IlliniHusker

The only way we could be upset is if the whole team is looking past the first (and second) game and thinking about USC. This board has mostly been about USC and Sam Keller (no impact till 2007 for heaven's sake!). I know its a great way to pass the time till Sept 2 gets here, but I hope the team is concentrating on the business of playing ONE GAME AT A TIME.

For me, the important thing is the football players character. Over the years Nebraska biggest "black eye" was Lawrence Phillips. No one cared if he was a 4 year player or a JUCO transfer. Everybody commented on his criminal behavior being excused so he could play football. I'm not close enough to the program to know for sure, but it seems to me that BC demands talented players WITH good character. When BC first came to Lincoln I believe one of the most talented players on the NU team was Ricky Incognito. BUT, Ricky had some personnality issues (anger mismanagment?) that could / would lead to embarrassing problems. SO, I believe that Incognito was benched and left the program. BC was willing to give up talent to keep up standards. There are some college programs that seem to attract talented players WITHOUT any concern about their character. OU had this problem when Barry Switzer was coaching there. Bob Stoops has cleaned up the show. There is a website called the FSU Criminols (instead of Seminols). We must never allow our desire to win overrule our high standards of ethical behavior. That is much more important that JUCO vs 4 or 5 year players.

One thing is for sure - the Callahan era is certainly NOT BORING!!!

If running stats are roughly equal, I suspect that the best blocking back will be selected for game #3 - USC. Besides running, Zac will need someone who can pick up blitzes and block. I predict the best blocking back will end up on the first unit with one qualification ..... if a back fumbles the ball, he'll drop to the bottom of the rotation regardless of his speed, moves, catching ability and blocking.

Actually its pretty amazing that the "Blackshirt" name has stuck for so many years. I really can't think of any other college where the name of the defense has continued year after year. Here are a few defenses that has special names that lasted for a few years, but you don't hear about them any more: USC - the Wild Bunch Texas A&M - the Wrecking Crew Arizona - the Desert Storm LSU - the Chinese Bandits (that's for the old timers, who haven't lost their memory yet ) Can anyone remember some others?

The original thought on this thread is that someone comes out of no where and celebrates like crazy because then "upset" Nebr. Whereas, Husker fans are better behaved and don't act like fools. I personnally believe the toughest game in the Big 12 North will not be ISU. It will be a surprise when it happens. The Big Red will be a little down (perhaps from a big win) and some team will play way over their heads. It will be a day when the ball bounces against us all day long. I suspect it will be either Missouri or CU, but it could be KU or KSU. We we be good enough to overcome it? I'll be either holding my breath all that day or drinking way to much!

I have no way of knowing if this team has more unity than previous years, BUT I BELIEVE THAT UNITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LOSS OF A FEW "STAR" PLAYERS!!! In other words, if we had Harrison Beck and Leon Jackson back on the team and Zac Bowman didn't get injured..... BUT WE LACKED UNITY, the season would be MUCH LESS SUCCESSFUL. It goes without saying that UNITY with the STAR TALENT is the best of both worlds. Is the remaining talent good enough for a GREAT season? I think YES. A Big 12 North title, a Possible Big 12 Champ, a shot at a BCS game, a long shot at a NC game. Let the season begin.

Lots of questions will be answered in the USC game. Has our O-line improved enough to give Zac time to use the whole playbook? Do we have a legit running game? Who will emerge as the dominant I-back? Will our D-line pressure their freshman QB enough to disrupt their passing attack? If not, will our secondary respond to the challenge or crumble? I don't think the first 2 games will do much in showing how good the team is in all these questionable areas, but USC will provide some answers.

After some horrible news last week, this is GREAT. Just think - ZT set passing records last year without a good O-line, without a rushing attack and without a tight end receiving threat!! I think NU is going to be much better than most "experts" realize. GO BIG RED!!!

Comment 1 - its amazing how a note from one's mother can change the whole outlook on a player's character. From 500 miles away I thought that Beck showed a lack of selfishness last year in the KS game.... giving up Red Shirt, etc. His lack of communication with coaches & team mates gives me a whole new (and very poor) opinion of his character. Comment 2 - I read that Beck was really PO'ed about being #4 on depth chart. ZT is #1 and Ganz #2, so who is #3 ???

What a horrible news day. The d-backs are one extreme thin to start with. I remember Bowman came in last year with great reviews, but it took him till late in the season to blossom. Suspect that Jones will be a similar experience. As good as he is, I'd expect he to take half a season to fit in. We can't wait for half the season to develop the corners and safeties. That's why the loss of Bowman is so horrible.

What amazes me about this whole fiasco is the lack of communication. Beck never told the coaches about his frustrations - that's somewhat surprising because I thought the coaches were pretty close to the players. But, apparantly Beck didn't even tell his fellow players! That is just downright weird!!! Doesn't he have a couple of friends on the team .... people he shares his feelings with? Surely the coaches or players know who those friends are. I'm hoping for the best --- that some team leader(s) step up, find out why there is a breakdown in communications and fix it!

I read every preview mag I could get my hands on last year. Read them all at Barnes & Nobles, but only paid for 2 of them. In hindsight, Phil Steele's was probably the most accurate prediction, though I was a little put off by all the gambling / betting references and ads in his mag. Thanks for the info on this year's preview. Guess I'll have to actually break down and buy his mag this year!

