Chatelain hits the nail on the head with three sentences

[sd'sker]

after doing some research on, i think bo pelini is a lot like mark richt. i used to have no respect for him because his teams always seemed overrated and destined to be a letdown. after further research on richt, his ascendancy and winning percentage, i have a lot more respect for him and see bo as a similar coach. both went for being coordinators to head coaches at major universities. both started out with up-and-down seasons and silenced skeptics their second year. both have a similar winning percentage. both seem to give their respective fan bases enough to have hope, but also be frustrated. and just this year georgia was one game away. maybe that is as close as richt will ever get, maybe next year is his year.

 

my point is that there are coaches, respectable coaches, out there that work to build a program and have sustained success. my other point is that the coaches that get mentioned a lot are the extreme elite and it is unrealistic to expect those results. i think a coach that wins, on average, 9-10 wins a year, gets us to a conference championship more times than not, wins some of those, and produces teams that compete for a national championship (or get to the playoffs) every once in while, should be a coach that we are more than satisfied with.

 

You're probably right. Richt arguably had his best season in year two just like Bo has. Richt has nearly lost his job in the past only to do just enough to give the fanbase hope. The biggest question here is whether we at Nebraska give Bo 12 seasons to breathe just enough hope? The only glaring difference I can see is that Richt is a better recruiter. They've had top five classes the past three years.

he is a better recruiter, but you have to be in the sec and he is in the sec (as in, florida is in his backyard). i think bo can be the B1G's equivalent of richt. however, i still contend bo can produce championship defenses, which means that bo can produce championship teams. he just needs to figure out who his players are and get them.

[sd'sker]

Stoops walked into a team with national-championship caliber talent. That's not remotely close to what Bo walked into, and if we're talking team morale the Sooners were light-years ahead of the 2007 Huskers. The 1998 Sooners had just suffered a 5-6 season, during which they missed a bowl game by a field goal in their final game. The team Bo inherited was a complete wreck compared to that Sooner team.

 

Here was OU's win/loss the three years prior to Stoops: 96', they were 3-8. 97', they were 4-8. 98', they were 5-6. Stoops inherited a team that didn't know how to win. In 06', we played for the Big 12 Championship. Another thing about the talent and winning it all was that Josh Heupel was a huge part of OU winning a NC. John Blake didn't bring in Heupel. Heupel committed to Mike Leach who was Stoops OC. Heupel was the Hypseman runner up, AP player of the year, and Walter Camp winner. Without Heupel, OU doesn't win that NC. Stoops didn't inherit all his talent from Blake. Blake was the worst coach in the Gibbs, Schnellenberger, Blake era. Even in Gibbs' worst year, he still managed to make a bowl game. The five seasons prior to Stoops, OU was in way worse shape than the five years prior to Bo taking over our program.

 

Bo inherited his best player Suh to have his best year here in year two. Stoops recruited his best player in Heupel to win a NC in year two. I think people tend to overlook what NCAA sanctions and loss of scholarships does to a team. By all accounts, Gibbs did a rather good job posting a 65% winning percentage despite all odds. OU got greedy which is how they inherited the flops known as Howard Schnellenberger and John Blake.

and schnellenberger did just as much damage from a culture standpoint as Callahan did. He set out to erase the memory of Switzer. Those guys ran that program into the ground in the mid-90's. Stoops came in as a young DC from the SEC and lit it up.

 

I think last year I looked back through the last 10 or so MNCs. Almost all of them were won by coaches in their first few years on the job.

hopefully bo will be the guy to buck that trend.

[kchusker_chris]

hopefully bo will be the guy to buck that trend.

from the sounds of many on here, we'll have to 1) relocate the campus to Texas and 2) join the SEC. otherwise we have no chance of ever winning one again.

[kchusker_chris]

he is a better recruiter, but you have to be in the sec and he is in the sec (as in, florida is in his backyard). i think bo can be the B1G's equivalent of richt. however, i still contend bo can produce championship defenses, which means that bo can produce championship teams. he just needs to figure out who his players are and get them.

agree w/ you on this - unfortunately the fact that we are saying that going into year 6 is troublesome, considering assuming he figures it out this year it will be year 8 or 9 before they start making an impact.

