HuskerFaithful

I would bet we see him in on a couple of plays, but I think this is more of a next year move. They are implementing it now since they have the extra practice time for the bowl. Should be fun to watch though. We needed to get him on the field more.

Hey blue>red, you're sceen name appears to show the "red" eating the "blue".

I understand your thoughts on Michigan's schedule. They are the better team on paper and in the rankings. But there are a lot of factors that go into a game and if the Huskers come out more fired up and score early or Michigan turns the ball over too many times, then Nebraska has a chance to win. I think what most Husker fans are saying is that if the Huskers can repeat the performance they had against Colorado against Michigan, that they would be very happy. From a betting standpoint, this is a pretty high spread for a college bowl game between these two teams. It tells me that the "experts" don't think Nebraska can have a repeat of their last game. There's nothing wrong with being optimistic or talking a little trash, but all that matters is what happens on December 28th. Nebraska will be fired up and ready to play. Will Michigan?

If I were a betting man, I would bet on the Huskers because I think they will cover the spread. Since I am not, I will merely say that if I were a betting man I would bet on the Huskers to cover. Two touchdowns is a lot. A month to prepare is a lot. Michigan feels like they got screwed by Iowa getting a better bowl. They either take it out on us, or they aren't as motivated to be playing a team like Huskers and the Skers capitalize. We'll see. I'm optimistic after the CU game though.

Utah, I agree with your observations about the Big 10 vs 12. It pains me to admit it too that the Big 10 is a much stronger conference this year. These things go in cycles though, and I'm sure that the Big 12 as a conference is rebuilding to make another run at being one of the best conferences in football. It would be nice to see CU and KSU rise up to 2nd and 3rd in the Big 12 North, right below NU.

The way I always understood it to be was that you were either a Fan or Not A Fan. If a person was a Fan, they were always a Fan. If you are sometimes a Fan and sometimes Not A Fan, you are called a Fair Weather Fan, which in a conservative state like Nebraska is tantamount to being called a liberal. Now that we've got that out of the way, there is a very good chance that the Huskers will win the Big 12 (and thus find themselves in a BCS bowl) within the next couple of years. The North Division is very weak right now and I think we have a great chance of winning our division next year. And anything can happen in a championship game. One thing I can't stand is Fair Weather Fans who are on the bandwagon when times are good and one of the first to jump off when the going gets tough. The Husker Faithful of this world see brighter days ahead for the Huskers. I predict that we will win another national title in the next five years. I'm sure I'll see you at that BCS championship game too FF.

It appears that you were framed for this post. Maybe if you changed your screen name to FutureFan? they wouldn't come after you. The question mark after FutureFan allows you to decide at a later time. It's very non-committal.

For a former fan, you sure hang around here a lot. One thing I have learned is that people who are against something speak much louder than people who are for it. You hear Scott Frost's opinions and a few other former players who are "disappointed" with the direction of the program. Yet you fail to recognize that Tenopir and McBride have said there is something special going on at the program now; that we have some of the best coaches in the country, etc. People hear what they want to hear and believe what they want to believe. Get over Frank being fired, or Steve Pederson being the A.D., or Callahan being the head coach. Whatever it is that bothers you or caused you to no longer be a Husker fan makes me wonder how much of a fan you were before. If you're a fan of the program you would think that you would be optimistic and supportive. If you're a fan of Frank and the old staff, then go support them instead.

I was listening to some radio show last night that compared this year's Alamo Bowl to the 1998 season in which K-State lost in the Big 12 Championship to Texas A&M and then was shut out of the BCS even though they were ranked third in the country. They went on to play Purdue in the Alamo Bowl and lost 37-34. I can remember K-State players and fans not really wanting to be there because they thought they got screwed. I realize that Michigan didn't get screwed this bad, but it could be a similar situation. I'm sure the Huskers will see this as a huge opportunity to beat a good team. I'm not sure the Wolverines will look at it that way. That could be a factor in the game. Whether we take advantage of it or not is a different story.

