should have primacy over other fans, because the university exists for them. This is not a professional sports organization. The athletes are students and the sports programs are supposed to benefit the students more than anyone else. I only have one year left of law school, and after that I will be out on my own- likely forced to make donations to get tickets like the rest of you. I understand that not everyone enjoys standing the whole game or is physically able to stand the whole game, but roughly 80% of the stadium is already dedicated to people like you. NU already has the worst student seating in the Bix XII. This just seems like insult to injury. As I said earlier, why should they stop here? Why not banish students to the west balcony? Then nobody has to stand! Why not eliminate student tickets entirely? Then the university gets even more money! Let us also not forget that football tickets are used as a recruiting tool for prospective students as well. If students are pushed off to the worst seats in the stadium it might not have as much of a draw. Just a bad precedent if you ask me.

Honestly doesn't the football program bring in enough money already? Is pissing off your student supporters really worth the few thousand bucks you'll squeeze out of those seats? Yes, older and wealthier supporters are totally integral to the football program, but let's not forget what this is. This is the UNIVERSITY'S football team, and the UNIVERSITY exists for the students. This is not a professional football program where the intent is to wring out as many dollars as possible. Hell, why not just shrink the student section to the east balcony? Why not just eliminate the student section entirely? Don't let anything stand in the way of profits! I know that the football program pays for a lot of other sports and other things on campus, but the athletes are students and the sports program is supposedly for students. I think it will take away from the energy of the student section when there is a section of older people sitting between them and the action on the field.

Sorry, but Bowman's injuries are holding him back right now, not his work ethic, his play or his leadership. I hated BC and really hated the way he treated players especially Bowman, but BC beching him will have zero effect on his draft status. I'd have to disagree. I think that as it is he is on the verge of being a first day pick, and if he had got a bit more buzz or made some great plays in the last 2-3 games of the season he could have gone earlier. Maybe not a lot earlier, but I think it would have SOME effect on his draft status.

He was a shining example of why Bill Callahan was a terrible coach. A great player who had a great work ethic who was pushed by the wayside because BC didn't like the way he wanted the defense to act. BC let his ego run wild, and Bowman was benched in favor of Bleu at the end of the season. Under a competent coach, Bowman would have been a lock as a first day pick. At least he got his degree now. When Bowman, as a captain and senior, turned in his blackshirt and no one followed it was a sign that there were serious problems with cohesion. I think extremely highly of Bowman and I wish him all the luck in the world. If his knees don't give out, he's got first round talent.

Honestly. Nobody cares about a fabricated CU v NU "rivalry" anyway. How they allowed the OK v NU rivalry to die is beyond comprehension. It would be like the Big Ten canceling the Ohio St. v Michigan game. It's just not right.

True- Octo was all over the field last year, but I don't put the onus on him. I think that under the right system and coach he could be awesome. He has great instincts and was one of the few Huskers who could really lay down a hard hit last year. I thought most of the biggest hits came from Octo and Ben Eisenhart. I think he'll get drafted and I think he'll do well in the NFL as long as he doesn't get injured. I still can't believe Bradley got drafted last year in the third round. That guy was as slow as molasses but then again, Ruud wasn't that fast and he's tearing it up at Tampa Bay. Honestly I'm kind of glad to see Sam Keller's stock falling. He was a total ego-maniac. He never fit in at NU and he wasn't half as good as he thought he was. He was a jerk in real life. Right after Keller transferred to NU, one of my friends met him at a downtown bar while he was waiting in line at the bathroom. Keller walked right past the line and when someone complained Keller whirled around and said "Do you know who I am? I f***ing own this town now." and I think that really shows his true colors. Apparently scouts were turned off by his cockiness also.

Pardon me for being skeptical about Pryor's motives, but I have to agree. Do you honestly think he couldn't have narrowed it down a bit in the last 3 years of being sought after? I'm sure that after all that time, a few more weeks just is what he needs to make his decision about which school/sport to choose. He says he doesn't like media attention, but then he delays his decision like this and has the media at his door 24/7. Odd that none of the other top recruits in the country, who undoubtedly got offers from plenty of top schools, had this problem. Think he might be a primadonna?

