Bowfin

I am saying that who did or didn't buy in wasn't Pelini's fault. I think that the players were taking a "wait and see" attitude and then optioned out as the losses and dumb finishes to those losses started piling up, Then the two watt light bulb went on over their heads and they saw that they needed to be step up and control their own destiny. Even Armstrong said, "Treat me like a freshman!" For his part, Riley started to use Armstrong as a runner, and (except for the last game) he doesn't automatically see 3rd and 2 as a situation calling for elaborate pass plays with three or four reads and checks. Riley also has been going for it on fourth down instead of repeating the script of last year's Illinois and Wisconsin losses. He also has his team coached up to take advantage of the plays they couldn't run well / didn't understand last year, so he is indeed cleaning up things. But some of the mess was his own making, let's not overlook that. As for what happened with Hughes / Banker / the defensive line, I just see something wasn't right and what little facts we know point to that not being a Pelini thing.

All of my Pelini posts have been in response to a "Bo-hater" post still popping up. Always. So it's not that I am not "washing clean and moving on", I am still mopping up and waiting to turn out the lights when the last "Bo-hater" decides to finish his drink and go home. I have even made references wanting to know if Bo has a 99 year lease for the space he is still taking up inside the heads of some. I also challenge these urban legends, such as "Bo left the cupboard bare for Riley" and "Pelini left a toxic mess for Riley". If left unchallenged, they become the defacto truth, the facts notwithstanding. As for being wrong that we should have kept Pelini, I never said that Pelini should be kept. Pelini was hellbent on getting back to Ohio with his Nebraska salary, and nobody was going to stand in his way of getting fired, including me. He made sure that they had to fire him when he started knocking on Regents' doors late at night and giving them an earful. I guarantee you Bo had his wife packing a month before he got fired. Where I disagree with most here is they believe Bo is/was a horrible coach and he was to blame for all of the unpleasantness that surrounded his last few years and that we would see an immediate improvement in the team when Bo left. He isn't and he wasn't and we didn't.

Agree with that. Can we also agree that we can't pin it on Pelini, since he was more than 900 miles away?

Fire the coach whom you brought to town with you and hire a Nebraska alumni.

Absolutely 102% agree with that. Maybe Riley should have stomped on him early and often to help out in least in his case.

Maybe they had no confidence in their present coaches by that time. How many games did the players see p!ssed away by that time? What did Banker say about the mass desertion of a two deep defensive line and the firing of Hank Hughes? Was that all Pelini's toxicity? Banker didn't even know who was staying and who was leaving after last year: http://www.omaha.com/huskers/blogs/greg-mcmullen-quits-football-kevin-williams-will-transfer-from-nebraska/article_06030d1a-0416-11e6-96df-03d803356493.html

Except it wasn't a locker room under Bo Pelini. He was gone by then. It was up to Riley to take ownership of the team at that point and show them that they could be successful under him and his staff. He didn't show that last year, time and again. I have a list, if needed...

I think you missed the part that is now bold and in red. The players just stopped coming until there weren't enough left for a team.

Any links to substantiate this, or should I file this right next to the "The cupboard was bare when Riley arrived" urban legend?

More unintended consequences from causing dissent and controversy where none need exist: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/10/19/texas-youth-football-teams-season-ends-early-after-national-anthem-protest.html

Seriously, look at this rugby tackling (at least the first 2-3 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1etzT-Cgho Now look and see how Pat Fischer did that 40 some years ago and see if they don't seem similar: https://taylorblitztimes.com/2013/07/03/the-soul-of-the-game-pat-fisher/ I know I am repeating a post, but this was a 5'7" 170 pound guy who was known as one of the best tacklers in the NFL at that time...and he was a Cornhusker.

I have always wondered if a first string guy is better at 80% than a second string guy is at 100%. I suppose that answer varies in the drop off, but I think I would rather see a 100% Ryker Fyfe. This choice is made with the notion that Armstrong is hobbled in both his running AND his throwing by whatever is bothering him.

