Guy Chamberlin

Does that mean we win the championship next year??!! Well at least 53% of it.

As a side note, I think we should appreciate the talents of Sam McKeown now, because he's talented enough to be writing for bigger markets, and probably will be soon.

Didn't Michelle Obama get in trouble for saying something like this?

You have got to be kidding me. Bill Callahan cost Marlon Lucky a Heisman? Something tells me Bill Callahan took down Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch as well. Lucky has had every chance and to his credit has made the most of it. But he wasn't good enough as a sophomore to stop Brandon Jackson from taking over his carries and he wasn't good enough this year to keep Roy Helu Jr. from supplanting him. If he goes to the NFL - and I think he'll get a shot but never see significant action - it's because the West Coast offense allowed him to be showcased as a receiver out of the backfield in the same way running back are now being utilized in the NFL. That he doesn't hit the line well in college doesn't bode well for him in the pros. But he's had great moments, done everything that's been asked from him and deserves his place in the Nebraska record books. I think he might also have the highest passer rating in the history of the NCAA.

Tyrone Willingham had a very impressive run at Stanford. Held his own, I suppose at Notre Dame. But 0 and 9 at a one time powerhouse like Washington does not speak well for his current recruiting or coaching abilities. Someone will hire him in an assistant role, or perhaps HC at the subdivision level. He might do well in that new position. But he'd be an awkward and over-priced fit at Nebraska.

I have no idea where I heard this, but word is Cody Glenn sold his ticket to buy some meth to give to an underage hermaphrodite hooker. And that's why he missed practice.

Here's what I don't get: 1) Students who never went to the game: when did you get so rich that you didn't bother to sell your ticket for a tidy profit? 2) Students who left at halftime: if you had enough interest to go to the game and found the Huskers playing well in a tight contest against a favored rival, what possessed you to leave? 3) Dr. Osborne, the students at the University have a legitimate gripe about seating, so going on record as saying "Gee, if the students don't like it, I suppose we could sell more of their seats to fertilizer salesmen from Utica" reaks of the passive-aggressive. Big Willie's chart is pretty sobering on the subject, and Dr. Tom might want to sound less like an old lady trying to make her children feel guilty.

I can imagine the Nebraska team feeling pretty good about the win over Kansas. I can't imagine them feeling over-confident about anything.

You coddled 21st Century brats. I was at the legendary Nebraska - Missouri game in 1978. 24 degrees and the wind howling thru Memorial Stadium. I'd woken up that morning in a bathtub, the last of several placed I'd vomited over the course of a Purple Passion party thrown by someone I didn't know. I may have been on my way to getting laid before the puking set in, so I was cold, humiliated and massively hung-over that morning. But it never, ever occured to me not to go to that game. I hope you will look upon me as a role model and act accordingly.

Yes. None of which my post would dispute.

Not in half, maybe, but the Huskers always got the back-up plenty of carries, with the QB and Fullback getting more rushes than most teams. In fact, the Huskers did so well getting the back-up HB playing time that he typically ended up replacing the starter. Hipp was a sophomore phenom, but was washed up by his Senior year and Redwine was the star. Redwine was washed up by his Senior year and Roger Craig was the star. By his Senior year, Craig was superseded by Mike Rozier and they turned Roger into a quasi-fullback in order to keep them both in the backfield. I think it was Keith Jones who was our Heisman candidate when they started giving freshman Lawrence Phillips some touches, and he took over the next year. Outside of Mike Rozier, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a featured Nebraska running back who had a more productive Senior Year than his Junior or even Sophomore year. Some used to blame Boyd Eppley for turning the running backs into weight room fanatics, making them more muscle-bound than nimble. But even the greatest Husker running backs were always looking over their shoulder at the new kid.

There comes a point where you can't explain everything away by the other team being more talented. Less talented teams upset more talented teams every Saturday of the season. We're currently 0 for 4. We gotta take one of these. Like it or not, this is a referendum on the coaching. They have to have the team mentally ready (including, ahem, the kick-off squad) and they need to come out with a defensive scheme that uses....you know.....A STRATEGY. Even if it's new, even if it's a bit risky. Ears peeled back. Balls to the wall. If the starters aren't doing the job, throw next season's starters into the fire. Rebuilding isn't always about being patient, it's about setting the standard. The home fans will accept a loss if there's at least a blaze of glory. And there's no reason at all the Huskers can't win. Though I wouldn't be the house on it.

Can we at least agree that Lucky should be getting all of Quentin Castille's touches?

Hey, let's not simply use Iowa State to make us feel better when there are fellow fallen powerhouses to do the job. At this point would you rather be: Michigan? Auburn? Tennessee? Notre Dame? Washington? UCLA? Texas A&M? Colorado? Clemson? I imagine there's also some gnashing of teeth and questioning of God going on at Georgia after last Saturday.

Well....uhm....I wasn't talking about just the Oklahoma game. And given that Oklahoma kept scoring at will and the Nebraska D never forced so much as a punt until garbage time, I'm not sure how Bo was protecting their pride.

I saw the replay of the exchange. Ganz placed the ball right in Castille's solar plexus. And ESPN kept the camera on Castille as he walked the sideline in shame. Feel sorry for the guy, but not enough to give him more chances. Because it's not like he showcases any impressive natural talent on the carries where he doesn't fumble.