IMO that NU shouldn't back into the Big 12 championship by having other team players leave early for the NFL. Our attitude should be to develop a team that can beat even the best opponents. Stop and think - if all the Big 12 opponents just get weaker and we win without getting any better, then its a hollow victory. We will just get killed in a bowl game against some other conference's great team. The good news is that NU is developing into a GREAT team. It may be a couple of year's off, but we have to get to the point where we can beat Texas with a Vince Young returning; beat USC with a Reggie Bush returning; even beat Mizzou with a healthy Brad Smith. Our future should depend on us; not on our opponents!

The Rose Bowl was one of the best NC games ever played, but the following are my thoughts on the hype - The Trojan fans have a ego as big as Hollywood. The Longhorn fans have a ego that is bigger than Texas. The media tried to make USC seem like supermen and Texas as "almost supermen". If you get past the media idiots and self-serving fans, I suspect both football teams have players that are more or less human and probably downright likeable. Two interesting insights into USC happened after the game - Pete Carroll waited about 10 minutes in the middle of the field to congradulate Mack Brown and shake his hand. Mack was so busy celebrating that he forgot to walk out and meet the opposing coach. I also heard that Reggie Bush and Matt Lienart went to the Texas dressing room after the game to congradulate the winners. That shows me that USC has a lot more class than you would ever expect or guess! Final thought - Don't ever feel sad for Texas getting the short end of the media publicity stick. They always think they are the Greatest Team regardless of what the world thinks or what reality is.

This applies to the Big 12 in general. Oklahoma made Oregon (#6 in the nation) look like a mediocre team. I think NU would have beaten Oregon. Meanwhile the mighty Big 10 continues to lose (NU, Minn.... others?). Don't believe the TV football "experts" like Mike May. I doubt he knows anything except how to look good and flab his lips.

Mike May of ESPN said that Michigan was going to "roll" over Nebr. To any objective observer of the game, these were 2 evenly matched teams. The officials were bad, but NU has been hurt by officials in many, many key games in the past. That doesn't make it right, but it does test how the fans and coaching staff react to LIFE. In case you don't know it LIFE isn't always fair. What is more important is HOW YOU REACT TO IT. NU won and UM lost. Grow up and move on.

The absence of a proven RB concern me. Marion has great potential, but judging by his lack of playing time tells me that he never proved to the coaches that he was anywhere close to Cory. I was hoping that Lucky would be getting more and more carries as the season went on, but that didn't happen. Suspect that our O-line will have to be superb for NU to have just an average rushing attack. Am already thinking / anticipating next year!

Victor - you are a credit to UM and their fans. I've lived in Illinois for years and have run into many fair-minded and respectful UM fans, so I've formed a very favorable impression of alumni.

NU DESERVES to be #20 - 25. Suspect a lot depends on how Big 12 teams do in bowls. KU's win was a + and CU's loss a - If OU plays close tonight and TT and ISU can pull out wins, then NU could rise above 20 in the end of year poll.

One of the more bizarre excuses I heard was that the officials were at fault on the last play for allowing the Michigan coaches for being on the field. If the Michigan coaches had stayed on the sidelines, it would have allowed the Michigan lineman carrying the ball to cut to the middle of the field and avoid both NU players. So the lineman would obviously have scored. It was the officials fault that the Mich coaches blocked the play!

First - I'm still basking in the wonderful victory over UM. It was one of the most exciting and satisfying games in the 21st Century. Second - I suspect I'm not the only NU fan that hates to see the season come to an end. Next year could very well be even more exciting. Will have to wait 4 months to the Spring Game and 8 months until the 2006 season starts. It will be REALLY hard put this NU Football Program out of my mind till then.

Roy CO HUSKER - lots of work digging up records. I don't read everyones threads, but always read the ones you've started because I've learned to expect intelligent comments. Wasn't there a Chinese blessing that said - "May you live in interesting times". That certainly applies to NU football this last year. I would have preferred going for a Big 12 Championship or better yet the NC, but have to admit that many of the games were exciting and had me guessing as to which NU team was going to show up. Can't remember when my emotions went from dispair (KU game) to elation / top of the mountain (CU game) in just a couple of weeks! As for the Alamo game, I believe NU will make a close game of it and we will all be proud of our team regardless of the final score. GBR

First of all, I've noticed 2 Michigan fans joining the board today. Their comments are typical of the classy Michigan fans I've always encountered while living in Big 10 territory. I've seen Michigan on TV a number of times this year and Chad Henne doesn't seem nearly as poised and confident as he did in 2004 as a freshman. It seems like he has thrown more INTs at critical times than he should, considering the fact that he started most of last year's games and played very well in the Rose Bowl against Texas. Anyone know why Chad is worse?

Generalities are wonderful. They define where improvement is needed. So here are some of my generalities: 1) Nebraska fans are knowledgeable, respectful to opponents and extremely loyal to their university. They bleed RED. 2) Michigan fans are knowledgeable, respectful to opponents and extremely loyal to their university. They bleed BLUE. 3) Colorado fans are narrow-minded, disrespectful to opponents, but somewhat loyal to their team. 4) Every team has fans that are an embarrassment to their university. 5) Leadership helps to set the standards for fans behavior. I personally respect Michigan from personal observation of their fans and for the integrity they showed in dealing with the "Fab Five" basketball team. The good name and character of Michigan is more important than the W-L record. Lastly, I'm extremely proud of NU in continuing to lead the nation in Acedemic All-Americans. The message it sends is that all football players won't end up as pros and their education does matter. I'll stack up our graduation rate with anyone! IF we play Michigan, it could really be a great game, but only IF both teams bring their "A" game. Love to see the Big Red win!