Watson gets love from Denver writer!

[In the Deed the Glory]

LINCOLN, Neb. — When Shawn Watson was an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a neighbor down the street asked him a question about his football acumen. "Do you understand math?" Weeb Ewbank asked him.

 

Taken aback, Watson stammered and said, "Well, I think. I can add and subtract."

 

"Well," Ewbank declared, "you understand football."

 

The sage ex-New York Jets coach, the architect of the Super Bowl III upset of the Baltimore Colts, had just given him his coaching foundation. Simple as it sounds — getting numbers advantages against defenses, balancing double-teams, etc. — it helped Watson survive one of the most volatile coaching changes in Big 12 (or Big Eight, for that matter) history.

 

The way furious Nebraska fans ran four-year flop Bill Callahan out of town two years ago, you'd think his offensive coordinator would be carried off in the mob's hysteria. He wasn't.

 

You see, Bo knows football. Bo Pelini also knows math. So when he came over from Louisiana State last year as Callahan's successor, he saw a 2007 offense that overcame a 5-7 season and the worst defense in school history to rank ninth nationally in total yards (468.3 per game).

 

Pelini retained Watson to keep the Nebraska offense on course while Pelini revived the flat-lining defense. The mutual respect they had while Watson was the offensive coordinator at Colorado and Pelini was defensive coordinator at Nebraska and Oklahoma paid off. Last year, Nebraska had the nation's No. 12 total offense (450.8 yards per game) and No. 17 scoring offense (35.4 points per game) as the Cornhuskers went 9-4. Nebraska is back, and Watson is a huge reason.

 

"I believe he's as good as there is in the United States," Pelini said. "Watts is a guy who's not an ego guy. He takes everybody's input. You just saw how they adapted and how the offense evolved last year. It doesn't happen unless you have a pretty special group of guys."

 

How Watson, who turns 50 on Sept. 21, wound up at Nebraska was partially his own fault and not because he sent a resume. From 1999-2001, he and former Colorado coach Gary Barnett spent some time every day studying Nebraska's defense. For three years.

 

In 1999, a missed field goal at the end of regulation in Boulder cost Colorado in a 33-30 overtime loss to the Huskers. The next year in Lincoln, Josh Brown kicked a 29-yard field goal with no time left to give the Huskers a 34-32 victory. But Colorado rolled 62-36 in 2001, the most points Nebraska had ever given up.

 

"I remember one time, at halftime (leading 42-23), Gary was telling me, 'Just don't look up,' and I never did," Watson said. "We worked on it hard. Every year we kept finding some things.

 

In 2001, it all came together in the perfect night."

 

Nebraska never recovered under Frank Solich. He went 7-7 in 2002, and a 9-3 mark in 2003 cost him his job. In came Callahan, who hired Watson, a fellow graduate of the West Coast offensive school, after CU's purge of Barnett at the end of the 2005 season.

 

Watson and Barnett teamed to win four North Division titles and a Big 12 crown. It has been four years since Barnett's firing, and Watson is as loyal to his old boss as the day Barnett hired him at Northwestern in 1997.

 

To this day Watson says the CU recruiting party scandal that brought down Barnett did not have the head coach's fingerprints on it.

 

"He's the most moral guy I've ever been around," Watson said.

 

Watson's hands, however, are all over Nebraska's offense. Unlike under Callahan, Watson calls the plays, and Pelini's involvement doesn't go beyond poking his head in the offensive meeting room.

 

This year may be Watson's biggest challenge. Gone is Joe Ganz, whom Watson turned into the top single-season passer in Nebraska history last year. Replacing him is junior Zac Lee, son of former NFL quarterback Bob Lee, who threw all of two passes a year ago as Ganz's backup.

 

If he goes down, Watson is stuck with true freshman Cody Green or junior Latravis Washington, a converted linebacker. Redshirt freshman Kody Spano blew out his knee last week and is out for the season.

 

Whoever's there, Watson isn't conceding the North title to Kansas.

 

"I believe in our system," he said. "I believe in the pieces around him. We have enough pieces around him to take care of a young quarterback."

 

If Nebraska does win the North — the Huskers are ranked 22nd in the coaches poll — Watson may become too marketable to keep. "Hopefully, some day I'll get that chance," he said of becoming a head coach. "I want that chance. I do. Bo knows."

 

Yes, Bo knows football. So does Watson.

[knapplc]

Good article. They clearly still hold Coach Wats in high regard over there, and rightly so. He's a good guy, and a good coach. And they're right - if Nebraska does well again this year, and if Zac Lee can be another in a string of impressive Watson-coached QBs, and if (when) Hawkins fails to deliver on his ten wins promise, do they fire Hawkins and come looking for Watson?

