TheCropDuster

"ho hum"? He's a running backs coach. Do we need a WOW hire for a running backs coach????

If Pat Forde and ESPN can go off of hunches, then I guess I can go with mine. Neither Bo or Turner will be the next coach of Nebraska and some other candidate that we are either talking about right now or one that hasn't emerged is going to be the next coach. Sorry, no link for this information

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3131855 Buffalo head coach Turner Gill and LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini are the final two candidates for the Nebraska coaching job, ESPN.com has learned. A final decision and subsequent announcement are expected soon, perhaps by Thursday, according to sources familiar with the search. Nebraska interim athletic director Tom Osborne, who is conducting the search, was phoning others to apprise them Wednesday that the process was winding to a close. Pelini reportedly interviewed with Osborne -- where he apparently didn't wow Osbourne -- in Baton Rouge on Sunday, while Gill might have interviewed Monday. Osborne was in Atlanta Monday, which is where Parker Executive Search -- the firm hired by Nebraska to assist with the search -- is headquartered. A source close to Wake Forest indicated that coach Jim Grobe interviewed with Nebraska in Atlanta on Nov. 26. So according to ESPN it's down to two candidates and an announcment could come as soon as today even though our AD is on the road recruiting and has publicly said that he wants to interview more candidates and a decision could come as late as the middle of next week???? Something isn't smelling right and I think it's coming from Bristol......

Kelly isn't a Michigan Man, but he's the best man Posted: November 28, 2007 I know this is going to come as a shock, a slap in the face to the Michigan Men of the world. But hear me out. Want an end-all, be-all coach, a guy who encompasses everything and lacks nothing? Then take a page from history and follow Ohio State's lead. Hire Brian Kelly. Seven years ago, when Ohio State had become a team that couldn't beat Michigan, the Buckeyes went out and did the unthinkable: They hired a coach from the NCAA's lower divisions, Youngstown State's Jim Tressel. Now that Michigan has become a team that can't beat Ohio State, Kelly -- whose first head coaching job was at Division II Grand Valley State -- would be the perfect fit. Not Les Miles, not some NFL retread, not some guy Lloyd Carr thinks is the Michigan Man for the job. This is about hiring the best man for the job. Kelly, in his first season at Cincinnati, is a relentless recruiter, a guy who can draw up X's and O's with anyone. And -- in what would be a welcome change -- he oozes charisma. He is everything Michigan needs, with a history of winning championships in tow. Four years ago, after he won his second straight national title at Grand Valley State, the reality of the business hit Kelly full force. "If I wanted a chance to sit at the big poker table," he says, "I had to start at the bottom." So in 2004 Kelly accepted a job at Central Michigan, which had one winning season in the previous nine, and went to work. Last year, he won a MAC championship. Then, only days later, he took the Cincinnati job. Eleven months later, the Bearcats are one victory away from just their second 10-win season in 120 years of football. Their first was in 1951. Now the big table has an open seat -- and it's time to lay out the cards. If you think Kelly is a gamble, consider where Tressel came from and where he is now -- one of three key hires of the past decade, along with Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Pete Carroll (USC), that changed the landscape of the game. High rollers in Columbus wanted Glen Mason, the OSU alum who knew the way of Woody. Instead they got Tressel, briefly a Buckeyes assistant before he left after the 1985 season, built a national power at Division I-AA Youngstown State and was hired by Ohio State in January 2001. Ten months later, the Buckeyes beat heavily favored Michigan. Two years later, they won the national title. Few question the thinking behind Miles going to Michigan, his alma mater. Just like few would've thought twice about the Buckeyes hiring Mason. Seven years later, Tressel is the best coach in the game. Mason is unemployed. "Athletic directors and presidents are tuned in much more now," Kelly says. "A lot of it is breaking through perceptions." And embracing reality. Matt Hayes is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.

And somewhere, Gary Sharpe is smiling.....

Just talked to somebody in the athletic department and that is there statement right now.