Honestly I don't think their reporting is too terribly slanty. The only thing that I cringe at is how every year as the BCS approaches they will talk about the greatest college football team of all time. I feel that the 71' and 95' Husker teams don't get enough love in that discussion. Aside from that, what has there been to love about Nebraska since 2001? A 10-3, or 8-4, or 9-5 season? That's as good as we've got to offer during that time. That's not really praiseworthy. In 2001 we shouldn't have gone to the BCS title game. It wasn't NU's fault, but you can't knock the critics for complaining about it. I'm quite confident that in coming years we will get plenty of love from the national media if we stop sucking.

UNI thought so too...he helped them to the Championship in DII in 2006. He quit smoking the weed once Farley kicked his ass...maybe a decent coach at Nebraska would have helped Horne. Oh well...your loss...UNI's gain Yeah I heard about that. UNI is a solid team, but I can only imagine what he could have done for NU. Perhaps, as you suggested, if he would have got a swift kick in the pants accompanied by an order to stop smoking weed, he could have been great. When Horne was at Prep he split time for a while with Steve Hicks before he transferred. Horne always was a little better, though Hicks had more power. I also wonder what Hicks could have done for Iowa St. if he wasn't always dealing with injuries.

Marlon Lucky? Are you serious? Where were you last year? What are your standards? Does the guy have to win a Heisman? He didn't blow up in his first two years quite like we expected, but he was awesome last year. I would say Harrison Beck was the biggest bust during the last 10 years. Harrison Beck was a 5 star QB, won a few quarterback camps etc., and then came to Nebraska and went 1 for 10 with 1 interception. His best play was taking a late hit against K-State. He is now a shaky backup at NC State. If that's not a bust, I don't know what is. I don't really count guys who get injured as busts. That's not really fair. I wouldn't normally include him in this conversation, but David Horne was a pretty big bust. I went to high school for 2 years with him (at Prep before he switched to Central) and he was a 4 star RB that never did much. He just COULD NOT STOP SMOKING WEED. I think he got the boot after his 4th citation for the stuff. Too bad- he really was a good RB.

I'm thinking he'll be an outside linebacker and Bo will have him flying all over the field. He'll blitz a lot and he'll be in a lot of highlight videos. This year, Culbert will own Chase Daniel once again.

Read my above post- this wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Just an excuse to post some funny videos about my least favorite Big XII teams.

It was really more of an excuse to post some funny videos of the 3 Big XII teams that have got on my bad side for other reasons. Do I really hate Texas Tech's football program because of their bell ringer? No. I dislike them because their coach is a jerk and their gimmicky offense always gets press despite the fact that it doesn't deserve it. Every year Texas Tech QBs lead the nation in yards and touchdowns but they go nowhere in the NFL and they always lose 3+ games. That's not a coincidence. Crabtree is pretty damn good, but that's besides the point. I would also like to add that the 70 point drubbing in Lubbock where Mike Leach kept his starters in and continually threw deep also has something to do with it. Outside of Callahan's antics this year against Kansas St., that was the most classless playcalling ever. Those are just the reasons why I'm not a fan of Texas Tech. I have similar lists in my mind for Kansas St. and Missouri... and sizeable list for Colorado too.

The three Big XII football teams I dislike the most and why: Missouri: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzszEm9ICIg&NR=1 Kansas State: Texas Tech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFxwOLbImcU Colorado's Honorable Mention: Everyone else in the Big XII is kosher with me, but for some reason the aforementioned teams really get under my skin.

On the issue of fan loyalty, I have no problem with Husker fans riffing on the Huskers. I mean, if I couldn't laugh a little at KU hanging 70+ points on our defense I think would explode. Some of that is cathartic. To watch some of the games I watched last year and come away with no sarcastic remarks is almost impossible. I do have a problem with people who wear USC or Texas gear when they are the flavor of the week because of recent success, but then when the Huskers do well they instantly shed their former shells and act like they've been with NU all along. That kind of bugs me, but even then it's not a HUGE deal. I can understand the booing last year, but I never took part. I stayed all 4 quarters and cheered- even in the Oklahoma St. game. I guess everyone has their own conception of what fan loyalty is. That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing some bandwagon fans next year after we win the national championship. That means that Bo has been doing his job.