I'm glad we're underdogs. As long as no one gives us a shot to win the game, when we do, it will be that much more impressive. We will need to key in on their running back. If we can contain him and force Michigan to throw the ball, we should be able to get some pressure on their QB. On the flip side, we will need to be able to run the ball the best we have all year to give us our best shot of winning. I think the Huskers are a team on the rise and the confidence they got from the CU game will carry over to the Alamo Bowl. Go Big Red!

blog entry. Wondering if you ate too much humble pie over the long weekend. I would be interested in your thoughts on the Colorado game. You may have caught it on TV or read about it if you looked hard.

Dear Mr. Henderson, I always enjoy reading an outsiders take on the state of the Husker football program. And in today's era of "negativism sells newspapers" this is a juicy story, or so it would appear. The problem with your story is that it doesn't come close to representing the majority of Husker fans feelings about Coach Callahan or the program. If Husker fans are slitting their wrists over anything, it's the price of Gary Michaels' suits. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so on behalf of a majority of the Husker Faithful, I'll give you our opinion. Frank Solich deserved to be fired because he inherited a national championship caliber team and over the course of four seasons, turned it into a 7-7 team in 2002. But everyone conveniently overlooks that season and instead points to a 9-3 season which saw us lose at home to Kansas State by a score of 38-9, and lose on the road to Texas and Missouri by 24 and 17 points, respectively. After losing our four best defensive players to graduation and the NFL draft, and due to a lack of effort on the recruiting trail, the team that Bill Callahan inherited in 2004 was doomed to have its problems. That's not to mention that for some of the players, this was their third defensive coordinator in three years. It became a perfect storm that badly damaged Callahan's ship, while Solich sailed out of harms way just as the water was getting choppy. It's telling to me that Solich ended up in Ohio instead of at another major college program. As to the comments in your article about Nebraskans hiding under their pillows, you must be referring to those bandwagon fans who got on in 1994 thinking that it was their birthright to play for a conference title or national championship each season. They probably weren't aware that fans were calling for Osborne to be fired after the 1987 loss to the Sooners, which was the fourth loss to OU in as many years. The past two seasons are only hard to stomach if you fail to see the rebuilding effort that is underway in Lincoln. Callahan and his staff have devoted their entire efforts into making the Huskers the dominant team in the Big 12. You can see it in their recruiting. Who cares about the 4 and 5 star recruits. I'm talking about the Steve Octaviens and the Seth Jensens that this staff has recruited. These guys have the intangibles to make the Huskers a great team again. One thing the vocal minority of Husker fans can't do is see past the tree in front of them to realize that they are lost in the forest. As to some of the other points made in your article, the West Coast Offense began at Candlestick Park. Anyone who has been there knows that the weather in that stadium on any given gameday is worse than the weather in Memorial Stadium. If the WCO worked there, it will work here. Roger Craig, the former Nebraska running back who played under Bill Walsh, said early on that the WCO will take some time and patience is needed, but when it clicks, watch out. As to the hard work ethic of Nebraskans, I'm quite sure that Bill Callahan and his staff work longer hours than almost everyone in the state who isn't a farmer. Callahan hasn't had time to weave himself into our fabric because a vocal minority have told him that either you win and win now, or you're out. Would you be out hobnobbing in Hebron, or doing everything in your power to make your team a success? Scott Frost cracks me up some times. He's really a funny guy, but someone needs to tell him that the South Stadium changed long before Bill Callahan showed up. Solich wasn't Osborne, and for that matter, neither is Callahan. No one will ever be in the same company as Osborne. That is, until they win a few national championships. That changes everything. Winning is what matters to Husker fans. Don't let them kid you with all of this continuity talk or tradition talk. If Callahan would have come in and won right away and had us playing in a BCS bowl this year, you wouldn't hear any of this criticism about traditions going by the wayside. It's all about winning. Just like it is everywhere else. On the flip side, if Solich would have led us the past two seasons to 6 or 7 victories per year, I guarantee he would have been run out of town. In summary, I know a lot of fans out there who are excited for the Husker football program going forward. Bill Callahan's emphasis on recruiting is what will replenish the talent pool at Nebraska. If he is given the time, we will see our team competing and winning against the other great teams in college football. Any true Husker fan should want to see Callahan succeed, because if he doesn't, it's the program that suffers most. Give it time. Have patience. We'll be back.

