tmfr15

The Nebraska football program's history was forged, for about a 25-year period, by a man whose integrity was never questioned. He had a very difinitive plan, some would say he was stubborn to a fault, but he worked that plan to the tune of nine win seasons and consistent championship contention. People jumped his case each year that we lost a bowl game or failed to win "the big game." At the end of the day, however, it was very easy to see how close Nebraska was to getting those wins and championships. We all could reasonably expect that, with continued hard work on the recruiting trail, we would be able to run down a title at some point. Then the dam broke and we won three titles in a four year stretch. Magic.

Maybe that created unrealistic expecations and that led to the firing of Frank, the train wreck of Billy C, the return of Bo from his southern D.C. stints.

At the end of the day, we have to compare Bo, not with the train wreck of Billy C. or the Solich administration that followed the greatness of T.O.

The comparison is directly to T.O., sans the championships. We need a coach that carried himself with great integrity, who worked hard to make Nebraska great and one whose legacy was more than nine win seasons. He needed a legacy of competitive teams that gave Nebraskans hope that someday, with continued hard work, we might get a breakthrough.

How did Bo do?

Integrity? Please. After his failures, he blamed the media, the fans, the administration and the officials for his shortcomings. He carried himself with almost no class at all. The outburts after the 2009 title game in Texas and the 2010 blow up at Texas A&M are, by themselves, a reason to fire someone. It was embarassing.

And then there are the results.

In 2011 against Wisconsin and Michigan. We didn't just lose games. We fell apart and were destroyed.

That's Ok. It's just one year.

In 2012 against Ohio State and Wisconsin. We didn't just lose games. We fell apart and were destroyed.

In 2013 after a solid half of football against UCLA, we didn't just lose. We fell apart and were destroyed.

In 2014, against Wisconsin again. We didn't just lose. We fell apart and were destroyed.

If our losses were in games like the Minnesota loss last year, this would not be a topic of discussion. We were very close to winning there.

If Bo's obsurd sideline behavior was limited to one or two incidents, we would not be talking about it. He would still be here.

But the combination of blow out losses, the knowledge that we were close to losses in a handful or more other games, and a continued insistance on blowing up and embarrasing everyone in the university if not the entirety of the state of Nebraska.

Well that was too much. Firing was all that could be done.

It wouldn't have gotten better. Bo was doomed to fail. There is no way I see us breaking through.

Sure, judge Mike Riley for what the team does or does not do on the field, but look for the integrity, the hard work and the evidence that we can reasonably expect future success.

Leave Bo out of the discussion. He didn't belong here and he is gone.

Big plays negate field position.

Riley has been the coach for some time now and I still get the feeling that his relationship with Tom isn't all that friendly. Am I imagining this? I do appreciate that Mike has said he wants an association with TO that's not contrived or forced. Is Tom so pissed over the firing of Bo that he'll never be able to get behind Mike's hiring?

What is the consensus here at HB as far as direction of the transition? We all know there is going to be a transition from whatever Beck/Bo ran to what Riley is going to run.

The specific plan is not all that important to me. It is my feeling that, given the right personnel and coaching, most, if not all philosophies, will work out just fine.

Transition is key though.

From watching the spring game, I got the hopeful feeling that Riley would work off the schemes the guys were used to and phase in his system as time goes by and as recruiting classes arrive and become acclimated.

I am just fine with eliminating clap cadence and having the QB work from under center a bit more, but beyond that, I still think we should run some read option and feature an assortment of runs, plus play action passing and targeted roll outs with one or two reads to make before either running or throwing the ball away.

In my scorched earth scenario, Riley insists Callahan style that we must adopt his full plan now and just "go through the growing pains."

It is my feeling that if he does that..... get ready for 5-7.... cause its coming.

Like I said, the spring game gave me hope. I do remember the Callahan initial spring game and it was a full pro style .... west coast adoption.

Are we all feeling like Riley is smarter that Callahan and therefor will choose to phase this thing in slowly?

Bowl games overall..... I just want to go to one... and see an interesting opponent for a night game. I am a night owl anyway, so my brain doesn't even begin to register reality until sometime after noon. Plus, as someone who watched the Huskers in the '80s, I appreciated the thought of an Orange Bowl and that kick off was at night. I used to think of the Rose Bowl as the warm up for the Orange Bowl.

Year one for MR is going to be all about evaluating. And I am good with that. Don't get me wrong, I want to win games, lots of them. But, at the end of the day, I want MR and staff to know exactly what we have at each position and have a leg up on recruiting to improve the weak spots. At quarterback we've got a bunch of possibilities, but we don't know if we have THE GUY on the roster at this point. Let's find out. Bringing in Golson at this point would only muddy the waters, plus he has a lot of baggage.