24 Days!!! #24 -- Nebraska 24, Miami FL 17 Byron Bennett’s 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left in the final second of Nebraska’s 18-16 loss to Florida State in the 1994 Orange Bowl game. With that miss, an 11-game Cornhusker winning streak ended. And the run to Coach Tom Osborne’s first national championship began. Nebraska’s focus for the 1994 season was finishing the business that had been left incomplete on the night of Jan. 1, 1994, in Miami. The actual process started with a 31-0 victory against West Virginia in the Kickoff Classic in late August, and it concluded with a come-from-behind, 24-17 victory against Miami, on the Hurricanes' home field, in the 1995 Orange Bowl game. To a degree, that game characterized the season. An important subplot of 1994 involved the Cornhusker quarterbacks. Junior Tommie Frazier, a two-year starter, opened the season as if he might run away with the Heisman Trophy before being sidelined by blood clot problems in his right knee after the fourth game. Frazier’s misfortune represented an opportunity for junior Brook Berringer, who came off the bench to lead Nebraska to the Big Eight championship and the Orange Bowl game. Berringer was 7-0 as a starter, passing for 1,295 yards (14th on Nebraska’s all-time, single-season list) and 10 touchdowns, in what amounted to only eight full games. He threw just three passes in the first three games. When Berringer was slowed by a partially collapsed lung, a problem that occurred in back-to-back games, sophomore walk-on Matt Turman stepped up and directed the Cornhuskers. Although Berringer had been cleared to play, Turman gained a 7-6 lead against Kansas State at Manhattan that ended 17-6. Turman had come on to replace Berringer the previous week, directing Nebraska to 23 second-half points in a 32-3 victory against Oklahoma State in the Cornhuskers’ Big Eight opener. The quarterback sequence was somewhat similar in the Orange Bowl victory. Frazier, who had been included on the travel roster for the final regular-season game at Oklahoma (but did not play), started against Miami. Berringer replaced him and got Nebraska on the scoreboard in the second quarter, with a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Gilman. Then Frazier returned to finish it and earn game MVP honors. Nebraska trailed the Hurricanes 10-7 at halftime and fell behind 17-7 less than two minutes into the third quarter. But during the intermission, Osborne had described to the Cornhuskers the way the second half would go if they maintained their composure and continued to play smart physical Husker football. They did. Afterward, Osborne’s halftime speech was made public. It was eerily prophetic. Even though Nebraska finished its business by going 13-0, it remained for voters in the Associated Press and USA Today/CNN polls to certify the Cornhuskers as national champions. Penn State also went through the season undefeated and untied at 12-0. The Nittany Lions argued to no avail. Nebraska began the season ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press, moved to No. 1 after the Kickoff Classic, then inexplicably dropped to No. 2 following a 42-16 victory at Texas Tech. Sophomore safety Mike Minter suffered a season-ending knee injury during the game televised by ESPN. In many ways, Minter was to the defense what Frazier was to the offense. His loss was significant; a fact underscored during an unexpectedly close, 42-32 victory against pass-happy Wyoming. The Cornhuskers dropped to No. 3 in the AP poll after the Kansas State victory, before finally moving to No. 1 following the Colorado game. The Buffaloes came to Lincoln undefeated, untied and ranked No. 2 by the AP and No. 3 by USA Today/CNN. Nebraska was No. 2 according to the coaches. The Cornhuskers remained No. 2 in the USA Today/CNN rankings another week, before ascending to the top spot on the strength of a 45-17 victory over Kansas, despite a Penn State victory against Indiana. Nebraska earned the voters’ respect with an offense that featured one of the best lines in school history and a new 4-3 defense that allowed only 55 points in conference play. Led by linebacker Ed Stewart, a consensus All-American, the Cornhuskers ranked second in the nation in scoring defense, fourth in total defense and rushing defense and 10th in pass defense. The offensive line included Outland Trophy winner Zach Wiegert at tackle. Along with winning the Outland, Wiegert was a consensus first-team All-American. His linemate Brenden Stai earned All-America honors of his own at guard. Rob Zatechka, the other tackle, was a four-time academic All-Big Eight selection who graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in biological sciences. Along with Joel Wilks, the other guard, and center Aaron Graham, the only non-senior among the starters, the group was nicknamed the "Pipeline.’’ Nebraska led the nation in rushing, with sophomore Lawrence Phillips gaining 1,722 yards, the third-highest single-season total in Cornhusker history. He finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Phillips, Graham, Wiegert and Stai all earned first-team all-conference honors on offense. Stewart, Troy Dumas, Donta Jones, Barron Miles and Tyrone Williams represented the defense on the All-Big Eight first team. Stewart, Wiegert, Zatechka and Terry Connealy were the Husker captains. A crowd estimated at 14,000 to 15,000 stood in line and braved frigid temperatures for an opportunity to cheer the Cornhuskers at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on their return from Miami. "We didn’t just win this for ourselves, we won this for the whole state of Nebraska,’’ Connealy said.