The show airs the 16th at 8pm CST on NBC.

So is the 4th the same day that ESPN will be here for their Sportscenter tour? I'm too lazy to check their website.

To quote Napoleon Dynamite: "Yeah, it looks pretty sweet. It's looks AWESOME!"

35-14 Huskers win. I looked into my crystal national championship football and read some tea leaves just to be sure. Plus the tarot cards said so.

That's absolutely right. Money talks. I have heard rumors that they are going to implement a seat licensing fee in the next couple of years, similar to what you see with many pro teams. Basically, you pay $500 or whatever the amount is for the right to buy season tickets in your seats. If you don't believe that making a donation will get you more attention and tickets faster, you are a bit naive. This is a business. Call the athletic department and say you have a check in hand for $1000 if you'll be granted season tickets, and I'm pretty sure they'll listen to you. The building project isn't near fully funded, so this will be another way they can increase the pledges/funds for that.

Underrated: Eric Warfield Overrated: Bobbie Newcombe

I couldn't agree more than with the statement "Sipple is an idiot." Enough already Steve. Stop giving advice to Callahan and start writing relevant columns. Try to sound prophetic and write one previewing what the team will look like three years from now. Look forward, not back, you moron. Quit playing to the Huskers-as-perennial-losers-under-Callahan crowd. They are dwindling and after this season, there won't be any left. NU is back on the right path. You probably had more time with Frank because he wasn't working 24-7 to make this program the best it can be. I think it's a good sign when you don't see Callahan much. That means he's working. Enough about the past season. Focus on this year or the future. Stop trying to stir the pot. Husker fans are tired of that. If you want to be a coach, throw your hat in the ring. I'm pretty sure more coaches could make good sportswriters than sportswriters make good coaches. That's my advice for you Steve. HF

Pillen, I agree with you. CU's schedule is so tough this year that they'll be riding atop a 3-5 game losing streak when they get to us. I don't see the CU vs NU game determining the North Division anyway. I think the games against Mizzou and Kansas for Nebraska will determine it. CU will be middle of the pack in the North.

I couldn't agree more. He is definitely outside the Circle of Trust now. Nice going Focker.

Dyches may be in the #1 spot now, but I think Congdon will beat him out during practice and at least be the FG kicker. They may allow Dyches to do kickoffs depending on who has the stronger leg this fall.

huskerstag, you're onto something. We need more players with the work ethic of a Jared Tomich, Grant Wistrom, the Peter Brothers, etc. Each of the past three seasons, we've had players like these guys as far as intensity goes, but there have been others who weren't as intense. And since this is a team game, everyone must carry their own weight or there will be breakdowns and weaknesses exposed. Of course, some of the failures have been due to other teams getting better and NU faltering a bit. I believe we have changed that and I look for a big change on defense this year. Coz's defense will get better. I can remember back to a time when Darlington and McBride were taking heat for some of their defensvie schemes. For the longest time, our d-backs were taught to only watch the receiver, which led to a lot of receptions over the d-back. They changed their approach and we were more successful on defense. I look for changes to be made from last year and marked improvement on that side of the ball.

I hope all the Husker fans in Florida (well everyone for that matter) is making it through Hurricane Dennis okay. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Welcome aboard dude. Nice to have you. I agree that the avatar toad is the best I've seen of any board IMO.