With the right coaching, maybe Tommy can improve. I know one thing about him, the guy is a ball-faking man-child. With the right coaching he might develop the vision that will allow him to locate open guys off those fakes. And when he gains confidence off of that, he can add the QB run now and again.... and away we go.

I get the frustration with TA because he seems to have stalled, but I still like the kid and think he's got some possibilities. I wouldn't mind one of those other guys stepping up their game with the right coaching push as well.

But we have to find out. And that takes patience. At least a year of patience.

 

Why do we have to do this thing where we paint Bo as a complete idiot. Remember the good times please. The kick and pick, that first bowl win vs Clemson, regular season games like Missouri, Washington, and KState and the hail Mary ... Just to name a few. Bo had his flaws. He was let go when it got to the point that he was completely stuck and could go no further in his progress towards a championship. End of story. We can talk about the good history, but the bad, let's just give that up. It's too damn depressing.

And we should only remember Callahan for is North title and the Michigan bowl win. But not his causing us to miss a bowl game in 2 of his 4 seasons or 70-10 or "f'n hillbillies" or "crusty old f".

 

And we should only remember Solich for him winning the Big 12 in 99. But not for 62-36 or 7-7.

 

Gotcha.

 

The sarcasm is strong in this one.

I will go ahead and remember the Callahan win over Michigan, it was fun, and I will remember the conference title and Fiesta Bowl win by Solich, those were even better. If you want to sit around crying in your beer and reviewing the tape of Callahan 2004 vs. T Tech and Solich 2001 vs. Colorado, be my guest.

Why do we have to do this thing where we paint Bo as a complete idiot. Remember the good times please. The kick and pick, that first bowl win vs Clemson, regular season games like Missouri, Washington, and KState and the hail Mary ... Just to name a few. Bo had his flaws. He was let go when it got to the point that he was completely stuck and could go no further in his progress towards a championship. End of story. We can talk about the good history, but the bad, let's just give that up. It's too damn depressing.

Nobody has pointed out the assigned seating. Free would be great, but if you're making us pay at least make it all general admission. That way anybody with the desire to can spend the morning at the stadium and be guaranteed seats on the 50 yard line. For those who can't afford game tickets, let alone 50 yard line seats for a fall Saturday, that experience is like a dream come true.

 

Do we know if QBs will be taking contact? Or will they be off-limits?

 

 

Just a guess but I think the QB's will be live because they want to see how they look "under fire"

I think that it will be determined on how much QB depth Coach Riley thinks NU has. If the green shirts come out, its cuz Armstrong isn't being pushed at all....imo

 

The QB question is interesting. Coach Riley needs to figure out if he has a QB who can at least function OK in the system. If he does, that buys him a year to recruit a high school kid, red shirt him a season, and go with him for 2017 season. If we go through the QBs and find none are serviceable, then it will be time to search the JUCO ranks for the next Zac Taylor.... if we can find a guy like that... he was DANG good.

I've never been too influenced in my Husker opinions by any spring game, but I am sure that it will stir some talk and debate. It will be the first time Nebraska fans get a chance to see what the offense/defense will look like. The emphasis will definitely be on the offense IMO. Always is.

The normal post spring line is that we should take it easy on the offense because the defense is usually ahead at this point. If the offense does well, it means we are loaded and we are going to do very well in the fall.

With all the changes, however, this isn't a normal spring.

The question in my mind is.... how much will this spring game remind me of the 2004 edition?

Remember Bill was coming in with his pro style offense and we all were anxious to see what a passing Husker offense would look like. We came out in the opening series with a bunch of shifts and motion that got everybody excited. And Joe Dailey went on to have a very nice day passing the ball, yards and TDs. We knew there would be some bumps in the road, but felt that opening showing was an indicator that this system would work. The fall came.... the losses mounted. And we wondered if Bill had just juggled the roster in the spring to trick us ... and the players... into thinking all was well.

So how do we judge Riley? He's bringing in a pro style system too. Will he set it up for us to dominate on offense, or will he set it up for us to be challenged on offense?

In the end, how do we come out feeling like the spring game showed promise... and not feeling like we were deceived by roster juggling?

Can we take anything away from this spring game at all?

Say whatever you want about Oregon State and the success he had. Apologize for his failings. Fine. Maybe that all makes sense.

But he's at Nebraska now. And if starts throwing 30 plus times per game, I have no faith that we will be able to win right away. None.