25 Days!!! #25 George Sauer Played for the Green Bay Packers 1995 Nebraska High School Hall of Fame 1971 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Inductee 1954 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee 1933 All-American George Sauer was one of Nebraska’s most historic players during the 1930's. Coach D.X. Bible glowed when speaking of the Sauer, "He was probably my best all-around athlete. He was great at carrying the ball and he was one of the best on defense. He simply rolled up his sleeves and met the ball carrier head on." The Cornhuskers All-America selection led Nebraska to a 23-4-1 record in three varsity seasons. Sauer stood 6-2 and weighed 195- pounds. In three varsity years he rushed for 1,570 yards, passed for 701, and did the punting In 1932 Sauer was central to the Husker's stellar record of eight wins and only one loss. That solitary loss was to undefeated Pittsburgh. The Husker defensive line, led by Sauer, held off the steel-town squad until the slashing Panthers scored the game's only touchdown in the fourth quarter. Games against big teams like the Panthers were bringing national attention to the Huskers. Players, like Sauer, did not go unnoticed. At the end of his senior season he led the voting for players in the New Year's Day All-Star game. Sauer distinguished himself by intercepting passes and scoring the only touchdowns of the game. After the game news writer Lawrence Perry commented that Sauer, "stands clearly as the premier ball carrier in the nation."

26 Days!!! #26 Wonder Monds Drafted in 4th Round by the Pittsburgh Steelers Signed with Toronto of the CFL 1975 First-Team All-American (Football Writers) 1975 Honorable Mention All-American (AP, UPI) 1975 First-Team All-Big 8 (AP, UPI) 1974 Second-Team All-Big 8 (AP, UPI) Nebraska’s third All-American in 1975, Wonder was a two-year starter and three-year letterman. Big and could fly, was cited a pre-season All-American. Wonder lived up to the expectation and was a First-Team All-American (Football News) as a senior. Wonder was in on 34 tackles, 17 unassisted, along with recovering one fumble, breaking up two passes and blocking a punt. He was a first-team All-Big 8 performer as a senior. #26 Tom Rathman 1992 Inductee, Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Nine-Year NFL Veteran, San Francisco and Los Angeles Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Third-Team All-American, 1985 All-Big Eight, 1985 One of the top fullbacks in the nation in 1985, Rathman broke the school fullback record for rushing yards with 881 yards, smashing the record of 717 set by Dick Davis in 1967. Rathman, an All-Big Eight pick by the Associated Press, gained those yards on 118 carries, averaging 7.5 yards a carry. An outstanding blocker, Rathman also showed a penchant for the big play with touchdown runs of 60 yards vs. Florida State, 32 vs. Illinois, 84 to break a 7-7 tie late in the third quarter against Colorado, 37 vs. Kansas State, 32 vs. Iowa State and 44 vs. Kansas. Rathman scored 12 touchdowns in his career, tying the school fullback record set by predecessor Mark Schellen in 1982 and 1983. Rathman rushed for over 100 yards three times on the season--113 vs. Florida State, 115 vs. Colorado and a career-high 159 on nine carries vs. Kansas. He was fifth in the Big Eight with his 80.1 rushing yards-per-game average.

