The Power of Red, Destroyed

[Husker_x]

It's difficult to know where to begin something like this, because as we all know, if we wanted to talk about how Nebraska football got here we'd have to go back to the beginning. A meteoric rise to prominance, nightmarish teams that destroyed their opponents for decades, a bit of a slip after Osborne headed to Washington, and finally this, our complete desolation at the hands of Bill Callahan and his cursed West Coast Offense.

 

It's almost storybook if you think about it. We're the small farm boy from humble origins who by using pure willpower and determination climbed to the top of the college football world, only to sell our souls at the first signs of trouble, abandoning our power running attack for some slippery phantom of a system regarded as an unstoppable futuristic scoring machine. My my, how quickly we learn. Assuming that the news we all know is coming does indeed break tomorrow morning, I can only hope our story doesn't get darker. But with our current defense, how could it?

 

As I watched this season unfold, slaughter after slaughter, two things could not escape me. The first was the irony of the whole situation. How many years had Nebraska unleashed hell on unsuspecting defenses, smashing them into the ground for four bloody quarters? How many cindarella hopefuls had come into Lincoln only to be turned away, not only defeated, but humiliated? Is this some kind of poetic justice, or is it something else? Which led me to the last question. How did it come to this? And by 'it' I don't just mean our win/loss record. Inevitably Nebraska would undergo a rocky season here or there. But how did we lose so much so quickly? How did the cancer spread? How come our defense just quits out there? HOW?

 

To that end I have few answers. Our tradition, I feel, is the key to it all. We forgot about what Nebraska is, and in the wake of the Callahan Mentality we lost something. Nebraska is a program built upon outworking and outmuscling the competition. It was never about flashy schemes or 5-star studs fresh out of California. It was about wanting it more. We did very well with that mentality. Why did we let Pederson change that?

 

In a strange way I feel this all goes back to the power running attack (or the option, for familiarity). When I think about this system I am intrigued by certain historical ties. The Romans were arguably the most successful conquerers in history. The blew apart Greeks, barbarians, Carthaginians, and just about anyone else they came against. But the funny thing about the Romans was that their so-called 'offense' wasn't that flashy, either, a modified phalanx. What made it work was relatively simple. They just. kept. coming. Wave after wave smashed against the Gauls and the Greeks. It wasn't always pretty. They lost a few battles. But they always came back, the same steady push, wearing out the opponent, until finally they broke the enemy in half.

 

Take a look at Bill Callahan's use of the running game. Instead of relying on this clock-eating monster, fed by a stable of backs and meaty offensive linemen, he presses the panic button at the first sign of trouble, and the result is, as we saw, interceptions and a long, torturous finish. What do you honestly expect? I believe that the running game is the most important facet of football with the exception of defense. Passing is risky, it does little for ball control, and it takes much longer to wear down the defense.

 

With Callahan's future in grave doubt, I can only hope that our new coach can restore some semblance of our identity to us. Blackshirts, walk-ons, and and powerful ground game. Whatever happens, I hope that we go back to winning the way we used to; by overpowering and out-willing our opponents.

 

Sitting here reflecting on the 2007 football season, there's not much to be glad about. For one, it's hard to believe it's already over. Part of me is disappointed that there will be no bowl this year, but part of me is relieved. This team, to my utter dismay, is a black splotch on Nebraska's glorious history. It will be difficult to forget their failures and their spineless performances, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. To hear Marlon Lucky admit to a newspaper reporter that he "held back" at times over the year is shameful and symptomatic of this season. There are a few shining lights in the black cloud, but unfortunately they're overshadowed by the horrendous overall outcome. All in all it was painful to watch. To think that the only hope we have is a complete staff overhaul makes our perilous position all the more visible. I can only hope that it happens soon, so that we can get to the offseason with a sense of all the good things to come.

 

Whoever the new guy is, let's hope that he listens carefully to what Tom Osborne will tell him. Let's hope he takes the time to learn what Nebraska is all about, that he learns to be honest and direct, to admit his failures, to enjoy his successes, to teach his players that it's never okay to lose, and even worse to quit. All the lessons that have been shelved, I hope that they're found and dusted off.

 

And most of all, at the very core of everything that has gone wrong and will be put right, I hope that the coach and his team understands what it is to play for Nebraska.

 

Here's to an exciting off-season, a new coach, and the 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

 

Go Big Red

 

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