My big question is: Why didn't they go with a night game? I haven't found anyone protesting that idea. I know that Lincoln businesses wanted it, Bo wanted it, fans wanted it, and supposedly the NFL Network was more enthusiastic about broadcasting it as a night game. I just don't understand why we bypassed on a night game! I would have loved it. I would guess they'll do 1s v 1s but I kind of doubt they'll have green jerseys on the QBs. With a real 3 way quarterback battle going on and 4 months or so to recover from any injury before the season starts, I think they'll just let them play. Albeit, they'll probably tell the defense "don't kill them" - kind of an NFL pro bowl style defense. I want to see what ends up happening between Witt, Lee, and Ganz- obviously that's the biggest story of the spring game- but I also want to see what our new secondary and linebackers look like. Of course it is the spring game so everything is to be taken with a liberal amount of salt, (remember Joe Dailey's spring game performance under BC?) but at least we get to see what they all look like moving at game speed.

If you think it was the motivation that was lacking, what do you think was the game that broke them? USC or Ball St.? I suppose it could be a combination of the two, but somewhere in those two games the defense just tore apart at the seams and never recovered. I would have to agree that it was more motivation than scheme, but the scheme was at least partly to blame. What Cosgrove tried to do (and didn't do) against Missouri was beyond my comprehension. Why did he eliminate the joker position? Why? WHY? Culbert rocked Missouri at that position the year before. Water under the bridge now I guess.

My guess is that he means "did not achieve their potential" and if that is his test, then virtually everybody would have been held back. I think Octavien could have been one of the greatest linebackers at NU with the proper system and tutelege. His vision and athleticism were awesome. Anyway, I think our D-line will be greatly improved upon during this upcoming season. I think there is a lot of talent there and there have been flashes of brilliance, but no consistency. I think they were the most underachieving unit under Cosgrove last season.

Western Michigan - Win San Jose State - Win New Mexico State - Win Virginia Tech - Surprise win - Honestly I haven't been impressed by VT recently Missouri - Win - Missouri always sucks in Lincoln Texas Tech - Loss - Playing TT in Lubbock is tough and I don't think we have the speed on def Iowa State - Win - Iowa State seriously sucks Baylor - Win - Baylor also sucks Oklahoma - Loss - OU will be REALLY good next year Kansas - Win - We put up a lot of points against KU last year, with a decent def we'll win Kansas State - Win - Josh Freeman will choke yet again Colorado - Win - same as Kansas, we put up a ton of points on them and if we had any defense we would win. How do you score 51 points and lose by two touchdowns? Ask Coz. That won't be happening anymore. Accuse me of drinking too much kool aid, but I honestly see us having a solid year this year. I predicted doom last year, and that was against the grain of most people's sentiments. We lost a lot of our defensive starters... who cares? This just in: our defense was one of the worst in the country last year. Getting those guys off the field is a good thing. I've been waiting for years for Corey and Bo to graduate. We will have VERY significant defensive improvement this year and our offense will continue to roll. 11-2 after a bowl game win

I agree that we were worse off in 2004, but the fall out isn't over yet either. It will not impact 2008, but it will impact the future if this class completely falls apart. Championships aren't won on Signing Day, but we can't lose the meat of this class and not expect for there to be some challenges. Yes that is true, but Osborne always had recruiting classes ranked 20-30 and he did alright. The rankings give you SOME indication of the talent of the player, but they are really arbitrary. Remember five star Harrison Beck? He's a backup at NC State. Just like I think Levorson will be really good (a 2 star), but I think Trevor Robinson is going to suck (a four star- was for NU, now is going to ND). Stoops never blows people away with recruiting, but he's in the title hunt every year. Bill Callahan was awesome at recruiting and he couldn't beat anyone other than Baylor and Iowa St.