[The Dude]

That team was an utter shambles

There goes Pineapple, pretending he's British again.

[sd'sker]

hopefully bo will be the guy to buck that trend.

from the sounds of many on here, we'll have to 1) relocate the campus to Texas and 2) join the SEC. otherwise we have no chance of ever winning one again.

i think you would be delusional if you did not recognize that it is harder to recruit here. however, that does not mean we can not get the players we need.

[junior4949]

Stoops walked into a team with national-championship caliber talent. That's not remotely close to what Bo walked into, and if we're talking team morale the Sooners were light-years ahead of the 2007 Huskers. The 1998 Sooners had just suffered a 5-6 season, during which they missed a bowl game by a field goal in their final game. The team Bo inherited was a complete wreck compared to that Sooner team.

 

Here was OU's win/loss the three years prior to Stoops: 96', they were 3-8. 97', they were 4-8. 98', they were 5-6. Stoops inherited a team that didn't know how to win. In 06', we played for the Big 12 Championship. Another thing about the talent and winning it all was that Josh Heupel was a huge part of OU winning a NC. John Blake didn't bring in Heupel. Heupel committed to Mike Leach who was Stoops OC. Heupel was the Hypseman runner up, AP player of the year, and Walter Camp winner. Without Heupel, OU doesn't win that NC. Stoops didn't inherit all his talent from Blake. Blake was the worst coach in the Gibbs, Schnellenberger, Blake era. Even in Gibbs' worst year, he still managed to make a bowl game. The five seasons prior to Stoops, OU was in way worse shape than the five years prior to Bo taking over our program.

 

Bo inherited his best player Suh to have his best year here in year two. Stoops recruited his best player in Heupel to win a NC in year two. I think people tend to overlook what NCAA sanctions and loss of scholarships does to a team. By all accounts, Gibbs did a rather good job posting a 65% winning percentage despite all odds. OU got greedy which is how they inherited the flops known as Howard Schnellenberger and John Blake.

One player, either Suh or Heupel, doth not a team make. That national-championship defense was mostly Blake recruits. And if we're comparing years before either Stoops or Pelini, in 1998 Oklahoma lost six games by a total of 92 points, and gave up more than 35 points one time. 2007 Nebraska lost seven games by 160 points and gave up 35 or more points seven times. They were beaten by an average of 22 points. That team was an utter shambles, and definitely not better off than the team Stoops inherited. At least Stoops had a defense to work with. Bo had a defense in disarray and an offense that could score... sometimes.

 

Scam Newton? One player can make a huge difference which is what Heupel was to OU. Nebraska players knew what it was like to win. We won our division in the Big 12 in 06'. OU's players didn't know how to win. They hadn't had a winning season for several years before Stoops. While winning breeds winning, so does losing. We had a NC calibur defense in 09' which is a far cry from what we have now.

[knapplc]

The Callahan Era taught Nebraska players how to win. That's probably the first time I've ever heard that said in a serious conversation.

 

Oklahoma was one field goal away from a winning season - and a bowl game - the year before Stoops was hired. Those players knew how to win, they just had a guy in over his head as Head Coach.

[Husker from Kansas]

he is a better recruiter, but you have to be in the sec and he is in the sec (as in, florida is in his backyard). i think bo can be the B1G's equivalent of richt. however, i still contend bo can produce championship defenses, which means that bo can produce championship teams. he just needs to figure out who his players are and get them.

agree w/ you on this - unfortunately the fact that we are saying that going into year 6 is troublesome, considering assuming he figures it out this year it will be year 8 or 9 before they start making an impact.

 

this is also being said in year 6 because after year 4 we switched conferences which means Bo had to do 2 things. 1) play against teams he had never faced before and figure out their playing styles, and 2) recruit different types of players because of the different playing style of the BIG.

 

I think the offense is a perfect example of what Bo's teams will be in given time, Bo has an idea of what he wants, so he focuses on that and strives to get that type of team. He wanted a offense that could light it up so he recruited the kind of players he wanted and now we have one. Now that we are in the BIG there is a certain type of defense he wants and he is going out and trying to achieve that.

 

I honestly think people over look the impact that switching conferences had on the defense, Bo had to recruit for the Big XII and now he is recruiting for the BIG. I would be that if we were still in the Big XII we would have won the damn thing this year, and if not our only loss would have been to k-state.