I read everything about his schemes and what not... and I am left with one feeling... burn it. That's right, at least two seasons, burn them both.

Maybe we can aim for 10 wins in 2017. Maybe.

And how is this an indicator of how Nebraska will do under Riley in year one, or two, or even three at NU?

I really think this new staff is a FRESH start for Nebraska football. And that is something that we hadn't gotten after the Osborne era closed.

Solich attempted to extend Osborne's excellence. And he was struggling to do that.

Pederson wanted to make his own Nebraska, so he was out to DESTROY what we had before to install what he wanted. It didn't work.

Bo was a reach back to Frank and Tom. He was given a lot of time to get this done.... yes seven years is quite a long time. Had he been a nicer guy or had marginally better results, we would still be trying it. He was too toxic and so we moved on.

Riley doesn't come in under the guidance of an AD who wants to destroy the legacies of Nebraska and he doesn't have any reason to reach back and attempt to keep up the old traditions or whatever.

Riley's Nebraska will be just that. It won't be Tom's Nebraska. It won't be Steve's Nebraska.

It will be a Nebraska that's based off of what Riley believes is the best idea for Nebraska to win going forward.

My sig line says it all.

You have to mold your system to fit the talent. That being said, we are a lot farther down the road toward a pass system than we were when Solich was fired. OLs know how to pass block. WR know how to run routes. RBs know how to protect. We just need an accurate QB.

IF Riley can coach up one of the guys on the current roster, then throw it.

If not, however, you have to go with the run game and use some elements of the read option.

Predicting next year's record is complete folly. And it would seem like 6-6 would be a scorched earth scenario. But now hear this... BYU, toss up because its the opener. Miami at Miami. Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern could all be adventures. They have been in the past. And then Wisky and Michigan State. There is ample room for things to go bad.

IF Riley is true to what he says and molds his system to fit our guys and doesn't do the whole round peg and square hole deal.... well, the sky is the limit. I really want to see Riley coach the guys up and adapt his system to what we do best.

Thanks for responding to this thread. Because, in retrospect, it was pretty lame.

Thinking Army Allen is on the right track though.

An interesting correlation, at least in my mind.

Nebraska football right now kind of reminds me of a movie production that's been announced for release at some distant date.

We see that the movie has a lot of established actors and a what appears to be a knowledgeable director, but the teaser trailer shows us nothing. Cast and director have both been involved in mid level productions. Nothing big. Could be a good movie. Could suck.

Meanwhile, the Michigan movie has a flashy cast headed up my a multiple Oscar winner. So everybody is hyping that movie to death.

And the teaser trailer gets a zillion views on YouTube.

It's a can't miss.

And then it turns out to be horrible and almost unwatchable.

Maybe the Nebraska movie ends up being that movie that no one expects to take off and it ends up stealing the show.

Caught a bit during the LSU vs. Notre Dame game where the announcers were talking about Miles and his reaction to the hire at Michigan.

Miles was quoted as saying that he was happy that Michigan hired JH because it was a signal that they were serious about winning and were no longer simply counting on the Michigan brand and all it represents to make a difference.

Miles said schools have to invest in getting the best coaches in order to be the best.

I couldn't help but think.... Is Nebraska counting on the brand name and all it represents to make the difference? Do you have to go out and spend a mint in order to make a program into a winner.

We got MR on bargain basement and it doesn't seem like we are breaking the bank for assistants.

Thoughts?

We did the same thing as what Youngstown is doing. We tried to ignore or excuse Bo and his behavior because.... hey, a lot of the time, he has a point with his rants.

To use Bo terminology... At the end of the day, whether you are pissed about perceived or real injustice, you, as a leader of a football program, are required to act with class.

Bo doesn't get that. He never will.

Good luck with that.... Youngstown.

Frank Solich was a Husker legend. And he got a raw deal. He had just reorganized his staff. And he was given one year, just one year, to produce results with the new staff. IF there were off the field reasons, the admin should have said that there were circumstances away from the football field that led to his dismissal and that the admin was Ok with the on field results.

Speaking of on field results......

Obviously the peak of this man's HC career was winning the Big 12 and the Fiesta Bowl in 1999-00. We lost to eventual national champ OU in 2000-01 and we had a great season going in 2001 with a No. 1 ranking going into the final week of the regular season.

The Colorado game spiraled out of control... for the most part. But it should be noted that, deep into the second half, Nebraska was in position to draw within one score and fumbled at the goal line. CU then reclaimed momentum and won the game. The 2001 BCS title game in the Rose Bowl was a loss to a team that many argue was the best ever in CFB. Obviously the 1990s Huskers have an argument to make in that regard too. But the fact that people were talking about Miami in that way means that we should not have felt too awful bad about losing to them even if the game was lopsided.