 

And if Watson goes to Colorado (a huge "if" of course), I wonder what that would do to the rivalry. Wats is happy here, he respects the Huskers and our traditions, and he knows what kind of team we have and people we are. I can't imagine him doing anything to fuel whatever bad blood there is between the schools, and I could see him going as far as working to make this a true, two-sided rivalry.

 

Wats going to Colorado could be the best thing that happens to fan relations between our two schools.

[hskrfan4life]

This is the one guy im very glad we kept. just because he knows how to use players abilities. I hope the offense can be great despite a new quarterback and some young talented but unproven yet wide receivers.

[np_husker]

I fear Wats won't be here much longer. Darn it.

[knapplc]

I fear Wats won't be here much longer. Darn it.

Probably not, but I think that's going to be the norm from now on. I doubt Ekeler is here after this season, especially if the LBs really step up. I think we're going to be seeing turnover in the staff every few years, and that's OK, as long as we replace them with quality guys.

[junior4949]

I fear Wats won't be here much longer. Darn it.

Probably not, but I think that's going to be the norm from now on. I doubt Ekeler is here after this season, especially if the LBs really step up. I think we're going to be seeing turnover in the staff every few years, and that's OK, as long as we replace them with quality guys.

 

 

If that happens, then Nebraska will never be truelly back. With all the great things Snyder did at KState, he really never got a sniff of a NC because of the amount of staff he lost on an annual basis. I fear that you are right. I also fear we may never be "back" because of it.

[knapplc]

I fear Wats won't be here much longer. Darn it.

Probably not, but I think that's going to be the norm from now on. I doubt Ekeler is here after this season, especially if the LBs really step up. I think we're going to be seeing turnover in the staff every few years, and that's OK, as long as we replace them with quality guys.

 

 

If that happens, then Nebraska will never be truelly back. With all the great things Snyder did at KState, he really never got a sniff of a NC because of the amount of staff he lost on an annual basis. I fear that you are right. I also fear we may never be "back" because of it.

Doesn't seem to have hurt Florida and/or USC much. Oklahoma, too. Ohio State has turnover and they do OK. Just losing coaches to promotions doesn't doom us. It's when we replace the coaches we lose with Craig Bohl that's the problem.

[junior4949]

USC hasn't played for a NC for a few years. They have probably some of the best if not the best players in the nation. When Carroll first started, he didn't have the revolving door of assistants like he does now. Big game Bob started in similar fashion to USC, and he kept his assistants. After some years of success, he's lost key assistants. I believe this is the biggest reason he's tarnished his nickname big game Bob. I didn't realize Florida since Urban took over had lost many assistants. I'm sure with the success they've had that eventually they will. Texas went out and basically hog tied their DC. I believe this is what we're going to see more and more of in years to come promising key assistants the HC job once it's open. Missouri kept assistants pretty well until the end of last year. I think the loss of their assistants is bigger news than the loss of Maclin and crew. It's difficult to overcome the loss of a key assistant like a DC of OC.

[knapplc]

You're right about recent success, but the flip side is that pretty much everyone would trade our last four years for the last four years at USC or OU.

 

It's not a guarantee of success if you have longevity in coaching, just like losing coaches doesn't guarantee failure. The main thing is continuity, and if that comes from keeping your coaches around for a while, that's cool with me. It was always a point of pride that we had such long-term guys on our staff all those years.

[skersfan]

According to most SC fans they win inspite of the coaching, Sarkisian is or was hated.

 

When you have the talent of SC Oklahoma and Ohio State, you do not have the top of the line and experienced coaches. When you have the talent of Nebraska, you better have the best coaches you can possilby find. The prior four years should tell you that.

[junior4949]

You're right about recent success, but the flip side is that pretty much everyone would trade our last four years for the last four years at USC or OU.

 

It's not a guarantee of success if you have longevity in coaching, just like losing coaches doesn't guarantee failure. The main thing is continuity, and if that comes from keeping your coaches around for a while, that's cool with me. It was always a point of pride that we had such long-term guys on our staff all those years.

 

 

Everyone always wants something more. I'd bet pretty much anyone who is an OU or USC fan would trade their last four years to the last four years at Florida. I think Skers has it right. When you try to develop talent especially via a walk-on program, you better have some of the best coaches around when compared to programs that have some of the best talent. We don't have to have the stars to win. We have to have some of the best teachers (coaches) around to develop that two and three star talent into something more.

 

With Pelini being a defensive minded coach, we would survive and probably thrive even if we lose a defensive assistant. However, losing Watson will hurt in more ways than we can even comprehend.

[Micheal]

definitely glad watson is still here at Nebraska, very valuable coach to have on your sideline. like someone said he has a history of being able to get the most out of his players, especially at quarterback. of course I would hope for him to stay at Nebraksa for the rest of his career but a coaching talent of level. i just can see him being a head coach eventually just like most of us around here see