[sd'sker]

he is a better recruiter, but you have to be in the sec and he is in the sec (as in, florida is in his backyard). i think bo can be the B1G's equivalent of richt. however, i still contend bo can produce championship defenses, which means that bo can produce championship teams. he just needs to figure out who his players are and get them.

agree w/ you on this - unfortunately the fact that we are saying that going into year 6 is troublesome, considering assuming he figures it out this year it will be year 8 or 9 before they start making an impact.

 

this is also being said in year 6 because after year 4 we switched conferences which means Bo had to do 2 things. 1) play against teams he had never faced before and figure out their playing styles, and 2) recruit different types of players because of the different playing style of the BIG.

 

I think the offense is a perfect example of what Bo's teams will be in given time, Bo has an idea of what he wants, so he focuses on that and strives to get that type of team. He wanted a offense that could light it up so he recruited the kind of players he wanted and now we have one. Now that we are in the BIG there is a certain type of defense he wants and he is going out and trying to achieve that.

 

I honestly think people over look the impact that switching conferences had on the defense, Bo had to recruit for the Big XII and now he is recruiting for the BIG. I would be that if we were still in the Big XII we would have won the damn thing this year, and if not our only loss would have been to k-state.

that is true. you can not say bo can not recruit after looking at our skill positions on offense. also, recruit flaws take time to discover and time to fix. i think this program is definitely on the right track.

[Hedley Lamarr]

he is a better recruiter, but you have to be in the sec and he is in the sec (as in, florida is in his backyard). i think bo can be the B1G's equivalent of richt. however, i still contend bo can produce championship defenses, which means that bo can produce championship teams. he just needs to figure out who his players are and get them.

agree w/ you on this - unfortunately the fact that we are saying that going into year 6 is troublesome, considering assuming he figures it out this year it will be year 8 or 9 before they start making an impact.

 

this is also being said in year 6 because after year 4 we switched conferences which means Bo had to do 2 things. 1) play against teams he had never faced before and figure out their playing styles, and 2) recruit different types of players because of the different playing style of the BIG.

 

I think the offense is a perfect example of what Bo's teams will be in given time, Bo has an idea of what he wants, so he focuses on that and strives to get that type of team. He wanted a offense that could light it up so he recruited the kind of players he wanted and now we have one. Now that we are in the BIG there is a certain type of defense he wants and he is going out and trying to achieve that.

 

I honestly think people over look the impact that switching conferences had on the defense, Bo had to recruit for the Big XII and now he is recruiting for the BIG. I would be that if we were still in the Big XII we would have won the damn thing this year, and if not our only loss would have been to k-state.

 

Our defense is undersized and slow. How would that correlate to winning a conference that is better than the B1G? I thank god daily that we switched conferences because this year would have been suicide for us.

[Count 'Bility]

he is a better recruiter, but you have to be in the sec and he is in the sec (as in, florida is in his backyard). i think bo can be the B1G's equivalent of richt. however, i still contend bo can produce championship defenses, which means that bo can produce championship teams. he just needs to figure out who his players are and get them.

agree w/ you on this - unfortunately the fact that we are saying that going into year 6 is troublesome, considering assuming he figures it out this year it will be year 8 or 9 before they start making an impact.

 

this is also being said in year 6 because after year 4 we switched conferences which means Bo had to do 2 things. 1) play against teams he had never faced before and figure out their playing styles, and 2) recruit different types of players because of the different playing style of the BIG.

 

I think the offense is a perfect example of what Bo's teams will be in given time, Bo has an idea of what he wants, so he focuses on that and strives to get that type of team. He wanted a offense that could light it up so he recruited the kind of players he wanted and now we have one. Now that we are in the BIG there is a certain type of defense he wants and he is going out and trying to achieve that.

 

I honestly think people over look the impact that switching conferences had on the defense, Bo had to recruit for the Big XII and now he is recruiting for the BIG. I would be that if we were still in the Big XII we would have won the damn thing this year, and if not our only loss would have been to k-state.

 

Our defense is undersized and slow. How would that correlate to winning a conference that is better than the B1G? I thank god daily that we switched conferences because this year would have been suicide for us.

