As fall camp ends, time to win games

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I love reading this guys articles:

 

Sam Mckewon

 

As Fall Camp Ends, Time to Win

Pelini's succeeded in changing the mood of NU football - now begins the season itself

by Samuel McKewon

 

August 23, 2008

 

 

"Bo Pelini, Bo Pelini,

 

You have saved us, you have saved us

 

from the old regime that threatened

 

to enrage us, to deprave us."

 

Savior. He is to be no less, this fit, middle-aged man with a fiery demeanor on the field and a quiet, almost modest intensity around reporters. Bo Pelini is not merely expected to win football games at Nebraska. If it were only that, well, the story wouldn’t be that interesting. He’s here to restore an idea of “Husker football,” to return NU to its roots, its core beliefs.

 

And then, while resetting an entire culture - he has to win football games.

 

Understand, right now, that’s a bigger task than most coaches face. Win – but do it a certain way. If it happens to be your way, all the better. If it doesn’t, well, you may want to reconsider the job. Bill Callahan probably wishes he had.

 

So far, Pelini’s passed the “culture” portion of the test with flying colors.

 

He’s shook the right hands, spoken to the right people, reached out to the right coaches and reconnected with the right old players. He conducted a Football 202 class and earned rave reviews from all corners. He took a whirlwind goodwill trip to Western Nebraska, where some will tell you the neglect from the previous NU administration has shifted the No. 1 passion to the Denver Broncos, not Nebraska football, where the best out-state players slip away to Wyoming or Kansas or Chadron.

 

He uses buzz words that make Nebraska fans glow with pleasure: Effort, attitude, determination. He’s reinvigorated the walk-on program, treating the players as if they were scholarship guys.

 

Pelini has put the Huskers through a grueling, physical, old school camp, with longer practices, more two-a-days and a lot of time spent out of the grass fields, a contrast to Callahan’s last fall gig, which was primarily spent inside the Hawks Championship Center and Memorial Stadium. Football, to me, is always a little more personal on grass. Sophomore receiver Niles Paul estimated he lost six pounds during some practice sessions. Last year, he said, he didn’t lose anything.

 

And Pelini truly invested in the fundamentals, spending more time in individual group sessions, his brother and defensive line coach Carl Pelini estimated, than any team in the country. He invested more in film study, senior defensive end Zach Potter said, reviewing the players’ efforts on tape. He invested in athleticism, speed, quickness and versatility. In other words, Pelini spent much of his fall camp doing the things old school coaches used to love doing: Film work, teaching the basics, working on the grass, and wringing the sweat out of his kids.

 

As a recipe for integrity, it tastes pretty good.

 

Now – will it be a recipe for winning?

 

“You never know what’s going to happen,” Pelini said. “I think we’ll play well. I have confidence in this group. It’s a game. That’s why they play.”

 

Indeed. On with the final fall camp impressions:

 

>The biggest winners of this fall camp seem to be sophomore running back Quentin Castille, sophomore wide receiver Niles Paul, redshirt freshman offensive tackle Marcel Jones, sophomore cornerback Prince Amukamara, junior safety Major Culbert and junior offensive guard Ricky Henry. Depending on how much they play, you may want to throw true freshmen linebacker Will Compton and Sean Fisher in there, too. All of them earned more playing time through their efforts in camp. Castille looks like a different guy, but Paul might be the standout, emerging from a tangle of talented receivers - some of whom were ahead of him heading into fall camp - to become one of NU’s top four guys, plus a kickoff and punt returner.

 

“His camp has been as good as anybody’s camp,” receivers coach Ted Gilmore said.

 

>Guys who fell behind in fall camp were the injured or unable to practice: Sophomore offensive tackle Jaivorio Burkes and sophomore linebacker LaTravis Washington. We’ll see how ready defensive tackle Ty Steinkuhler is. There’s no debating the guy’s motor. It’s his back that has second thoughts.

 

>Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson will call plays from the booth instead of the field, and that’s good news, because it’s where he’s more comfortable. It also means that Watson is satisfied with his offense’s ability to recognize issues as they happen on the field. Particularly quarterback Joe Ganz.

 

>Don’t be surprised if Nebraska runs the ball until somebody stops it. The Huskers have a big, athletic, deep line that will wear on opponents through the hot month of September, three solid running backs, and, from all reports, good blockers on the corner at wide receiver. Plus, Watson and Co. know what Ganz is and is not capable of should a contest turn into a shootout; No. 12 spent three games last year in such a mode, and so he knows how to play the role of gunslinger. .

 

>Also don’t be surprised if it takes the defense all of September to play with the precision Bo Pelini demands. Oh, they’ll fly around from the first whistle, looking to punish and pursue. The excitement will be there. And the Huskers will make some big plays. But they also might give up a few, especially on the ground. That’s just a hunch, of course – we in the media haven’t seen practice or the scrimmages. But Nebraska’s front seven, aside from the defensive ends, is still a work in progress.

 

>About those defensive ends...both Barry Turner and Zach Potter are blessed with athleticism and senior experience. As a result – much will be expected. Both need to set their career highs in sacks and quarterback hurries. For these two, it’s time. There might not be two more important players on NU’s team.

 

>Marlon Lucky had a much quieter camp than he did in 2007, when he was in and out of practice with migraine headaches. None of that drama affected his performance in the opening game against Nevada, though, did it? Curious to see how he’s used in Watson’s attack, and whether he’s used as much as a receiver. Will the emergence of Castile and sophomore Roy Helu, Jr., cut in on his touches. If so, is that a bad thing?

 

>Wondering what that “depth chart surprise” might be come Tuesday? Maybe it’s Ricky Henry starting at guard. Maybe it’s Major Culbert at safety. Maybe it’s nobody; I doubt Pelini or Watson wants to spend the rest of the week explaining the shift like they did with Helu’s ascension to co-No.1 running backs.

 

[no_name_needed_2001]

great article...i'm pumped up!

[papersun87]

>Don’t be surprised if Nebraska runs the ball until somebody stops it. The Huskers have a big, athletic, deep line that will wear on opponents through the hot month of September, three solid running backs, and, from all reports, good blockers on the corner at wide receiver. Plus, Watson and Co. know what Ganz is and is not capable of should a contest turn into a shootout; No. 12 spent three games last year in such a mode, and so he knows how to play the role of gunslinger. .

I like it . . . our ability to run is going to be the only thing keeping us in certain road games (*cough* Texas Tech). I hope it involves Ganz moving around, too.

[bbhusker]

good article, I am interested to see if there are any surprises on the depth chart.