I would love Lucky to stay, but all the same- one busted knee and he loses millions of dollars. Admittedly, if I were in his shoes I would go pro- even if I might go in a higher round next year. If that kind of money and opportunity presents itself, you take it. The health of a RB is too fragile to mess with if millions are involved. RBs get crushed 30+ times a game by 200-300 pound objects. You would never know which carry would be your last.

Just got an email- thought it was pretty funny: San Jose State -W- 77-0 Joe Ganz intercepts his own pass for a TD. New Mexico State -W- 56-3 Bo Pelini pulls starters with 1:13 left in game for allowing first points of season. Virginia Tech -W- 35-31 Bo Pelini tackles VT kick returner running down sideline to save the game for NU. Bo Pelini fined $10,000 by NCAA and must sit out 2 game suspension. W. Michigan -W- 88-0 Tom Osborne reinstated as interim coach until Pelini comes off suspension. Missouri -W- 42-7 Chase Daniel has 4 picks, (2 int, 2 nose) the second interception returned by a player with the name Bolini written by a Sharpie on the back of a plain white t-shirt. Bo Pelini was unable to be reached for comment after the game due to his suspension from coaching duties. Texas Tech -W- 70-10 Bo instructs the defense to allow TT to score 10 points in the final minute to avenge 2004 game. Iowa State -W- 93-0 Bo asks T.O. if he has the power to kick ISU out of the Big 12. Baylor -W- 4-0 Bo asks band if they had ever thought of playing offense. ESPN runs human interest story on the day. Defense holds Baylor to -56 yards with two safeties. Oklahoma -W- 28-27 Bo sends busload of NU sorority girls to Oklahoma's hotel. When asked by ESPN to comment on the move by Pelini, Bob Stoops admits it was a good coaching move, and that he honestly should have thought of it first. Kansas -W- 51-10 During halftime, Pelini tells his players "I'm thinkin' National Championship." Mangino tells his: "I'm thinkin' Arby's" Kansas State -W- 70-3 After the game Pelini rushes to the other sideline and yells at Prince for allowing him to run up the score. Colorado -W- 69-14 Pelini has each player go over to the Colorado sideline and tell Hawkins that bowl cuts are out of style. Coach Hawkins goes to the locker room to cry it out and his son stays to console him most of the game. Texas- B12 Championship -W- 34-21 Pelini sneaks into Bevo's stable and cuts out major organs, feeding them to his defensive players. PETA bans Pelini from the state of Texas. Florida - NC Game -W- 45-17 In his halftime speech, Bo tells a story from his childhood, how an alligator killed his father and ran off with his mother and all he ever wanted was revenge. The Huskers respond by scoring 45 unanswered points.

Pretty much the same thing here. USC I just chalked up to USC being awesome. The Ball State game was the game that really set off alarm bells in my head. We should have lost that game by two touchdowns. Their WRs were WIDE OPEN all day long, but they mercifully dropped about 50% of the passes, even though most were right on target. I knew we had even more serious problems when Callahan came out and called the game a step forward. I hadn't seen a defense play that poorly in a long time, especially our LBs, which were wildly out of position on EVERY PLAY. The Missouri and Oklahoma State games reinforced my sentiments, but I think the Ball State game was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

Honestly I don't see our offensive recruiting as a problem at the moment. We already have a stable of solid RBs, and Marlon Lucky will probably come back for another year. It would certainly make sense for him- if he had a stellar year he could get make a few million more out of a contract. All the same though, with Glenn, Helu, Mendoza and Castille, we have plenty of RBs. If things ever got really dicey we still have Culbert and Prince. As for WR, the only WR that we are losing that I will truly bemoan is Maurice Purify. I've been dying to see Holt and Paul get more playing time because they have GREAT talent. As for QBs, I'm just fine with Zac Lee, Joe Ganz, and Patrick Witt. I honestly think it will be a QB battle next year. Joe Ganz did a good, but not great job this year, as he had some problems with turnovers. Zac Lee and Patrick Witt are both very good, and Lee is more mobile than Ganz. (or at least he was before the injury) I'm just fine with the class we have now- I think our bigger concern is actually doing something with the talent we already have. Hopefully Bo will drive them to play at their highest level. That's something we haven't seen in years.