Texas still is coming to terms with Arkansas leaving the SWC, so they have a long ways to go before they get past Nebraska / Missouri / Colorado leaving. It will be impossible for them to ever come to grips with Texas A&M's exit, that has become an obsession with Longhorn supporters. (If A&M was a girlfriend, Texas would still be driving past their apartment late at night two years later to see if a car is parked out front and stalking Facebook.) Longhorns all believe that they are the best thing that ever happened to all of their ex-conference mates and that nobody will EVER EVARRH, get another recruit from Texas if they don't play Texas in whatever conference Texas happens to be blowing up at the time.

Actually, every year Pelini coached here was an opportunity to go 6-7. He just never did...

Here's a blast from the past, see what everybody used to think about nine win seasons: http://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/72663-bo-is-only-the-fifth-coach-w-9-wins-yadda-yadda/page-3

Honest question here: Do you think Youngstown State would trade their current head coach for Nebraska's current coach? Why or why not? Who would they trade Pelini for as a move up? Same question only Purdue now: If their choices were limited to Riley or Pelini, which do you think they would take, and why? I think too many people here are extrapolating what happened here in Nebraska to minimize Pelini's past and predict his future, ignoring every other place and instance at which Pelini had success. This forum even had a celebratory thread gloating about a Youngstown State loss that ended up a win. So I don't think I am reaching when I say many here can't look at Pelini objectively and/or draw rational conclusions. Too many of you will never get over the idea that Pelini didn't think Nebraska was the greatest thing that ever happened to him, but rather the opposite. It's back to the irrational need to be considered "The World's Greatest Fans" by everybody and everybody that meets you. That's unrealistic, by the way.

I forget, which are the levels higher than this?

So...how many losing seasons has Pelini been involved in as a coach, whether head or assistant or coordinator or even his one year at Iowa as a grad assistant? If I am not mistaken, doesn't the man own a Super Bowl ring and a National Championship ring from when he coached at other places? Pelini worked with and was hired by the likes of Hayden Fry, George Seifert, Bob Stoops, Mike Sherman, Les Miles, and Pete Carroll...oh, and that Tom Osborne guy. I don't recall any epic problems with these guys or the teams such as happened at Nebraska his last couple of years. So, if one wants to ignore the above and insist on a different narrative, it begs the question of who is the actual troll? As an aside, Pelini is 6-1 after losing starting and back up quarterbacks. Here is a quote from a sports website commenting on Pelini back in 2014: http://thespun.com/big-ten/nebraska/youngstown-state-releases-a-statement-about-bo-pelinis-profanity-laced-rant So all of that and all of them against your opinion, Count'bility...yet cm Husker is the troll, right?. Ever hear the Shakespeare phrase, "All is yellow to the jaundiced eye."?

This appears to rank schedules, not teams. If one gives Alabama our schedule and they remained undefeated same as now, they are the same team but would rank below a lot of other teams. One can only beat the teams on their schedule.

Nine wins is a minimum, not a goal. This was the overwhelming consensus two years ago.

Fifteen minutes of fame is up with this maneuver, just like the ice bucket challenge or planking.

Here is how I approach the rest of the season and the one following:

I have a working knowledge of the English language and understand the word "this". I was able to decipher your post, but since it had no other value than trying to stir sh!t up with me, I obliged your intent then and am obliging it now. SO... Do you have anything you want to say about Nebraska's offensive line play or should we continue with this subplot of jackassery?

It's hard for me to say, maybe the Indiana guys were a little gassed, maybe the Nebraska line reached down and found an extra 5% of effort, could be Newby figured he was going to take the team on his back, or the coaches called the right combination of plays or varying amounts of all of the above or none of the above. The Cornhuskers did what they had to do, when they had to do it, so I will take the win and hope for some healing.

That is why they hire coaches and schedule practices. At the very least, let's not abandon ship until either of these teams actually beat Nebraska. I hate giving up two weeks before the actual kickoff, and there is still one opponent in between Nebraska and Wisconsin.