27 Days!!! #27 Irving Fryar Drafted No. 1 Overall by the New England Patriots 1983 First-Team All-American (AP, UPI, Walter Camp, Kodak, Football Writers, Football News, Sporting News) 1983 First-Team All-Big 8 (AP, UPI) 1983 Two-Time Husker Player-of-the-Week (Minnesota, Missouri) 1983 Big 8 Player-of-the-Week (Minnesota) 1983 Chevrolet Player-of-the-Game (Missouri) 1982 Second-Team All-Big 8 (AP, UPI) 1982 Two-Time Husker Player-of-the-Week (Iowa, Iowa State) Part of Nebraska’s “Triplets” with Turner Gill and Mike Rozier, Fryar became the 17th player in Nebraska history to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft and the Husker’s first overall No. 1 selection when the New England Patriots made him the first selection in the draft. With Fryar’s selection as the top NFL pick and Mike Rozier being the top pick of USFL, the “Jersey Jets” swept the top spots in the pro football drafts. The most explosive player at Nebraska since the days of Johnny Rodgers, Fryar was a consensus All-American as a senior, becoming only the second receiver since the dawn of two-platoon football to earn consensus All-American honors while playing on a team that led the county in rushing (NU’s Freeman White was the first in 1965). Despite playing on team that led the county in rushing twice and finished second once, Fryar still wound up second all-time at Nebraska in receiving yardage (1,196) and in a tie for sixth in catches with 67. As a senior, Fryar ranked second in the conference in all-purpose yardage (1,267 yards, 105.6 per game), fifth in punt returns (6.3 average on 18 returns), sixth in receiving (40 catches for 780 yards), and eighth in scoring (64 points, 5.3 per game). Helped boost an already healthy team rushing average by gaining 318 yards on just 23 carries (13.8 average) Top game of his career, yardage-wise, came against Minnesota, when he earned Big 8 player-of-the-week honors after piling up 253 all-purpose yards against the Gophers, rushing for 92 yards on three carries (and a 41-yard TD), catching two passes for a position-record 138 yards and two touchdowns (68 and 70 yards), and returning three punt for 23 yards. Picked up Chevrolet player-of-the-game honors for his seven catches (good for 95 yards and two touchdowns) on national television against Missouri. Those seven catches were his career high. Grabbed at leas one pass in every game except vs. Syracuse, when he left early in the first quarter after suffering a concussion. One of the fasts Huskers in history, Fryar covered the 40 in an electronically-timed 4.43 seconds. Also had a vertical leap of 37 inches and 315 pound bench press. Led the league in punt returns as sophomore and junior before turning the lead over to teammate Jeff Smith as a senior. Returned three punts for touchdowns in his career. Set a freshmen team recorded with 432 yards receiving for unbeaten 1980 squad. Son of David and Ailene Fryar and was born Sept. 28, 1962.

28 Days!!! #28 Jeff Smith 2004 Inductee, Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Four-Year NFL Veteran (Kansas City and Tampa Bay) 10th-Round Draft Pick, 1984 NFL Draft (Kansas City) 1984 All-Big Eight A consensus All-Big Eight choice, Smith led the Big Eight in all-purpose yardage (116.1 yards per game) and was second in the conference to fellow Husker Doug DuBose in rushing (85.0 yards per game). He led the nation in rushing the first three weeks of the season, but he suffered a sprained ankle near the end of the first half against UCLA and never fully recovered. He rushed for 473 yards the first two-and-a-half games of the year, then just 462 the rest of the season. He did come back with a 165-yard effort against Colorado later in the season, but he also aggravated the ankle and was slowed the rest of the season. Smith finished second in the nation in punt returns with a 15.0-yard average on 15 punt returns. Smith finished his career as the 10th-best rusher in NU history with his 1,992 career rushing yards. #28 Jamel Williams Drafted by Washington Redskins (Fifth Round, 132nd Pick) 1996 Butkus Watch List Member 1996 Second-Team All-Big 12 (AP) 1996 Honorable-Mention All-ig 12 (Coaches) 1996 Preseason No. 10 Inside Linebacker in Nation (Lindy's) Starting every game his senior season for the Huskers, Jamel posted a 1.57 electronic 10-yard dash time and a 4.51 in the 40(seventh best on the team) in winter conditioning in March, 1996 and broke the all-time Performance Index record for linebackers scoring 2,705 points. His vertical jump of 40 inches is tied for fifth best all time and is a line backer record. Williams also ran track for the Huskers during the indoor and outdoor 1995-96 seasons. He ran a personal best 6.32 in the 55 meters indoorsn and qualified for nationals where he ran a 6.39 but did not advance to semifinals. At the Big Eight outdoor meet, Williams placed sixth in the 100 meters and aided the 4x100-meter relay team to a sivler medal as the team won its second straight outdoor title. His best 100 meters time was 10.52.