2002 was a rough year. No doubt about it. But we had Jamal at the QB and we still almost got to the program standard for wins. Two losses by less than a touchdown. And the bowl loss to Ole Miss, quaterbacked by that Manning kid, beat us by less than one score.

In 2003, we lost to Texas, a team that was two years away from beating USC for the national title. We lost to a one of the better Missouri Tiger teams of all time. And the Tigers resorted to trick plays to get the job done. The third loss came to Kansas State. And the Wildcats, just for the record, went on to blast No. 1 Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game.

Frank should have been retained. And I would argue that Frank would have probably got our offense to the point where it would have been one of the most envied in the country. We were already doing some of the things with speed option that would have led right to zone read. And we would have been at the tip of the spear in terms of innovation.

By the best accounts he got some talk but not an offer from Auburn or South Carolina as a DC and despite the fact that were jobs like Michigan and Wisconsin open... never got a sniff. Oregon State or Colorado State... no substantial reports of interest in Bo.

Guess that national perception is that Bo runs an average program at a powerhouse. That he has melt downs that embarrass the university he works for. And that, at the end of the day, he doesn't recruit all that well or coach all that well in big games.

Good luck to Bo.

But I think these coach searches not including Bo in any way can be taken as proof that not very many out there are believing that Nebraska FIRED a GREAT coach just because he couldn't win the NC.

Nebraska had a great run under Tom Osborne. And Frank Solich had a moment or two before he was sent packing by SP.

When Bill was hired ... a move was made away from the Husker tradition to something new, a passing offense and Lincoln as a blue chip destination. We all wanted to work, but it didn't, in part because we didn't have the talent for it at the time (no pro style QB, blocking WRs instead of ones who could run routes, an O-line that couldn't pass block... etc) and in part because our coach was someone without much experience as an HC at the pro level, let alone college.

Tom came back and hired Bo, but it always felt like a reach backwards to traditions with the staff and everything, even the option game. And maybe it didn't work for the same reason that it doesn't work to come back from college and try to hang out with your old high school crew again. The things you did to pass the time with the fellas seemed kind of lame once you had gone to college. And the Bo throw back to tradition seemed empty in a similar way.

Because of the way that Bo felt about the fans. And the media. And the refs. And anyone else. The place grew toxic. Change was wanted by a large number of fans.

This could be the new Nebraska now. We aren't saddled with the issues that Bill Callahan had to deal with, at least to a degree. We don't really have a passing QB, but we have actual WRs and an Oline that has learned pass block techniques. And we have a guy coming in who has had a system for a long, Long, LONG time. The guy knows his football and maybe, just maybe, we become something brand new.

Tom and the old guard will be less of a factor in the new Husker world. Maybe we should embrace it and see if something can come out of this.

The 1990s were great. We are reminded by everyone that they're over. Our path back to the elite could be on track. Maybe we needed all of those rough years to get to the point where Nebraska football can be born again, not reborn as a team like those of the 1990s, but a new creation and a completely new chapter, maybe even a completely different book, of Husker football history.

Great stories.

My devotion dates back to the 1983 title game. Wanted NU to pull it out so bad. We had a lot of folks over at our house that day. I was nine at the time. Miami jumped to that early lead and we weren't playing all that well and most of the adults went off into the kitchen to have coffee. I stuck with it until the end. And, on that last drive, I started shouting for everyone to come back to the living room. They came in just in time to see the huge touchdown run.... followed by that dang two-point miss. I was crushed but at the same time galvanized as a fan forever.

There have been great moments. Sad moments. Losses and wins. Blow out victories and blow out losses. Even a tie.. Colorado. Through it all, I have always remained loyal and, although I might get frustrated with the coaches once in a while, my support is always there.

That's why I get a little bit miffed when someone suggests to me that I need to support MR and the new coaching staff. And that we need to unite in order for the team to be good.

As I said, there has never been a time when I thought, the heck with Nebraska. My loyalty is unwavering.

And, let's face it, even if some of us jumped ship, that wouldn't affect the Husker program on the field anyway. If Nebraska has what it takes to win, they will, whether you like it or not. And if they don't have what it takes to win, they'll lose, whether you like it or not.

I love it when coaches reach out to fans and try to make us feel important. It is cool and it makes it more fun. If they don't make a big effort, no big deal.

Just don't tell me, "Hey, you've got to support this team."

I already do that.