How the hell can you say that? The total direction of Bo's defensive philosphies-from overall recruiting to where the fricken DE lined up-had to be adjusted. Bo had developed a defense in the Big 12 that was distinctive and revolutionary in it's time and, until that point, was the first to even be remotely close to as dominant as it was in that era of sling-it-all-around big 12 football. You can say Callahans' recruits bla bla bla and Suh this and Prince that, but the bottom line is Bo put the guys in position within a system he devised. He had also developed a niche in recruiting for that system. All DB's and and moblie, smaller DLlineman, and few LB's, fully explaining the performance of those respectable posititions. It's not a science or an excuse Hedly, it's common sense. These things all changed when conferences were changes

 

I'm the first to say that this "3 yards and cloud of dust big10" perception is misleading. There are spread teams in the Big 10, but still, they are balanced. No offense in the Big10 operates like what we saw almost every week in the Big 12. The Big 10 still requires the use of lb's. We pretty much abandoned the linebacker postition in the Big12.

[Undone]

that is true. you can not say bo can not recruit after looking at our skill positions on offense. also, recruit flaws take time to discover and time to fix. i think this program is definitely on the right track.

 

Exactly. It's proof that he can recruit. This offense we're running is effective in both conferences. It mainly just took time to get Taylor up to speed.

[Undone]

We pretty much abandoned the linebacker postition in the Big12.

 

Another really great point, accountability! Weird...I hadn't ever really considered it from that angle.

 

Could explain a lot of the deficiencies many have complained about in Whaley & Fisher, for example.

[sd'sker]

he is a better recruiter, but you have to be in the sec and he is in the sec (as in, florida is in his backyard). i think bo can be the B1G's equivalent of richt. however, i still contend bo can produce championship defenses, which means that bo can produce championship teams. he just needs to figure out who his players are and get them.

agree w/ you on this - unfortunately the fact that we are saying that going into year 6 is troublesome, considering assuming he figures it out this year it will be year 8 or 9 before they start making an impact.

 

this is also being said in year 6 because after year 4 we switched conferences which means Bo had to do 2 things. 1) play against teams he had never faced before and figure out their playing styles, and 2) recruit different types of players because of the different playing style of the BIG.

 

I think the offense is a perfect example of what Bo's teams will be in given time, Bo has an idea of what he wants, so he focuses on that and strives to get that type of team. He wanted a offense that could light it up so he recruited the kind of players he wanted and now we have one. Now that we are in the BIG there is a certain type of defense he wants and he is going out and trying to achieve that.

 

I honestly think people over look the impact that switching conferences had on the defense, Bo had to recruit for the Big XII and now he is recruiting for the BIG. I would be that if we were still in the Big XII we would have won the damn thing this year, and if not our only loss would have been to k-state.

 

Our defense is undersized and slow. How would that correlate to winning a conference that is better than the B1G? I thank god daily that we switched conferences because this year would have been suicide for us.

How the hell can you say that? The total direction of Bo's defensive philosphies-from overall recruiting to where the fricken DE lined up-had to be adjusted. Bo had developed a defense in the Big 12 that was distinctive and revolutionary in it's time and, until that point, was the first to even be remotely close to as dominant as it was in that era of sling-it-all-around big 12 football. You can say Callahans' recruits bla bla bla and Suh this and Prince that, but the bottom line is Bo put the guys in position within a system he devised. He had also developed a niche in recruiting for that system. All DB's and and moblie, smaller DLlineman, and few LB's, fully explaining the performance of those respectable posititions. It's not a science or an excuse Hedly, it's common sense. These things all changed when conferences were changes

 

I'm the first to say that this "3 yards and cloud of dust big10" perception is misleading. There are spread teams in the Big 10, but still, they are balanced. No offense in the Big10 operates like what we saw almost every week in the Big 12. The Big 10 still requires the use of lb's. We pretty much abandoned the linebacker postition in the Big12.

very well said. this is a little off topic, but i do not understand recruiting. is not every recruits dream to play in the nfl? bo has turned some good talent into great players. why can he not just walk into a defensive recruit's living room and pop in a dvd highlight reel of all of the talent he has put in the nfl? from suh to david and everyone in between. you would think that would be a big selling point. he may not have recruited all of those players, but he got them to the nfl.