Welcome JG!!!

But how many more days is it till signing day? crap....

Oh and FYI -- 2,014 now on RSS....crazy, crazy, crazy

Let them have there fun. This only happens once in a lifetime, my does well have a good time with it. Welcome Jonas!

N!

1,661 now on the RSS.....still waiting....stomach hurting.....need to know.....

1,433 on RSS right now.....

I still say it's Nebraska but Florida scares me......

Rivals or scout....that's pretty much it. But when or if he chooses Nebraska, you'll know about it within 30 seconds

10 minutes..... Jonas! Jonas! Jonas! Jonas! Jonas! Jonas! Jonas! Jonas!

We shall try this again.... I should be punished severly for missing this one.....damn, just take my tickets away right now and give me seats at the High School stadium in Craphatten 29 Days!!! (again) #29 Jim Pillen 2004 Inductee, Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Two-time First-Team All-Big Eight Pillen started at monster for Nebraska and recorded 64 tackles and seven tackles for loss. For the second straight year, Pillen was named All-Big Eight. Pillen recovered a pair of fumbles, including Billy Sims' fumble late in the fourth quarter of Nebraska's 17-14 win over Oklahoma. In addition to his on-the-field exploits, Pillen was named first-team academic All-Big Eight and named first-team academic All-American. Side note: the above picture was in "NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS" This 1996 made-for-TV movie about the 1980 Grand Island tornadoes stars John Schneider of "Dukes of Hazzard" fame. His character, Jack Hatch, is a former Nebraska football star. Early in the movie, he points to a photo in his shop window. To many a longtime Husker fan, the photo in the window may look familiar, for it is a doctored version of one that ran in Sports Illustrated after Nebraska's 1978 win over No. 1 Oklahoma. In the original, Jim Pillen is holding the ball aloft after recovering a Billy Sims fumble at the Nebraska 3-yard line to preserve the victory. Celebrating with him is Jeff Hansen, whose hit caused the fumble. In the movie, Pillen's head is replaced by Schneider's, and his jersey number is changed from 29 to a more quarterback-like 12. (You're not alone, Mr. Pillen — the moviemakers changed Grand Island's name to Blainsworth and took a number of other liberties with Ivy Ruckman's book.) Here's the doctored photo from the movie:

29 Days!!! Help me out on this one. Right now, the only #29 I can find with a bio and a photo is Mr. Sucker Punch himself..... #29 Kellen Houston 2004 Second-Team ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-American Two-Time First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2003, 2004) 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District VII Team Five-Time Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Academic Honor Roll (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) Five-Time Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Academic Honor Roll (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) Huston appeared in every game during his senior season as Nebraska’s fifth defensive back. He was listed as the No. 2 left cornerback behind NFL first-round draft pick Fabian Washington, and he made his first-ever start at Texas Tech, a game in which the Huskers featured six defensive backs in its opening defensive alignment. His 12 pass breakups ranked second on the team behind Washington (15), and they tied for the seventh-best single-season total in NU history. Huston also recorded career highs in tackles (38), tackles for loss (two) and quarterback hurries (four). Huston was also one of Nebraska’s all-time great scholar-athletes. He became NU’s 219th academic All-American in December of 2004 when he was named to the University Division Second-Team defense by ESPN the Magazine and CoSIDA. Huston earned his undergraduate degree in pre-medicine/exercise science in December of 2004 and attended medical school at the University of Iowa.

Says he doesn’t exactly know what Jonas is going to do but it was said quite mischievously. There was no definitive answer but you could absolutely tell that Blaine knew the answer but was very well coached on way to say what not to say. I’m more convinced that Gray is a Husker now even though Gabbert was very tight lipped about it. It was kind of like a kid who knew a secret and was trying hard not to spill the beans. Very funny stuff…

Suppose to give some insight on what Jonas Gray is going to do tomorrow......I'll have an update soon after. late