Plenty of Smiles...now down to business

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Plenty of Smiles - Now Down to Business

 

Commentary: Will Pelini's buoyant mood lead to success in San Diego?

by Samuel McKewon

 

December 29, 2009

 

Of all the gin joints in the world, they had to put Bo Pelini and Mike Stoops in the same one Wednesday night at the Holiday Bowl.

 

Could have been worse, Pelini said, than Nebraska and Arizona locking horns in San Diego’s beloved bowl game.

 

“There was a chance for awhile there that Mike was going to have to play (brother) Bob,” Pelini said of Oklahoma and its head coach, Bob Stoops. “I don’t know what the heck would have gone on there.”

 

The Youngstown buddies laughed and joked throughout their joint press conference Tuesday. Both wearing sport coats - Pelini donned his usual collarless shirt as an undergarment - they traded jabs about painting houses at youths, and “some fun card games,” Stoops said, when they were both graduate assistants at Iowa. He didn’t elaborate.

 

“What goes on in Iowa, stays in Iowa, I guess,” Bo said. “I don’t think people realize how intertwined our families were for such a long time. Our families are tight. We’re good friends. It’s like playing against your brother.”

 

From there, they covered the usual territory. Growing up together. Shared philosophies. The elder Stoops, Ron, and the effect he had on the Pelini coaching tree.

 

“Mike’s father was like a second father to me,” Pelini said. “When you play under a man like that and in a culture like that, it has a big impact.”

 

Then there’s how Pelini felt for Stoops when, at LSU, his Tigers thumped Arizona 45-3 in 2006.

 

“Everything he had worked for up to that point - sometimes it gets clouded when you get a setback like that,” Pelini said. “When you see a friend going through that, with all the hard work he put into it, it was hard to watch. It was hard for me to be a part of that.”

 

A luncheon of old, familiar friends. It remains to be seen just which Nebraska team - and which Arizona team - actually appears Wednesday night.

 

Bo is confident, almost ebullient. This is Bowl Bo, who flashes a big smile and adds a dash of charm. It’s a curious short-term transformation from the guy who, for much of the season, bandied back and forth with reporters, frustrated at some of the questions - and the lack of offensive progress. On Tuesday, he busted out warm-n-fuzzy buzz words - mature, fresh, love - to describe a team whose last experience on the field was among the most painful in NU history.

 

“We keep getting better every week,” he said. “I love the culture about how our kids go to work every day. I love their attitude and their commitment to each other. It gives us a chance to win a long time to come. And that’s not going away. I believe our depth is growing and in every aspect of our program I see things heading in the right direction. And that gives me a great sense of satisfaction.”

 

Maybe a week traveling with Ndamukong Suh helped him appreciate just what he’s done at Nebraska in two short years. Maybe he’s shifted into a mode we’ll see annually from this point forward. Maybe it’s that, frankly, not much is at stake in San Diego, no matter how fans want to drum up manufactured disrespect or illusory goals that the Huskers just don’t have.

 

I suggested as much last week and got thrown on the spit for it.

 

I wasn’t claiming then - or now - that NU would be unmotivated or unprepared. Nebraska’s always ready for a scrum, save a 62-28 loss to Oklahoma.

 

Rather, NU has to create motivation, rather than having a shoulder chip come piping hot out of the oven. And that’s not always been easy for the Huskers to do in the Pelini era. You have two Colorado games as evidence.

 

If USC had been the Holiday Bowl opponent, I think you would have seen a large measure of vengeance - for two severe beatdowns suffered at the hands of the Trojans in 2006 and 2007 - playing a role for some of the juniors and seniors who were around for those debacles.

 

Arizona provides no such grist for the mill.

 

And Bo, offering up more smiles and compliments this week than he’s doled out in almost two years, isn’t trying to conjure it up, either.

 

“It does provide momentum for in the offseason, winning your bowl game, but it’s not going to define you for the future,” he said. “It’s the next challenge ahead of us. What’s on the line? I think it’s the next challenge.”

 

What about the ten-win season?

 

“Did I come into this season saying ‘We have to win ten games?’ No, I didn’t,” Pelini said. “Right now our record is at 9-4. Our goal is to win game ten. It’s the next step in the process. That’s up to you guys, to make a big deal about whether it’s nine or ten.”

 

You can bet fans will, Bo. Trust me.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Forgot to add the link

[Huskerballz]

Good article.

 

I think we're going to see a new element to this Defense we haven't seen yet. I don't see Arizon's offense doing much at all....Our defense will play lights out.

 

If our offense can manage just a little yardage, then I think we can pull this one out.