Who knows? Maybe we look back at the end of the season and remember the day Nebraska took the eventual National Champions into overtime. But you really do hate to see the wheels come off on national television.....multiple times....over multiple seasons. Hurts recruiting. This offense is enough to get the Huskers into the Top 25, but the defense is almost mystifyingly bad, as if Dr. Evil has stolen its mojo.

That Washington vs. Washington State game is going to be fun to watch.

Here's a serious coaching question, and I swear I'm not ripping on the two Pelinis but: How different is this defense compared to the Cosgrove defense? Because we're not just talking about position players in physical mismatches. We're talking about quarterbacks who have nothing but time to scan the field, and when they hit receivers there is not a Nebraska defender within 10 yards. If you blitzed a linebacker and a safety, you'd be leaving no bigger holes in the secondary than you already have with the guys in place. And as the game goes on, there is simply no adjustment I could determine. This was what Chase Daniel talked about last year....they couldn't believe Nebraska kept trotting out the same high school defensive alignment, and they realized they could basically do whatever they wanted. Cosgrove admitted he didn't want to confuse his kids with complicated schemes, as if they were too fragile and unsophisticated for the major college game. I come into the games with tons of goodwill, forgiveness and optimism, but the part of my brain that really thinks can help but think there has been no step forward on defense, and that is the bare minimum of what I expected from Pelini. I know this was Oklahoma. But knowing it's Oklahoma, you also gotta go for broke. That being said, I smell a win against Kansas.

As already stated. ESPN didn't "vote" for Nebraska, football fans did. And to think that ESPN doesn't play favorites is just being naive. Indeed the fans voted. But so did the ESPN staff. Here's what they came up with: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/colfootball/teams/best.html To determine bias, you'd have to watch ESPN without your own bias. You'd have to notice that they talk about the strengths and weaknesses of EVERY team and admit that you don't freak out when they dissect the weaknesses of teams not called Nebraska. Or publicize the arrest of Miami players. Or pump up underdogs a bit against traditional powerhouses like Nebraska used to be, because non-partisans (and especially broadcasters) are rooting for a good game. You'd also have to add in the fact that beyond a 6 year run in the 1990s, Nebraska often came up short in big games and sometimes really tanked on national TV and you didn't need to be an ESPN broadcaster to notice that. You'd also have to notice that ESPN has treated Nebraska with the respect a legendary college football program deserves, and however many "what's up with Nebraska?" stories they might be running of late, they are at least as accurate and respectful as the carping that goes on in here by the very Nebraska fans who complain about people doubting Nebraska. But then, if a professional college football analyst predicting another team might beat Nebraska qualifies as bias, then yes, you guys are so, so right. You know what might change that bias? Hundreds of whiny e-mails to Kirk Herbstriet. Have at it. p.s. Jack Arute IS a tool.

Why are we still talking about this? I've already made everything clear in my posts, which time will validate. Meanwhile, enjoy Joe Ganz while you can.

Uh.....is this the same ESPN that ranked the 1971 Huskers and the 1995 Huskers as two of the top three College Football teams of ALL TIME? Nothing makes Nebraska fans look like witless cornheads more than whining about how ESPN doesn't like us.

Just for the record, Matt Cassell, the current starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, never started a single game in college.

Know who had a strong arm? Ryan Leaf. Know who had a weak arm? Joe Montana. Listen, I know I don't have as many posts in here as some of you, but I think you'll agree that all my posts are correct. I'm uncanny that way. It's both a gift and a curse. I'll chalk up any disagreement to jealousy. As a well-hung self-made billionaire, I'm used to it.

He won't start. He might not get drafted. But Ganz will get picked up by an NFL team and earn a bit of pocket money. He's currently the 13th highest ranked passer in the NCAA and unlike some who create gaudy or misleading numbers, he's earned the ranking. I'm not sure what games you guys are watching, but Ganz's arm is strong and his release is quick in precisely the way they need to be, including such favorites as Rolling Right and Thowing Left, and Bullet Across the Middle. Accuracy? Guess I remember a simpler time in which 70 PERCENT COMPLETION was considered pretty damn good. Oh wait, that time is now. Did he blow a screen pass? Guess I missed that one. But in the more demanding and valuable Timing Pattern in the End Zone department, he shows an excellent touch. You know who could really complete a screen pass? Jamaal Lord. Want him back? Some pundits have made too much of "Happy Feet" to diminish quarterbacks who refuse to hang in the pocket and get coldcocked by defensive ends. Ganz does great when given the time (surprise!) but he also uses his feet extremely well to buy time in a collapsing pocket, which is handy when your pocket collapses a lot. Ganz is allowed to call audibles as he sees fit. He sees fit just often enough, and is frequently correct in his call. This is what smart quarterbacks do. You can point to any untimely interception you'd like (Brett Favre has dozens) but when Nebraska needs to go the length of the field in a short period of time, Joe Ganz takes the huddle like a guy who can do it, and there's not a defensive coordinator around who is going to take him lightly. Joe Ganz does what good quarterbacks do. He's overshadowed in a conference with several quarterbacks playing out of their minds, but that doesn't mean he's gone unnoticed. Bookmark this one and call me crazy 365 days from now. Joe Ganz gets his shot. And we sure as hell should appreciate the best quarterback we've had in years while we've still got him.