Pelini and Osborne after 36 games

[cb1954]

I guarantee you the same guys around here who want to blame Shawn Watson for everything would have been calling for Tom Osborne's head after TO's third consective three-loss season in '78 (including back to back losses to Iowa State).

 

Lest ye spawns forget, the carping at Watson and Bo is probably less than what Osborne faced from the fanbase for the first twenty (yes 20) years of his career.

 

Ding Ding Ding this is a winner!!

 

One can only wonder what would of been had the internet been around in the 70s. There was a lot of heat on Osborne in that decade. People said he would never be another Devaney. After he went to Colorado and interviewed for the job there, he was almost run out of town. He would of had no problem finding people to help him move.

[Nexus]

I guarantee you the same guys around here who want to blame Shawn Watson for everything would have been calling for Tom Osborne's head after TO's third consective three-loss season in '78 (including back to back losses to Iowa State).

 

Lest ye spawns forget, the carping at Watson and Bo is probably less than what Osborne faced from the fanbase for the first twenty (yes 20) years of his career.

 

This is most certainly true.

 

Also, I don't think the heat Watson is catching now is anything compared to what Charlie McBride faced in the late 80s / early 90s. This state wanted McBride ran out of town on a rail after seven straight bowl losses where McBride's defenses gave up an average of 30 points per game and we lost by an average of more than two touchdowns.

 

If there had been an internet back then the hailstorm of criticism we'd have seen toward McBride would have made the dissatisfaction shown to Watson look like nothing.

 

McBride learned from his mistakes and ended up all right, I suppose - if you like crazy-good unstoppable dominating defenses.

 

 

Guy Chamberlin, knapplc & cb1954 pretty much hit this one out of the park. I realize some of the posters on this board are too young to remember the criticisms of the Osborne era. It wasn't until after Osborne won those 3 national titles that people suddenly forgot about those first 22 years of his head coaching tenure.

 

Let's not forget that Osborne considered leaving Nebraska for Colorado due to the overwhelming pressure he felt from fans and boosters to win the BIG ONE. It certainly makes me appreciate T.O. that much more after-the-fact and I'm equally appreciative of Bo Pelini and his staff as well for what they have to go through. It's a pressure cooker of emotions.

[The Dude]

Osborne took over one of the best programs in the nation. Pelini took over a steaming pile of fail.

 

 

I would say Bo is off to a pretty fantastic start.

[Guy Chamberlin]

I actually think the Pelini/Watson teams have been slightly better prepared for the big games (and more adaptable) than many of those Osborne teams.

 

I also think these Pelini/Watson teams sometimes play down to lesser opponents in a way Osborne teams didn't.

[JohnInKC]

Again, the Frank Solich dismissal wasn't entirely football related, but we shouldn't forget the nice run he had.

 

The Pedersen decision may have been regrettable, but the same fans who post on places like this were also calling for Solich's head after that 7-7 2002 season, and most of the complaints about dumping the 9 - 3 Solich in 2003 were about not making Pelini permanent. I remember a lot of folks being excited about making a big change and luring a hot coach.

 

 

on solich's dismissal, it was because he was not pulling in the type of players needed to compete at the level nebraska was accustom to and correct me if i am wrong because this is all speculation or hear say but that he knocked up a female employee for the university? i am not sure about that but it was a rumor that i heard around the time he was let go. i know he had a little bit of a drinking problem and Peterson had his own agenda as well but i just wondering if anyone eles heard that.

[Guy Chamberlin]

on solich's dismissal, it was because he was not pulling in the type of players needed to compete at the level nebraska was accustom to and correct me if i am wrong because this is all speculation or hear say but that he knocked up a female employee for the university? i am not sure about that but it was a rumor that i heard around the time he was let go. i know he had a little bit of a drinking problem and Peterson had his own agenda as well but i just wondering if anyone eles heard that.

 

My understanding is that all of the above are true. Frank had a couple of character issues that were potential image problems for the University (one of which came to pass at Ohio), both of which they would have tried harder to overlook if there wasn't also the widely held perception that Solich had not recruited well, the Huskers were losing ground to non-elite programs and we had substandard players coming down the pipeline.

 

Callahan didn't exactly inherit a cornucopia of college football himself.

[carlfense]

PELINI CAN'T RECRUIT

[bshirt]

I actually think the Pelini/Watson teams have been slightly better prepared for the big games (and more adaptable) than many of those Osborne teams.

 

I also think these Pelini/Watson teams sometimes play down to lesser opponents in a way Osborne teams didn't.

 

It is "very" interesting that Bo's team can and does gear up for big games but seems unable to play with any consistency. Both qualities being just the opposite of most of TO's teams. Heh.....good point!

[beanman]

on solich's dismissal, it was because he was not pulling in the type of players needed to compete at the level nebraska was accustom to and correct me if i am wrong because this is all speculation or hear say but that he knocked up a female employee for the university? i am not sure about that but it was a rumor that i heard around the time he was let go. i know he had a little bit of a drinking problem and Peterson had his own agenda as well but i just wondering if anyone eles heard that.

 

My understanding is that all of the above are true. Frank had a couple of character issues that were potential image problems for the University (one of which came to pass at Ohio), both of which they would have tried harder to overlook if there wasn't also the widely held perception that Solich had not recruited well, the Huskers were losing ground to non-elite programs and we had substandard players coming down the pipeline.

 

Callahan didn't exactly inherit a cornucopia of college football himself.

 

Story I heard from a guy I work with(who happens to be a longtime friend of Pedey) is that Solich got a student-athlete pregnant as well as another lady living in his neighborhood. Not sure what to believe but this wouldn't surprise me at all. Except of course the fact that Solich can get women so easily.